Web Worker Daily

Microblogging is hot right now. While Twitter dominates the space, Facebook and Tumblr are very much in the game. I recently wrote about the preview of the next-generation TypePad platform, and hot on the heels of this new release, SixApart added microblogging to the service. This is a natural next step, though its entrance into microblogging tools runs the risk of becoming a “me too” entry. You can use a microblog for status updates, and posting links and topics that may not have a place on your main blog.

Create a Microblog

Before you start, bear in mind that your microblog does count against your blog’s storage and bandwidth quotas. Creating a microblog with TypePad follows the same well-documented and usable process as you use to create a new blog. There’s a new Pico theme for microblogs, which comes in tan, dark blue, dark gray and white. (I expect that if this offering takes off, then SixApart will add more microblog themes beyond the Pico theme.) Here is an example of that theme in white:

Manage a Microblog
After creating my microblog, I was greeted by a nicely designed user interface:

When you create a microblog, your categories don’t propagate over from your existing TypePad blog, so you are going to have to create them for your new microblog. The rest of the features should already be familiar to you as a TypePad user.

You also have the option to publish your posts to Twitter, Facebook and FriendFeed via TypePad. Personally, while I try to keep Facebook for friends and Twitter for professional networking, I was happy to have the options to publish my blog posts to these two social networks, and the “post from anywhere” capabilities include support for email, iPhone, and the TypePad Blog It bookmarklet.

TypePad and Microblogging

TypePad has always been leader in blog publishing and management tools, and SixApart’s first steps into microblogging further builds on its platform. Well-managed blogs are a necessity for web workers who want to contribute to the real-time web. TypePad offers a set of tools that even non-web savvy users can use to create professionally designed blogs and microblogs. A well-done microblog can complement a web worker’s web presence and online brand. This new feature provides a low-maintenance option for web workers who want to use the same platform for all of their blogging efforts.

This latest TypePad feature release is well-executed and a natural fit for the app, and is further testimony to a growing yet versatile platform for blogging. I look forward to seeing future feature releases.

Have you tried microblogging with TypePad?