I have been running this small homepage since 2023, for almost three years now. The idea originally came to me as a blog for my participation as a volunteer at the Olympic Games. Since then, I have been using it simply to process my concerns about world events or, because I am actually an optimist at heart, to write the world a little brighter.
Sometimes I was right, but sometimes I was also wrong.
Since I have never been a fan of Facebook and the like, I have always refused to use these platforms. Also because they rarely serve as a source of information and contribute to a general dumbing down. Nowhere is it easier to spread hate and nonsense with fewer consequences than on social media platforms run by US tech giants. I, on the other hand, cannot and will not spread anonymous conspiracy theories – my top-level domain alone does not allow for that. When I form an opinion and express it here, I have researched multiple sources beforehand, mostly international ones. And I find it fascinating to read how Americans, in particular, look at Europe and are envious of our climate policies and our handling of privacy rights – points that are often talked down by certain circles here at home.
Living in France, it was obvious from the beginning to publish my site in several languages. Various modules and plugins are in circulation for this purpose, but none of them truly convinced me. Either the functionality of the homepage was restricted, or only parts were translated, while the menu, for example, was left out of the translation entirely.
Joomla natively offers the possibility to provide the homepage in multiple languages. This requires the site to be cleanly structured, which can quickly overwhelm a beginner. Now, after three years, I have finally sat down and created a parallel English-language version. Many articles are still missing, but everything coming in the future will be published on this site in English and eventually also in French. This makes sense, as over 70% of actual visitors come from abroad – and usually leave quickly.
This undertaking was also made possible by the use of AI. I simply need to send the HTML code of the article and I receive the text along with embedded images and links in English or French. Normally, I would provide a source here, but Google Gemini – arguably the best AI at the moment – helped me with the setup. I still mostly use Mistral, but for this specific project, that AI led me astray a few times.
The version in the other language can be reached by clicking on the flag.
