In the first of what we hope will become a regular series of debates, we want our readers to tell us if, and how, we should clamp down on the types of comments we allow people post on our stories.
We’re proud that Dezeen hosts the most vibrant and passionate debate about architecture and design on the internet but some people like to make critical, negative or even rude statements about designers’ work (or even designers themselves). Which isn’t much fun for those being criticised.
We’re all for freedom of expression and we don’t want our comments sections to become as bland as those on other sites. But we set up Dezeen to support designers, not undermine them, so should we allow readers to slag off designs and designers they don’t like? Or should we be more selective in the comments we allow to appear on the site? Should readers have to register before then can comment, or should we make them publish their real names? Should we block comments that don’t contribute to a meaningful debate, or should we operate an “anything goes” policy?
Some of our readers certainly think the negativity has gone too far: the quotations in the graphics here are from recent discussions on Dezeen. Click on the graphics to see the stories they relate to.
We welcome your opinions and we hope to come up with a stated policy on acceptable comments soon. Please use the comments section below to tell us what you think – just don’t be abusive!
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Posted by Marcus Fairs
October 15th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
lose comments altogether – I find Dezeen readers the most negative of all the blogs I visit – maybe you should be more selective in what you post – some posts are just asking for negative comments and maybe that’s your intention but if you focus on quality design rather than some crappy design stuff you post maybe you might get a better reaction from readers
October 15th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Excellent idea! You write what I think!
October 15th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
ey!! Ban negative comments I’m sure this is UK based site with readers from all over the globe but in the UK we have freedom of speech, this has to be kept. Sure you got readers like zuy and tiffany whom are rarely positive. Buts thats freedom of speech their opinion, I, you, the designer et al don’t have to share these opinions.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Ha! Welcome to Archinect.com circa 2002!
October 15th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Only through criticism can a designer really evolve.
Although rude remarks are not criticism.
Ban impolite visitors. Kick them out.
But,If you wiling to switch off criticism I might as well switch on TV shows!
It is the true glory of the web!! Web 2.0 to be exact.
Dear fellow designers, If you are too sensitive…stay out of the kitchen
October 15th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I love this site and the freedom to express oneself. The stuff you post is the latest and greatest(?). So I would never want you to censor the posts, based on your preferred design aesthetic. Feedback from readers is great too – but not name calling, like the guy with the furniture made from hoses, not my style, but I am glad there is a blog outlet showcasing the work. Now, I did say, about the person who built the chairs out of recylced trash It was crap, but that is my opinion and I would hope it is challenged if people feel otherwise, thats what these forums are for in the first place.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Registration would be good.
but if you want to moderate the comments…. thats not good,
If any body post their creative idea or design on a public forum should be aware that some people might have different ideas otherwise they can publish it in their private websites.
for me i read most of the stories with comments,and i learn from them.we are all adults and we can realize different intentions.but my fear is that moderating the posts might go wrong with different tastes which can be a serious threat for any successful online magazine.
M.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
as said before, freedom of speech is a must-have for websites as dezeen. defining “negative comments” makes censoring incredibly easy – that you will have to avoid.
be thankful for constructive criticism, don’t take it for granted .. and do not let insults depress you.
impolite visitors are to be banned.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I think some comments are unjust and unnecessary. Whether people are jealous or just rude I dont know what drives these petty digs. I can appreciate criticism when its rational but it seems alot of them arent!! But I do like to read people’s reactions..
October 15th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Do you really want to be a totalitarian blog?
The North Korea of blogs!
I think not.
If some work stinks. Speak out about it.
If work is great. Speak out about it.
If you start to introduce censorship. You might as well introduce an automatic comment that always say:
WOW, HOW WONDERFULL!
Truth is, ther is a lot of shit out there being produced and published. So call it what it is.
And for the designers to vain to hear coments about their work: Suck my ****
October 15th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Controversy is good.
Good-quality-negative-comments are constructive criticism that should be embraced.
Bad-quality-negative-comments are jibberish that should be treated with the indiferent superiority we apply to ignorance… However, on the other hand they can reveal how much a design can shake current common ideas and prejudice… so even shallow and poor comments can be a relevant indicator of a project’s quality.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I believe blocking negative comments would a a shame, criticism is important. Blocking comments that dont matter is a good case, like ” beautifull”,”nice project!”, “not my style” are things nobody really cares about…
October 15th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
go trent!!
October 15th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Let me see,
Dezeen is a great design blog.
Find me a designer who isn’t a dick.
You can’t. Just let it be. If you don’t like negativity, don’t read comments.
If REALLY don’t like negativity, find a new hobby/job.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Martin, that was truly a brilliant comment!
October 15th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Everyone has points of view. Some will agree and some wont.
A good critic is one that can analyze the good and the bad, as well as, offer suggestions, and ideas. Isn’t that what constructive criticism? Don’t confuse constructive criticism with just “criticism”.
If you have something to say make sure its a valuable point. Otherwise, those who comment without even thinking and analyzing the design is just ignorant.
Also, every designer has the freedom to express their own design in their own way. How you see the design is totally subjective. If you don’t like it and got nothing to offer then your comments have no value at all.
I have one idea: I think dezeen should have a voting comment system like Youtube. Good comment/Poor comment. Anything that gets voted as a bad comment doesn’t need to show up in the comment column.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
freedom of expression dude.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
As long as the person is commenting on [THE PROJECT]… everything is fair game, even comments that are generated without reading the verbal description should be allowed. Any designer who is interested in fabricating provocative work, should welcome the negative criticism just as much as they welcome the positive ones. I find your current format very acceptable and interesting. Imagine how boring it would be if all the comments were positive…DO NOT CLAMP DOWN ON ANYTHING.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Just don’t do anything… its always fine to hear the good, the bad and the ugly criticisms . but what i hate the most are the naive remarks.
please dezeen be selective in your posts…
I have got some remarks. you have been missing a lot of recent events and happenings in the design world.
I thought this was an international targeted magazine but if this is a British targeted magazine then you have been missing most of the British news also.
Dezeen has been a little bit disappointing the last couple of weeks.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Don’t blame the messenger. Instead, ban those architects that attracts the rude comments. By making crappy architecture they have lost their right to a friendly reply post.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Leave the comments alone.
Don’t change anything.
Eventhough I have been to comment on the pointless crits.
Nonetheless, Pete and countless others are probably right.
If you don’t like the comments don’t read them.
Some will come to realize they’re the usual bunch of posters/posers and will choose not to bother reading them. Especially since more often than not they offer nothing of real value aside from entertainment.
