Author: Lluis Ouro

All set to celebrate Sant Jordi

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

One of the most cherished celebrations among the people of Barcelona is here. The city will be decked out for Sant Jordi on 23 April, with roses, books and lots of culture. As ever, you’ll find full information on the Sant Jordi website.

Sant Jordi 2024 gets under way with the Opening Speech on Reading on 22 April, to be read by the British writer and actor David Walliams and held for the first time at the Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria.

You can now enjoy the Sant Jordi Dialogues around the city’s libraries, with writers from different places engaging in conversation based on affinities in their latest works and meeting their readers.

There’s an open day at the City Hall on Sunday, 21 April, from 10 am to 8 pm. Admission is free and open to everybody (limited capacity), offering a chance to visit the Escala Negra, the Saló de Cròniques, the Sala Tàpies, the Mirador M. Aurèlia Capmany and many other corners of the building.

There will also be a large block in the heart of L’Eixample closed to traffic on 23 April, located between Av. Diagonal, Gran Via and the streets of Balmes and Pau Claris, and extending along La Rambla and Gran de Gràcia. As ever, all districts will have spaces set aside for the sale of books and roses, plus various activities such as storytelling, puppetry, literary competitions and workshops.

Enjoy the occasion!

Un home aixeca una rosa emmig d'un grup de gent per Sant Jordi.

Electromobility in Barcelona is called endolla.barcelona

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

The future of sustainable mobility has arrived in Barcelona. The city now has 1,000 recharging points, powered by 100% renewable energy. The network is used by 3,300 citizens and provides an average of 14,000 recharges a month, making it the largest public network in Spain and southern Europe.

This was possible thanks to an investment of 25 million euros through Europe’s Next Generation funds. Endolla Barcelona is anticipating the future growth in demand with the goal of reaching 3,000 recharging points in the next few years, increasing power output and halving recharging times.

This year will also see the network install battery exchange facilities for electric mopeds in BSM car parks, offering ready-charged batteries for users and making urban mobility easier and more sustainable.

The endolla.barcelona website offers full information: how to register as a user, current pricing and the recharging points available around the city. You can also keep up to date by signing up for the newsletter.

The meet.barcelona website adds an agenda with the most important events for 2024

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

The meet.barcelona website is used by people visiting the city for tourism, to study or to do business. It is available in four languages and offers service information to facilitate visitors’ stays in the city, along with other information such as reasons for working here or coming here for a city break.

The site now includes a substantial improvement: an annual agenda with the unmissable events for 2024, along with recently held activities to strengthen the international side of the page.

Besides the classic annual occasions, such as the festivities for La Mercè, the Open House Barcelona and Sant Jordi, users can also find music recommendations (Jonas Brothers, Andrea Bocelli, Primavera Sound) and information on some of the main fairs (Saló Nàutic, Còmic Barcelona, Smart City).

And sports events! The America’s Cup, the Nose Race and the Comte de Godó trophy, a whole calendar with activities not to be missed by people arriving in the city.

Five tips for updating the design of your website

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

As the digital world evolves, the landscape of website design also changes to adapt to users’ needs and the latest technology. Here are some of the most notable trends in website design in 2024.

1. Dark mode

Dark mode continues to gain in popularity as it offers benefits such as reduced visual stress and battery power saving for mobile devices. Many websites offer clear and dark mode options so users can choose the one they prefer and improve the browsing experience.

2. Bento grid

The Bento grid aims to simplify and order website pages more efficiently. Inspired by the principle of the Japanese Bento Box, this trend organises content into clearly defined sections using a combination of generous white spaces and graphic or visual elements to separate the different parts of the website. The structure facilitates browsing and comprehension of information for users, creating a more intuitive and pleasing experience.

3. Innovative typographic design

Typography has always been a crucial part of website design, but now more than ever there is a greater use of personalised and bold typographies to capture people’s attention. Frome the use of variable fonts to typological experimentation, designers play with possibilities to create more interesting and attractive reading experiences.

