Hi everyone,
Voting on the panel is underway at http://bit.ly/fedcopanel.
Please visit the panel picker page, sign-in, and vote! Here's a few
examples of the services that can be created using the federated
coworking model, based upon brainstorming between myself and Andy
Louis-Charles (http://www.oncoworking.com):
1. Co-Sourcing: A job board specifically targeted to
independents and startups operating in coworking spaces. For example,
let's say there's a startup at CoHabitat that's looking for a PHP rock
star. No one at CoHabitat can meet their need (hypothetically
speaking, of course), so they turn to this site and discover that the
person they need actually coworks out of OpenSpace in Charlottesville.
Instead of turning to eLance or Craigslist, and gambling on someone
they've never met before, the startup knows that this is a real person
that's been validated by their space, which lends a healthy level of
trust to the relationship up front. Also, the work they provide to the
PHP freelancer keeps money flowing within the coworking ecosystem,
boosting sustainability for everyone involved. Not to mention that
this could also drive membership at participating spaces, since access
to the service would be limited to members only. The site will take a
relatively small fee for its service (compared to other sites) in
order to become sustainable itself, and not a burden to coworking
spaces. This is the low-hanging fruit of Federated Coworking,
requiring a very small effort in comparison to the benefit it will
provide to everyone.
2. Co-Learning: At this point, coworking spaces are primarily
targeting individuals who are already employed, whether independent or
working full-time as virtual employees, and desire a physical
workspace other than their home or Starbucks. In order to redefine
what it means to work, ultimately making coworking the norm, we need
to lower barriers to entry that are keeping people out of the space. A
new educational model is needed to train these knowledge workers with
the skills and disciplines needed to become sustainably independent,
entrepreneurial, or working full-time for a company that champions
virtual commuting. Let's call the model Co-learning: it will involve a
combination of video training, peer learning, introduction to startup
tech culture, and team formation within the context of coworking
spaces. There will be at least two learning tracks: Skill, knowing
"how" to do something, and creating a group deliverable that's
commercialized during each course; and Culture, putting people from
various skill tracks together bypersonality, goals, and skill level to
create a core team for a product or service, whether the concept is
generated from within the group or contracted by a client (someone
willing to take a risk on a young group to gain cheap labor and
support the coworking ecosystem). Co-learning will on-ramp people into
coworking who would otherwise find it difficult to make the transition
on their own, by incentivizing the model in a way that makes
sustainability attainable.
I'm out of time today, but I'll post more concepts related to
federated coworking as they come together. Please riff on these ideas
and help me hammer out the kinks.
Thanks in advance for your feedback,
Chris Stewart
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