13th Anniversary, 2022

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14 Years in Business

33 Dimensions legacy collage

Today marks the 14th anniversary of the original conception of 33 Dimensions on March 3, 2009. From that time, 33 Dimensions has grown from a simple concept of how to provide affordable websites for fellow musicians into a thriving enterprise with a worldwide reach and an ever-evolving set of practices that strike the vital balance of providing both the latest in technological efficiency and the old-fashioned notion of personal service.

Beyond our core capabilities of web design, multi-media production, social media, and search engine optimization, 33 Dimensions has spawned a worldwide music network, customized marketing techniques and published nearly a thousand articles of original material. 
 
It is hard to express how grateful I am for all the support for 33 Dimensions and our related initiatives over this past decade and we look forward to even bigger and better things over the next.

Thank you.
Ric Albano
Founder & Owner
33 Dimensions, LLC

Here are some of the fine companies, organizations, and initiatives with whom we’re currently working:

Client Collage

33 Dimensions LLC
(717) 829-4221
info@33dimensions.com

33 Dimensions on LinkedIn   33 Dimensions on Twitter   33 Dimensions on Facebook   33 Dimensions on YouTube

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3 Important Fundamentals of a Business Website

BIG World Wide Web 
Lately I’ve come across a lot of situations with new clients where they are having trouble getting access to their existing source files or getting their current providers to cooperate in many ways. So today I’m going to talk about three business fundamentals that should be established when starting a website.

1. Establish Ownership. The first and most important one of these principals is to own everything – your domain name and all of your content (words, pictures, logos, graphics, videos, etc.). There are many, many companies who will offer you great deals up front (such as a “free” website for a year) but then retain ownership of your site, so you are left with little options or flexibility. Although the initial cost may be higher, establishing ownership will pay dividends throughout the lifespan of your website by assuring that certain barriers to progress will not be imposed.

2. Have Complete Access to Your Content. In many (if not most) cases, there is one major exception to the “establish ownership” rule and that is in regards to hosting. Most small businesses just do not have the time, resources, or know-how to manage their own hosting servers so it makes sense find an established hosting company to handle these tasks. However, when you employ a hosting company, it is important that you have direct access to all your files via FTP. Many small business owners don’t understand the process or the importance of this ability, but by having full access a professional developer can instantly add, modify, or delete any website item on your behalf.

3. Adaptability and/or Agility. This is the only one of the three which actually deals with website design (my specialty). The basic point here is that the online universe is rapidly evolving and it is important that your website’s design has the ability to integrate newer features, technologies, and design features. Of course, this is much more of an art than a science because none of us know which innovations are on the horizon. But by keeping your site agile and not “painting yourself into a corner” with too many static features and dependencies, you and your developer will maximize the possibilities for the future.

 
~ Ric Albano
 

Creativity blog image

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33 Ways to Be Creative

Creativity blog image

Below is a simple list of 33 items which may help spark creativity on those days when you need a catalyst.

  1. Be Open Minded
  2. Self Examine
  3. Surround Yourself with Creative People
  4. Collaborate
  5. Discover New (Original!) Music
  6. Read
  7. Go for a Walk, Run, or Hike
  8. Examine Your Roots
  9. Reflect
  10. Count Your Blessings
  11. Try to Contemplate the Size of the Universe
  12. Daydream
  13. Look at Old Pictures of Loved Ones
  14. Get to Work Early
  15. Clean Your Workspace
  16. Take an Alternate Root Home
  17. Be Spontaneous
  18. Find a Creative Rhythm and Work to that Groove
  19. Make Lists
  20. Create a Framework
  21. Rearrange
  22. Don’t Force It, Give It Room to Grow
  23. Take Breaks When Needed
  24. Allow Yourself to Make Mistakes
  25. Periodically Reflect on Progress
  26. Get Honest Feedback
  27. Appreciate the Creative Output of Others
  28. Never Discard an Idea (write it down and check back in a year)
  29. Don’t Apologize for What Makes You Happy
  30. Embrace Awkward Situations
  31. Don’t Play by Someone Else’s Rules
  32. Take Risks
  33. Never Give Up

