That elephant should be there? The errors of Counting Stars and what to do to correct them

@ElentirENG ES 8·12·2023 · 7:01 0

Next year this little corner of the web, which has grown bigger than I could ever imagine, will be 20 years old.

What will happen with Counting Stars at a difficult time for Vox and for Spain
Counting Stars and credibility

The proximity of this anniversary is encouraging me to reflect a lot on the past of this website and also on its future. In particular, I have been wondering how much longer this will last, how long I will last to maintain it and what it will cost me, because as you know, this daily publication does not receive subsidies or any kind of income from advertising or any other type. But above all, there is a question that I constantly ask myself: how could I improve this? A question that occurs to me every time I read the word "self-criticism", something that we always ask of others but forget ask ourselves.

In this blog I have made mistakes and I will continue to make them, because, after all, to err is what human beings do (especially if they are humans as defective as I am). The ones that are least difficult for me to identify are the mistakes I make as a designer, both as a graphic designer and as a web designer, and not because I'm a great designer (I wish), but because those mistakes are easier to detect. On the other hand, the design of this blog is something in constant evolution, and that is, by the way, one of the aspects that I like the most about Counting Stars, although I cannot dedicate all the time I can to it. would like.

Other errors are more difficult to notice. Both my mother and some kind readers have been helping me with errors (I write fast and some always slip through). Those are small errors. Big mistakes are, paradoxically, the hardest to see. You get used to them and they're like an elephant in your room, and you don't see anything wrong with it because that elephant has always been there, until you you ask yourself: is it normal for that elephant to be there? Should I be there?

It is very possible that others perceive those errors that I find difficult to see , either in the content of the blog, in the way of exposing it, in the length of the texts, in the abundance or lack of images , on the chosen topics, etc. That is why I ask for help. What errors do you see in Counting Stars and what would you suggest to solve them? The first is enough for me, if you can't think of a solution.

Of course, there is one aspect in which I do not admit errors or rectifications: the level of values. The love of God, the defense of Spain and Liberty, the defense of life and human dignity, the search for good, beauty and justice, the sense of honor, loyalty and service to others, especially the weakest, are things that I do not intend to give up because without them I would no longer be myself. Another thing is the degree of success that I may have when defending those values, and here I do admit corrections of all kinds.

Likewise, and taking into account that the world of communication -at different levels- is one of my passions (otherwise I wouldn't have been publishing a blog for 19 years), I must admit that in I still have a lot to learn in this area and I am open to advice. I always like to think of each day as an opportunity to learn new things, and on this site, readers have a lot to say in that learning process, either through comments and private messages.

I don't expect constructive advice from those who hate any of the values I've listed above. I would never accept any advice from an anti-Semite on how to treat Jews, nor would it occur to me to ask a communist for advice on how to defend Freedom, to give two examples. I address this invitation especially to those of you who share my values, because for me Counting Stars is still a mere instrument at the service of a noble cause, and that is what encourages me every day to improve it.

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Image: Marc Randolph.