Post It.

I've been looking into some of the online communities that already exist for Architecture students. As an Autodesk aficionado, I started with their online community and ran a search for people at Newcastle University. I came up with 544 hits, of which only 1 student who had posted anything at all, back in 2009.

Talking about some of my ideas for my linked research project, a fellow student suggested that a repository of CAD hints and tips might be an idea. As a regular user of Autodesk's forums and a follower of several extremely good blogs, I wasn't sure this was necessary; it would seem to me that an abundance technical help already exists, and I am more interested in opening up issues more strictly related to architecture/design to a wider community.

The questions I find myself asking then is why did my peer, (who is by their own admission not the most computer focussed architect), think that such resources do not exist? And, why do people not use the existing communities in the way I envisage? What could I do to improve engagement with an online resource?

Can I develop my earlier ideas of integration with a students sketch book, or by building a window into an online world into studio or social spaces? As I would ultimately like to build new connections between anonymous students, there would seem to be a need to integrate any system I propose more completely into a students daily experience.

Drifting slightly, I came across this post for a cafe of the future, integrating a customers smart phone into the cafe table. Could something similar interfacing a sketch book be something I could consider for the KOFI Bar (sic) in the school?