Category: News

“We want to reduce the digital divide in the city’s sports sector”

Posted on by admindti

We spoke about the project elmeuclubesportiu.barcelona with Verònica Sanz, a leading figure in the .barcelona domain from Barcelona City Council, and Manuela Becerra, country manager for Nominalia.

Elmeuclubesportiu.barcelona is a digitalisation project to provide professional websites for sports organisations and clubs in the city which still haven’t got a website or have one which is obsolete.

“At the .barcelona domain we reinvest part of the profits in social impact projects with the goal of digitalising specific sectors in the city where we know there is a digital divide”, notes Verònica Sanz.

So far the focus has been on local commerce with the project elmeucomerç.barcelona,  which offered a fast and free process for small shops and businesses to get a professional website with a .barcelona domain.

This project is possible thanks to the collaboration of the domain registration company Nominalia. Their country manager, Manuela Becessa, explains that: “Helping others go digital is in our DNA, it’s what we try to do every day. But it’s very important to work with the City Council, which has the possibility of reaching sectors that by themselves might not ever contact a registration company to register a domain”.

The application period for sports clubs and organizations without a website to take part in the project elmeuclubesportiu.barcelona and get a professional website with a .barcelona domain ends on 31 December 2023.

More information on this project can be found on the information page.

How did local domains come about?

Posted on by Comunicació

A few weeks back, the domains of .barcelona, .cat, .gal and .eus had a meeting with our registration companies to explain our projects to them, but also to exchange opinions and experiences and develop a closer relationship with them.

All four domains form part of the geoTLD.group. an international non-profit association representing the interests of top-level geographical domains that identify a city, a region, a language or a culture.

The .cat domain appeared in 2005 and was the first domain in the world to represent a language or a culture. Its appearance was possible thanks to a successful campaign and mobilisation which strengthened the Catalan-speaking civil society. Since then, the domain has been managed by the Fundació .cat and its regulations explain that its use is for websites with content in Catalan, regardless of whether they contain content in other languages or not.

The creation of the .cat domain provided the model for the approval of the .eus domain in 2008, representing Basque language and culture. This domain is managed by the PuntuEus foundation.

Five years later, in 2013, the ICANN approved a new domain representing one of the languages and cultures in the Spanish state. In this case, .gal is the domain for Galician language and culture and is managed by PuntoGal.

The .barcelona domain came into service in 2016 and was the first city domain in the Spanish state, managed by Barcelona City Council. Nearly four thousand domains were registered when it was launched, and now any individual, company or organisation identifying with the city’s values can register.

Besides identifying users with a local or linguistic community, all of these domains are managed by organisations which devote part of their income to projects that promote digitalisation in their regions.

17 July: World Emoji Day

Posted on by Comunicació

World Emoji Day is an annual celebration held on 17 July, reminding us of the importance and impact of these little icons that have changed the way we communicate. Since they were created, emojis have become an integral part of our digital communication, enabling us to express emotions, ideas and reactions in a visual and universal way.

The first emoji was created at the start of the 90s by the Japanese programmer Shigetaka Kurita. The first set of 176 emojis, designed for messaging purposes by the company NTT DoCoMo, included elements such as emoticons, images of animals, foods, objects and other visual symbols. Since then, emojis have evolved and grown, with an ever broader and more diverse range of graphic representations.

There are currently thousands of emojis available, covering a wide variety of topics, such as emotions, activities, animals, foods, places, objects and much more. They are used on a global scale and have become a shared visual language that goes beyond linguistic and cultural barriers.

Here are some tips on using emojis when you communicate:

·        Contextualisation: Make sure the emoji you choose relates to the message you want to convey. Use the emoji to highlight or strengthen the meaning of your words.

·        Avoid excessive use: Use emojis in moderation. Using too many or overloading your message with them can make it difficult to understand. Choose the most relevant and significant emojis to communicate your point of view.

·       Universal meaning: Bear in mind that emojis can be interpreted differently depending on culture and context. To avoid misunderstandings, make sure you know the common meaning of an emoji before using it.

·        Experiment: Don’t be afraid to explore new emojis and use them to express yourself. Creative use of emojis can add a fun and exciting dimension to your digital conversations.

Have a good World Emoji Day! 😉 🎉

Meeting between .barcelona, .cat, .gal, .eus and registration companies in Barcelona

Posted on by Comunicació

The domains of .barcelona, .cat, .gal and .eus shared our plans and outlook with registration companies in a working session on 8 June, explaining our future projects, forecasts for the evolution of the market and internet trends.

The session began with a round table with Josep Maria Ganyet and Marc Argemí, moderated by Albert Cuesta, about the impact of artificial intelligence for the use of the internet and its influence on the domains market, as well as its relevance for online security and identity.

In the second part of the meeting, the domains explained our current projects, as well as the action planned for the coming months and our outlook moving forward.

The meeting provided an opportunity to share the attributes of the .barcelona domain, at the service of companies, organisations and individuals with established links to the city or looking to associate their project with the city’s values. We were also able to introduce registration companies to the projects being carried out by .barcelona to reduce the digital divide.

Sessions such as this one help us to share experiences and opinions, enabling us to work together with other domains and registration companies to improve user experience.

WordCamp: connecting with the WordPress community

Posted on by Comunicació

WordCamp Barcelona, the event bringing together professionals and fans of WordPress – the most widely used open-source content management platform in the world–, was held in the city on 5 and 6 May. The team from the .barcelona domain had the chance to take part, connecting the WordPress community with our city.