October 15th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
This is probably the most democratic block out there precisely because of the freedom the viewers has. Not everyone has to like the work published here, and not everyone has to like other people’s comments. If a comment is discriminatory, racist and such, then it should be filtered. But anything else, I mean come on, just because a few design queens are crying in their beds about some moron expressing hated for their pottery, we cannot abandon the lively discussion environment here.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Come on…
Let people say what they want.
Live and let live.
If you don’t like what you read, skip it.
Everybody knows when a comment is made in malice.
Cool it.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
If people used their real names they would probably behave more mature than they do now.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
No rude. No crude.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
It may be time to introduce a real forum, where we have profiles. Then we can be rated and people can view the ratings along with the comments and decide. I vouch for a forum.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
the negative comments are half the reason this blog is awesome. Its hilarious to read and things on here shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Don’t put any more thought into these comments then the amount that was put into them when they were made. That is, not much. Also, this is one of the few design blogs Ive seen where people aren’t afraid to call bullshit, and I like that.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Implement an intelligent system to read all the comments and star-out [****] all the unwanted words from the comments, also to remember all the viewers and point them based on the righteousness of their comments and give them a higher maximum of character per comment.
something like this, you expand the idea
October 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
The comments are what keep me coming back.
If you start censoring comments, or disable commenting altogether, I will never visit your site.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Do allow comments and allow reply to comments.
Do a comment ranking similar to http://www.engadget.com
This way commenters would feel responsible for what they say.
Do make people log in, allow all comments and suspend accounts for offensive, rude comments only.
Allow comments, just control them in a smart way.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Why the need to post comments at all?
As a designer, the last place I would look for ‘advice’ or insights is a blog (even dezeen!)
You just cannot take the comments seriously – be they good or bad – because the opinions are usually formed by looking at an image on-screen, which is no substitute for the real thing.
I really feel that dezeen should show more discretion in the work it posts, and have some editorial point of view on the work you’re posting. Otherwise what are you doing – offering cannon fodder to a group of people who are only too keen to cast judgement.
Look at Detank – it feels a lot more sophisticated that Dezeen – I think because they go for quality, and actually have an opinion on what they post.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
this graphic design work is pseudo comic crap! ( haha, kidding )
people can say ridiculous things, especially when they don’t have to expose their identity. but there is a thread of truth in most comments, even the seemingly blatent attacks.
I say keep it open, minus comments on a photograph of the designer.
the designers whos work is posted can get the disclaimer:
“don’t take all comments left here personally”
October 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Bit late now to change. if you ban negative comments then just ban comments altogether. I think a warning Sticky would be enough.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I definitely feel there are far too many overly nasty comments in this forum. I feel it’s quite possible to state opposing views without sounding disgruntled and downright crude. The world has become a very nasty place and I think we could all learn to be a bit more civilized.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
That’s funny I was just thinking yesterday how I nearly prefer the comments to the work sometimes, good and bad. I think the comments section is truly unique, and if anything Dezeen should consider a forum so we can discuss these and other similar topics in more detail.
The comments offer designers, myself included a valuable insight into the consumers mind, and I agree with the above comment that we should take positives and negatives and use them to our advantage. Good design should be praised, bad design should be criticised . If the design doesn’t evoke a reaction or comment it is probably more insulting than a really bad comment. I say keep the comments and consider adding a forum.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Disable comments? maybe! Censoring comments? never!
October 15th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Negative critics are intersting when they come with arguments, and positive ones too.
Saying of a designer that he is out of ideas, or of a design that it is bullshit doesn’t bring anything to the debate.
If you feel like saying something is bullshit, please do, but then tell us why do you think so. Give us some reference of things that are good according to you. This way the debate could become constructive.
Maybe a profile would make people a bit more responsible…
October 15th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
How about letting the users decide which comments are not suited for this site?
You could implement a simple post-rating-system!
When the score goes below X, it gets minimized.
Of course this system could be abused, so registering votes per IP adress could be a solution.
Using the rating system in conjunction with user registration would be a good solution, and I think that it will remove some of those who just come here to troll.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
@ gaque, i have the same (positive ?) comment
October 15th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Ok, it’s pretty clear that everyone here is for freedom of opinion. There should then be some sort of filter, like registration, in which something like the rules of the game should be agreed upon. Not only should agressive comments be discouraged, many times there are repetitive, useless, comments (reading “Zaha sucks” ten times in a row is not really valuable). Freedom of speech entails responsibility of speech as well, so I think it’s not up to you, but to all of us readers, to set the tone of this blog.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I visit your site to see what other people is doing. It’s admirable the variety of interesting works that you post, by designers that otherwise I’d had never known about. But I also read Dezeen to read the opinions of the visitors. The most interesting of that are the different points of view, even with rude comments. You can’t complain about it, your readers are active, and if you start censoring it will turn really boring. And please tell those designers “offended” that their exposure implies both negative and possitive comments, and also that if they consider those comments offensive, they should think what did they do to receive them, especially from people they don’t know and from all around the world.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Don’t touch a thing, keep it exactly how it is,
The comments are often more interesting than the work.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
critical comments are important, whether they be cynical or not (often the cynical ones are the most insightful).
The simplistic “this is awesome/this is great/this sucks” comment needs to be nuked – who cares if ‘zahalover5′ likes hadid’s shoes? (show your appreciation and send her a bucket of KFC rather than telling us about it)
October 15th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
The comments on Dezeen can oftentimes be negative, and there always seems to be a flurry of them immediately after a post, maybe making a comment about an architect or designer’s style that comes across as a knee jerk judgement, rather than a well thought out criticism. I’ve certainly seen some projects on Dezeen that i don’t agree with for one reason or another, but don’t believe that warrants a post of disapproval. it can be hard to fully grasp some of these projects posted from a few rendered shots and information from the architect!
We can’t expect everyone to be civil, especially with the anonymity of the internet on their side. But I think designers who have work posted here, as well as everyone else, should be intelligent enough to disregard purely negative comments which aren’t constructive. My vote is to leave the system as it is, or, at most, establish a registration system.
henry
October 15th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
A debate on dezeen can only start if we allow both negative and positive expressions… But most of the negative criticism this post refers to is not even criticism, because there is a total lack of argumentation. Allow (even very) negative criticism, as long as it has at least some arguments and it’s not just name-calling…. And only allow positive criticism if there is an argumentation too…So even minimal, but positive comments like “awesome!” are a total waste of webspace and of the readers time…
October 15th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I think worthless comments should be blocked because they lower the quality of your site. A comment like “it sucks” doesn’t help the understanding of design principles or give inspiration. Equally, “it rocks” doesn’t help much, but at least it’s polite. All to often there’s people who feel a need to be brutally honest, when being helpfully honest would be far more enlightening. Anonymity seems to magnify the cynic. However, a *well-formulated* critique, even if it’s mostly negative, is always welcome. That’s what’s really nice about magazines and newspapers, the editor decides what gets published.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
I think the comments should either be dropped or more heavily screened.
