Around the time of the recent Presidential election, I wrote a very brief post on my personal blog, Life Without Buildings, about Barack Obama’s statement claiming that, if he weren’t a politician, he would have liked to pursue a career in architecture. (Of course, the post had to include the Photoshopped image of Obama as architect—Corbu glasses and a black turtleneck, naturally.) Most blogs, mine included, allow readers to respond in a comments section, and in this instance the comments quickly—and passionately—spiraled into the realm of the political. Many were over twice the length of the original post, which culminated with the question, “Who can potentially do the most social good: politicians or architects?”
Commenting is the double-edged sword of the blogosphere—its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Through reader comments, there exists the potential for enlightened discourse and expanded dialogue. Unfortunately, there also exists the potential for mean-spirited and less-than-constructive criticism. In the above post, for example, a commenter leaves an excellent suggestion that readers interested in the architect vs. politician issue should check out Kim Stanley Robinson’s stunning Mars Trilogy about colonization on Mars. Others left opinions on how Barack Obama’s politics might translate into design and an insightful quotation from Frank Lloyd Wright about the importance of morals and ethics in architecture.
Then there was the more aggressive reader (anonymous of course), who left a vaguely racist comment deriding Obama’s proposed “redistribution of wealth.” This, on an ostensibly architecture-related blog. Despite these occasionally disparaging remarks, I believe that the blog commenting system is a generally positive thing—especially when it comes to creative pursuits. The comments are a great reminder that we’re not just shouting into the void anymore—the void is shouting back. And sometimes it doesn’t like what you have to say.
Comments and discussion boards can also be a great way for architects to test ideas or get some outside input. Working on a research paper or a conceptual project, but the muse has abandoned you? Why not shout into the void? Among the best places to do this shouting are the discussion forums at Archinect. With a wide range of coverage that includes School Blogs, photo-essays, news reports, competition notices, and independent reporting, Archinect is one of the best online communities for architects. And, as you might guess, their discussion board is no exception. Topics range from professional practice to popular culture, so the next time you’ve designed yourself into a corner or need a fresh opinion or perhaps some inspiration, why not log-on and consult the perfectly anonymous architectural hive-mind?
Author Jimmy Stamp is a freelance writer and designer with Mark Horton/Architecture in San Francisco. He has been publishing his architecture blog, Life Without Buildings, since 2004 and is a contributing editor at Curbed San Francisco.
Originally published 1st quarter 2009, in arcCA 09.1, “Entitlements.”
Blog Is In the Details: Expanding the Dialogue
Jimmy Stamp
Around the time of the recent Presidential election, I wrote a very brief post on my personal blog, Life Without Buildings, about Barack Obama’s statement claiming that, if he weren’t a politician, he would have liked to pursue a career in architecture. (Of course, the post had to include the Photoshopped image of Obama as architect—Corbu glasses and a black turtleneck, naturally.) Most blogs, mine included, allow readers to respond in a comments section, and in this instance the comments quickly—and passionately—spiraled into the realm of the political. Many were over twice the length of the original post, which culminated with the question, “Who can potentially do the most social good: politicians or architects?”
Commenting is the double-edged sword of the blogosphere—its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Through reader comments, there exists the potential for enlightened discourse and expanded dialogue. Unfortunately, there also exists the potential for mean-spirited and less-than-constructive criticism. In the above post, for example, a commenter leaves an excellent suggestion that readers interested in the architect vs. politician issue should check out Kim Stanley Robinson’s stunning Mars Trilogy about colonization on Mars. Others left opinions on how Barack Obama’s politics might translate into design and an insightful quotation from Frank Lloyd Wright about the importance of morals and ethics in architecture.
Then there was the more aggressive reader (anonymous of course), who left a vaguely racist comment deriding Obama’s proposed “redistribution of wealth.” This, on an ostensibly architecture-related blog. Despite these occasionally disparaging remarks, I believe that the blog commenting system is a generally positive thing—especially when it comes to creative pursuits. The comments are a great reminder that we’re not just shouting into the void anymore—the void is shouting back. And sometimes it doesn’t like what you have to say.
Comments and discussion boards can also be a great way for architects to test ideas or get some outside input. Working on a research paper or a conceptual project, but the muse has abandoned you? Why not shout into the void? Among the best places to do this shouting are the discussion forums at Archinect. With a wide range of coverage that includes School Blogs, photo-essays, news reports, competition notices, and independent reporting, Archinect is one of the best online communities for architects. And, as you might guess, their discussion board is no exception. Topics range from professional practice to popular culture, so the next time you’ve designed yourself into a corner or need a fresh opinion or perhaps some inspiration, why not log-on and consult the perfectly anonymous architectural hive-mind?
Author Jimmy Stamp is a freelance writer and designer with Mark Horton/Architecture in San Francisco. He has been publishing his architecture blog, Life Without Buildings, since 2004 and is a contributing editor at Curbed San Francisco.
Originally published 1st quarter 2009, in arcCA 09.1, “Entitlements.”