What do you really get out of social networking?

[Adam Regn Arvidson]

This is perhaps an unconventional thread, but in the spirit of “form follows function” I’ll give it a shot.

I am a freelance writer / landscape architect and I am working on a short piece for Landscape Architecture Magazine about social networking in general and this site specifically. Since this article is about e-connections, I am forgoing my usual phone/in-person interview process and asking a few questions to the general population here. Please weigh in if you feel like it, but know that you might be quoted….
— Why did you join this network?
— What specific benefits have you seen in your career since you joined?
— What intangible benefits do you get from membership?
— What do you hope this network will bring to your career?
Feel free to answer any and all. Thanks for indulging me this editorial research experiment, and I look forward to your comments.

[Deborah Christman]

–Why did you join this network?
I took a few classes with Andrew S. and I always found him to be an intelligent and creative soul. So when he invited me, I thought it would be interesting to get other like-minded and unlike-minded individuals’ thoughts on landscape architecture.

— What specific benefits have you seen in your career since you joined?
I am still a student, but I have gotten a few ideas on design and sustainability. I also am finding out more about “how things work” in the real world.

— What intangible benefits do you get from membership?
I am curious about people in general. It is interesting to “meet” people from many areas and in many stages in their careers.

— What do you hope this network will bring to your career?
Soon I will actually retire from my present job and dive into the world of landscape architecture. Maybe I will make a connection through this network. If nothing else, I hope I will continue to learn from other people’s entries.

[Les Ballard]

Having looked over the wall into this strange place I found a chair in the Lounge and spent time sipping a coffee and reading, initially to put my name out as wanting to be contacted by any individual or corporate entity, anywhere, who will let me try and help them in the capacity of a landscape consultant. (Though I will design folk a groovy atrium, village by-pass roundabout, garden or forest if asked.) What I hope I offer, lacking major office support and contacts (to be asked to stick my oar into large projects yet) is knowledge and flair that, I am sure, is unique. This includes socio/religious and folklore awareness that can placate protesters and please locals if different.
I am new to the professional scene but have 4 decades of experience on the ground, in some cases just correcting the errors of folk supposedly “experts”. Some, I found, never visit a site or area, research local history, consider residents or seek any brief or budget to include the “green” or aesthetic, though that is changing and if only due to client press department awareness.

Hoping to grovel at the pedestal – and learn from – the bees knees in LA, I can now confirm that, as in other fields, we all – mostly – put our trousers/pants on one leg at a time and that we are overdue a change in emphasis which, again, can happen or be made to apply now. That is for the LA governing of projects/sites to accommodate architects’ visions and work with them, instead of their trying to do the LA’s job without recourse to anyone. I may hear screams of “nay” but I aver that a few CAD icons do not a desirable microenvironment consist. The fact is, no matter the size of an organisation, or location of a site, there are people who can add to aspects of the job if only to point out that the feng shui is all wrong and no-one, in that place, will live in a house without a roof dragon! (Got an icon for that on your CAD pallette?) Larger organisations might begin by inviting every member of staff and outside contacts to a briefing and idea session. Some kind of payment and credit can be arranged later. Not for nothing do some visualisation oriented companies run ideas past the catering person, when they bring the coffee or specifically and results reflect a preference to employing such a feet-on-the-ground person to a drinks machine.

I have tried to support the group with some contributions to threads, maybe even usefully and interestingly in places. I suffer from being in a relatively small country, with little open land to mould, though we are due some eco-towns soon. Meanwhile, projects I peruse making me go green about the gills at the opportunities, are usually abroad. Overall, therefore, I hope that those in the Lounge will continue to help and educate me and that, seeing other people’s problems (and solutions offered in good heart), will let me identify and solve my own.

When they wrap ropes around a log with old tyres on the end, for tigers to maul, or put food in a ball for an ape, they call it enrichment. Even prison authorities have versions of it. We have to organise our own and Land8Lounge is, should be and can stay, enrichment for landscapers, drainage engineers, architects, builders and many others, globally. I hope it stays and grows and think that the forum archives will already be found a valuable resource.

Luv n Lite

Les Ballard

[Carlos Principe]

— Why did you join this network?
I joined this network because I wanted to get exposure to something a bit more real than design theory or academics before finishing a MLA and entering the real world. I have also discovered a disconnection between local l.a. professional practitioners and graduate students. Land8lounge has been a good place to get quick answers to topics not even considered in graduate school.

— What specific benefits have you seen in your career since you joined?
Since I joined about a month an a half ago, I have been inspired to do residential l.a. work on my own, and expand on ideas for public space experimentation/studies.

— What intangible benefits do you get from membership?
At this very early stage of my membership I get inspired by some of the work posted.

— What do you hope this network will bring to your career?
I hope to learn more about the trends in the l.a. market, materials, good places to live and work, inside on some major l.a firms, and how to work more efficiently.

[Ron Gustinella]

I joined this network to further my education. As an MLA student, I want to connect with and learn from practicing professionals, as well as other students. It has been an excellent resource so far – especially for learning new graphic techniques. I always study graphics found in books, as well as LAM, but it’s great to see what other people are doing through the gallery feature.

