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We walked through how to add content modules to your sidebar in our last lesson. In this lesson, we’ll go through your options in more detail.
This is where the real fun begins! You can add a whole lot of content to your sidebar columns to make your blog a lot more interesting or just add convenient
In Categories, select “About You”
One of the best features of TypePad is all the built in content modules that can add great functionality and even make you some money – in this lesson, we will look at how to install new content modules and how to change the display of these modules on your blog.
In the “Current Design” section of your Design tab, click on the “Content” link.
Typepad’s Content section is split into three main parts.
Firstly, there is the content selection area (1 in the image below) where you can select new content modules to add to your blog’s sidebar.
Back in “Current Design” in your Design tab, click on the “Layout” link.
You can then choose how you want the layout of the columns and column types in your blog.
The classic options give you one main content column where your blog posts are housed and then you can choose to have up to two extra columns that house “sidebar” content (eg like most recent posts, pictures, link lists). You can stipulate the positioning of the columns.
Rare Bird Finds is great example of effective simplicity. Started up by a couple of women, Mei-Lynn Destouche and Sharla Oliveri (who both have online businesses selling charming objects), Rare Bird Finds is a group blog of cool things you can buy online.
The blog itself is very simple 3 column layout with an image banner. Most of the blog posts consist of one bright picture of a cool quirky delightful thing, a short description and a link to buy it. It’s not over complicated.
On Fridays, there’s a Fab Five which is a great twist on an interview – someone interesting creates 5 posts, each with some cool thing you can buy online according to a theme that’s relevant to them.
Another cute feature is the RBF APPROVED reviews – these are for products that they have tested in real life and genuinely love. They’ve even created a logo for their stamp of approval.
It’s not a surprise then to find out that they have over 2000 daily readers, if you’re stumped for an original Christmas present then check out the blog, you may just find something…
In TypePad, like other content management systems, the design of your blog is separated as much as is possible from the content of your blog. This means that when you write your blog posts, you shouldn’t do things like specify what font you want your words to display in – you just write the words. You may indicate something is a title, a heading or even bolded – but even this isn’t actually strictly design, because you’re not indicating what a title, a heading or bolding looks like. Your title could be 48pts and bright blue or it could be 14pt and green, similarly bolded could just be bolded, or it could be red.
The beauty of this separation is that at any time you can change your design and not have to go through every post you’ve written to make the changes there. You could have a new design each day if you so wished (and it wouldn’t scare off your readers…).
TypePad have made changing your design very simple. Go to the “Design” tab for your blog. You will find yourself in the “Current Design” section