Should you choose to keep the posting of comments, criticisms should be welcome, but only if there’s some kind of sensible thought behind it. Dezeen is unique to allow sadly pandemic behavior on the internet.
Of course, this is just my opinion. Thanks.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Of course, Dezeen has to have negative comments on its blog.
The whole point of a blog is that all types of comments are welcome: good, negative, sarcastic, nasty, plesant…
A blog is a democratic portal for anyone to have any comments about new posts.
The sad reality it is that nowadays nobody gives their honest opinion openly signing their name on magazines, books… This is because it is a such a small sector and everybody knows everyone. It is difficult to critizise colleagues openly. But the truth is the truth, and it has not be taken personally. It is sad, but it is how it is.
This blog gives the oportunity let our thoughts freely.
Thanks Dezeen
by the way, my name is not asume!
October 15th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Freedom of expression,
positive or negative
is essential to this website….
the REAL issue here is the option of leaving
ANONYMOUS comments
where people can hide behind
Marcus, show the email with every post
and you will miraculously witness a whole new website
and better comments altogether…..
October 15th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
The only thing bad about the comment-pages is that there is no difference in font-type, color en size between commentdate and comment itself.
For me the comments are an even great joy to read as the post itself.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I have seen an increasingly number of negative comments and they have gotten less and less valid. Some have good discourse as to why they dislike a post/project but more often than not comments read like “hate it” or “sucks.” It personally makes me want to not go to the site anymore (I have stopped looking at mocoloco for they same reason). I want my blogs and bloggers to be as sophisticated as the work they post.
On a larger topic, design and designers need to be more positive. There is way too much negativity in the industry, perhaps because it’s so competitive. It’s so easy and so useless to say you hate something. Let’s create a positive atmosphere so that dezeen and others can continue to grow and create a better industry and atmosphere.
Great Job!
October 15th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
The comments section is one of the reasons that made DEZEEN great.
Its the aura of casual freedom that this site has. Dont put dezeen on a suit please.
Seriously. PLEASE KEEP IT.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
I’m all in favour for a rating system like YouTube’s or Slashdot’s.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Create registration. People have to be responsible for their comments – registration and usernames will allow visitors to identify over time which people are contributing and know what they talk about, and those who dont.
A good example is Archinect. There is plenty of irrelevant and dumb commentary there too – but at least it is identifiable by username.
In the same way that Dezeen posts good quality projects – not every project makes it on to here – you need to have accountability in your comments. I by and large do not read the comments on dezeen because most of the time they are clearly by people who dont have any clue about design and should be ignored.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
I agree with some of the other readers. Some posts just call for stupid comments!!!! So try to be more selective with the stuff you publish, and whenever pblishing somethign , try to collect as much info as possible. 3 pics of a fasade dont make a post!!!!
i love this website !!!!!!!!!!
October 15th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Allow no comments to be published.
I have never read an insightful comment (positive or negative) on dezeen. The frequently juvenile utterances only detract from the articles.
Good job otherwise
October 15th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
If comments upset you, don’t read them, it’s easy!! selecting which comments to show would really take away from the site, why bother showing the positive if you won’t show the negative?
October 15th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Constructive comments should be allowed. Criticism either positive or negative should always be welcome by designers. “I like it” or “I don’t like it” alone are not useful comments unless you justify. Worse than that only offensive comments either to the projects shown or to the persons commenting. I stoped leaving replies because there’s no serious discussion any more. Why waste my time?
October 15th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Stop Swear Words, the rest is opinion.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Negative comments > Positive comments
Modern life is rubbish. And we dig it big time. Lets us all insult everything and everyone. It’s soooooo sweet.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
if you ban negative comments all that will be left is the biased, self congratulatory work that fills the rest of the site. criticism is nessecary in this heavily networked you scratch mine ill scratch your london design scene. without it you just have farce. wise up eh.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I think the comments are getting out of control in their negativity.
They come on so strong that people don’t want to write good comments because they start getting into arguments about it, and then it becomes personal.
I recall this happening when reading posts about David Adjayes Steven Lawrence project that ended up as base as someone saying “you people” in a barely disguised racial comment.
And in one of your links it reads “Danish superficiality once again…”
When we get down to this level of comment noone needs to hear it.
In saying this, we do have freedom of speach.
Maybe dezeen shouldnt be asked to sensor these comments but people should learn how to sensor themselves.
If not why not employ a 3 strickes you’re out rule. where you supply them with a private writen notice to tell them to sort their acts out.
Also I have discussed this with many of my friends as we have noticed it for some time and it does put you off posting new work here.
ps Seth’s comments are valid
October 15th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Man, *#@$& that! pEoPle HOO suKKK need 2 kno It motha #^$@*!!!!!!
jk.
Whatevs, if it’s really nasty, like hate speech nasty? Block it. Otherwise, who cares? By now we should all know, A. Never read comments they’re dumb and subjective, and B. Don’t let them get to you if you do read them. Most are by people with deprived childhoods and crippling insecurities, let them have their vent.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
My suggestions:
1. Registered accounts mandatory. Unless you’re willing to video Skype with people don’t bother with the ‘real name’ thing because it won’t work.
2. User-moderated comments. Is the post informed or off topic? The more negative ratings on your comments the harder they’ll be to read: a few negatives mean your post is disemvoweled or truncated to a single line; too much negativity and your comment is just hidden; people will have to click something to reveal it.
I would love Dezeen to do a reader survey, because judging from the majority of comments I’ve seen I’m convinced the majority have no experience in architecture or design. Most comments are trivial “I like it” or “I hate it” and show no sign of coming from someone informed or educated.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Don’t change a thing. You’ll lose a lot of readers. Don’t censor. Sure, there are a lot of juvenile comments, but there are also some funny ones. Don’t make design a sacred cow.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
This isn’t “design*sponge”, not everything is “to die for”, “a must-have” or anything like that.
It is actually good to see some people still have some critical sense and not give in too easily to the bullshit. Anybody with a little computer skills can self-proclaim himself as a designer, and the web is full of fake/fictional products and interiors.
I’m sorry but sometimes the emperor really is naked, and someone has to say so.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
One thing further: Remove the direct links to the comments section from the front page, force people to read (or at least scroll through) the entire article before getting to the comments.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Leave the comments, but enforce registration and allow us to see a users other posts.
