Appatic

Just when i thought that TypePad from Six Apart were done doing some strange offerings. They outdid themselves with TypePad Micro that is a even stranger one.

The Background Story

Why i am being so harsh you may ask?. First they got out their very not well put TypePad Motion to market, that i happen to use almost as a personal network social bookmark holder. Then they decide that they want in on the free Microblogging / Tumblelog space that got some fierce competition.

Up to now TypePad was not a free solution in any range. It is Six Apart Premium Hosted Blogging Platform counterpart to their “host on your own” Movable Type that is their Professional CMS solution that they offer premium services for. They also got their own version of Xanga/Multiply that is Vox that even with the infusion of talent in the last year has not caught on beyond a small niche.

Up to that point the strategy is very well cut out and perfectly understandable. But then things started getting muddy with the introduction of TypePad Motion that is meant as a competitor to Buddypress and sites like Ning and Socialgo but that happen to be focused on the Blogsite first and then the easy to manage community second.

So far i see it as a weird offer that falls short of the power of Ning or SocialGo and that is a little compelling if compared to BuddyPress only because BP is actually hard to manage right now.

But it looks like there is the space in the market for a product like Motion and i have seen that it does can work out. But this does not excuse them of how horribly wrong the message of TypePad Motion came across when it launched.

TypePad Micro message on the other hand is very clear, but that don’t means that what is being presented is any good.

The Service Backstage

TypePad Profile

One of the instant merits i can see is how it is integrated with the TypePad Profile where you get all your activity and connections with other TypePad users displayed and dissected. From it you  have access to your Dashboard where you can manage your TypePad Micro Blogs and you can post to them. All of that is well thought out and it gives the TypePad Profile a lot of value to it.

TypePad Dashboard

The dashboard gives you access to your blogs, lets you post directly from it, set it to share your posts to Twitter and Facebook, aggregates the recent activity you had and that the people you are following had and finally is the gateway to all the settings

TypePad Settings

Simply excellent and full of powerful blog management features. You got stats built in, a nice enough comment system, a good sharing system and a serious preoccupation for SEO built into them.

All of TypePad back end is great and tidy, the problem are the TypePad Micro Blogs themselves.

TypePad Micro As A Free Microblog Offer

It makes very little sense at all, ZERO if you are not previously a TypePad customer.

While all the backstage of the service is great. That is because it is the same all the premium TypePad services have. But when you come to see what features you are given in the actual blog front. TypePad Micro turns into a big joke and a bad Demo just like the one from TypePad Motion.

The reason is that it is almost featureless compared to what is competing with. It makes Tumblr, Posterous and even Soup.io look super featured when it comes to the actual Microblog part and what you can do with them thanks to their vibrant communities. Hell, Yahoo Meme that is nothing but a Social Tumblelog in the same way the version 1.0 Tumblr was is as featured and as compelling as TypePad Micro.

Even if it is not exactly competing head on with any of those 3 services.  I can actually see Yahoo Meme as the 1-1 rival of TypePad Micro.

You can of course ask:  What is the point of TypePad Micro then?.

To sell you a premium solution of course, but even then that is when the big question arises:

Why would you?.

If you wanted a Microblog then why would you upgrade to the full blogging solution?, more if you can have most of what the plus paid version offers you for free with Tumblr, Posterous or even Soup.io and it would still be a Microblog.

If you wanted a full blogging solution why would you choose to try out Typepad Micro in the first place?. I could even make the argument of why would you choose the premium versions of TypePad when you can have the same for free with Wordpress.com or Blogger.com, but that would be better fit for another post.

Conclusion

TypePad Micro is nothing but a ruse from Six Apart to try to convince you to try out their paid versions than more than likely you don’t need or want in most cases. Should be seen as nothing but a mere promotional vehicle just like their TypePad Motion Demo. If you want a Microblog. Tumblr and Posterous are the better choices. If you wanted a simple Social Tumblelog. Maybe you should instead tryout Yahoo Meme.

Linkage

TypePad Micro        

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