UPDATE: The winner of the TypePad giveaway is #26, ItsJayRabBaby! Congratulations! And thank you to all who entered!

So its been just over a year that I started offering blog design services as part of my web design business. 30+ blog designs later, it comprises 90% of my work. I love what I do.

As a young, wet behind the ears, blog designer, there was so much to learn at first. I pity…and thank from the bottom of my heart…the first, brave soles who took a chance on me. There is always something new to learn, but at least now I know the difference between a widget and a gadget and a hatchet.

What I love about blogging is that you have choices. There are several platforms out there for every type of blogger. Want my 2 cent synopsis of each? Great.

WordPress: Great for computer savvy people who want a lot of control over every feature of blogging.
Blogger: Great for people who want a “plug and play” blog so they can concentrate on the blogging.
TypePad: A combination of the two…full featured without the hassle.

I’ve become a huge fan of TypePad, a Six-Apart company. Let me tell you why…

Easy to use: As I mentioned before, TypePad is super user friendly and easy to use. If you dont want to deal with self-hosting, CSS, plugins or updates, TypePad is a perfect solution for you. They take care of it all. You pay one monthly fee for hosting and maintenance. No need to install updates.

Full Featured: There are plenty of widgets to add functionality and features to your blog. You still have full control over your blog. Want to add a Twitter feed to your sidebar? Easy as pie. Display a search box or Feedburner subscribe button…its all very easy to add with widgets. And I love that they are constantly adding new widgets to keep up with blogging trends.

Advertising: If you plan on displaying ads on your blog, you have that freedom and capability with TypePad.

SEO & Backup: All done for you…no need to install extra plugins or download backup files.

Excellent customer service: Every time I have ever contacted customer service on behalf of a client, I have always had wonderful service. The folks at TypePad are there to help you 7 days a week, 365 days a year (though, I do feel sorry for the poor guy stuck working on Christmas day…).

So if you are in the market for a blog platform, you will not go wrong with TypePad. They offer four plans, starting at only $4.95 per month.

Win it! The folks at TypePad were kind enough to offer a free one year Pro membership for one lucky winner (including current TypePad clients). That’s a $180 value! Simply comment on this post to enter. For extra entries you can (1) subscribe to this blog and (2) tweet about this giveaway up to once a day. Giveaway ends Tuesday, July 7. Remember the rules and good luck!