And that would be fine, Liam. Look, I don't run a coworking space (grain of salt disclaimer).
But each one is a community, right? If not, you're all Regis franchisers. A community, a culture, a group. There may even be subcultures, sub groups. (Which would be awesome!) Each community is not going to be the same. They are going to be different. You, Liam, might fit in one, but not another. Bare feet may be anathema at one space, but the uniform du jour at another. If you don't fit in a coworking space, find one you fit at. Or start one. If the space changes, realize that that happens. Either work to change it back, or go along with the changes, or leave. Now, as to the particular question, I think the proper answer would have been something along the lines of, "If bare feet are not comfortable for you, then let's talk about how you can convince/incentivise/or help the others understand how bare feet don't work with your business model." If they can change the culture, more power to them. If they can't, at least they've tried. That's called being a part of it all. If they can't, and it gets them pissed off enough, they'll either try again, or leave. That's ok, too. Yes, paying members are important. But the culture and community is the long term gain. And the way to keep long term paying customers. Josh On Thu, May 3, 2012 at 4:16 PM, Liam Gooding <liam.good...@fruitbowlmedia.com> wrote: > Hey Don, > > Personally, I don't think it's much to ask to not walk around with stinky > bare feet and the reply from your host probably alienated your *paying* > member with the brick-wall reply. Why not simply say "have you tried speaking > to the bare-footed culprit and asked if they can wear some shoes when you > know your having a client come around?" > > In my opinion, handled poorly and if I had been that member, my next action > would have been to cancel my membership and join a different coworking space > that's less up itself. > > - Liam > > On 3 May 2012, at 21:08, d...@cocomsp.com wrote: > >> Thought some of you might get a kick out of today's exchange with one >> of our members. Anybody have any similar experiences to share? >> >> >> So, a member sent this email to our host... (names changed to protect >> the innocent) >> >> +++ >> >> Here I am having to be the old lame again BUT >> >> My clients come into this space and I dont want them to see bare feet. >> Sandals on men are bad enough. >> >> Given the number of gear head folks, I will have to live with tee >> shirts. >> >> Dont like shorts either on the men. Most of the gals seem to be dpoing >> ok in this department >> >> Its still an OFFICE isnt it? >> >> The simple dress code would be wear what you wear to see clients vs >> what you wear when your working from home >> >> +++ >> >> Our host wrote back... >> >> Yeah, great questions, but unfortunately you won't like the answer. >> This is NOT an office, in fact, it's designed to run counter to >> traditional office norms, top to bottom. >> >> Bicycles in the hall, Xbox, dart boards and TVs, Nerf machine gun >> wars, afternoon beers, bean bags and umbrellas, an Old Trading Pit for >> a lounge, jazz with a Van Morrison chaser, bumper of "The Rap", few >> hours of Mozart concertos . . . embrace the New Economy, Bob!! Blow >> your clients' minds with your hyper-progressive foresight and carefree >> nonchalance! Eschew the shoes! >> >> I know it's not for everyone, but I hope you can adjust and make it >> work for you. It's really nice having you here. Maybe you could teach >> these kids a thing or two about class. >> >> -- >> 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. 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.
