Corporate execs trying out coworking spaces... I like the idea and add the caveat that they can't just spend a day in a space... passing time in a coworking space in the customer/renter/outsider mentality won't get anyone very far. Understanding that very line, the one between customer and member, is at the heart of what makes coworking what it is as opposed to a business center.
I'm looking for ways to best message this distinction to potential new people so everyone knows as quickly as possible what it is we are doing here. In the early days, this poured out of both Susan and I in everything we did and our ever presence ensured the message got around. Four years in and things work a little differently now as Susan's original message illustrates. I love customer/member... sounds less derogatory then renter/member... I'm never a fan of any us/them type wording as it shuts out folks that really want to be members but need a little help getting there. Jacob --- Office Nomads - Individuality without Isolation http://www.officenomads.com - (206) 323-6500 On Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 7:21 AM, Alex Hillman <dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com>wrote: > I'm glad to say that some of our dearest members first come to us as >> mere consumers of space. It's all they know. But at some point they >> have a conversion. I haven't figured out what the magic moment is, the >> words that are spoken, that causes the change of heart, but it's good >> to keep in mind that it's always possible. > > > Agreed. It is possible. > > I had an awesome conversation with one of our members who is working on an > article for a magazine about coworking in the context of intentional > communities <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentional_community> and she > said, quite simply: "working at Indy Hall changes you". > > This falls in line with my personal mission for Indy Hall and for coworking > in general: if the future executives of the biggest companies in the world > worked from a coworking space sometime in their career, no matter how long > before they were the executive of the biggest company in the world, their > perspective on how they run that company, interact with their colleagues and > the world around them, would be fundamentally different from the fact that > they coworked at Indy Hall. That's not just improving one persons' day in > the short term, that's potentially improving THOUSANDS of peoples' days in > the long term. > > Just by creating the right experience for one person. > > That's our job. Creating that right experience. Everything else "just > happens". > > -Alex > > /ah > indyhall.org > coworking in philadelphia > > > On Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 10:15 AM, d...@cocomsp.com <d...@cocomsp.com> wrote: > >> Best line in here: "This cost us some more existing and potential >> members, to be sure, but they >> were the kind who breeze in on clicky heels, march into a conference >> room to >> meet with clients for three hours, and march out without saying howdy- >> do to >> anyone." >> >> Yes, we know those breezy, clicky heels very well. >> >> I call them" customers" because unlike members, they don't come with >> the intention of belonging, but rather to consume services and be >> waited on. I've noticed that people with the customer mentality don't >> cope well with the inevitable disruptions you're going to get in a >> shared work setting. In fact, we had one fellow ask us if we'd >> compensate him for his downtime when we had an internet outage. For >> the first time, we began entertaining the idea of breaking up with a >> member. "I'm sorry, it's not us, it's you." >> >> I'm glad to say that some of our dearest members first come to us as >> mere consumers of space. It's all they know. But at some point they >> have a conversion. I haven't figured out what the magic moment is, the >> words that are spoken, that causes the change of heart, but it's good >> to keep in mind that it's always possible. >> >> Trek, your story was super helpful and inspiring. Reminds me of what >> an Open Space facilitator once told me: that she wasn't responsible >> for people's experience at, say, an unconference, but that the >> participants were responsible for their *own* experience. I feel like >> we're talking about much the same thing... >> >> Thanks, all! >> >> d. >> >> Don Ball >> CoCo coworking and collaborative space >> Minneapolis & St. Paul >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Coworking" group. >> To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. >> >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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