IT Sorted

databases, websites, IT solutions

  • Home
  • Services
    • Training on Zoom
    • Zoom event management
    • Databases and Systems
    • contactLINK
    • careLINK
    • Web site design
  • Support
    • Remote Support
    • Our Clients’ Support
    • Training & IT help
    • Zoom event management
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • ITs not just IT
    • Subscribe to my mailings
    • Climate & Environment & Extinction Rebellion
    • Online Discussions
    • Blog

Using Eventbrite

25th April 2022 By Massimo Giannuzzi Leave a Comment

 

Places to provide information

Eventbrite has these sections: Basic Info / Details / Online Event Page / Tickets / Publish

Some relate to pre-registration and some to post-registration only

Eventbrite - sections

Pre-registration

[seen before people register]

Basic Info: Date & Time / Location / Event Title / Tags / Categories

Details: Main Event Image + Description summary + text / images / video

Eventbrite - before registration - View Event

Post registration

[only seen once people have registered]

Online Event Page: seen by attendees when they view the event

This is made up of sub-sections …

  • Zoom module (if you have linked this event to a Zoom Meeting or Webinar

and with these you can have as many as you want and have them in any order (e.g. there are two link sub-sections below)

  • Extra Text
  • Link to a document
  • Image
  • Video [not shown below]

Eventbrite - after registration - Event Details

 

Order confirmation – Displayed on Eventbrite website: = plain text. Avoid placing links here as people can, in theory, use any email (made up or “borrowed”) to pretend to register and see this page.

Order confirmation – Email: = text / PDF

Emails to Attendees: you can set up as many as you want to be sent at different times before the event = text / images / links etc

 

Where to place links to the event

Avoid placing links in the Order confirmation, as people can, in theory, use any email (made up or “borrowed”) to pretend to register and see this page.

The main place is in

  • Order confirmation – Email
  • Emails to Attendees

3 ways/reasons for using Eventbrite with Zoom

  • To advertise an event
  • For advanced registration features:
    • Handling money (ticket fees or donations)
    • Auto emailing reminders

Cons

People have to enter their name twice and email address 3 times when registering

Can be hard to find the event information – especially if people have multiple email addresses (registered with one and signed into Eventbrite with another etc)

If they do not have an Eventbrite account, they may have to create an account and password and the process has a number of steps – all to be done before they join the event.

Ways round some of the negatives

Provide the URL

 

Eventbrite and a Zoom meeting (or webinar)

Three possible scenarios:

  1. Eventbrite linked to the Zoom event, which requires registration (unique links for each attendee)
  2. Eventbrite linked to the Zoom event (the same Zoom link for everyone)
  3. Eventbrite not linked to the Zoom event

Option 1 can be especially useful if you are charging for the event – as it reduces the chance of people sharing a link. To restrict it further you can set the Zoom event to not allow more than one device to join with the link.

For the simplest experience for attendees use option 3 and include the Zoom link in the email confirmation and reminders.

 

Things that can go wrong:

  • People enter the wrong/invalid email – so they never get anything
  • Emails from Eventbrite go into people’s Spam/Junk folders (quite likely)
  • People get lost in how Eventbrite provides info about an Event

 

The different links and pages

The registration page for the event

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/test-event-tickets-327324886547

The page for attendees

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/x/327324886547/

 

 

Filed Under: IT related

Poems and Thoughts for Hope and Inspiration

3rd November 2021 By Massimo Giannuzzi

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Wendell Berry
https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/peace-wild-things-0/

 


 

Do your little bit of good

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world

Desmond Tutu

 


 

You have been telling people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered…

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?

Know your garden.

It is time to speak your truth.

Create your community.

Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for your leader.

Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said, “This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.

And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word ’struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Hopi Elders’ Prophecy

 


 

Filed Under: What can we do?

Images for your website

25th October 2021 By Massimo Giannuzzi

All photos, images and PDFs will be stored in the ‘Media library’ of your website.

You can upload new images there, and then insert them into Pages and Posts.

