Architects entering the blogosphere.

The New Jersey chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA-NJ) has launched a blog as a part of their Web site, www.aia-nj.org in observance of National Architecture Week, which was created to encourage a public dialogue about architecture.

The New Jersey chapter's blog, which was officially launched on April 14, fits in with the goal of the national organization (AIA) to take the National Architecture Week discussion virtual.

"AIA-NJ is proud to be joining the national organization in promoting social media as a means of communication," said Kimberly Bunn, AIA, chairperson of the communications committee. "Our collective architectural future is a subject of great importance to us all, and a blog is one of the most effective way to create a group forum."

The blog is a place for AIA-NJ members, New Jersey architects, allied professionals and the public to come together on issues affecting the architecture community. "There's a lot going on in today's New Jersey architecture community," Bunn added. "We are encouraging our committee members and knowledge communities to post information on the blog so that the site becomes a go-to resource for our members, as well as the public-at-large."

In addition to serving as a resource on issues, the site will also serve as a way of getting information out to AIA-NJ's approximately 2,000 members in an efficient and timely manner, Bunn said. For instance, recent posts include information on training for out-of-work architects and how to take advantage of federal economic stimulus funds.

The responses from blog users will determine not only the future direction of the blog, but also that of the organization itself, she added.

One feature that will soon be included on the site, for instance, is a weekly posting on what's happening at the state level with regard to legislation affecting the architecture community. Committee chairs are also posting links to news articles of special interest in their areas.

"There's so much information out there that's of interest to those in the architecture community," Bunn said. "This is an opportunity to pull it all into a single place, where it will become a central repository."