On finding and then funding…

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'Released by Ethnoarchitecture.org' showcases personal - professional notes related to Ethnoarch webmaster's current work. In other words, this is Ethnoarch's blog. The section also details new content added to the site, technical improvements and, in general, how Ethnoarch.com is going.
On finding and then funding… June 17, 2007 Back to the project after a pretty busy semester in which for more than two months I didn't have any time to work on the sections in progress, or add any contents. Thinking in this moment about ways to fund the project, since hosting, domain registration and other expenses (not to mention time investment) are considerably high and it has been a few years now of covering these expenses from my own pocket and I am starting to feel tired of that. Testing "Google Ads" as an option, but not so sure it is going to work. The other option is always writing grants, but I wonder what gives me more freedom or, to use the jargon in fashion, what would make this project more "sustainable." With this question, I feel like facing at a micro-level that universal dilemma between aid as pure aid ("charity") and aid as a business (which would demand efficiency and accountability, or so the promoters of that approach say). If I were to acknowledge that it is worth trying the "helping others help themselves" approach (as opposed to the "saving them" one),¹ I guess I should try helping myself as opposed to asking to be saved? In other words, I should try generating revenue with the project as opposed to asking for grants to keep it alive? In any case, the decision as to either trying to make this project generate its own funding, or looking for grants to fund it is also related to the direction the project might take in the future. The question is whether this evolves as an "academic/research" project, or as an "information/edutainment" one. There are differences in terms of language, breadth, deep, rigor and "rituals" between both targets. When formally introducing the project in Bangkok last December I was comfortable with the idea of presenting it as an academic project. Furthermore, at a personal level it might be more convenient to pursue it as a research project, because it could be listed in my resume as part of my research work as opposed to a side, hobby-like activity. However, it might be easier to reach the public if the project evolves outside academia. The gap between what people in academia know about traditional architecture theory, and what people outside academia know about this topic is huge. It is necessary that, added to the research they do, researchers find additional ways to let the public know about what they have found. But, how can that be funded? That is the issue... Notes ¹ Although the approach I tend to believe in is: Leave them alone. They'll figure out. Just don't abuse them. About this article Some reflections on funding this project, or any other project for that matter, and the dichotomy of the aid as charity and the "aid as business."
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