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Movable Type Monday: TypePad Connect, vpod.tv, Layout Switching, and More

Movable Type Monday: TypePad Connect, vpod.tv, Layout Switching, and More

Happy Monday, folks! The biggest Movable Type-related news this week was the release of TypePad Connect, a service from Six Apart that combines a Disqus-style comment system with MyBlogLog-like profiles. TypePad profiles extend the existing TypeKey service and allow you to connect it with your other social networking sites, turning it into a lifestream of sorts. TypePad comments supports OpenID login and has TypePad anti-spam built in. TypePad Connect will integrate with any MT blog, and it works with other blogging systems as well. More features are on the way, including the ability to import comments into your existing comment system.

I’ll admit, I’ve never personally seen a need for a hosted commenting system like this, but Disqus has become quite popular, and now 6A is entering the market. Have you had any experience with one of these systems? Let us know in the comments.

Plugins

vpod.tv — Six Apart Europe announced the release of a plugin that integrates vpod.tv into your MT blog. With this plugin you can upload video to your site and have it published on vpod.tv. The press release makes it sound like it should be available now, but I haven’t found it available for download anywhere.

XommentReed Cartwright released an update to his comment enhancement plugin, Xomment. It improves the commenting experience through the use of Ajax techniques. This release includes the latest version of jQuery UI, along with several new features and bug fixes.

MT-Notifier — This past week we also saw a new version of MT-Notifier — a plugin that gives your readers multiple ways to keep track of what’s new on your blog.

Tips & Tricks

The default templates in MT are built for flexibility, but they can sometimes be difficult to understand. For instance, how do you go from two columns to three? Rob Kenny has figured out the trick, and it’s a single MT variable. Thanks, Rob!

Mike T. has two tips for us this week. First, how to create domain-specific comment and trackback URLs with one MT installation controlling blogs on multiple domains. Mike’s solution is easy to implement for anyone that has shell access on their server.

See Also
Apple Silicon Processor

Mike’s other tip this week is for those that have changed from underscores to dashes in their archive URLs. He explains how to write an error handler that automatically redirects to the new location. Another great tip, Mike!

Finally, another post from Rob Kenny — this time, he explains how to get help from the MT community. Rob has some good tips for folks that are having trouble and looking for advice. One thing I would add: Tell us what you’ve already tried. That keeps us from wasting your time with obvious suggestions, and it shows you’re actively trying to solve the problem yourself.

What have you done with Movable Type lately? Let us know in the comments.

View Comment (1)
  • Hi Billy,

    To respond to your enquiry concerning the MT plugin for Vpod: it is not made publicly available but is reserved for use by Vpod professional clients and MT professional licensees. It really targets the media companies.
    Don’t hesitate to contact me by email if you need more information.
    Olivier
    VP EMEA at Six Apart

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