It’s easy to ignore someone who is negative about everything, but if yours is the only project they write negatively about, perhaps it’s criticism you should hear.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
no soy inglés, soy español; y creo que los comentarios obscenos deben borrarse más no las críticas. Muchos de los “diseños” o piezas que se han mostrado aquí son deplorables en realidad, y merecen ser criticadas.
Im not english, im from spain, and i think that unpolite comments should be errased but no the critics. Many designs that have been shown here are really bad in their theories and construction, and we have to make our comments about it.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:00 am
The type/format of content itself attracts those non-thinking readers, and that’s what happens. It’s a kind of fast food for brains. I like thinking about things, but here I can’t much… I read 10 entries in 20 seconds, and close the feed. That’s the way this magazine feels, and maybe it’s the secret of its success. Don’t know exactly why, but the images (mostly rendered ones) + text combination doesn’t seem to encourage well-thought opinions.
So, solutions:
- Disabling comments. Look at it, think a bit (or not), and go.
- Registering: yes, if I wanted to do a stupid coment, would’t register at all, May work.
- Voting/rating comments. Complex, don’t know how it would work, but may be OK. Look at Youtube.com…
- Excessively impolite comments may be blocked. That’s not censorship. That’s about respect.
Non-solutions:
- Censorship. Nooo. Showing only happy non-thinking comments like “wow!”? As a designer, I would feel a bit stupid reading them.
Anyway, reading all this, I’ve realized that I don’t really find the contents nor the comments interesting, so I’ve just unsuscribed. Good luck!
October 16th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Go registration and have a little bubble that says how many posts that person has made. It will reduce the inarticulate comments if you have some sort of accountability and record of posts.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:26 am
If Marcus makes a test, if you pass, you can make comments,…
I don’t believe how stupid and narrow minded some comment’s are…. like:’this is rubbish!!”why would you care to write it? And why don’t you give us the reason to call it rubbish….
So Marcus, prepare the biggest design-dezeen test, to select the happy few who know enough to post comments….
October 16th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Anonymity allows me to say whatever I want, without much thought or consideration.
It allows me to shed any semblance of responsibility.
It facilitates the opportunities I have to insult and diminish without fear of being identified.
It does not promote freedom of speech, but rather freedom of intolerance.
Freedom of speech should be the inalienable right of every person, but rights also come with responsibility . . . . .
Speech = the faculty or power of speaking; oral communication; ability to express one’s thoughts and emotions by speech sounds and gesture.
Speech requires a face and someone close enough to that face to hear the sounds.
Don’t allow people to be anonymous and watch the dynamic of this forum (and any other ‘faceless’ internet forum) change.
That is my opinion anyway.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:00 am
If you allow users comments to be rated by readers and sort them in order of most popular to least popular you will find that the site becomes self moderating depending on the readers option, and therefore more rich in useful content. Nobody enjoys reading through drivel to find the one pearl.
Ratings won’t be so black or white. Sometimes negative feedback is a positive thing if you get my drift. Allow the reader to decide.
I imagine thoughtless comments such as “wow” wouldn’t get votes and would remain at the bottom of the list.
I have no doubt this comment will not be read because it is at the bottom. Prove me wrong!
October 16th, 2008 at 1:02 am
first off….
i think it is great to get real opinions and mot just…. ‘love it!’ type stuff….
one thing that drives me crazy is that you basically NEVER actually find the designer on here firing back at the commenters…. and i just do not understand that…
when it all boils down.. i think that you should push for the designers to be more active on here if you post their work… and let the fun begin… that is the beauty of the internet…..
INTERACTION
good luck
jonathan
dailydesignspot.com
October 16th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Tough call. So many comments are from rude juvenile dimwits it brings everything down. At the same time anything that filters or kills the spontaneity of a design dialog is wrong in principle. Sadly, it’s probably better to to tolerate the morons than tamper with the free expression.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:10 am
comments are half the reason i like this site.
i agree that less posts, maintaining a higher quality would reduce negitive posts.
i also think offensive comments that dont offer any usefull opinion should be blocked. do you do this already?
October 16th, 2008 at 3:26 am
The negative comments are the only reason I read to Dezeen. Let’s keep it open.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:33 am
create a dezeen magazine you will have no comments
October 16th, 2008 at 3:50 am
I think we’ve seen that comments diminish the overall value of the website. Make it about the content and focus on that.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:55 am
I think you should examine what websites such as Digg.com have done with their commenting system (users get to decide whether a comment is hidden or not, but still readable if another person wants to see the comment).
I don’t agree with removing comments and since designers are naturally critical there are bound to be negative comments on every post. I would hope that people would be good enough not to target the designers themselves, and if there was a comment out of line and multiple users disagreed, it could be hidden in a greyed out bar to show that a comment was made and then if you really had to know what was said you can click on it to have it revealed.
NOTE:
I also disagree with having to sign up to a website, I really hate that system and have enough of logging in and out of everything I want to access or leave a comment on.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:18 am
censorship should be made for deconstructive comments. well, u cant ban negative opinions provided they are intellectual enough to be accepted. but if its just plain words like ‘this sucks’ or ‘f*** this s***’, than i’d say that goes down the drain. freedom of speech should be preserved, but there should be limitations. we want intellectual comments n debates. not mere frustrative expressions. but hey, its up to DEZEEN to decide..
October 16th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Negativity. Impoliteness. Scepticism. Irony. Humour. Assertiveness. It should be all censored or banned. Re-offending people should be sat onto the latest Droog creation, tied-up and have water dripped onto their heads for a couple of decades. Three strikes and you’re out – banned from the internet design websites forever, your personal details sent to the Department of Homeland Security. Before you know it you will be on a secret flight to Dubai with a Hermes balaclava on your head and a gold-plated Starck AK47 lamp base up your… Critical people are dangerous and there is no place for them in this warm and cudly world of brightly coloured designer plastic. From now on the only critical outbursts allowed on this site should be hypocritical, always praising the designers no matter what work they’ve produced. Clive James said: “It takes energy to be a lousy writer”.
I agree – since the actual presentation of design here equates to a short attention span coffee table magazine the conversation naturally follows – why have any comments at all?
October 16th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Most blogs and forums have become sewage pipe, pouring verbal diarrhea. It always ends up in insults and inflated egos.
Everybody has an opinion on everything, that doesn’t mean it is interesting to read.
Unfortunately freedom of expression has become a caricature on the web.
Hidden under a pseudonym anyone can write anything. A Designer or a Doctor’s comment become as valuable as any “troll’s provocation”. And some people may think it is facilitating democracy, instead it is covering reality, interesting debate, under a fat thickness of garbage and lies.
