F.A.Q.
General questions about Divisare
What is Divisare?
Divisare is a web application directed towards architectural design students and professors, and a collaboration tool that renders the publication of works produced in a university environment on the Internet simple.
What is Divisare for?
With Divisare, students can create an online portfolio, and if they choose to do so, open an Album where they can gather projects and discuss specific design themes. The professors can manage their design courses online, publish Lessons and share images and didactic materials with their colleagues.
How does it work?
Divisare is easy to use and totally Web-based. There is no need to install or configure anything. All that you need to use Divisare is a browser and an Internet connection.
What are the rules for publishing on Divisare?
We strongly encourage you to read the Divisare Terms of Use and Guidelines before initiating any activities on the site.
Will Divisare always be free?
Yes
I’m an editor/journalist, and I’m interested in publishing material that I've seen on Divisare. How can I contact the authors?
We are extremely happy that the work of one of our designers has spurred your interest, but our users’ personal data is and will always remain confidential. We recommend that you login and leave a message at the project that interests you.
What does Divisare mean?
Divisare is a rarely used Italian word that means: “to draw with the mind, to create, to imagine", which was used by Leon Battista Alberti in his celebrated definition of an architect: "Architettore chiamerò io colui, il quale saprà con certa, e maravigliosa ragione, e regola, sì con la mente, e con lo animo divisare" ("I will call an Architect he who knows for certain, glorious reason and rule, to imagine and to create both with the mind and the soul").
Registration
What is necessary for registration on Divisare?
Only five minutes! This is the time necessary for carefully reading our guidelines and term of service. Registration is simple, and only requires filling in a page with some information and you’re finished! You can begin to “divisare”.
What is the difference between a basic account and a professor’s account?
The professor’s account is slightly different from a basic account: It can do some things and some things it cannot. For example, a professor cannot publish projects, but can manage Courses and publish Lessons. To transform a basic account into a professor’s account, it is necessary to send us an e-mail immediately following a successful registration. After having completed the necessary controls, the transformation will be completed in as short a time as possible.
I would like to register with a pen-name. Can I?
Of course, but you must also provide your real name. For further information, carefully read our Guidelines and Terms of Use.
Your Profile
Is it mandatory to create a personal profile?
No, the only information that we request is your name, your school and your e-mail address. Defining your profile is necessary to aid research and to increase the possibility to enter into contact with other Divisare users.
I don’t understand how to personalize my personal icon and other aspects of my profile.
Go to your profile and click on the Show Optional Fields command, where you will find many options with which to personalize your personal page, including the command for personalizing you personal icon. We particularly recommend that you indicate your favorite architects and architecture. These can be a valid tool for making new friends on Divisare.
Can I modify/replace/cancel the data contained in my personal profile?
Yes, at any time.
What does: “Recent Activity” mean?
Recent Activity is a registry of all the actions undertaken by other Divisare users on the pages that involve you. If someone comments on one of your projects or responds to a discussion proposed by you, it will be noted in this section. In the same way, you will know if someone has inserted their contact information or registered your project among their favorites.
Projects
How many projects can I publish?
You can publish as many projects as you want without limits.
How many images for each project?
You can publish as many images as you like.
How can I modify published material?
You can modify published material at any moment, for each single aspect of the project (text and images) you have specific commands at your disposal that permit you to make modifications as desired.
Can I modify/replace/cancel the images in a project without cancelling the project?
Yes
Will my projects be cancelled?
No, unless you cancel them yourself.
Will I have to pay something for the published material?
No. Divisare is and will always be a free service.
Can I share my projects with other designers?
Yes. You can indicate other co-designers for each single project. These will have your same privileges. They will be able to modify or cancel the project at any time and they will be able to share the project on their homepage.
Can I cancel myself from the staff of a project?
Yes, at any time with a provided command.
Can another person on the staff of a project in which I am taking part cancel me as an author?
No, only you can decide to remove your name from a project.