4. Priority for accessibility

With a growing focus on digital inclusion and accessibility, websites prioritise accessibledesign to guarantee that all users, including those with some sort of disability, can access and engage with online content easily. This includes optimising screens for reading, contrasting colours better and improving simplified browsing.

5. Micro-interactions and subtle animations

Micro-interactions and subtle animations play an important role in user experience (UX) on websites. From buttons with transition effects to animation responses when moving the cursor, these details play a key part in improving user engagement with online content.

We hope these tips prove useful if you’re thinking of updating your website and adapting it to current trends to improve user experience and browsing.

ICANN 79 Community Forum: the annual meeting for the global internet

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

Puerto Rico was the scene for the 79thICANN Community Forum, held from 2 to 7 March. The annual event is crucial for the evolution and governance of the global internet as it brings together professionals, experts and other interested parties from around the world to address the most pressing and important matters relating to internet infrastructure and policy.

One of the main questions addressed in the meeting was the new ICANN Subsidy Programme, as well as the development of the next ICANN Strategic Plan and preparations for Universal Acceptance Day on 28 March. The latter is an initiative to promote standards and practices that guarantee compatibility with all domain names and email addresses, and to foster the implementation of these practices on a global scale to enhance the internet experience for all users.

Other key themes discussed include the management of domain names and IP addresses, the promotion of diversity and inclusion within the internet community, and the future of internet governance in a changing geopolitical context. The ICANN has been under constant scrutiny to ensure that its policies and decisions reflect the interests of all network participants, regardless of geographical location or institutional affiliation.

Besides the formal ICANN sessions, the event offered a platform for informal meetings, talks and networking between members of the internet community. These informal exchanges are essential for building ties and collaboration that can influence the future of the network.

As the network continues to evolve and grow, it is essential for the global internet community to continue collaborating and working together to guarantee a sustainable, safe and inclusive future for all internet users.

Gearing up for ICANN79

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has announced a programme of preparations ahead of ICANN79, with a series of sessions designed to get the ICANN community ready for the upcoming ICANN79 forum, to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 2 to 7 March 2024.

The preparatory programme for ICANN79 is being held from 20 to 22 February and includes a dozen sessions looking at various topics of interest to the ICANN community. These include updates on Universal Acceptance (UA), International Domain Names (IDN), the relationship between the ICANN board and the community and the implementation of new gTLD programmes etc.

The ICANN79 community forum is an ideal opportunity to address important topics for internet governance and the management of domain names, such as:

Domain name policies: to discuss changes and proposals for policies relating to the assignment and management of global domain names.

Network security and stability: to address cybersecurity matters and measures to ensure the stability and reliability of the internet infrastructure.

Privacy and data protection: to discuss matters relating to the privacy of internet users and the measures to protect their personal data in the context of domain names.

New domain extensions: to review requests for new domain extensions and discuss the criteria for approving and managing these.

The ICANN operates through a multilateral governance model that includes the participation of different interested parties, such as governments, companies, civil society organisations, technical and academic communities and the internet industry. The community forums organised by the ICANN are fundamental for ensuring that the decisions made benefit all internet users.

The cultural and geographical domains .barcelona, .cat, .eus and .gal meet in A Coruña

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

A Coruña recently hosted a meeting of representatives for the cultural and geographical domains of .barcelona, .cat, .eus and .gal. Held on 1 February, the meeting enabled the participants to share their plans for the future, commercial actions planned for this year and forecasts about the evolution of the market and the network.

The four domains are part of the GeoTLD group, which brings together domains with geographical, linguistic and cultural identities such as .scot (Scotland), .london and .bzh (Brittany). The group coordinates shared communication actions with the public and governing bodies for the network, such as the ICANN. Some of the most important domain registration companies also took part in the meeting, which offered the chance to work together for the future of cultural and geographical domains.

