Hi Steve, Although I understand where you are coming from, I guess I need to tell you where we are coming from to.
Although we want people to see this list as a resource to ask questions and talk about their spaces (getting stuff out of the community), I also want to encourage people to contribute to the list in a helpful manner (giving back to the community). Certainly, there will be more takers than givers, but when someone takes, then runs, we need to say something about it. Mostly just to keep it in check. Perhaps Chris was too harsh in his response, but he's also been dealing with a great deal of spam on the wiki, etc. so he is more sensitive to it. We've been more than welcoming to commercial projects. In fact, we hope there are more! But some commercial projects aren't coworking spaces. They just aren't. Not because they are commercial, but because they don't embody the core that makes a space a coworking space. There IS a difference between an office share/executive suite and a coworking space and if there wasn't there wouldn't have been a need for coworking. I'm sad that you see this as a castle of Chris and Tara. I like to see it as a castle of Chris and Tara and Alex and Noel and Amit and Nate and Sanford and Eva and David and Dane and Eddie and Dave Doolin and Marcus and Ryanne and Jay and everyone else who has started a space and want to maintain it's integrity. There is a fine balance to be struck between openness and a hodge-podge. All open source projects have strong leadership with tight guidelines. Very few have any tolerance of self-promoters. Yes, we would love to see all spaces turn into warm and fuzzy coworking spaces, and they can feel free to join the list and discuss with us what it means to be one of those spaces and we'd be happy to help them become one of those spaces. Promoting one's space before asking that question isn't really the same thing, though. I think a code of conduct is restrictive and we'd prefer to deal with it on a case by case level. This isn't a centralized organization. It's very 'starfish' and you have as much right to dictate conduct as we do (that is why we can have this conversation - we don't set rules). However, we have published the core values of what we think coworking is and others have agreed, so perhaps we can point people who do 'drive-by' promotions to that? Tara On 9/24/07, Chris Messina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Steve, > > Thanks for the feedback. I certainly don't think of coworking as the > "Castle of Chris and Tara" and I hope that others who feel strongly > about the culture of coworking will assert themselves when foreign > objects that smell like spam show up on the list. > > We have over 750 people subscribed to this list and I don't want to > waste their time and have their energies expended on "mosquitos" who > show up with something to sell and nothing to offer. > > That said, you're right. When "newbies" show up and show a general > interest in coworking, in how it works, in what the values are and > what the original goals are, they absolutely deserve light treatment, > support, our encouragement and attention. > > On the other hand, someone who joins the list and immediately launches > into a pitch for their space, and who has nothing to do with coworking > or with the community, doesn't deserve, at least, my time. And > insomuch as I helped to start this list and am an admin of the list, > feel some responsibility to make sure that the environment is > maintained and doesn't devolve into a place for constant commercial > pitches. > > If indeed the unsigned poster of that email comes back and is > interested in learning more about coworking, I would be happy to take > the time to introduce them to the ideas and principles of coworking. > What I won't stand for, however, is people showing up and showing > disrespect to the community that we've all invested ourselves in and > spent a great of time nurturing into a vibrant collective. > > Nothing in that spam message said anything about community or > coworking; what place does it have on a mailing list dedicated to both > of those topics? > > Chris > > > On 9/24/07, Steve Purkiss <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > No, indeed for some, clothing third world kids with their old wallpaper > is > > enough to feed the conversations whilst sipping over a coffee which > alone > > costs enough to feed that child for a week ;) > > > > How about lightening up on the 'newbies' into the arena - not everyone > > 'knows the score', it is up to us to help them join in, not frighten > them > > off when they arrive at the Castle of Chris and Tara. > > > > This is one of the reasons Linux has had a huge problem in going > mainstream > > - the attitudes of 'those in the know'. > > > > Relax, chill, educate, inform, welcome with open minds and hearts. Even > > those looking for 'wimmin' are still one of us, for we are all one. > > > > Peace, > > > > s > > > > > > On 9/25/07, Chris Messina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Coworking spaces don't spam their members or use bulk email to promote > > > themselves. > > > > > > If you're interesting in participating and contributing to the > > > community, we're more than welcome to hear from you; drive-by postings > > > to this list will be considered spam. > > > > > > I look forward to your feedback, and ask that you, in the future, you > > > refrain from posting self-promotional emails to the list without > > > balancing your correspondence with positive contributions to the > > > larger coworking community. > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > Chris > > > > > > On 9/24/07, My Day Office <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > My Day Office is now open in downtown Seattle. Tired of meeting with > > > > clients in coffee shops? Worn out running between the copy center, > > > > mailbox and notary? Finally a workplace that has it all in one > > > > place! From virtual offices to physical offices, My Day Office is > > > > where work happens. My Day Office offers meeting solutions with > open > > > > work areas, private offices, and conference rooms; mailbox rentals; > > > > shipping services; fax, copy and printing; and full secretarial > > > > support with wifi and state of the art technology. Patrons may > > > > become members and enjoy substantially discounted fees on rentals > and > > > > services. Costs are much lower than executive suites or other retail > > > > mailbox or copy centers. For more information on the products and > > > > services or to reserve a private office or conference room visit > > > > www.MyDayOffice.com. > > > > > > > > > > > > What makes us different? > > > > > > > > My Day office is a spacious and modern business center with > expansive > > > > windows that provide plenty of ambient light and a contemporary > decor > > > > with rich brown an blue tones. > > > > > > > > Our friendly staff can assist you with your paperwork, business > plans, > > > > answering phone calls and shipping. > > > > > > > > > > > > A hot-house for up and coming entrepreneurs and great business > minds, > > > > My Day Office offers a series of business workshops and networking > > > > events to give you the tools you need to take your business to the > > > > next level. My Day Office is conveniently located at Elliott & > Broad > > > > across from the Spaghetti Factory and overlooks the Olympic > Sculpture > > > > Park. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Chris Messina > > > Citizen Provocateur & > > > Open Source Advocate-at-Large > > > Work: http://citizenagency.com > > > Blog: http://factoryjoe.com/blog > > > Cell: 412 225-1051 > > > IM: factoryjoe > > > This email is: [ ] bloggable [X] ask first [ ] private > > > > > > http://opennetworkers.pbwiki.com - open networker? add > > your name to the list! > > > http://open4.org - the network that pays you to participate > > > http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevepurkiss - join my 500+ > > LinkedIn network! > > > http://www.open4.org/bio/steve-purkiss > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Chris Messina > Citizen Provocateur & > Open Source Advocate-at-Large > Work: http://citizenagency.com > Blog: http://factoryjoe.com/blog > Cell: 412 225-1051 > IM: factoryjoe > This email is: [ ] bloggable [X] ask first [ ] private > > > > -- tara 'miss rogue' hunt co-founder & CMO Citizen Agency (www.citizenagency.com) blog: www.horsepigcow.com phone: 415-694-1951 fax: 415-727-5335 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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