Six Apart just launched some powerful plugins and services for their bitter rival Wordpress. I know it doesn’t seem to make much sense. Six Apart and Automattic are the entities behind the popular blogging platforms Typepad and Wordpress, respectively. Six Apart explains this bold move quite clearly:

At Six Apart, we love making the web better and more connected, and we want to help all publishers succeed, regardless of what tools they use. We believe in the power of blogging, and that’s why we’ve got a whole bunch of powerful services available for WordPress users: TypePad AntiSpam, Six Apart Media, TypePad Connect, Blogs.com and more. One simple plugin helps you get started.

ReadWriteWeb says this is like “Apple releasing software that runs on Windows”. This could be a strategic move by Six Apart to leverage  the popularity of Wordpress. Either way it goes, these offerings will only serve to benefit the blogging community as a whole.

TypePad Connect

This plugin will bring a whole different level of community to your Wordpress blog. Visitors can login with their Google, Yahoo, Facebook, or OpenID and create a social profile right there on your blog. They can also follow each other’s activity across the web.

This service seems to operate a lot like Google FriendConnect. The primary difference is that you have more control over the appearance of profiles on your blog and you don’t have Google all in your business. If you haven’t implemented FriendConnect for one reason or another, TypePad Connect could be the alternative you’ve been looking for.

TypePad AntiSpam (beta)

This is an alternative to Akismet, the default Wordpress spam comment blocker. Six Apart says that it gives fewer false positives, is completely open source, and is free for any use. If you’ve been having problems with spam comments on your blog or you don’t even know what Akismet is, I’d say give this plugin a shot and be sure to tell me what you think. If you run Disqus or Intense Debate, you probably won’t be able to take advantage of this particular plugin.

Six Apart Media

This isn’t just a simple plugin. Six Apart is giving Wordpress users access to their ad network. If you’ve been looking for a way to monetize your blog and want to get involved with an established and respected ad network, this may be the one for you. You can apply today to join.

blogs.com

This is Six Apart’s blog network and directory. It works sort of like Regator, where a team of editors selects featured blogs from the best of the blogosphere. Now, Wordpress users can submit their sites as well. The site also offers editorial round-ups, top ten lists, and makes it easy to share content.

Which of these services are you going to implement on your Wordpress blog?