We had plenty of visitors to our stand in the exhibition space at the fair, where we were able to share detailed information on the singularities and unique advantages of the .barcelona domain and resolve doubts on how to register a .barcelona domain, personalise it and take advantage of it to increase the online visibility of projects linked to the city.

We also spoke to various .barcelona users, who highlighted how a domain linked to the city has helped them to position their business or organisation on the internet. Among those attending, we met the team from Web Empresa, who talked to us about the solidarity project glaucomacongenito-luah.barcelona to help Luah, a girl with a degenerative visual illness who has had an operation in the city.

We also had the chance to attend various talks and sessions where digital marketing experts and local web developers shared their experiences, offering the chance to get to know the local WordPress community close-up.

Taking part in WordCamp Barcelona was a great opportunity to get to know the local WordPress community and connect individuals and companies with the digital identity and values of Barcelona. See you at the next WordCamp!

.barcelona to take part in the upcoming WordCamp Barcelona

Posted on by Comunicació

WordCamp Barcelona is back on 5 and 6 May after nearly five years. The event focuses on WordPress, which turns twenty as the most widely used open-source content management system in the world.

WordCamp Barcelona is organised for members of the various active WordPress communities in Catalonia and we will be there with the .barcelona domain.

The event is divided into two parts. Community Day is being held in the auditorium at the Cotxeres de Sants community centre on Friday, 5 May, while a day of talks is being held at the Ciutadella Campus of the UPF on Saturday, 6 May.The event offers the chance to meet other professionals and members of the WordPress community and attend talks, lectures and workshops on a wide array of topics for users of all levels. More information and tickets here.

The .barcelona domain connects with the city’s digital sector

Posted on by Comunicació

We had the chance to take part in the E-Show Barcelona on 7 and 8 March, one of the biggest and most important fairs for the digital and tech sector, held every year in the city. We were there with the .barcelona domain and the registration company DonDominio, the perfect occasion for us to advise visitors on registering domains for their businesses.

At the E-Show we were able to connect with other professionals and companies in this sector, discover new trends and innovation and present the .barcelona domain to visitors at the fair. It was an enriching and exciting experience, where we had the chance to share ideas and exchange knowledge with experts in this sector.

Various companies and entrepreneurs in the city took advantage of the presence of the .barcelona domain at the E-Show to ask for advice and register their domain. All of them pointed to the importance of linking their activity with the city, in terms of sharing values and the importance of having a domain that puts them on the map. In this respect, we identified plenty of interest in the domain from international professionals active in the city.

It was a unique opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to the city’s digital and tech sector and the development of innovative products. In short, our participation at the E-Show Barcelona was a very positive and enriching experience which allowed us to connect with other professionals in this sector, discover new trends and innovation and introduce the .barcelona domain to a broader audience.

Start-ups come to Barcelona

Posted on by Comunicació

Barcelona is organising 4 Years From Now (4YFN), the most important fair for innovative tech start-ups, to be held during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) from 27 February to 2 March. The fair brings together start-ups, investors, companies and public institutions to establish connections and work together on new projects and businesses.

Held at Fira Barcelona, 4YFN will feature over 700 exhibitors, more than 300 speakers and over 1,000 investors. The programme is based around different themes, for example:

  • Health: how this sector benefits from digital innovation to improve medical assistance on a global scale.
  • Education: how the latest advances revolutionise learning with disruptive technology,emerging learning models and the impact on talent worldwide.
  • Climate change: how to use the power of digital innovation to create positive results for new companies, investors and the planet.

The fair also features activities such as discovering new immersive experiences through the innovative tech enabled by the metaverse.The fair wouldn’t be complete without the .barcelona domain, which will be represented at the Barcelona Activa stand. You’ll find the full range of personalised services, training activities and other resources to be able to launch a new start-up or turn yours into a feasible and successful business.

The .barcelona domain at the E-Show Barcelona

Posted on by Comunicació

The .barcelona domain will be taking part in the E-Show Barcelona on 7 and 8 March, alongside the .cat domain and the domain registration company DonDominio. The show is one of the biggest e-commerce and digital marketing events.

The event is an ideal place to connectwith business and enterprise in the city and introduce the opportunities for growth and the values offered by the .barcelona domain.

In addition, people visiting our stand can request personalised advice for creating a digital presence which suits each project best and enjoy a special offer for registering a .barcelona domain.

E-Show Barcelona 7 and 8 March Fira Barcelona (Montjuïc site) Admission free with advance registration

What are we going to do in 2023?

Posted on by Comunicació

As you know, the .barcelona domain forms part of the GeoTLD Group, an international non-profit organisation which represents the interests of top-level geographical domains identifying a city, a region, a language or a culture. This helps us work together with other domains with similar needs and characteristics and achieve improvements for our users.

Through the GeoTLD Group we’ll be working in 2023 to include domains such as .barcelona in the domains offered by WordPress, enabling websites created with this platform to use the domain which suits them best, according to their characteristics.

At the same time, Fundació.cat, the organisation which manages the .barcelona domain, forms part of the negotiating team with ICANN to include legal provisions in the contracts between domain registers and the domain registration companies that sell these domain, to be able to adopt measures against DNS abuse and ensure better security for users.

Finally, action is also planned through the GeoTLD Group this year to improve the universal acceptance of domains. At present there are still many e-commerce sites which don’t accept characters outside of the ASCII alphabet (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). This means that some websites still don’t accept non-English characters such as the Ç or the L·L. Similarly, these sites do not recognise domains with more than five letters. This issue directly affects domains such as .barcelona, .madrid, .amsterdam and others. In order to improve universal acceptance for domains, the GeoTLD Group are planning a series of promotional measures in this area and some meetings and technical training days for these websites.