I’ve just changed my blog from Typepad to WordPress. So my blog was down for part of the day because of the switchover. Being the sort of person who likes customizing things on the computer, (A Mac of course) Typepad had too many limitations on my creativity and my general spirit of “lets see what we can change around here”. There are more themes available for WordPress and more plugins that allow you to add different features. Also despite being free software (open source), I had much quicker response times for my questions on the free WordPress support forums than on my paid hosting account at Typepad.
That being said, if you don’t like spending a lot of type learning software programs and a bit about PHP code and want an easier to setup and customize blog (with more limitations on your ability to customize it) you’d be far better off going with Typepad or Blogger than open source software like WordPress.
I went with the Northern Web Coders theme, and will be gradually customizing it as I learn more about wordpress and PHP.
I did check wordpress or blogsome. I did not find it easy to customize the template. Right now I’m on trial Typepad Pro. I found it much easier.
I may take a new look at wordpress thoug
It’s not easy to do but it can be done. To find out how, check out http://www.urbangiraffe.com/2005/04/12/themeguide1/ and guide 2 and guide 3 for how to customize themes. Very good and very detailed.
Typepad is much easier to customize but you can only go so far, so it really depends on how much you like messing around with it. The wordpress user forums really are helpful though.
Pete
So glad to find someone who’s recently converted fr. TP to WP as I’m contemplating.
I’ve been with TP for over 2 yrs. now. It started out as a passionate romance & has gradually turned sour. A couple of things broke my back: comment/trackback spam is epidemic & TP seems to be doing nothing much to make it better. Plus, I got 4 hate/racist comments & when I asked TP why they wouldn’t try to ban globally the commenter who’d violated 12 aspects of their TOS I got a milquetoast reply that was profoundly unsatisfying. They barely understood why I was so upset that someone expressed a desire to wipe out the entire Jewish people through a pogrom.
I’d like to find blog software where the developers haven’t gotten too big for their britches & they still have some humility & desire to please their customers, even one’s who complain a bit like me.
I’ve heard so many good things about WP that I’m seriously considering going in that direction (I’ve considered MT too but why stay in the 6A family if my problem isn’t so much the product as the attitude?)
That being said, I’m petrified about conversion fr. TP to WP. Can you give me some pointers about what you did & didn’t do; what problems arose for you in the conversion, etc. Also, is there anything you miss fr. TP that isn’t in WP? I have a TP pro acct. w. advanced templates.
Hi Richard I checked your post on your blog briefly and I doubt wordpress or any other blog software company would ever globlally block an IP address for technical reasons that have already been explained. ie many people can be using one IP address etc.
You could always ask them though. The down side of easy internet access is the bottom feeders get access too. There are a variety of antispam plugins for wordpress and the default settings are fairly good so far (knock wood).
It’s a very different program you can tweak it much more than typepad but takes more time and effort and you have to be comfortable adjusting html and php code and spending a lot more time than on typepad. If you’re not and want it simply don’t switch. typepad makes things userproof but limited wordpress lets the user screw it up and refine it as well.
It’s easier to do things in typepad but you can’t do so much. I just exported by blog from tp and imported it as moveable type. you can google the wordpress support blog on importing moveable type and there’s some post showing you how.
I’d suggest leaving your blog on typepad and downloading and playing around with wordpress for a while until you know for sure you want to change then do so.
Also the wordpress support site is answered by techies so they may be less polite than typepad since no one’s paying them.
Pete