blogging.wurk has a post that compares Typepad and WordPress from a blog network’s point of view. No real surprises with the findings but for TypePad users it might be an interesting comparison:
So last week I gave WordPress a try. Fair enough, each blog currently needs its own install of WordPress – this, I’m told will change. But that’s the only gripe I have. I’ve created a single generic WordPress theme that’s quickly and easily updated locally in a text editor, and quickly and easily uploaded via FTP to my own server. If i want to run those updates across the network instantly, no problem. It’s just a case of overwriting each blog’s theme folder with the new master folder (all with version numbers, so I know immediately which blog is using which version of the theme) – again all over FTP, and all in seconds. No time-consuming republishing, either – WordPress dynamically generates each page, and creates a static URL using Apache’s mod-rewrite. Excellent.
All I would add to the review is that perhaps it’s not the fairest comparison as a system like TypePad is designed with a different user in mind to WordPress (fairer would be comparing WordPress an Movable Type (another product by the makers of TypePad for those unfamiliar with it).
TypePad is a useful tool for some bloggers depending upon their needs. I’ve set a number of clients up on it and they have been most happy with what it gives them – but in each case the client is an entry level blogger – just starting out and wanting to do a single blog on a non-commercial topic. Their goals with blogging are smaller and they want an easy to manage system that they can’t break and don’t need to tweak too much.
WordPress on the other hand is a system designed for bloggers who need more grunt behind their blog. It’s highly adaptable and has so many more options and features – especially through it’s available plugins. Having said this it is not as simple as TypePad to install and adapt if you’re a complete techie novice so if you want a more managed ‘plug and play’ type system you might find it a bit too heavy on features.