Can anyone comment on my projects?
Unless you have decided otherwise, anyone who is registered can comment on your projects.
How do I know if someone has made comments about my projects?
Each time that someone comments on your projects, the following phrase will appear on your homepage: “There is new activity!” With a click you will be able to see the new comments, cancel those that you dislike and respond to those that you find the most interesting.
I would like to publish some photographs and text with my project that I found in magazines, other publications or on the Internet. Can I?
Yes, but only if you are absolutely certain that it is not Copyrighted material. Remember that publishing material on the Internet that is protected by Copyright, even if for didactic purposes, and without lucrative ends, can be considered a crime. For further information: guidelines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright).
How can I protect the published images by Copyright?
All the materials published by the users of Divisare are protected by Copyright. The words “all rights reserved” and the symbol © appear at the bottom of every publication.
On the other hand, to have a more flexible copyright, it will be possible to specify a license for each single published work. Instead of the traditional Copyright "all rights reserved", Divisare places six licenses at their users' disposal as prescribed by Creative Commons (http://www.creativecommons.com). The Creative Commons licenses offer a flexible group of protections and freedom for authors and artists, and they are particularly suited to Lessons, Courses, textbooks, photographs, images and illustrations.
How can I see other people's projects?
The best method is to use the explore function, which offers diverse criteria with which to find projects that interest you, or simply "take a spin" on Divisare.
Albums
What are the Albums?
The Albums are collections of projects and texts directly managed by the users of Divisare. These are collections of architectural projects designed for discussion, research, information and confrontation in regards to specific project themes.
How do I open an Album?
It’s simple! Go to “Album” and click on “Create a new Album”, where you will be prompted to choose a title and a subject. That’s all. From that moment on you will be the administrator of the Album and you can manage all of its aspects.
What is the difference between the open Albums and the invitation only Albums?
An open Album is a place where anyone can publish a project or a comment, while an invitation only Album only contains publications by its “editors”, who are invited by its administrator.
How and by whom are the Albums managed?
An Album’s creator is also its first administrator, and has the possibility to decide who publishes in the Album, and can cancel projects or “ban” undesired users or editors that behave inappropriately. An Album can have an infinite number of administrators. The only possibility for becoming an administrator for an already existing Album is to be “promoted” by one of the administrators. Once a person has become an administrator, that person cannot be "demoted".
How do I publish my work in an Album?
It’s simple! If you are part of the “staff” of an Album, simply click on the “publish on an Album” icon on the page of your project. If you are not yet part of an Album’s staff, you must register first (or request an invitation if it is an invitation only Album).
How can I leave the staff of an Album?
Go to the “your Albums” page, select the Album that you want to leave and click “leave”. From that moment on, the projects that you published in that Album will be cancelled from that Album.
How can I cancel an Album?
The only way to cancel an Album is to leave the staff as the last remaining member. An Album cannot be cancelled if there is still a member of the editing staff.
Courses
Can anyone manage a Course on Divisare?
No, not just anyone can open a Course on Divisare. To open a course, one must be accredited as “Professor”. For accreditation, first register and then send a request to: .
What is a Course?
A course is basically an Internet site. A course has two objectives: To manage communications between a professor and his/her class, and to collect and communicate the results of the course on the Internet.
How do I open a Course?
There is nothing simpler! If you are accredited as a professor (in fact, only professors can publish courses), click on the icon “create a new Course” found in the menu “What you can do” on your personal page.
My Course calls for a series of intermediary project exercises. Can I manage all of them inside of the same Course?
Yes. It is not necessary to open a new Course for each project theme presented to your students. The section “projects” of your Course allows you to manage intermediary exercises and diverse project themes.
In the section “Lessons” of my Course I would like to recommend other professors’ Lessons that are already published on Divisare. Can I do that?
Yes, without any problems: The free circulation of ideas is one of the main objectives of Divisare. Identify the Lesson that interests you and add the author to your contacts. From that moment on, you can “recommend” his/her Lessons to your students.