[Gabriel Hydrick]

I joined this network because of 1. Andrew and 2. the integrity of the Lounge.

1.
-I was fortunate enough to meet Andrew in school and was impressed. He is a creative kid and has success written all over. You’d be a fool not to follow.
-What he has been able to do for the e-community of LAs in such a short amount of time is nothing shy of a miracle.
-He has integrity and class which was displayed a number of weeks back when a member was removed from the lounge for solicitiing work though he was politely asked not to several times. With class and respect the member was removed. The manner in which this was handled demonstrates to me the caliber of Andrew’s integrity and respect for the individual member and the Lounge collectively. Integrity like this equals success and who wouldn’t want to be part of a successful entity?
-The world of LAs should keep an eye on this kid

2.
-Sometimes as designers we get caught in the rut of quickly producing plans and generating revenue and sacrifice originality and personality in our designs. The Lounge lets me explore, ask, demonstrate, learn and colaborate to lift me out of the rut and back onto the track I’d rather take.
-The lounge is a place ‘to push the envelope’ individually and as a profession. I personally get tired of the ‘cookie cutter’ designs really quick and seek originality and personality in all my designs. The Lounge is very inspirational on all fronts; business development, design, educational, sustainability etc.
-The professionalism/integrity of the lounge as explained above

I hope to develop relationships, push the industry forward and higher. There is strength in numbers as is eveidenced by the growth of the membership in such a short amount of time, not only in the US but internationally as well. Many times I think this profession is young (which it is relatively) and unknown but then I look at the growth of Land8Lounge and where the members come from. What a great amount of good we can due around the world to individuals and societys because of our strength in numbers unified by our passion to make a difference. You can find me on other e-communities (much to the stubborness of my youngest sister) but this is the only community you will see me actively participating because of the difference I can help make with my colleagues.

Kudos to you Adam for stepping outside the box and “…forgoing my usual phone/in-person interview process and asking a few questions to the general population…” !

[biancaKOENIG]

— Why did you join this network?
With limited resources in my current area of work (population of 45,000), I was very excited for the opportunity to connect with other LA’s. My nearest ASLA chapter meetings are 200 miles away; Land8Lounge could immediately connect me with people, ideas and enthusiasm for landscape architecture, without even leaving my office chair.
— What specific benefits have you seen in your career since you joined?
A knowledge of current news, technologies and culture of the profession. Gained confidence in my own experience and enjoy the opportunity to share personal experiences for others to learn from.
— What intangible benefits do you get from membership?
ENERGY– a two-way, positive environment, where LA’s can connect with, and be inspired by activities around the world.
— What do you hope this network will bring to your career? A well-connected, well-resourced community to help change the world through landscape architecture.

[Chunling Wu]

Land8lounge was introduced to me by my friend. It’s a pretty good platform for communication in landscaping field. When you go through different walls, portfolio, pictures, you can get ideas from different people, even they are from different field. Meanwhile, your passion may be growing up when you see some neat design. You may get cheers or approval from others or get ideas from other’s evaluation.

[Laxmi Natarajan]

I joined this network (last week)
to be able to share and learn from ideas, opinions from people that are in the same industry as I am and are passionate about the same things 😉 design, color, art …
to network and be plugged into issues that affect us as designers and architects
to understand what I need to do to grow as a designer

[Winston J. Dong, Jr.]

— Why did you join this network?
Initially, a LA school professor and teaching colleague connected the site founder and I up; I believe in building community and dialogue in whatever means possible, in general and in our profession, and I think social networks have a very specific role and opportunity. Also, as befitting our work, the site is extremely well-designed and managed.

— What intangible benefits do you get from membership?
Connection through affinity and interest without limitations of work silos or geographic concentration: my work is both very specific (nexus of transit, placemaking, and community design) and brings in every part of our discipline; at the same time I am interested in many parts of our profession and many practitioners who have other foci are interested in TOD.

— What do you hope this network will bring to your career?
It is much more about the role I hope this site and social networking in general can play in our profession: educating the general interested public about our work, building relationships and knowledge across different parts of our profession, and educating practitioners about opportunities in the field and ways we can create change in communities and society. And, as someone who is relatively new to the field, but also teaches and has extensive work experience, I think I really get that it can be a place where students and junior practitioners, as well as those interested in choosing to join our profession, can learn about options and opportunities, and those who are more experienced can learn about interests and new knowledge that people are bringing to the field.

[Tatiana Jones]

Social networking offers a real benefit to myself from both personal and business perspective.
Internet is a very powerful tool if use it right.
In personal relationship you should listen to your gut. I was born in Volgograd (former
Stalingrad) Russia, my husband was born in US airbase Hawaii. We met in the
Internet and have been married for 9 years.
Tatiana Jones
Jones Microcomputer Solutions’
http://www.asylumgraphics.us

[Adam Regn Arvidson]

Many thanks to all who offered some insight on social networking as part of this discussion. I am intrigued by many of your comments, though (as is often the case in the publishing world) there was far far too much good info for the length of my article. I don’t know when it will publish, but check the Riprap section 2 to 3 months out. Thanks!

[Author]

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