~

Wordpress logo

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WordPress Basic Tips and Functions

Presented by Ric Albano, owner of 33 Dimensions Web Design to the Entrepreneur Development Group in Camp Hill, PA

Overview

Ric will touch briefly on each of the major components of the popular WordPress technology and how it can be used effectively for small business websites. This will include a layman’s explanation of how to choose the right platform, themes, and plugins, as well as the pros and cons of using WordPress as a Content Management System. This demonstration will not go into great technical detail, just give a “bird’s eye” view of how WordPress can be utilized to achieve business goals.

The difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org

With WordPress.com, your site is hosted on the WordPress domain. Hence, installation is a snap and the web hosting is provided. And, ignoring the usual asterisks, the hosting is free. However, you cannot modify the source code or upload any plugins which are not provided natively. The biggest drawback of all is you do not own your website and are subject to the policies and procedures of WordPress.com.

WordPress.com is where “WordPress” the software is freely available to the public to be used on independent websites. Free and “premium” themes can be customized and you have access to the wide universe of plugins. This is a good resource for “do it yourself” site owners and business owners who want to maintain their brand identity and build SEO. Most of this presentation concentrates on WordPress.org features.

General Pros and Cons of WordPress

PROS CONS
  • Technical novices can easily make charges to their website
  • Includes a rich database to categorize and organize your content
  • Plugins give functionality that can save time and money
  • Huge WP community
  • Technical novices can easily make charges to their website
  • A lot of moving parts – you are subject to technology provided by various sources and sometimes these themes or plugins don’t work and play well together
  • You do not have 100% control over design (the sliding scale principle)

Setting up a WordPress site

Depending on your hosting company, WordPress may be free and easy to install or it may come with a cost and restrictions. Installing on a pre-exisiting site may also be complicated. However, once WordPress is installed, set up is relatively easy with the first steps being running a simple install script and setting up the initial admin user.

Logon, User Roles, and Dashboard

Logons are user name and passwords. There are many levels of users built into the WordPress scheme ranging from admins, who can do anything (even create and delete other admins), to subscribers, who can simply log in with no editing ability.

Depending on the user role, the dashboard will display all features available at that specific user level.

Themes

There are thousands, probably tens of thousands, of free and premium themes, along with some hybrids which start free but try to entice you to move to premium.

There are Four Basic Types of Themes:

  1. “Free” Themes
  2. Premium Themes
  3. Custom Themes
  4. Child Themes

Each WordPress installation includes some themes.

Plugins

Each WordPress installation includes some plugins and there are score of more available plugins for all kinds of features and functions, including:

  • Security, performance, anti-spam
  • SEO and analytics
  • Enhancements such as sliders, rotators, media players, calendars, social media, and forms
  • Site maintenance and backup

Posts and Pages

Posts are the typical “blogs” of WordPress and may use Categories and Tags as identifying and sort-able features. Posts may also contain meta data (author name, date, etc.) and reader comments.

Pages typically contain more “static” content and are typically featured in menus links or other top-level navigation.
Pages can have parent / child relationship.

Content

Content can be added via Text Editor (HTML) or Rich Editor. Using some features on the rich editor may contrast with the look and feel of the site and/or be adverse to SEO. Add Media button is used to simply and quickly add images or video. Posts can be saved as “drafts” and previewed without being published, which is very beneficial to the editing process.

Customization

There is basic customization for every WordPress site, which includes the use of widgets, custom menus, and custom URLs. On the theme level, each theme contains its own specific customization features (and limitations). These may include elements such as background images, logos, and text and link colors, as well as theme-specific features like contact forms, portfolios, and image sliders.

Best Practices

  • Stay up-to-date with latest WordPress, themes, and plugins versions
  • Know your role and limitations
  • Work with a designer to develop a style guide
  • Keep options open for future expansion and/or refinement
  • Be consistent

 

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