TypeLists
Introduction to TypeLists
We’ve been working for a while to understand the new ways people use weblogs now that the medium has become so popular. While every weblog is unique, one of the common ideas that has emerged is that weblogs represent a person’s identity online, and one of the best ways to present your identity is by presenting supplemental information that’s important to you, such as the media you consume.
TypeLists are our new tool for adding and managing these important bits of information on your site. TypePad lets you automatically create TypeLists of your favorite books, songs, websites, weblogs, or any other media that matters to you. Now you can provide context to your readers and identify with a community by using TypeLists to present your reading list, favorite music, and your blogroll.
With TypeLists, anyone can add these items without editing any HTML or templates. We’ve taken great efforts to make updating TypeLists as easy as possible. Want to add a book you’re reading? You can choose between entering the book’s information by hand or simply enter the ISBN found on almost every book. Want to add a friend to your blogroll? It’s a few simple clicks. And if they have a TypePad weblog or make use of FOAF, it’s even easier. Link TypeLists are the most flexible way to update your site’s sidebars, for including daily links or to display buttons, badges, images or webring links.
Even better, TypeLists let regular users finally see some of the benefits that have been promised by all the hype around “web services”. Your Reading and Music TypeLists are connected to your country’s Amazon store and use web services to automatically include images of book and album covers along with links to the store items.
We think TypeLists will be one of the most unique features in TypePad, and as we add even more kinds of TypeLists in the future, we’re hoping to give users the chance to connect to the rest of the web in new ways.
Types of TypeLists
A TypeList, being a list of links, is set as a specific type when it is created. It can be a list for Links, People, Reading, or Music. Each type has different functions:
People TypeList
A People list is made up of people you like. The fields in a People TypeList are:
Name
Site Name
Homepage
Email Address
One-Line Bio
Friends that you add to your People TypeList are automatically included in your FOAF feed.
Link TypeList
Use a Link TypeList to add regular links to your sidebar. Link to pages on your own site (as a site navigation menu), or to other sites (as a side blog). The fields in a Link TypeList are:
Link title
Link URL
Notes
Additional Uses for Link TypeLists
Reading TypeList
Add your favorite books to a Reading TypeList. List books you are currently reading, or plan to read. The fields in a Reading TypeList are:
Title
Author
Notes
Rating
You can also add any item that has an ASIN (Amazon product ID) in a Reading TypeList, including DVDs and general items.
Music TypeList
Display your favorite songs and albums. The fields in a Music TypeList are:
Song
Artist
Album
Notes
Rating
When displaying a Reading or Music TypeList on your weblog, configure the associates ID and vendor by Setting Up Media TypeLists.
Notes TypeList
While all other TypeLists are designed for listing and displaying very specific types of content, a Notes TypeList provides a way for users to enter in arbitrary content into their weblog's sidebar. This type of TypeList is ideal for displaying the following types of content:
- Custom graphics and images using the HTML <img> tag
- Custom javascript written by yourself or provided by a third party
- Your favorite badges
- Arbitrary text and HTML
The fields in a Notes TypeList are:
Label
Note
Creating a New TypeList
On your TypeLists tab you will see the Create a new TypeList area. Fill in the form with the setup information for your new TypeList:
1 Select the list type
The list type reflects the type of items you’ll be posting in your list. Use the drop-down menu to select the type you would like: People, Link, Reading, or Music.
See Types of TypeLists for more information about the different TypeLists you can create.
2 Enter the list name
This is what your list will be called. The TypeList name shows as the title for your TypeList in your weblog sidebar. The list name can be changed at any time after creating the list by Configuring Your TypeList.
3 Press “Create New List”
Press the button to create the TypeList and you will be automatically forwarded to the Manage tab for your new TypeList.
Right after creating a TypeList, you have the shortcut option of adding the list to your templates with the following link:
Your new list has been created. Add this list to your weblog(s) or About Page.
Use this link to quickly add the new TypeList to your About Page and/or weblog(s), the ones using basic templates.
If you do not add the TypeList to your template immediately after creating it, you can do this later by following the steps for Displaying a TypeList on Your Weblog.
Your list is empty when you create it. Continue by Adding a New Item to a TypeList.
Deleting a TypeList
On your TypeLists tab, you can remove a TypeList from your account using the 
Delete List link in the shortcuts area for the TypeList.
After clicking the Delete link, a popup confirmation will open where you need to confirm the removal of the TypeList.
This change can not be undone, and the TypeList will be permanently removed from your account, so make sure to delete carefully.
Copyright © 2003-2005 Six Apart