Celebrating 7 Years of Movable Type

“Movable Type gives me all the solutions I need for web publishing, and it makes me happy every day!”

After a career in computer administration though the 1990's, Ab Stammeshaus of The Netherlands discovered the earliest version of Movable Type in 2001. “Movable Type changed my life completely,” Ab says today. Though Ab began blogging for fun, he soon realized that MT was a complete CMS that would enable him to build and maintain websites for a long roster of clients. “The Movable Type system makes everything possible and does more with each version or plugin,” he says.

In the nearly seven years since he first discovered Movable Type, Ab has created a substantial portfolio of websites and blogs. Among his projects is DutchNews.nl, an English-language news site about the Netherlands. Says Ab: “Movable Type allows journalists to do what they're good at: write stories, and not bother about CMS systems and such.” Ab also maintains his own personal Movable Type site, located at http://www.stammeshaus.com. He writes: “Movable Type gives me all the solutions I need for web publishing, and it makes me happy every day!” We're thrilled to share our seven-year anniversary with Ab, and we look forward to seeing what he'll create over the next 7 years.

“I chose Movable Type for its flexibility, and have been impressed with each new release as well as Six Apart's excellent support.”

In 2002, David Gutowski began a “fling” with the blogosphere when he created a blog on Movable Type called largehearted boy. “I chose Movable Type for its flexibility, and have been impressed with each new release, as well as Six Apart's excellent support,” he says today. Wanting to share his love for music, literature and popular culture, he began collecting and publishing links for free music downloads, music news, and insightful pieces on musicians and authors. All the hard work paid off: just a couple of years ago, he was able to quit his job to become a full time blogger.

“People always ask about the benefits of blogging,” David reports. “Though blogging pays for the roof over my head and the food on my table, the people I've met through largehearted boy are the biggest positives. Some of the best friends I have made over the past 6+ years I have met through my blog, and every day I interact with a world community that shares my passions for books and music.”

“I tell people that if they can type into a Word document, they can use Movable Type. It's that easy.”

Jen Bekman launched 20x200 in September of 2007 with the ambitious goal of making art affordable for everyone. Each week, 20x200 offers new limited-edition artworks by emerging artists at three price points: $20, $200 and $2,000.

20x200 was built entirely in Movable Type, which Jen chose because of its design flexibility and the fact that it could be used to create websites that didn't look like blogs. “The fact that we could build a site so easily and inexpensively was one of the key components of the 20x200 business strategy,” Jen says. 20x200 is a great example of Movable Type's robust CMS abilities, where it enables a large art inventory to be easily managed and discovered.

Now in its second year, 20x200 has become a phenomenal success; it has sold over 20,000 prints, garnered praise from The New York Times, and developed a devoted following of new and established art buyers from around the globe.

Photo: Zach Klein

“I've gone from being some guy with a notebook who likes wine and knows a little bit about it to someone who is globally recognized as a wine journalist and critic.”

Alder Yarrow launched Vinography in 2004 with the intention of sharing his wine notes with friends and family. He built his site in Movable Type because he wanted complete control of the design: “Movable Type seemed like the most powerful piece of software out there,” he says.

Four years later, Vinography is one of the top-ranked wine blogs in the world, and Alder has become internationally recognized for his insightful writing about all things wine-related. Earlier this year, he led two packed wine seminars at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. In November, he'll present for the third time at the Professional Symposium of Wine Writers; in 2009, he'll be a judge at the Chilean Wine Awards.

Says Alder: “I've gone from being some guy with a notebook who likes wine and knows a little bit about it to someone who is globally recognized as a wine journalist and critic.”

In 2003, Elise Bauer created a blog in Movable Type with the intention of sharing recipes with family members. “Simply Recipes” was exactly that - straightforward recipes made with fresh, simple ingredients, accompanied by beautiful pictures and step-by-step instructions.

The site didn't stay in the family for long – as one of the first comprehensive recipe blogs, word spread fast. Today, Simply Recipes is visited by over two million people each month from all over the world who come for inspiration and great content. The site has become a welcoming community for food lovers, and the tone is just as personal and familiar as it was in the beginning.

Elise and Simply Recipes haven't escaped the notice of mainstream media: among many press mentions, Time Magazine named Simply Recipes one of the 50 Coolest Websites of 2006, calling it a “great resource for cooks” while Redbook named Elise one of “6 Inspiring Female Bloggers” in August 2008.

Jason Kottke was one of the first people to embrace blogging; ten years later, he's still going strong. Jason's pioneering work in blog design has earned him a permanent spot in the pantheon of influential bloggers, and his blog is still one of the most linked-to sites on the web.

Kottke.org is built on Movable Type, which Jason values for being highly customizable, allowing him to create the look and feel he wants. His blog has inspired many a web designer - clean and elegant, it is populated with photos and links sparsely annotated with Jason's thoughts and reflections.

Jason has garnered many accolades and awards over the years, including a Bloggie for Lifetime Achievement, and a shout-out by the Guardian as having the fourth most powerful blog in the world.