Why blog on Typepad?

I have to admit it, Wordpress does have some pretty cool features, but in the end, sorry guys, it's just not enough. In my battle of Typepad versus Wordpress I have to say that Typepad wins.

So,  what are the main reasons for choosing Typepad as my blogging platform?

Earlier this year I decided to redesign my web site and to move from a static HTML-page to a more dynamic blog. I set up similar pages with Blogger, Wordpress and TypePad to see how they worked and how easy maintaining them would be. After weighing cons and pros of each option, I have now decided to settle for TypePad as the best overall solution, particularly because of the ease of editing and more control of my design than with the other options.

Here is one good link to read BEFORE you set up your blog. Unfortunately I did this afterwards...well, not really unfortunately, because I did make the right decision :-)

WYSIWYG-editor
Wordpress has the most options as far as text formatting is concerned and should appeal to me who wants to build an academic/professional blog with lots of text. However, I found inserting images WITHOUT word wrapping very complicated in Wordpress. I know some people like wrapping text around their images, but I prefer to have them on separate lines. Just the way I am. Wordpress CAN do that, but much easier in Typepad.

Commercial content
Wordpress.com is free, but does not allow commercial content. Typepad on the other hand allows me to customize as many ads on my blog as I want, since I used to make not much but at least some money from Amazon.com and Google Adsense. I could opt for the self-hosted wordpress.org, but after a disastrous experience with Moveable Type I decided that was not an option. I know that wordpress.org is supposed to be an exact copy of wordpress.com, but still, I prefer not to have to do my own updates and installs and what not. Blogger works fine with ads too.

Domain Mapping
All three allow domain mapping, but Wordpress charges you 10$/year for it. TYpepad's instructions for setting up domain mapping are great and covers exactly what you need to do if your domain is with such and such registrar. With a custom domain and self-hosted wordpress (.org) I could have commercial content though, but as I said, I don't want to be bothered by installs.

Disk space
No limitations on Blogger, 50MB on Wordpress (1 GB at 20$/year), Typepad charges $4.95/month for 250MB, $8.95/month for 500MB, plus more options (but that really is for business, and not for me)

Price
Blogger and Wordpress are free, Typepad is not. I'm a business blogger, not a cheapskate. Besides, you get what you pay for, and I am willing to pay for what I get a Typepad, because I cannot get it anywhere else.

GUI - Control panel
What I find surprising is that a tool like Wordpress can come with such a confusing control panel, almost complete void of any clear layout or structure. In Typepad I knew intuitively where to click to do what, in Wordpress I had to go over every menu options many times before I found whatever I was looking
for.

Customization
Wordpress - None whatsoever. Ok, I can insert a custom image header, but that's all I found. Is there more? Maybe there is more, but if I can't find it on first clicks, it's not there. I guess I have that with the self-hosted version, but only tried free Wordpress.
Blogger - If I chose a basic template I can edit and customize the HTML, not an easy task, but manageable, but will always look ugly.
Typepad - almost full customization possible if I upgrade from Typepad Basic to Plus, and total if I go to the Pro Account ($14.95/month), which is what I went for, since I have several blogs I need to consolidate in one account. Very easy to manage. Does Wordpress handle that?

Support
Blogger Help is OK, Wordpress' support is so-so, but support.typepad.com is so far the best I have seen. And let's not forget the tips and tricks at everything.typepad.com. I never found what I need in the Help/FAQ section at Wordpress, but maybe that's because I'm too techie and like to play around with my HTML.

Conclusion
What it all came down to was
1. I need to be able to customize my templates.
2. I need to be able to display commercial content
3. I need to find the answers I really need in the support/help section.

Here is another interesting view on Typepad, by Patsi Krakoff, and reading the comments mades me even more certain that I did choose the right tool for my blogging.

All this I have only found in Typepad. TypePad IS  the Elite Blogging Tool for Professionals. If you're a newbie and have never blogged before, go with Wordpress. If you know some HTML and  want to develop a business blog, go with Typepad.

And if you're still undecided, why don't you get a 14 Day Free Trial first?

 

Comments

[Brian Brown]

Hi Jan. I thought I'd give this post a little extra info. I've had pretty good luck with Typepad support in the past, but unfortunately, I'm experiencing very bad support at the moment.

It's been over 22 hours since I submitted a support ticket with them and I haven't heard a thing from them.

I contacted their sales staff via Instant Message today and had it out with them. Keep in mind that I'm a pretty valued customer of theirs too. I'm actually on their 'Testimonials' page, if you can believe it (there are only about a dozen people quoted on that page).

Read more about my ordeal here:
http://www.pajamamarket.com/pajama_market_small_busin/2008/05/typepad-custome.html

[Jan]

Hi Brian. Thanks for your insights. I'm sorry to hear you're having such trouble with Typepad support. Well, I've had my share of experiences with them, all pleasant though. My requests were answered within 6-12 hours at the most, which I consider fairly quick. I have tested Wordpress support too for some issues there, not any faster. I'm satisfied with Typepad, but I can understand your frustration when your blog looks like it does because the stylesheet is messed up. That would make me go mad too...best wishes, Jan.