Six Apart News & Events: May 2008

May 29, 2008

TypePad AntiSpam: What's Good for the Web

by Anil Dash - Comments (4)

At Six Apart, our mission is to help people communicate on the web, and we've always done this by making the best software and services that we can. But part of our larger goal is to help do what's right for the web, and today we're launching the latest initiative in that effort: TypePad AntiSpam.

What's TypePad AntiSpam? A few short answers:

  • A free, open source system powered by TypePad for blocking comment spam on any site, free no matter how many comments you get.
  • A service for all bloggers, built into TypePad blogs already and implemented as a free plugin for users of platforms like Movable Type and WordPress.
  • An open source engine which developers can use to create new antispam services, with customizable rules and logic.
  • In beta! We're hearing great results from testers so far, but wanted to open up TypePad AntiSpam to a larger audience so we can make sure the system is getting as smart as possible.
typepadantispam.jpg

One of the reasons that we think TypePad AntiSpam is performing so well already is that its adaptive learning engine has been trained by millions of comments already. Every time any TypePad user reports a comment as junk, the system gets a little bit smarter and is even more ready to fight future spam attacks. The same goes for TrackBacks and Pingbacks.


So, if you hate spam, you're probably wondering how to get TypePad AntiSpam. It's easy!

  • TypePad AntiSpam is a free, automatic upgrade for TypePad users at any subscription level -- it's built in! You can read up on Everything TypePad to find out how this helps your TypePad blogs and be sure to check out the screencast.
  • The service is included in the brand-new Movable Type 4.2 Release Candidate 1 and is available as a free plugin for any user of MT 3.3 or later.
  • For users of other platforms, TypePad AntiSpam is a free plugin. Users of WordPress 2.3 and 2.5 can download the plugin for free, and other platforms can use our 100% Akismet API-compatible implementation to extend their existing antispam support to use this service.

So, why are we releasing TypePad AntiSpam now? It all comes back to our mission, as stated above: We want to increase the quality of conversation on the web. At the highest level, we wanted to change the economics of blog spamming by introducing variety into the ecosystem.

The more different implementations of spam-fighting technology that exist, the more complex and challenging (and expensive!) it becomes for spammers to keep attacking our communities. At the same time, we want to make sure our economic incentives at Six Apart as a business are aligned with the best interests of bloggers, so that we feel the pain and cost of spam just as you do. And we want to get these weapons in the fight against spammers into as many hands as possible. One of the earliest sites to deploy the new platform has been popular tech blog TechCrunch, which just offered up a review of TypePad AntiSpam from the site's founder, Michael Arrington:

[L]ast week we switched to TypePad AntiSpam as a test, crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. After a week I'm pleased to say that as good as Akismet is, the TypePad product has performed as good or better for us.

Protected by TypePad AntiSpamTypePad AntiSpam has learned from the platforms that came before: Automattic's team has created a dead-simple API for Akismet, and we're 100% compatible with their API. (As Dave Winer once said, "Invention here is hardly the issue. What matters is adoption and forward motion.") The smart work at Defensio has made it clear that bloggers want more competition in the antispam market. And years of work on SpamAssassin has shown the success of making an open source antispam engine that anyone can extend and customize to their own needs.


But most important, we made TypePad AntiSpam so that you don't have to think about spam. So grab the plugin (or TypePad users, just keep on blogging) and join the fight against blog spam.

May 14, 2008

Hey Bloggers: Get Out! (With TypePad)

by Anil Dash - Comments (4)
Maybe everything interesting in life happens in front of a keyboard. But we don't think so, and we know that's not true for TypePad members, or for bloggers in general. We think you want to get outside and live your life or run your business, while still being able to stay connected to your blog.

That's why TypePad is the only blogging service that does mobile blogging right. So you can say what you have to say, from wherever you are.

We've been working to boost TypePad's cutting-edge mobile blogging features for years. And Six Apart has marked milestones as the best company for mobile blogging for years, like showing off our work at DEMO all the way back in 2004. And we've stayed on the cutting edge -- our Vox service is built in to every single Nokia N95, one of the hottest phones available worldwide.

typepad-blackberry.pngThe tradition continues today, as we follow up TypePad being the first blogging service to support the iPhone (and, as Apple noted, there's a dedicated iPhone client on the way) by launching another first: TypePad for the Blackberry Curve and Blackberry Pearl.

The new Blackberry client is a free upgrade for every TypePad member, just like the Windows Mobile and Palm and Nokia Symbian clients before it. And as a Blackberry user myself, it's been really satisfying to see how brilliantly TypePad is integrated into the device; I just take a photo like I always have, for example, and I'm seamlessly prompted afterwards if I want to send the picture to my TypePad site. Adding text is just as easy.

It's no surprise that a Blackberry client would be a good fit for TypePad members, though. Even as they're increasingly popular in personal life, Blackberry devices have always been associated with professionals who really need to get their email on the go. And TypePad's always been the blogging service that focuses on professional needs, whether that's mobile blogging, having total control over your site with no unwanted advertising on your blog, or just having a dedicated support team to back you up when you need help.

Of course, you might just be warming up to the idea of mobile blogging. In that case, the TypePad community is here to help: James Kendrick and Kevin Tofel of jkOnTheRun are using their TypePad-powered blog to run an awesome contest. You can win a Blackberry handheld, and two years of service to TypePad.

So, don't wait -- get your TypePad account, get your Blackberry, get the new client and then get out there and start blogging!
May 5, 2008

It's Computer Mania!

by Natalie Podrazik - Comments (3)
Did you know that in 2006, only 10.5% of Computer Science AB test takers were girls? Sounds hard to believe, now two years later, when one of the serious contenders for the US Presidency is a woman, the majority of bloggers are women, and we're a company whose co-founder and President is female. (Yeah!)

Since 2003, the Center for Women and IT has been throwing a half-day IT-love fest at UMBC to keep the minds of middle school girls open to careers in technology, and, unabashedly, the event's name is Computer Mania Day. This past weekend, CMD '08 invited over 800 Baltimore-area middle school girls to personally interview a virtual-anime-puppet, work with PhD students to learn about haptics, and create their own hot air balloons, among tons of other real-life workshops presented by women in the industry. Meanwhile, the girls' parents participated in their own informative sessions about the status of women in IT led by industry leaders and Maryland Public School officials.

computer-mania-day.png
I was lucky enough to lead my own Computer Mania Day workshop for the kids, sharing some some of my blogging knowledge, technical expertise, and professional and personal experiences in IT. And we made our own: over 50 girls signed up for their very own Vox accounts! The girls loved customizing their own blogs, and were especially surprised at how easy Vox was to use and navigate. (A few of the girls mentioned it being a lot easier than MySpace.) And they totally loved the Six Apart/Vox schwag, including cute mini-buttons, phone charms, and some very desirable Pink Vox baby tees.

Events like these remind me that we should constantly work to enrich the core of the IT industry: its people. I had no problem gushing to the girls about the entertaining, challenging, and important job I've had with Apperceptive and now Six Apart, and I (not so) secretly hope that these girls grow up to bloggers and join the Six Apart staff! That being said, if you know of a young woman or man looking to start a career in technology, Six Apart is hiring everything from developers to designers to business development and account managers.

You can check out computermaniaday.vox.com for the links to the blogs made and a liveblog entry chronicling the day. More information about Computer Mania Day can be found on the UMBC site, as well as the CMD homepage itself.