That’s not democracy, it is actually the same method used by totalitarian states to kill real intellectual debate. It is called Egalitarian censorship. Gi
Like a famous father of the alternative cyber culture said once ” Freedom on the web doesn’t mean free beers”
I would argue that people need to be responsible for what they are writing.
I would vote for the same system that Wikipedia has taken.
Recording Identity. People should sign with their real name, and their email address should be revealed. Be responsible of what you say.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:50 am
1/ Some star designer did great work but sometimes their name (sometimes brand name) on a project done by a design student or by a very new designer ….and sometimes they did one minute project , in fact one minute sketch and the studio did the work. Negative comments are positive for some star jet set designers living in planes between Milan , London , Shangaï, NYC, Moscow aso
2/ some emerging designers are only emerging in media create by “journalist” looking always for new red trendy blood and trends + style
3/ some young designers have not the filter of editor but the filter of commentators of blog : negative comments are positive for some young virtual designers
4/ Some blog editor are looking for more comments by trash design, provocative design ,
5/If a blog has no neg
October 16th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Design will always lead to controversy and opposite opinions, which is something I like about it (and about this site). The first and foremost problem is probably that there are no rules to design and architecture; when and why is something to be considered design or architecture? So I think what happens a lot on this site (and loads of others) is that you get a lot of people going “Yes, it’s design” and “no, it isn’t” and that sort of discussion (which isn’t about the subject that led to it anymore) can turn nasty eventually.
Let’s differentiate between reactions that remain focused on the subject/designer and reactions that are personal attacks on the designers or other peoples’ replies. Unfortunately there are a lot of frustrated people out there taking the opportunity to vent their anger any way they can.
October 16th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I don’t think comments should be moderated except for swearing. The fact that there are a lot of negative comments is indicative of the people and the industry. As a designer you always look to improve things and by doing that you focus on the negative, it’s only natural. People are mature enough to brush off thoughtless comments. So just cut comments that swear altogether, oh and zuy.
October 16th, 2008 at 8:23 am
great blog lesson : how to get 86 positive and negative comments ?
October 16th, 2008 at 8:24 am
good design will only have positive comments.
that’s all.
October 16th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Maybe it’s a good idea to introduce a rating system where people can actually rate (1-5 stars for example) the design and /or architecture. Could give a more balanced opinion instead of those comments like ‘beautiful’ or ‘WTF is this’.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:16 am
There is nothing wrong with freedom of speech ( thank god) , and allowing readers to express their opinions on Design or whatever .
What puzzles me though , is the aggressivity ,rudeness and yes , often stupidity of the comments : clearly , there is a great number of readers who just need to get things out of their system ( maybe it is down to the average age of the Dezeen reader ? ie very young ? ) .
At the end of the day , it is up to Marcus to decide which shape or form he wants to give Dezeen ; in the first place this is why his blog became successful , no ?
Part of the ( sick) fun of Dezeen is to read the comments and it has created an interesting ” club” where the readers wear a mask and therefore speak honestly .
So , perhaps removing the comments would be a shame , but redefining the rules would be an idea (selection of the comments ) .
looking forward to your verdict .
Fx
October 16th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Has anyone stopped to question by who and why the question of censorship has been brought about.
Dezeen is not an independent review website but a promotional tool for designers and architects, all of the postings/stories are sent in by the PR bods for the respective company. You’ll read the same text and see the same images in many other mags and online.
Those who have complained about criticism, therefore bringing about the question of censorship are likely to be the same companies that submit work to the site, as they view it as bad publicity, forcing the site owners to do something or face having no content.
I guess it will be the PR machines who will decide whether the comments box remains.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I saw these type of comments on other forums from other topics too , this is a common habit. people dont make enough attention to the subject of the matter, this is our age , age of distracting.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Inviting experts to criticize would be constructive. We need to learn how to criticize; Critique is good only if its constructive.
Dezeen should attracts design’s fans – quality ones.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Dezeen’s traffic figures keep improving don’t they? So people obviously like the mix of projects and comments.
Don’t mess with the formula.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:51 am
This is what design and the internet are all about. Much of what is written here is irrelevant anyway. I feel that the individual should be able to judge on comments themselves. Many people are negative because that is the world we live in. So much easier to criticize than to be constructive.
I have been doing the whole coming of age crap recently and you start to realize (or i do any way) the more you pull your head out your arse and take your ego out of the equation you can become a better person and more open to ideas that you do not even like. Anyhow! Peeple bitch. No one really cares what most designers think anyway and that is about it. No more complicated and no more deep and meaningful.
Do not get me wrong i see things in the world and i think they are out of the realm of language to explain how beautiful they are but most people do not think like that.
I meet a girl today who was exactly that. No i do not go out with her, sleep with her or anything else but was genuinely honored just to talk to her. Proof there is a higher power.
Peace to all.
Love one another and fuck the rest.
D.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Freedom of expression within reason. If there is a negative comment with a good explanation why, then definitely publish them. Some people i notice they just make a negative comment for the sake of it. I do believe that negative comments help us to get better but then if there is no reason behind it is useless. Positive is always good but still we need an explanation. So maybe the debate should be whether to accept comments with explanation or not, negative or positive. I’m sick of people their comments is single line of nothing, it doesn’t make me better.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
If people link their names to their website, like I did, things become easier. If you read a stupid comment, and the writer has boring website, well…its an uninspiring preson commenting.
I think you dezeen people should leave things as they are. In real life you have to take the crap, too.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
For me this would be the reason to unbook dezeen, which is one of my favourite design/architecture sites. I am pretty shocked that you even meniton or ask or if you should block negative comments
Everyone should be free to post his opinions, even when they are negative. I don´t think that it´s necessary to protect the artists/architects/designers, who have their works on dezeen, comments should always be both positive and negative, only this can give you a good feedback how people think about your work, more than this, often negative comments can help you to improve your next works/projects..
October 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Firstly apologies but I have not read all the comments previous to me – so sorry if I am repeating what other people have already said.
I would find it useful to have a system of comment rating or ranking so that the most popular and agreed with comments appear first.
Maybe even hide comments with poor ratings like Youtube.
I personally find comments very interesting to read, and they often make a weak design post (which i might normally skip) a rich source of information and opinion.
PLEASE do not ban comments or filter them. I want to read the honest opinions of readers. I want to see their reaction to work that I like and dislike. I want to see how my opinion differs from theirs. I want the whole picture – I dont want to hear from only the readers who like the work.
At the end of the day, if the design work is good – the comments are positive and deserving of praise. If the work is poor – it deserves to be criticised.