I would like to make some files in formats .dwg, .pdf, .doc, .tif, etc. available to my students. Can I do that?
Yes. You have several possibilities for creating a download area.
Will my Courses be cancelled?
No, unless you do it yourself.
Lessons
Can anyone publish a Lesson on Divisare?
No. only the users accredited as “Professors” can publish a Lesson.
What is a Lesson?
A Lesson is a section of Divisare dedicated to your communications with students. It is a versatile communication tool that can adapt to different didactic needs. Each Lesson permits you to publish a text and an unlimited number of images. Each image can then be commented upon in a descriptive text. A convenient command permits the visualization of all the images in slide show.
How do I publish a Lesson on Divisare?
It’s easy! If you are accredited as a professor (in fact, only professors can publish a Lesson), click on the icon “create a Lesson” found in the menu “What you can do” on your personal page.
Can I modify/cancel a Lesson?
Yes, at any time.
I would like to publish some photographs and text in my Lesson that I found in magazines, other publications or on the Internet. Can I?
Yes, but only if you are absolutely certain that it is not Copyrighted material. Remember that publishing material on the Internet that is protected by Copyright, even if for didactic purposes, and without lucrative ends, can be considered a crime. For further information about Copyright, see: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright).
How can I protect the published images by Copyright?
All the materials published by the users of Divisare are protected by Copyright. The words “all rights reserved” and the symbol © appear at the bottom of every publication. On the other hand, to have a more flexible copyright, it will be possible to specify a license for each single published work. Instead of the traditional Copyright "all rights reserved", Divisare places six licenses at their users' disposal as prescribed by Creative Commons.
Will my Lessons ever be cancelled?
No, unless you do it yourself.
Tags
What are Tags?
Tags are a valid system aid for research on Divisare that increase the possibility that your material will be "found" by other Divisare users. These are keywords used literally for labeling your project or Lesson. There is no limit to the number of tags that you can add to a project, and you can use tags to give information about the project’s location, type of architecture, materials and construction techniques, etc. In addition, remember that Divisare is a multilingual site, so try to insert the same tag in different languages. Internet offers many linguistic aid tools, for example http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en.
When I click on “Tags’, a list of words in different sizes appears. What does it mean?
It is a list of the most widely used tags on Divisare. The larger the letters, the higher the number of users that have used the same tag for describing their project.
Favorites
What are “Favorites”?
These are other people’s projects or Lessons that you want to highlight on Divisare, so that you can go back again to them easily. You can assign any project or Lesson found on Divisare as a “Favorite".
How do I save a project or Lesson in my list of favorites?
It’s simple: When you find a project or Lesson that you would like to save, simply click on “add to favorites” and it’s done!
Can I have one of my own projects or Lessons in my list of favorites?
No. You can only save other users' projects or Lessons in your list of favorites. For searching inside your projects, you can use Tags.
Are my favorites visible to other users?
Yes, the projects that you have collected in your list of favorites will be visible to anyone who consults your personal page.
Can I cancel a project or Lesson from my list of favorites?
Yes, by clicking on the “X” next to the title of the project or the Lesson that you want to cancel.
Contacts
What are “Contacts” for?
Actually, they aren’t really necessary in the literal sense of the word, but it's nice to have them! Just think that each time that you publish a new project or a new Lesson, Divisare will inform your contacts, just as they will inform you when one of your contacts publishes something new. Convenient, isn’t it? Having “Contacts” becomes very important if you want to share your work with others. Each time that you would like to create a project, a Lesson or a Course with other users, or invite authors to your Album, if these people are among your contacts you can invite them directly through an immediate procedure without any annoying intermediary steps.
Is there a limit to the number of “Contacts” that I can have?
No.
Can I cancel a name from my contacts list?
Yes, by simply clicking on the “X” next to the name that you want to cancel.