You can insert individual images or sets of images in galleries.

What size images should I use? (a brief summary)

Active Hope imageSmall images that will be inserted in a page (maybe to the left or to the right and with text wrapping around them – such as the one to the right here) don’t need to be large.

Pictures that are more crucial are:

  • the ones that stretch across the whole width of the page, such as the “banner” at the top of each page
  • or what’s often called a “hero” image, which perhaps takes the whole screen when you first arrive at a website
  • also, those strips that run across the whole width of the page on some home pages

These ideally need to be a minimum of 1600 to 3000 px wide. Otherwise, they can look blurry and unprofessional.

And remember that if only a certain part of the image is to be used, then it’s that bit that needs to match these minimum measurements, and not the whole width or height.

Where should I store them and how should I name them?

  • Consider keeping all the images for your website in one folder on your computer (and ideally backed up).
  • If you have a particularly large website, with many images, you might benefit from using multiple sub folders.
  • Name each original image to help you identify them easily later on (especially if you come back to them after a year or two).
  • Important: keep the original image on your computer untouched. Make any changes (like cropping or compressing) to a copy of it.
  • Name your files before you upload them to your website. Choose descriptive names that will contribute to your SEO score.

SEO is search engine optimisation = being found by search engines like Google.

You can improve your SEO in many ways. One of which is by having images with sensible ‘File Names’, ‘Titles’ and ‘Alt Text’ entries. These should include phrases that people might be searching for.

So, for example, I have help pages for people using Zoom. The name of one of my images is “Zoom Breakout Rooms Mobile closing notice cropped” – so it will contribute to being found by people searching for “Zoom Breakout Rooms” or “Breakout Rooms on a mobile”.

The “cropped” on the end simply helps me know its been cropped from the original.

This is a very useful article on using images in your website and SEO

 

More detailed information on using images

What size should an image be?

What size should an image be?

Most websites, even with large pictures, load quickly. But you still need to be careful about image sizes. Basically, “large” images look great, but can take longer to load. If they are too slow people may move to another page or site. So upload the largest size you think you’ll need (but ideally, no larger than this).

A whole page image or a full width banner will need to be uploaded as a large file. Whereas an image that only ever sits in a small box on a page, can be uploaded as a smaller file.

Images have:

  • file dimensions (width and height – in “pixels” or “px”) and
  • a file size (kilobytes KB or megabytes MB). There are many programs that help you reduce the size, while maintaining as much quality as possible (e.g. photoshop, irfanview and many online ones).

What WordPress does for you

When you insert a picture from your Media library into a Page or Post, WordPress has a set of different (but fixed) sized copies, and uses the appropriate one depending upon where it is going to be used/what size you choose. So if you have uploaded a huge image and are just using it as a small version, a reduced size copy is inserted into the page and not the original.

Also WordPress helps/allows the browser that’s viewing your site to choose the correct size version, based on the space the image is taking on your page and the quality of the screen. So, for example, if you upload an image of 2400 px, most people will upload and see a smaller version, but people will higher quality screens may get the larger version.

Screen sizes most commonly used in 2021

Website design - Screen sizes as of 2021

 

Website design image sizes on a pageWhat size should I upload?

Below are some approximate guidelines (and don’t get hung up on these, unless your site is a commercial one – just slows loading of your page a little)

Largest: at least 1600 px x 1600 px, but not larger than 3000 px x 3000 px

WordPress will output your images in a format that allows the browser to choose the correct size based on the space the image is taking on your page and the quality of the screen. So just because you are uploading an image at 2000px, for example, most viewers to your site will see it in smaller dimensions and not have to load that large of an image, but you will still be supporting higher quality screens and different layout options.