I will cease to visit this site if filtering or banning of comments begins.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I think Dezeen is very good…..but is too easy send bad and pointless comments. Why asking for the email when you can put everything you want. Start to ask for a proper email address and you will notice a strong reduction of stupid criticisms.
Bye!
F
October 16th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
should comments be ranked, by a ‘one click’ thumbs up or thumbs down beside the comment, that way the pointless comments would be left at the bottom, and interesting worthwhile (positive or negative) comments would be at the top….a very interesting comment would be thumbed up by a number of users, and one that says, ‘this sucks…the end’ would naturally not recieve thumbs up…
I read the first two comments on this page, then i got bored, this comment will probably not be read by barely anyone… or link the comments as responses to other comments, there are plenty of solutions that could benefit the mess that commenting on this website had become…..
one thing i would praise dezeen on is that you can comment without signing up and having an account….I wouldn’t have left this comment if there was that much hassle…
October 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
i don’t think we should select comments. no one will ever be able to please heaven and hell.
the world is a balance on negative and positive. intelligence and stupidity. solid and liquid. dark and light.
idiotic comments are important to discussion.
let them say stupidities! let them express their frustration… learn with it!
what i like about these type of comments is when someone right after say something like “stop commenting. start designing.
“it only matters if you think it’s true”…
October 16th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
If you call this a blog, then you can not censor.
If you are about exposing talent of any degree, then you can not be partial to negative and positive feedback.
I almost feel like this thread is a publicity stunt. If so, well you got me.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
leave comments the way they are. I enjoy reading them – positive or negative.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
if readers really mean those rude comments, and confident about what they say about designers’ works, then they can post with their real names. it is fare thing to do.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Wow…
1pm 86 comments.
Congratualtions Marcus – this must be important.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
DONT CHANGE ANYTHING…. PLEASE!
As you can see in these comments as well there are people with different ideas, and thats a good thing. That’s wot makes it fun.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
this is what passes for contemporary architecture?
its atrocious! everyone involved should be shot, and all their families forced to move under the atlantic ocean!
those ‘plans’ look like cliched comic bubbles with bizarre non sequeter negative comments floating around – where are the spatial dynamics?
its not even built!
October 16th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
if posters didn’t have the assurence of anonymity they wouldn’t leave such full on comments, however, as a result dezeen would be a far less interesting place to visit.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I agree, people should comment with their real name! Your design is your opinion, so if you are a designer you should be used to present your opinion in a professional manner…
October 16th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Very few blogs are as free speaking as this. I had some of my work posted here and of course there were plenty of negative comments but I was interested to read them and wouldn’t want it any other way, where else can I get brutally honest feedback? What started this discussion? Who got offended? Did some designer insist that some comments be deleted?
October 16th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Lot’s has been said, so little can be added.
I find it good to have reasonably critical comments on design. As designer some critical views are always important. What should not be made is, purly destructive comments which does not contain logical thinking, nor critics towards the design culture.
I am rather sure for those who posting, Dezeen readers’s critical attitudes gives a kick to post own material to hear what might be said. Critics works to purify the design qualities by itself, it should help maintaining the level of publication made here.
I rather hope that readers retain small but effective way to add notes constructively so that this site becomes relevant source to see if a mode of design is accurate or losing the point.
Keep on Going! I love the site, so far… I keep my words under control so as others I hope…
October 16th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
once you finish your work, it doesn ´t belong to you anymore.
so you have to understand people opinions about what you´ve made.
and extract what´s import and what´s shit.
M!
October 16th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Of course not…what so interesting reading aobut all nicey nicey comments? Well I for one will boycott Dezeen if negative comments are block. We should promoste open debate!
October 16th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
The Negative comments are great! One of the most entertaining parts of the site. don’t change it.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Alberto Alessi decided to produce lemon squeezer Jucy salif by Starck with a lot of negative comments before to put it in production. Design edition and manufacturing are not a democratic process but sometimes technical comments : not easy to handle, not easy to clean, not ergonomical aso…generally industrial design comments are killed by a mystery attraction by media , by distributors or final users that makes great sales or/and iconic design. The design market is much more open than the film market and film can be killed in 3 days by critics….Critics are right or wrong not generally but in reference with your matrix of choices .To design is to make choices. Do you find seriously Starck forget seeds? He has a vision, he did sketches and 2 teams refined the project , that’s all.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Let’s see.. is censorship good? Hm… let us think back to notable examples of when censorship worked out really nicely…
If you don’t want negative comments about your work, don’t send your designs to Dezeen, just show them to you mother who will be nice.
The comments on Dezeen are sometimes better than the “designs”. If you’re a designer with thin skin you should consider another line of work.
I’m shocked to see so many people advocating for censorship. It’s frightening.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
And another thing:
No: registration
Yes: anonymous
Let people express themselves positively or negatively
October 16th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I’m all for free speech, but comments like “It’s crap” or “This sucks donkey balls” without an explanation is just trolling. At least you should explain WHY it sucks…
October 16th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Agree –>
No: registration
Yes: anonymous
People could write little bit more positive messages in here. Good design is kept often self-evidence but that´s not true, hey. We need to give both positive AND negative feedback .. but with a positive tone.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Negative comments should be permitted, but rude comments and personal attacks should not be.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
censorship = naughty naughty naughty dezeen..
October 16th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I don’t give a damn about some obscure person’s opinion (positive OR negative). I just want to SEE this stuff. I don’t need petty viewpoints. I sick of the lowest common denominator controlling the flow of production.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Critical thought and the freedom to speak your honest opinion are the two healthiest thing to an industry plagued with work that doesn’t cut the mustard.
Please keep this CENSOR FREE.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
*runs around on fire*
October 17th, 2008 at 1:42 am
i can’t believe dezeen is thinking of censoring our comments. it’s appalling.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:30 am
dont do it, criticism is part of the reason of this blog success.
And yeh! there is lots of rubbish you should keep showing us.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:37 am
This NEEDS to be censor-free – that was what made me interested to read dezeen in the first place. Negative comments and all… isn’t that part and parcel of design. I love hearing criticism about my design, that’s the only way to grow and improve. After all, different people have different opinions, whether you want to agree with or listen to them, that’s up to you to choose.
So I say, keep it democratic the way it is now.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Dezeen is a very fast site. No in-depth coverage, more like a press agency of design – even with boulvard-press like paparrazzi-style celebrity spotting: the typical dezeen post is: look here – starchitekt reveals another twisted skyscraper in Dubai – here the description of the architects. (no critic, no presentation of own words, just a bunch of renderings/photos) The comment are also in this style – mostly thumbs up or thumbs down. Probably very international viewers, different cultural background, possibly with limited knowledge of english, what makes them use simple but strong expressions, thus the most comments lack an in-depth analysis or a sophisticated language.
