Six Apart Media, TypePad Micro, and AVATAR
Announcing the TypePad Platform and TypePad Motion
The TypePad Platform
In 2003, Six Apart launched TypePad, which quickly became and remains the leading premium hosted blogging service. According to comScore, Six Apart is the leader in the blog category in the US and reaches over 183M unique visitors per month around the world - that’s bigger than MySpace - and TypePad is the cornerstone of Six Apart’s hosted services.
In the last year we’ve rebuilt TypePad from the ground up and introduced social networking features such as profiles, following, microblogging, and status updates to our bloggers. We've invested in making TypePad the most secure, stable, scalable and social blogging platform, but until now the only way to use it was through TypePad.com. Today we are very pleased to announce the launch of the TypePad Platform, where any developer, blogger, publisher, or corporation can use the TypePad “cloud” through our open APIs.
Cloud services didn’t exist in 2001 the way they do today, but now services from Amazon and others make building and launching new web sites much easier and less expensive by providing infrastructure level “cloud” services. Users of Flickr, Facebook and Twitter have transformed the internet by sharing their media and building relationships online, in part because of the flexibility of experiences that those platforms' API have enabled.
We hope to take cloud computing a step further with the TypePad Platform with this “smart cloud” service - combining the flexibility of infrastructure-focused services with the building blocks of our social application platform. Our platform enables developers to use structured object, like blogs, posts, comments, people, activities, groups, and tags, to quickly and inexpensively build next generation social applications on a reliable, secure, and scalable platform.
That all may be a bit too much jargon, I realize, so the bottom line is this: cloud services are transforming how web sites and social applications are being built, and we want to help move this trend forward by opening up TypePad’s APIs. We hope to dramatically lower barriers for those trying to get started on a shoestring to build the next Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube.
For larger publishers and Internet businesses, we see the TypePad Platform as new way to incorporate blogs and social networking into their sites - offering an alternative to completely local software solutions or completely hosted SaaS solutions. With the TypePad Platform, publishers can use the presentation layer and templates of their choice - be it via MT, PHP, Django, Java, etc. - while not having to install and support an expensive back end.
For personal bloggers and TypePad users, opening up our APIs means that TypePad will be built into applications that will help the bloggers and their readers, paving the way for more applications that enhance TypePad functionality. For our larger TypePad customers it opens up a large set of possibilities about how they can integrate their TypePad blogs into their existing web sites. For our Movable Type and Six Apart Services clients, this opens up many more ways that TypePad can be used in conjunction with, rather than an alternative to, Movable Type or other installed blogging platforms.
The TypePad Developer Program
TypePad Motion
A TypePad Motion site is a place where members come together to share notes, files, photos, videos and audio with others and featured users can aggregate all of their activity around the web onto the TypePad Motion site, keeping their fans or followers up-to-date on their activities. Several celebrities have integrated TypePad Motion sites into their branded websites, such as Zachary Quinto (Star Trek, Heroes) and Ryan Star.
For more information about TypePad Motion, please visit typepad.com/go/motion.
This opens up a new chapter for TypePad and Six Apart, and it’s just a start. The TypePad Platform is new and now primarily for developers who wish to preview and test the service. We’d love your feedback. It is Six Apart’s continuing mission to dramatically reduce the cost and time to market while increasing the capability and scalability in building social applications. We’re hoping to make web publishing even more accessible and social and we hope you will join us.
The Rap On Social Media with MC Hammer at Harvard This Month
We are offering members of the Six Apart community a discount to the conference (standard price is $489, Six Apart price is $329), which will also include presentations from social media practitioners of Southwest Airlines, Dunkin Donuts, CNN, Domino's, and the American Red Cross. The indefatigable Gary Vaynerchuk, of Wine Library TV fame, will also keynote.
Can't make it to Harvard on the 31st? That's ok. The summit will be streamed live by CNN.com/Live, the Internet's only multi-stream live video news service, from 9 am Eastern.
Gravity Summit events help bridge the gap between the new Social Media Marketing tools and the business community, by educating and informing marketing professionals, small business owners, advertisers, C-Level executives, and others, about the exciting new marketing and communications landscape that is evolving daily.
We've attended past Gravity Summits at Stanford University and UC Irvine, and have found that people actually practicing social media inside companies are more willing to speak at an education-oriented conference than at a typical industry conference. The presentation quality is high and authentic, as is the discussion. We recommend the experience.
We hope you'll take advantage of this discount, attend the conference, and learn more about social media, or tune in to the live stream at 9 am on the day of - August 31.
Question of the Day Comes to TypePad
The Question of the Day on Vox has helped us spark some of those conversations amongst bloggers who might otherwise suffered from a case of writer’s block. Because we’ve seen such great success with the Vox QotD, we decided to introduce the same feature to TypePad. We are really excited to see how this new feature inspires creativity amongst TypePad bloggers and their loyal readers.
Learn more about the TypePad Question of the Day in the FAQ and let us know if you have a question you’d like to ask!
If your question is chosen, we will publish it, along with a “submitted by” message and a link to your blog. It’s a great way to connect with bloggers, and also to get more readers to your blog. Please keep in mind that QotDs should appeal to a wide audience and should be no more than 95 characters.
You can send your submissions for QotDs to qotd@typepad.com.
Enter the “Green by Design” Contest!
So many of you adopted the Green Badges that we designed, we couldn’t help but wonder What if we asked YOU to create an earth-friendly badge? After all, our bloggers are some of the most creative and eco-friendly out there and who better than you to spread the message that when we all do one act, we act as one, and help the planet? No one!
