The Thirteenth Fourth

CSS-Tricks celebrates its 13th birthday! A teenager now, and what a journey it's been. This year's update covers key site improvements and changes.

Design Enhancements

While technically still on v17, the site's design has undergone significant evolution since its initial launch. Key improvements include:

• Revamped Search: Jetpack's Instant Search provides a vastly improved search experience.
• Enhanced Almanac Navigation: A new sidebar enhances navigation within the Almanac pages (e.g., background-blend-mode).
• Refined Typography: The site now boasts a cohesive typeface family, incorporating Hoefler&Co. Sentinel, Ringside, Operator Mono, and Gotham Rounded.

Future design iterations may incorporate back-end technical updates.

Forum Closure

After years of consideration, the CSS-Tricks forums were closed earlier this year. While access to existing content remains, new posts are no longer permitted. This decision, though difficult, was necessary due to:

• Lack of Moderation: Consistent moderation was unsustainable.
• Increasing Spam: High spam volume required significant manual intervention.
• Technical Debt: The forums required substantial updates and redesign.

The forums' limited contribution to site traffic and the absence of dedicated resources ultimately led to this closure. The focus shifted to content creation and user assistance, leveraging platforms better suited for community discussions.

Social Media Streamlining

Another area of simplification involved Twitter (@css). While maintaining the account's presence, direct management was discontinued. Automated tweeting via Jetpack now handles post promotion, resulting in consistent follower growth and engagement without the time commitment. This allows for a more focused approach on long-term content development and SEO.

Expanded Design Capabilities

CSS-Tricks has embraced custom design opportunities through various methods:

• Custom Post Templates: Specific templates, such as the one used for "The Great Divide" essay, allow for unique design approaches.
• "Fancy Post" Template: A streamlined template with a hero image and centered column provides a flexible foundation for custom styling within WordPress's block editor.
• Category-Based Templates: Leveraging WordPress's category functionality enables the creation of custom landing pages for post collections (e.g., end-of-year thoughts, Guide Collections).

The Block Editor has been instrumental in expanding these design capabilities, offering significant improvements over the previous editor.

eCommerce Integration

WooCommerce's integration has facilitated the sale of products, including posters for the CSS Flexbox and CSS Grid guides. Furthermore, it underpins the MVP supporter membership system, offering access to "The Greatest CSS Tricks Vol. I" book chapters. WooCommerce's capabilities extend to membership management, subscription billing, and one-off product sales.

Site Analytics and Sponsors

Site analytics remain stable, hovering around 8 million page views monthly. The site expresses deep gratitude to its sponsors, particularly Automattic, Netlify, Flywheel, and Frontend Masters, for their invaluable support and partnership.

Other Projects

CodePen continues to thrive, with ongoing development and exciting future plans. ShopTalk podcast maintains its strong presence, offering insightful discussions among developers.

Personal Update

The author and his family remain in Bend, Oregon. The update concludes with a note on navigating the ongoing pandemic and a call for continued safety and well-being. The author acknowledges the original designer's work and explains the rationale behind design modifications.

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