Website 101 Podcast

Amanda and Mike discuss the impact of bot traffic on their websites, share strategies to stop bot registrations, and explain how to identify bot traffic.

Overview

Discuss strategies to prevent bot registrations and traffic on websites. Discussion includes various security measures like recaptcha, honeypot fields, rate limiting, time-based submission checks, and email verification before access.

Key Topics

• Discussion of bot registrations and traffic on websites
  • [01:08] Amanda discusses her website, Sidewalk Bingo, being targeted by bots causing registration issues
  • [06:34] Mike asks questions about the activation process for Sidewalk Bingo accounts to better understand the problem
  • [15:41] Claude AI suggestions for preventing bot registrations are discussed, including recaptcha, honeypot fields, rate limiting, time-based submission checks, and email verification before access

Key Takeaways

• Recaptcha is a popular method for preventing bots but has its drawbacks
• Honeypot fields can be an effective strategy against unsophisticated bots
• Rate limiting attempts per IP address can help limit bot traffic
• Time-based submission checks can help detect bot activity based on quick form submissions
• Email verification before access can help prevent bot registrations and reduce spam email issues

Links & Resources

• sidewalkbingo.com — Amanda's website discussed in the podcast
• Claude AI — mentioned as a source for website security strategies

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Discussion about the use of AI in creating generic art, the limits of AI creativity, and a new feature in HTML canvas that allows for putting HTML inside a canvas element.

Key Topics

• AI limitations and predictive nature ([01:35 - 04:03])
• The analogy of AI as a toddler learning language ([04:03 - 06:14])
• AI being used in place of humans in various scenarios ([06:01 - 07:36])
• HTML canvas and its new capabilities ([08:13 - 15:27])

Key Takeaways

• AI is not creative, but predictive. It can't process new thoughts or ideas.
• The new HTML canvas feature allows for putting HTML inside a canvas element, potentially opening up possibilities for complex animations and interactions.
• The new feature may face challenges with accessibility and SEO.

Links & Resources

• ChatGPT — Mentioned in the transcript
• Google Gemini — Mentioned in the transcript (only if used in a project)

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From websites built without a CMS to QR codes on work vans and AI-generated novels, we cover a mix of current web and tech topics.

Discussion on the benefits and limitations of non-CMS websites, with real life examples and suggestions for using AI as a tool instead of a replacement.

• The use of AI in writing books 
• The benefits and potential drawbacks of AI generated meeting notes (18:50 - 23:04)
• The use of AI to alter faces in documentaries (23:04 - 26:56)
• The use of AI in fashion industry (26:56 - 30:38)

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1928pHVyFo

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Trust Me: The False Profit

Notion

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Sean walks Mike and Amanda through Location Scout, a fully functional Android app he shipped over a weekend using Claude Code, React Native, and Tailwind. A discussion about prompting tips and more follows.

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLjfh3Qb46I&t=24s

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Can AI replace the apps you pay for? We dig into the SaaSpocalypse debate, vibe coding wins, AI tells in writing, and why "just build it yourself" isn't that simple.

Sean, Mike, and Amanda kick things off with quick life updates before diving into two main topics: the so-called "SaaSpocalypse" and how AI is changing the way people write and code.

• Is Saas dead?
• AI Writing 'tells' or giveaways

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_e2LY0M9U&t=162s

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The hosts dig into the rapid rise of AI‑generated video and deepfakes, reacting to everything from celebrity fight scenes to political misinformation. What starts as a fun tech chat quickly turns into a thoughtful look at ethics, creativity, and the risks of synthetic media. It’s equal parts entertaining and unsettling.

Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_S4SX0Fc5U

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In this episode we discuss various things that people use to help them improve their productivity at work.

• Coffee
• Energy Drinks
• Music
• Coffeeshop
• Drugs / Alcohol
• Office Talk
• Cold environments
• Routine
• Pomodoro Timer
• Boundaries and work/life balance

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Season eight wrap and a look forward to season nine. We'll continue to do Lunch Bytes every first and third Wednesday of the month.

Season eight wrap and a look forward to season nine. We'll continue to do Lunch Bytes every first and third Wednesday of the month. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss an episode.

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A discussion on various ethical scenarios and issues, including politics, pricing, green washing, and more in web development.

• The beginning of the website 101 Podcast - guests, ethical plans, diversity and inclusion.
• When turning down work for ethical reasons, is it important to provide the reason why?
• Where is your line in the sand? Porn, gambling, something else?
• Working with people with opposing political views.
• Ethics of value based pricing.
• Industry level blacklist vs per project evaluation.
• Green hosting & green washing.
• Multi Level Marketing
• Online presence - inappropriate content.
• What to consider when turning a project down?
• It's not all black and white, there are shades of gray. 
• How to politely decline work.

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S07 E01 When to Say No

Craft CMS Discord

The Dream

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Re-release of a season 6 episode. The ins and outs of mastering social media for small business owners with Jessica Perrault plus a predication about AI generated content for social.

• How Jessica got into social media
• Tips to get started for small business owners
• Social media and content marketing
• Understand the nuances of the different social networks
• Which social network is the most important?
• How to manage the time requirements
• How to measure success - analytics
• Vanity Metrics
• Own your digital footprint
• Email list is critical
• Difficult to trust a company that is only on social - no website
• Red flags about social media
• Misconceptions about social
• Software to manage social & mailing lists
• AI In social and marketing
• Amanda makes a prediction about AI content
• Replying on social - flame wars

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Own Your Digital Content

Use social media to promote your website, not replace it.

hootsuite

Sprout Social

Agora Pulse

Later (Instagram)

Hubspot

Active Campaign

Google Analytics

Google Search Console

Wendy's Twitter

Spotify Wrapped

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