The session began with a presentation by the director of Cidade das TIC, Alfonso Martínez, on the importance of new infrastructures and decentralisation for the value of ICT industries. The decentralisation of regulating agencies was also addressed, taking the imminent opening of the AESIA in A Coruña as an example.

In the second part of the meeting, each domain set out their current situation and their plans for 2024. Topics addressed here included artificial intelligence, changes in European legislation, protecting user data, cybersecurity and cooperation amid geopolitical changes.

The meeting also served to discuss the possibility of implementing joint action, commercial action or brand measures in 2024. The session concluded with a working supper, the aim being to strengthen ties between registers and registration companies.

A new DistricteCultural.barcelona is here

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

A new edition of Barcelona Districte Cultural is here! The programme runs until 27 April and offers a chance to enjoy over 230 free shows, concerts, performing arts activities and film sessions around local community centres.

You’ll find productions from theatre companies which talk about migration, family relationships, war, love and memory. The elasticity of dance and the magic of circus also form part of the programme, courtesy of local and international companies with shows for all ages.

As for music, there are nine concerts planned in a wide variety of styles, including electronic music, pop, rap, soul and punk. For its part, the Petit Cineclub section will be screening a diverse selection of animated films which have won international awards.

Some of these options come accompanied by discussions, talks, presentations and complementary activities, and there are also special sessions for primary and secondary schools.

The full programme can be found on the website for Barcelona Districte Cultural, with free tickets already available. To stay up to date and make sure you don’t miss a thing, you can also sign up for the newsletter.

Una captura de l'espectacle de dansa 'Ego' de la companyia Humana.

Park Güell is written parkguell.barcelona

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

It’s one the symbols of our city, and one of the images most frequently sought by those who visit us. Park Güell has over a century of history and receives well over 4.5 million visitors a year.

Even so, this is space for city people. Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) has been regulating access to Park Güell since 2013, the goal being to preserve this iconic city site and to maintain it properly, in harmony with the use that local people and schools make of it.

Half a million Barcelona people used the local residents card to access the park in 2023 and nearly 160,000 people visited it as part of the Gaudir més programme. School visits practically doubled compared to the previous year.

At parkguell.barcelona you’ll find everything you need to plan your visit, as well as a detailed chronology of its construction, historical context and an extensive multimedia gallery. Come along and enjoy Park Güell, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.

Vista general de l'entrada del Park Güell, amb el drac en primer terme.

Meta tags: what they are and how to use them

Posted on by Lluis Ouro

Meta tags, also known as meta elements or metadata, are fragments of HTML code that provide information about the content of a website for search engines and other online services. Using them effectively is crucial in SEO for a website and improving its position in search engine results.

There are different types of meta tags to bear in mind:

1.  Title tag: This is one of the most essential meta tags. It specifies the title of the page and is the text that appears in the title bar of the browser. It needs to be appealing, contain relevant keywords and not exceed the limits recommended for the search engine.

2.  Description tag: This provides a brief description of the page content. It is the fragment of text that appears beneath the title in search results. A well-drafted and informative description can drive up click rates.

3.  Canonical ERL tag: This is used to indicate the main page when there are a number of similar ones. It helps with page hierarchy and prioritises the indicated page as canonical. We should bear in mind that in this case, the meta tag is placed on the secondary page to indicate which page is the main one.

4.  Robot tag: This indicates if a search engine can index a page or not. Sometimes it can be used to prevent certain pages from being displayed in search results.

5.  Alt image tag: This describes what an image shows. Besides being one of the elements that helps with positioning, it is important in terms of site usability for people with visual impairment who use screen readers that include these texts.

To use meta tags effectively to improve your search engine positioning, you should make sure that they are in keeping with the page content and that they include relevant keywords. It is important to maintain a coherent structure and avoid the excessive use of keywords, as search engines can penalise this. Finally, it is a good idea to review and update meta

tags regularly to adapt to changes in search trends and the algorithms of search engines.