Bits&Letters — IdeasThoughts on web strategy, growth, and building digital experiences that scalehttps://www.bitsandletters.com/The ABCs of analytics and privacyhttps://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/the-abcs-of-analytics-and-privacy/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/the-abcs-of-analytics-and-privacy/There's no one-size-fits-all way to measure users while respecting privacy. A practical tour of cookies, consent, fingerprinting, and the tradeoffs between them.Fri, 29 May 2026 15:19:24 GMTDavid DemareeYes, Designers Should Codehttps://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/what-is-a-design-engineer/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/what-is-a-design-engineer/AI has made producing a plausible interface nearly free. That makes the people who can direct it — and judge what comes out — more valuable, not less.Wed, 27 May 2026 19:52:39 GMTDavid DemareeWhen AI can write your code, do you still need a CMS?https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/do-you-still-need-a-cms-with-ai/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/do-you-still-need-a-cms-with-ai/It’s less about the tooling and more about who needs to change which parts of your website at which speeds.Wed, 20 May 2026 15:40:40 GMTDavid DemareeStatic vs. dynamic websites, explainedhttps://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/static-vs-dynamic-websites-explained/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/static-vs-dynamic-websites-explained/If updating your website feels like cleaning out the junk drawer, the problem probably isn't your design — it's your structure. Here's how to tell when it's time to move from static to dynamic, and what your options look like.Wed, 13 May 2026 15:19:18 GMTDavid DemareeTen Years Later, Git is Still for Humanshttps://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/ten-years-of-git-for-humans/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/ten-years-of-git-for-humans/My cult-favorite guide to Git and version control just turned ten. What’s changed in the world of Git, and what’s stayed regrettably the same. Fri, 08 May 2026 15:23:25 GMTDavid DemareeOn Designing from AI Artifactshttps://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/on-designing-from-ai-artifacts/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/on-designing-from-ai-artifacts/Claude, it turns out, loves numbered eyebrow labels. Some thoughts on how clients’ AI-assisted wireframes and mockups are impacting how we design finished websites.Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:17:32 GMTDavid DemareeWhat does it mean for websites to 'scale'?https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/what-does-it-mean-for-websites-to-scale/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/what-does-it-mean-for-websites-to-scale/What separates big, lasting websites from all the rest? Performance, reach, and flexibility so your team can adapt to whatever users need.Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:37:40 GMTDavid DemareeTrain your AI like a doghttps://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/train-your-ai-like-a-dog/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/train-your-ai-like-a-dog/LLMs aren't thinking machines—they're pattern-following machines. Treat them like trained animals, not virtual coworkers, and you'll get better results.Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:00:00 GMTDavid DemareeWhy your first website works until it doesn'thttps://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/why-your-first-website-works-until-it-doesnt/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/why-your-first-website-works-until-it-doesnt/Your scrappy starter site got you this far—but now that you're growing, it's probably holding you back more than helping you move forward.Fri, 12 Sep 2025 22:00:00 GMTDavid DemareeWhy would anyone start a website in 2025?https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/why-would-anyone-start-a-website-in-2025/https://www.bitsandletters.com/ideas/why-would-anyone-start-a-website-in-2025/Sure, you could build everything on TikTok—but when you need to grow on your own terms, there's nothing like your own corner of the internet.Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:00:00 GMTDavid Demaree