  • Full screen images [2400 pixels wide / 200 – 400kb]
  • Banner images across the top [2400 pixels wide / 100 – 200kb]
  • Smaller images within/next to text [800 pixels / 30 – 100kb]
  • Featured images (used for Posts) [800 x 600 / 30 – 100kb]

Here’s a site with detailed explanations on all this

Before uploading an image

Before uploading an image

These are some steps (some optional) to take before uploading the image to your website

  • Crop the image if necessary. And remember to make a copy of it and reduce that – so you always have the original, high quality one if you should need it.
  • Reduce the size/compress the image if necessary. (And again – work on a copy!)
  • Choose the right file format if possible – generally, choose JPEG for photos and PNG for graphics.
  • Important: Rename the file before uploading. SEO (search engine optimisation – being found by search engines like Google) is helped by media files having sensible file names, Titles and Alt Text entries. So rename it before you upload it (you can’t change this later).

 

  • A site with useful info about image sizes and compression etc
  • A site with useful info about compression
Uploading an image to your website
  • Go to ‘Media’
  • Click on ‘Add New’
  • Either ‘Browse’ or click-and-drag image
Insert an image into a page or post

Media insert into page

Insert image into page

  • Click where you want the top of the image to be
  • Use the ‘Add Media’ button just above your toolbar
  • Choose your media (you can also upload new images from here)
  • Fill in the appropriate details
    • Title – your chance to add sensible, short phrases that will help your SEO
    • Alt Text – ditto for Title (this is used by screen readers for people with sight issues)
    • Caption (optional) – appears underneath your image
    • Alignment: ‘Left or Right’ – will wrap text round the image. ‘None’ – puts image on its own with text above and below (but not wrapped around). Note you can then centre it on the page if you want.
    • Link To: ‘None’ (other options ‘Media file’ = on click image opened over top of page / ‘Custom URL’ = on click goes to the URL you specify)
    • Size: Avoid Thumbnail. You’ll get used to which size you want. And you can resize it once its inserted.
      • Choose the smallest size (loads quickest) that you then reduce (if necessary).
      • NEVER, expand an image as it will look grainy and poor quality.
  • Click ‘Insert into page’

Image alignment

‘Left or Right’ – will wrap text round the image.

‘None’ – puts image on its own with text above and below (but not wrapped around). Note you can then centre it on the page if you want.

Image alignments

Editing an image once its been inserted

Editing an image once its been inserted

Click on image and then …

  • Click and drag corner handles to change its size on the page
  • Choose word-wrap alignment from menu that appears and if you choose ‘None’ you can then use alignment tools in main editing toolbar (see image)
  • Click the ‘Pencil’ to Edit other aspects of image

Media alignment

More help

Video on Editing a Page in WordPress
Starts with editing a page or post – inserting an image starts at 5.25

Detailed webpage covering most options when using images

 

Filed Under: Website design

Fonts for your website

25th October 2021 By Massimo Giannuzzi

example fonts from google fontsChoosing fonts

Ideally limit the number of fonts you use to 2 or maybe 3.

Too many will make your website look too busy, confusing and may even slow it down.

Fewer helps it look simple, clear and consistent.

How to Find Fonts to use in WordPress

12 of the “best” WordPress Fonts

Browse free web fonts in Google Fonts, Typekit, FontSquirrel, fonts.com
and here Where to Find Custom WordPress Fonts

Found a website with a font you like? … ways of identifying a font

Using the right ones together …

  • Use Font Pair or  Canva Font Combinations
  • 10 Google Font Combinations for Inspiration

Add fonts to your WordPress website

Two useful sites …

How to add fonts to your WordPress website

How to Change Fonts in WordPress

 

 

 

Filed Under: Website design

Sally Blades – Coaching, Supervision & Mentoring

1st October 2021 By Massimo Giannuzzi

Client: provides coaching, supervision and mentoring

Features include: galleries, online booking system, posts and categories.

Open this website

Filed Under: Website example

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

QUICK LINKS

One-off remote support

Help pages for our clients

ZOOM training sessions

ZOOM - help, tips & ideas

Help on general IT topics

Discussion evenings

Contact Us

Email us
07795 257849

Massimo photo

straightforward database solutions and websites for small to medium sized organisations

© 2019 ITsorted

Email us

or call 01364 716299 / 07795 257849

ITsorted logo

Copyright © 2022 · Outreach Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in