Finding blogs dedicated to immigration in Barcelona, Spain is a difficult task. There are a myriad of blogs covering topics on food, music, art and culture in Spain so I settled for reviewing blogs that cover the economy and politics which skim the subject of immigration. As my last post addressed, immigration is a serious issue that taxes the Spanish economy and environment.
Here is a review of five blogs that are Spain- and Barcelona-related.
Madrid Man: http://madridman.com/blog-madrid/
The mission of Madrid Man is to cover the bases on basic life in Madrid from an American standpoint. Several famous buildings and sights are featured and described at great detail. Madrid Man does address immigration briefly in regard to religion. The influx of immigrants to the area brings an increased Roman Catholic element to Spain. Otherwise the blog has many pictures and insightful observations of the country. However, links for travel sites and apartment discounts that litter the site lead me to believe it has somewhat of an agenda.
News from Spain: http://www.euroresidentes.com/Blogs/2004/08/new-spanish-immigration-laws.htm
The News from Spain blog has a simple layout and concise dialogue. It aims to keep its readers informed on current events and happenings. It covers all topics from social issues to art to politics. A post that caught my eye went into detail on new immigration laws in the country in lay terms so that someone relatively unfamiliar with the issue can understand. Reader interactivity is high. After posts are published readers often comment quickly and have interesting comments on what was written.
Culture Spain: http://www.culturespain.com/culture-of-spain/culture-spain-–-spain-immigration
This blog is especially good at incorporating reader interactivity through social media. There are several links on the right toolbar for Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, RSS feeds, Blogger and tags. The posts are long enough that a reader stays engaged, but not so long that they lose the casual Internet surfers. The writing is rather elementary with exclamation points and simple sentences. However, the links Culture Spain offers to related articles enables readers to delve deeper into an issue, like immigration, if they please. It does an adequate job of incorporating pictures of decent quality with simple posts.
Iberia Culture: http://iberianature.com/barcelona/category/social-issues-in-barcelona/immigration-in-barcelona/
While primarily a commentary on the natural wonders of Spain, Iberia Culture also addresses political and economic issues in Barcelona. The writing is witty and interesting, as well as well-researched. The graphics are pleasing and the layout is simple, no advertising to detract from the posts or photos. A few of their posts are only a sentence or two long, and it is updated frequently, making it more likely that loyal readers will check in often. There is no outlet for reader comments, however, which is a missed opportunity. All around, the information is unique and the layout is simple, making Iberia culture the most pleasing of the blogs related to social issues in Spain.
Standing in a Spanish Doorway: http://bretthetherington.blogspot.com/
Culture is the main focus of this blog. It seems to feature random thoughts of the publisher related to Spain and its culture. Most of the posts are short, but sufficiently covers the topics addressed. The links and tags really help organize topics on the site and allow the readers to further research a subject. The site is lacking in photographs which would usually be a way to attract readers, rather than pure type. User interactivity could also be improved. Most of the posts I read had no user comments. The simple layout and short, insightful posts are positive features, though.
Immigration in Barcelona 