diff --git a/examples/unfinished/shark/client/shark.js b/examples/unfinished/shark/client/shark.js
index 61db7325d4..b65f56dca6 100644
--- a/examples/unfinished/shark/client/shark.js
+++ b/examples/unfinished/shark/client/shark.js
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ Template.item({
 //});
 
 Span = UIComponent.extend({
+  typeName: 'Span',
   render: function (buf) {
     buf("<span ",
         { attrs: function () {
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ Span = UIComponent.extend({
 });
 
 Div = UIComponent.extend({
+  typeName: 'Div',
   render: function (buf) {
     buf("<div style='background:cyan;margin:5px'>World",
         "<input type=checkbox ",
diff --git a/packages/ui/components.js b/packages/ui/components.js
index 1bab28d58c..c31474f1a5 100644
--- a/packages/ui/components.js
+++ b/packages/ui/components.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 var Component = UIComponent;
 
 _UI.Text = Component.extend({
+  typeName: 'Text',
   _encodeEntities: _UI.encodeSpecialEntities,
   _stringify: function (x) {
     return String(x == null ? '' : x);
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ _UI.Text = Component.extend({
 });
 
 _UI.HTML = Component.extend({
+  typeName: 'HTML',
   _stringify: function (x) {
     return String(x == null ? '' : x);
   },
@@ -22,8 +24,7 @@ _UI.HTML = Component.extend({
 });
 
 _UI.If = Component.extend({
-  content: function () { return null; },
-  elseContent: function () { return null; },
+  typeName: 'If',
   render: function (buf) {
     var self = this;
     var condition = Deps.isolate(function () {
diff --git a/packages/ui/dom.js b/packages/ui/dom.js
index 186ad12c64..7becfc57fc 100644
--- a/packages/ui/dom.js
+++ b/packages/ui/dom.js
@@ -113,7 +113,12 @@ Component({
   // It's a DIV rather than a fragment so that jQuery can run against it.
   _offscreen: null,
 
-  render: function (buf) {},
+  content: function () { return null; },
+  elseContent: function () { return null; },
+
+  render: function (buf) {
+    buf(this.content());
+  },
 
   _populate: function (div) {
     var self = this;
@@ -690,7 +695,6 @@ Component({
 
 // Next up:
 //
-// - content()
 // - Spacebars compiler
 // - event maps
 // - preview HTML