Nontheless it would be a shame and a step in the wrong direction to introduce censorship (block negative comments). It is easily misused, has a bad history, and is again every enlightend principle that guide our new-age western culture.
In dezeen-comment-style: PLEASE DON´T!
October 17th, 2008 at 9:16 am
yes.. should ban those mindless comments.. it degrades this site..
October 17th, 2008 at 9:17 am
130 comments – surely a record breaker ?
it seems everyone is against censorship ( fortunately ) but perhaps this exercise will help readers to think twice about naff comments( me included ) , in which case Dezeen will keep its format , and up the standards of the comments ?
October 17th, 2008 at 9:33 am
I think Censorhip is highly unecessary. At the end of the day the thing that makes a site such as dezeen is the design submissions that people choose to put out there.
Design or Art, whatever you want to call it, LETS NOT FORGET that people that put themselves out there to create and show the public thier work, are extending a piece of their personality for all of us to see.
WE DONT ALL THINK THE SAME OR HAVE THE SAME TASTE, therefore ther will always be some negativity or slander toward a piece of work.
My suggestion is to embrace what dezeen are posting as an opportunity to sample a mass of variety, and only if willing, scroll down to the comments section of each post.
Half the slander will be coming from DIP SHITS out there that have never given anything a go.
They yell from the side lines like F*&%ken Bullies trying to make themselves feel better. What they dont realise is how bigger losers they really are.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Definitely! I’ve seen a lot of ill-informed, off-the-cuff comments that pop-up now and then. Many comments are unconstructive and offer no design criticism.
Dezeen decides what to blog (which i think is good). Dezeen should also decide which comments to upload!
October 17th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Ok, so what about this?
Pay to become a mamber by which gives you the right to read and wrote the comments back.
The problem is, the site will lose the voice of Mob, trurly smart guys’ voices.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
If you don’t want negative criticism, you shoyldn’t present so much crap, together with good quality work. I am sure you know when what you are publisinhg is crap!
I love your magazine, but you should be more selective with what you publish.
The editorial line, seems a bit loose sometimes; perhaps thats what you want, but if you are just informative, you are bount to have strong reactions on both directions.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
You could just require commenters to register with your site. I too find that commenters are incredibly negative here, but the other blogs I read require registering, and that cuts out some of the anonymity behind acting like a jerk online just because you can.
I’m unsure of how much work it is behind setting up a system like that, but you know, just an idea.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
i think there is a very large difference between critical dialogue and unnecessary, and mean, comments directed at the designer. even worse, those comments are sometimes focused on dezeen for posting “crap” (oh, and don’t get rid of the furniture and product design to focus on architecture. design is design).
if the goal of this blog is to create a conversation between designers, then it needs start to filter comments so that dialogue will ensue. once i read 3 or 4 negative, unsubstantiated comments i leave the post. dezeen needs to do something. good luck.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Does anyone read the 137th comment?
Freedom of speech is paramount. Providing an avenue for dialogue stands to benefit design and designers, but the tendency for these threads to turn into personal attacks seems to take away from the intent of a critical dialogue.
I propose that those who wish to leave comments must first assess a score to the object in question (5 to 0 stars?). At this time, people can leave comments justifying their ranking. Positve, constructive feedback rarely is the subject of attacking comments from others. So if you wish to indulge in a little mud flinging voyeurism, check out the comments from those that leave the zero and one star ratings.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
well i see this site as a “designing billboard”, its your choose if you want to see it or not, sure the criticism cannot be avoided, but from my point of view it should be objective and free of “hate” or “rage”, and always pointing to constructive comments, so, if your opinion about any subject or object is focused in destroiyng the artist work, please save it.
On the other side i think thh same as manyy fellows said in previews posts, just apply a filter or decide what blogs are truly aware a place in this site.
October 18th, 2008 at 3:48 am
well, if they’re personally offensive, you should block them… otherwise, I don’t think so… some of them are even funny…let people say what they think… even if they’re bad stuff… you also sometimes publish some “not so good works” that really deserve some “not so good words”… sorry, but I had to say that… I hope this comment is not blocked… but I think both good and bad examples should come to public, so that we can choose what we like or not…
October 18th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I agree that this site has far more negative criticism than most. It is unclear why. I’ve been studying architecture and design for a while now, and the longer I think about the design, the less easy and clear it becomes. I wish this community would be able to learn the value of constructive criticism, and discussion, rather than obtuse posturing and oneupmanship. The disrespect for the work that appears on the site is both frustrating and hurtful, and hardly ever interesting. The declarations of “I could do that” and “what a waste” that mark most posts are simply immature and naive, and nothing more.
I think we’ve lost our commenting privileges. I’d rather not know what the readers think if this is it.
October 18th, 2008 at 9:41 am
i saw some comments there that disappear..
October 18th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
5 hours between i sent comments and i saw it on dezeen blog , less than 10 seconds in Yanko design . Do you think they have pb with negative comments?
October 18th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I think that simple login in the website will prevent the stupid comments that are written without thinking. Everyone should have at least minimum respect. Comments of the type “boooring”, “zahahadidized”, “so what?” etc shouldn’t be written unless you have a good explanation about that.
October 18th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Although blocking the commentary would be a terrible idea, I do believe that the seeming majority of comments posted on this site are either angry little people wasting both their and others time, or are diametrically opposed to the type of design that is generally displayed here, in which case they probably should find something more to their taste.
However, I appreciate the idea that you are tackling such problems, I think parties from all sides should be able to take something away from this as there certainly are some issues that it can bring to light.
Firstly I believe people really should think twice about what they have to say, you should be entitled to an opinion, but at least have the decency to think about what you are trying to say, if you are going to attack something then at least to explain yourself in a meaningful, critical way.
Secondly though, I would hope that this post means that the publishers are asking themselves whether they are in any way to blame.
The inevitable result of the education system that many of us have experienced, is that projects will always be attacked if they lack any basis or integrity.
This does not mean that there is no room for self-indulgent beauty, we are after all a primarily scopic-centric society, but a design shouldacknowledge itself as such.
Maybe, a greater level of information, through both image and text form, should accompany the proliferation of ‘wow’ images that are published. This would not only help those of us who are interested in what is published, but should start to explain some of the in-no-doubt extensive thinking that went into the designs before the ‘wow’ images emerged.
October 18th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
A one word argument against unmoderated comments:
YOUTUBE.
October 18th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
NO!
