Template Forge

Code-based website templates for developers, freelancers and small businesses. Less blank-screen suffering. More building.

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

Apparently, we've reached the point where AI assistants are trying to do our shopping, book our flights, and handle everyday tasks, while some websites are standing at the entrance like nightclub bouncers telling them, "Sorry, you're not on the list." 😂

I was reading an article from The Verge about companies restricting AI agents from accessing their websites, and I found myself understanding both sides of the argument.

On one hand, I get it. If I owned an online business, I wouldn't want random automated programs scraping my information, making unauthorized purchases, or poking around customer accounts. Security matters, and just because something calls itself an AI assistant doesn't mean we should hand it the keys to the building.

But here's the other side.

Let's say I'm a customer. I have an AI assistant, and I explicitly tell it to compare products, find the best deal, and make a purchase using my authorized account. Why should the website care whether I clicked those buttons personally or had my assistant do it for me?

We spent years trying to make websites easier for customers to use. Now technology is offering to eliminate some of that work entirely, and parts of the internet are responding by locking the doors.

I don't think the answer is letting every bot run wild, but I also don't think blocking everything is a particularly forward-thinking solution. There has to be a middle ground where websites can verify authorization, protect their customers, and still accommodate legitimate AI-assisted activity.

As someone who develops websites, I find this fascinating because it raises a question about where web design is heading.

If an AI assistant is acting with a customer's permission, should a business be allowed to block it anyway? Or should we start treating authorized AI assistants as an extension of the customer?

I'm genuinely curious where people stand on this, especially business owners, developers, and anyone who's started using AI agents.

Because apparently, the next big debate in web development is whether your robot needs to show ID at the door. 😂

#AI #WebDevelopment #AIAgents #TemplateForge

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

I know exactly how to use the websites I build. Which is a problem, because visitors don't have access to the instruction manual living inside my head. 😂

That's why I test typos, Back buttons, and people changing their minds, not just the perfect path I designed.

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

@iamroomii You know what, im a simple man. I'll just take 100K to pay all my bills and invest so i can make the money work for me instead of me working for it.

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

Google Search Console flagged four 404 errors on a website I manage. Plot twist: all four pages worked perfectly. The server was just sending the public URLs down the wrong hallway.

Fixed the rewrite rules, tested again, and everything returned 200.

Apparently, even websites need GPS. 😂

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

That actually lines up with what I've been seeing, Mike. Searching for https://t.co/RYEtGdMTSH started bringing up my website, but searching for "Template Forge" has been much less reliable. I've been reviewing the Search Console data, and I'll double-check the homepage title, H1, and links from our social profiles to make sure we're sending consistent signals.

The funny thing is, we spend all this time making websites easy for humans to understand, and then we have to formally introduce our own business to Google. 😂

I appreciate you following up. Have you seen that gap between domain searches and business-name searches stick around for a while with newer sites?

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

I searched Google for my own business and found an empty template shop ranking ahead of us. So naturally, I investigated. 😂

Here's what I discovered about rankings, SEO, and why doing everything right doesn't guarantee first place. https://t.co/GEJcBuIga1

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

That's a good point, and I agree. Google isn't necessarily deciding which business is better; it's deciding which page it thinks best matches the search. What made this interesting was that I wasn't searching for something generic like "website templates." I was searching for my actual business name.

I've been digging through Search Console and reviewing the signals on my own site because I'd rather understand what's happening than just blame Google. Although I reserve the right to yell at it occasionally. 😂

Appreciate the suggestion!

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

That's a fair point, Mike, and something I considered during the investigation. What made this interesting was that I was searching for my actual business name, not just a generic template-related keyword. I also checked Search Console and compared what I was seeing with Google's own documentation. There's clearly more to ranking than simply having the most content, which is exactly why I decided to dig into it. Appreciate you sharing your perspective!

[The Best @TheBestqueenx]

We all have our own fears. 😂😂

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

I gave ToonBee PRO another shot at making a commercial with speaking characters. After multiple attempts, we got a video, but apparently the cast skipped rehearsal. Here's what worked, what failed, and what the experience actually delivered. https://t.co/DmthaGU7tP

[Jurly @jurlycat]

🥴

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

After investigating ToonBee's lifetime deal and AI credits, I promised I would actually put the software to work before making a final judgment. Well, three production attempts later, I think we've earned the right to have an opinion.

We created an original animated commercial with a complete screenplay, three custom characters, and a very judgmental Chihuahua wearing a military helmet. We tested BeeStudio, BeeGuide, different AI models, multiple production workflows, and even simplified the script to make things easier for the software. We weren't asking it to produce the next Pixar blockbuster. We just wanted our characters to say their damn lines.

ToonBee did generate some impressive images and complete videos, and I give it credit for that. But we also documented inconsistent characters, generation limits, unexpected script changes, and one particularly interesting revelation: the software explicitly converted our requested synchronized character dialogue into separate narration with closed-mouth reactions.

Then we researched other customers' experiences and found people describing some remarkably similar problems.

So instead of publishing another opinion piece, we published the evidence. Actual video footage, screenshots, production tests, independent customer reviews, and everything that worked along the way.

Part 2 of our ToonBee investigation is now live:

I Tried Making a Commercial With ToonBee PRO. The Characters Never Got Their Lines.

https://t.co/0xg0mTGca4

If you're considering AI video software for real production work, this is worth reading before spending your money. And if you already use ToonBee, I'd genuinely like to hear how your experience compares.

#ToonBee #AIVideo #SoftwareReview #TemplateForge

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

Some businesses will spend thousands redesigning their website while still advertising a Christmas sale from 2023. 😂 Before you pay someone to rebuild the whole damn thing, maybe check whether the information on it is even accurate.

[Not Jerome Powell @alifarhat79]

Who the fuck comes up with this shit lmao

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

The future of cinema is going to be insane

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

An editor with an HTML tab sounds useful until you publish and discover it stripped out your formatting.

Apparently, the HTML tab was there for emotional support. 😂

Today's article: The HTML Tab That Needed Another Meeting.

https://t.co/1PrxMdivzZ

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

WordPress was built for humans clicking through dashboards. AI agents are changing that, and WordPress is already building for it with the Abilities API and MCP.

I went digging into what that actually means for its future:

https://t.co/G3ju3BCPtE

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

I was working on a site and realized I had spent a ridiculous amount of time fixing something the client would probably never notice. It hit me that a lot of web development is just doing your job well enough that nobody has to think about it. https://t.co/uWTLEiYcnH

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

@itsZekoX Exactly. Having the password is not the same thing as actually owning the account. Who pays for it, who controls the billing, who can transfer it, and who gets the recovery emails all matter too.

That’s probably one of the easiest things to miss in a handoff.

[Template Forge @TemplateForge]

Building the website is only half the job. Handing it over without leaving the client wondering what the hell they’re supposed to do next matters too.

So we made a proper client handoff guide for Template Forge. What they get, what they own, what to save, and what happens after launch. No mystery folder and a “good luck.” 😂

#WebDesign #FreelanceWebDesign #TemplateForge