Architectural platform: a social network site for architects

Social network sites (SNSs) are becoming the platforms where socialization is practiced widely. The users of SNSs like Facebook and Twitter are increasing rapidly. Parallel to the increasing developments of social networking in the world, SNSs have started to appear and grow in different fields. The improvements of SNSs and widening of their fields of use have brought up the term “social media”. Social media is the dialogue and interaction of users with each other using Internet. Social media is formed by the collection of contents that are produced by users in a frame; social media is also the platform that the content is published. Social media uses social networks like Facebook, Myspace, Google Groups, Twitter and Friendfeed as tools.In this paper, a SNS, Architectural Platform (AP) http://www.mimariplatform.com, for architects is presented. AP that consists of architectural catalogues, news, announcements, and sharing design ideas and user profiles in its content is developed. The design purpose of AP is to create a meeting point for the producers, architects, interior architects, academicians, students and other visitors who are interested in architecture. AP which is the first national SNS in its area in Turkey presents novel design and implementation ideas for a SNS targeted for architects. AP SNS which is active since February 2010 has reached 43.000 unique visitors as of June 2010.