(please do not block this comment… it summarizes my opinion on the subject)
October 18th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
it’s quite natural…
designers are rude and negative because school hardens our souls. blocking negative comments would be like blocking the very nature of who designers are
October 19th, 2008 at 12:12 am
make the comments flow in a treelike structure and allow users react to unjust criticism. This will allow similar comments to cluster.
October 19th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Censorship is always a bad thing. Remove all the posts or leave them as they come.
October 19th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I love the argumentative comments.
It would deepen the conversation to have commenters register, with a link to their other comments. Lousy comments should be user-flagged a la YouTube. The community is wiser than a single adjudicator.
Voilà!
October 19th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I think everybody can express opinions with respect. If a comment is deliberately offensive it should be blocked.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:10 am
censorship=uncool
October 20th, 2008 at 1:11 am
why do you need debate for that ? do it !
October 20th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Although, I havent read the comments above (sorry but I just dont have that time now), I’d welcome to moderate the comments in most cases.
For example, when a new design by Zaha cames out and published on the site there will be a shitload of comments saying nothing (not just negative!), like: “booooring”, “the same old curves”, and “this is not architecture”, as some of you said the designers have to be criticised as to become better, but who the hell will came out with better designs due to these comments even if he reads dezeen, not like Zaha.
Some of you have also mentioned the free speech, and yeah I do believe, that it’s a good thing, but not on dezeen, where if I would like to read the comments it takes at least 10-20 minutes (in posts with lots of comments (in most cases Zaha is behind that too:D)) to read them, and most of these comments say really nothing and repeating themselves or just incredibly stupid, so it’s a waste of time, and becouse of them I tend not to read them at all, although there could be interesting arguments if everyone would try to SAY SOMETHING.
October 20th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Without negative and sarcastic comments i would not visit Dezeen anymore. They spice things up and nobody is forced to read them. Designers who want to publish their work and dont mind having their stuff on Dezeen should in return grow a pair. What whining whiners they are. Jeezus.
October 20th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I think it is quite awkward this discussion. I found that your own writer in her private block describes how she enjoys going to Zaha designed bar and drink, but at the same time finds her design so boooring… In my opinion design should be considered seriously and if you want to write or speak about first you should have information.
I am sure it is difficult to filter the comments. However yesterday I visited your website and the comments that I came across were all positive. Then I felt like I begin to loose my trust towards your website. The best thing is cutting the offensive and rude criticism and be selective, more professional and real.
October 20th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
The worst criticism is no criticism at all!!
October 21st, 2008 at 12:59 am
FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOM
October 21st, 2008 at 1:21 am
Just an introductory note to say that I haven’t read most of the comments above.
That said, I would like to address the issue: should Dezeen block negative comments?
Most of us would assume in good faith that open blogs are a form of democratic space. And therefore, in principle, they establish a positive contribution to the exchange of ideas. But is it, really?
Maybe we should confront ourselves with the facts of this virtual reality. In many cases, this openness promotes the degradation of the debate, favouring the expression of many forms of intellectual and moral mediocrity.
Many commentators express some sort of scandal towards moderated blogs. So here’s a new kind of pseudo-democrat. Someone who jumps into somebody else’s space – because this is a space that someone else has opened to them – and claims the right to launch the most bitter and aggressive words. So how do we ignore the fact that, under the puritan claim of defending democracy, small dictatorial minds are proliferating that have lost the most plain – and enjoyable – pleasure of thinking?
Many seem to forget that the exercise of any right contains the responsibility, individual and collective, towards others. So what’s at stake here isn’t the right to express diversified points of view, the right to disagree. The issue is, paraphrasing Rebecca Blood, that there’s a big difference between stating that “this project fails for this and that reason” and saying that “this project sucks”, or even worse, “this architect/designer sucks”.
October 21st, 2008 at 3:06 pm
they’re all negative…
October 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
this site seems to suffer from too many art critics and not enough artists.
for those of us that design or create art for a living…would you verbally attack a client if they didn’t like the work you were submitting? no.
would your client attack your character or personality if they didn’t like your work? no.
would you try to sway their opinion to align with your vision though intelligent discussion? yes.
it’s called professionalism.
criticism is an everyday part of any professional designer/architect/artists world. it’s 100% acceptable to express your opinion as to why you like or dislike something. don’t just post “booooring” or “this is terrible”…try to express your distaste with meaningful relevant thought. it’s pretty easy to say “that’s crap”. it takes a brain to express why you don’t like it and make a valid point.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:27 pm
freedom of speech, but with accountability…
if you feel compelled to drop a flaming bag of shit on the doorstep of a designer you disagree with, man up and stand there until they answer the door instead of running away like a little child and hiding behind a bush!
I would like to see registered feedback and a rating scheme would add additional interest…
October 28th, 2008 at 12:53 am
This is not a question which you should be asking your readers. It is a simple matter of how you like to position your blog or Ezine. With every policy you make or don’t make you determine the crowd you will attract.
October 29th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I liked the way you comment on projects. Simple, brief and clear… and interesting.
Really we were bored of common comments, either making the designers big stars of success of making them the biggest losers… Then, where was the reality?
November 4th, 2008 at 10:00 am
I’d say to leave the comments. There are the few that do offer insightful critiques that I find it is worth having than not to see it at all. If anything, remove the comments that are directly harmful and do not promote encouraging/constructive criticism. Maybe you could also have registered users for comments, if they continue to be detrimental to the designer’s work then after a given amount of chances, ban him from commenting.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:17 am
as the bubble say: “did you even bother to read the description?”
February 19th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Noooo, don’t make it with log-in for members..!!
One of the reasons I come here is because I can quickly react and I am free to do that.
By the other hand, I find negative comments really useful ! I was reading articles here all day, and to be honest, most of the negative comments helped me have a better judgement over the qualities of the projects. weird ? Not all of them are fair, but I can judge about them on my own…I do not need censorship to remove them for me…
October 10th, 2009 at 3:00 am
On many occasions negative comments can seem completely in just to the designers they are making the statement too. What I do like about them is addressing them in a positive manner. Designer are going to read them and are not going to like or agree with them but even if they are not constructive for the designers I think it lets the designer learn how to determine which ones are productive comments.
These are things all professional designer are going to face through the course of their careers. That is not say the readers of Dezeen should not be more responsible when making comments and do their best to be constructive and not negative; for ultimately it’s that the point of design no matter what field one is practicing in. Try to expand the minds of everyone and teach people to be more excepting of new and different concepts that could be better for society.
So far my experience with Dezeen has been nothing but positive and I believe I have provided great support to some designers that will surely be well known in the near future. Thank you Dezeen for expanding minds. Please, leave the comments the way they are and hopefully we will learn for ourselves how to deal with them and each other in a positive manner.