That’s why Six Apart partnered with One Million Acts of Green brought to you by Cisco to create the “Green by Design” contest. To enter, all you have to do is create a Green Badge with an earth-friendly design and/or message. One winner will be chosen each week in June and that person’s badge will be available on EverythingTypePad for people to put on their blogs, and will appear on blogs all across Six Apart Media’s advertising platform. Plus, when the badges receive a million impressions, Six Apart will donate another $1000 to The Climate Project.
Visit EverythingTypePad for all the details on how you can enter the “Green by Design” contest.
And don’t forget to record your Acts of Green on the One Million Acts of Green website. Because together, we are making a difference.
Social Media Tips from a True Pro
Lauren Kozak, Social Media Director for Britney Spears, recently stopped by our San Francisco offices and shared her views about how corporations can use social media to grow their brands and engage with customers in meaningful ways.
We enjoyed her talk so much that we videotaped some of her advice to share with you.
Lauren's advice is the real thing - it not only comes from her current experience creating social media success for one of the biggest brands in the world, but also from her pre-Britney Spears work as a social media advisor to corporations when the medium was still in its infancy.
We hope you find Lauren's insights helpful. Let us know what you think!
Comcast joins the Conversation
Check out the BusinessWeek article that covers a Twitter-ful afternoon with director of digital care Frank Eliason. Or the report by TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington a few weeks ago of getting frustrated on the phone with Comcast customer support, only to find that a simple Tweet would deliver a solution to his problem in minutes.
Considering the company’s success on Twitter, it’s not surprising that they are augmenting their social media strategy by adding a blog to encourage longer-than-140-character conversations between customers and employees about all things Comcast.
The blog is called ComcastVoices, and it’s on Movable Type. It was launched just five weeks ago, and already the conversations are proving to be lively, informative, and respectful.
Let the folks at Comcast tell you directly what they’d like to achieve with the site:
For you marketing and customer support pros out there who might find the idea of such openness with customers a little daunting, here are a few things to note about the blog:
- Comcast can set the tone and keep the conversation productive because this is their platform.
- The “Rules of the Road” define expected behavior for the site. It’s very clear that comments are moderated by Comcast and that only polite, on-topic and respectful comments will be accepted.
- The “About” page tells customers what they can expect from the blog, and refers them elsewhere for their personal support issues while encouraging them to tell Comcast directly what’s important to them.
- You
can see the negative comments of some customers turning positive as
they engage in conversation with employees. For customers, simply being
heard goes a long way.
- It’s hard to view Comcast as a monolithic, monopolistic behemoth when you see and hear from employees and executives directly.
Welcome, Comcast!
One Million Acts of Green & Cisco Partner with Six Apart to Make the World a Greener Place
Earth Day was founded to inspire awareness and appreciation for our environment, and while today might be the official Earth Day, at Six Apart, we believe that every day is new opportunity to help make our planet clean and healthy. That’s why we’ve partnered with Cisco to promote the One Million Acts of Green website.
One Million Acts of Green is a collaborative environmental campaign encouraging everyone to go green one act at a time. The goal? One million acts of green. Because, as we all know, we’re more powerful together than we can ever be apart.
That’s where you—our bloggers and readers—come in. We’ve come up with a few easy ways to inspire you to help the planet because we truly believe that every act of green makes a difference.
Here’s how you can do your part:
1. Adopt a Green Badge for Your Blog & Six Apart Will Donate $1000 to The Climate Project
We created four Green Badges for you to choose from. Each badge links to the One Million Acts of Green, brought to you by Cisco website. By putting a badge on your blog, you’ll not only be spreading the message of the importance of going green, you’ll be participating in an environmental campaign that will impact the world forever.
Plus, when the badges receive 100,000 impressions across the blogosphere, Six Apart will donate $1000 to The Climate Project.
Visit Everything TypePad
to learn how to add a Green Badge to your blog.
2. Add the Million Acts of Green Widget to Your Blog
Learn and share tips and advice to help make the world a greener place with the One Million Acts of Green widget. In addition, you can track the total acts of green being performed as well as the greenhouse gases saved as a result of those acts.
Get the Million Acts of Green Widget Now.
3. Answer today’s QotD on Blogs.com
How could you better “green” your life? What’s holding you back?
Read what other people are saying, get new ideas, and share your thoughts at Blogs.com.
4. Visit the One Million Acts of Green Website
Change can start with one person. One action. One million acts of green. Visit the One Million Acts of Green
website and register your acts of green.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for doing your part. Because when we all do one act, we act as one, and help the planet. And that is what today, and every day, should be about.
Six Apart Hosts Online Seminar: Strategic Social Media in a Customer-Driven World
Update: Thanks to the hundreds of you who attended the seminar. Please leave a comment and tell us what you thought. Or please fill out our survey here. We'll post the link to the recording as soon as it is ready. Thanks!
After the seminar, please check back here to get the link to a recording of the event and to discuss the content. We’re interested in your experience with social media in marketing.
National Geographic Partners with Six Apart
In order to create interest and engagement around this controversial subject, Six Apart Media spent this week asking relevant questions on Vox, LiveJournal and Blogs.com. Bloggers have been weighing in on everything from which food they'd miss most if they were sent to prison to whether or not the prisoners in the War on Terror should be protected by the Geneva Conventions.
It's not too late for you to weigh in on these topics. Join the conversation at Blogs.com.
And be sure to tune in to "Inside Guantanamo" on the National Geographic Channel this Sunday at 9 p.m. to learn more about what life on the inside is really like.


