QuickSites block-type backlog — brief for the quicksites.ai session

2026-07-17. Written in the HiveJournal repo as a handoff brief: the block implementations live in the quicksites repo (separate window/session); the HiveJournal-side services several blocks depend on are already built and deployed. Cross-reference: ABOUT_THAT.md.

Why this list is shaped this way

QuickSites competes with every sitebuilder on the standard blocks — but it's the only one that can offer owner-voice audio blocks, because the HiveJournal/Emberkiln stack (voice clones with recorded consent, TTS render-once caching, the About That embed service) already exists in prod. Lead with the moat; backfill the table-stakes.

Integration contract for HiveJournal-powered blocks

The About That embed is one script tag — a block just renders it:

<script async src="https://www.hivejournal.com/about-that.js"
        data-embed="EMBED-ID"></script>

Optional data-url overrides the narrated URL (default window.location.href); data-width sizes the iframe.
Player, rendering, caching, rate limits, billing all live on HiveJournal — nothing server-side in quicksites.
Domain gate: an embed only narrates pages on its allowed_domains (dot-boundary suffix match). Quicksites as subdomains of one root → a single root-domain entry covers all. Custom domains → each must be added (cap: 20/embed today; raise it or use per-site embeds — open decision).
Renders are once-per-page-content (content-hash cache); playback streams a static MP3. Eager pre-render on page visit is ON platform-wide (admin-toggleable).

Tier 1 — moat blocks (HiveJournal rails exist today)

Block	What it renders	Notes
About That block	The embed snippet (config: `embed_id`, optional width)	Already logged in the HJ task DB. Simplest possible block; ship first.
Voice Welcome	One-shot audio greeting in the owner's cloned voice ("Hi, I'm Maria — this is my shop")	Fixed owner-written script, not page extraction → needs a small HJ endpoint variant (script → TTS → cached MP3). Personal, above-the-fold.
Product Pitch Panel	About That on product pages — owner pitches the product, skeptical AI buyer probes	Ecommerce sibling of the real-estate `agent` preset; product pages are text-rich so extraction works.
Audio FAQ	Owner-voiced answers to top-5 questions, rendered once, played inline	Upgradeable later to the interactive `faq_answer` register (HJ backlog).
Emberkiln audio card	Narrated excerpt / graphene.fm-style player card	For authors/creators selling on quicksites.
Testimonial audio strip	Written testimonials voiced by HOUSE voices, labeled as dramatized readings	Never synthesize customer voices — house voices + explicit labeling only.

Tier 2 — ecommerce conversion (table-stakes)

Announcement bar — dismissible; free-shipping threshold, promo code, sale window.
Countdown timer — real end times only; no fake-resetting scarcity (brand + regulatory line).
Sticky add-to-cart — mobile bottom bar on product pages.
Bundle / bought-together — owner-picked pairs v1; algorithmic later.
Reviews block with schema.org markup — the Google star-snippet is the feature.
Shoppable gallery — image grid with product hotspots.
Size/spec table — with unit toggle. Boring; endlessly requested.
Back-in-stock / waitlist capture — per-product email capture; doubles as demand signal.

Tier 3 — trust + content + SEO

Trust badges strip (payments, guarantees, shipping) · logo marquee ("as seen in") · founder story (pairs with Voice Welcome: read it or hear it).
FAQ accordion with FAQPage schema · comparison table (honesty-first template — same DNA as HJ's journaling compare cluster) · before/after slider · calculator block (configurable estimators; each is an SEO magnet) · booking embed (Cal.com/Calendly wrapper until native) · map + hours + open-now (LocalBusiness schema).
Live activity ticker — only if backed by real events; fabricated urgency is off the table product-wide.

Tier 4 — vertical presets (mirrors the About That vertical strategy)

Real-estate listing card — address/price/beds/baths/gallery/inquiry CTA with an About That agent-preset player slot built in. Strategic: quicksites can BE the on-domain listing pages most agent sites lack (first design partner's site hands listings off to an external portal) — which is exactly what makes the About That $79/mo real-estate tier land. The two products sell each other.
Menu block (restaurants; pairs with owner-voice specials) · class/session schedule (gyms/studios/coaches).

Tier 5 — AI-native builder passes (not visible blocks)

Auto-summary hero — drafts hero copy from the owner's existing content; owner edits, nothing ships unreviewed.
Alt-text/SEO-meta filler — marketable as "accessibility + SEO included."

Suggested sequence

About That block + Voice Welcome (the differentiator; rails exist)
Real-estate listing card (completes the About That revenue loop)
Announcement bar + sticky add-to-cart + reviews-with-schema (conversion trio)
Everything else by demand.

HiveJournal-side follow-ups this brief implies (tracked in HJ `product_tasks`)

QuickSites "About That block" task (logged 2026-07-17, P1) — HJ side = allowed-domains ergonomics (root-domain coverage vs per-site embeds, 20-domain cap decision).
Voice Welcome needs the fixed-script TTS endpoint variant (small; reuses clone + cache rails) — log when quicksites commits to the block.