Hello! This is an exciting milestone for the project. I've said all along the issues with the wiki are not technical but rather a factor of not having a solid team in place to tackle the challenges. To date we've relied strictly on volunteers and that lasts as long as that volunteer has the energy to keep giving. I've been working hard over the past 7 months to create a new system that builds on our straights and exemplifies our values. This milestone marks the transition from "building the team" to "tackling the challenges". It's been a lot of work to get here and I'm excited to see what comes next.
I want to personally thank all of the supporters who have backed the project. Nextspace, Emergent Research, and Shift Workspace jumped in right away with significant financial support and encouragement. Office Squared, Cambridge Coworking Center, Centre for Social Innovation, Cowork Penticton, LiquidSpace, and WorkSnug have all given major contributions. There is also a long list <http://www.opencoworking.org/coworkingwiki/thankyou/> of individuals that have contributed to the project and provided a steady stream of positive feedback that has kept me going. Thank you so much. We could not have gotten here without all of you. You are all solidified in history as Founding Partners of the Coworking Wiki. And then there is the team! Cospace, Gangplank, The COOP, Kamer52, and our crew here at Office Nomads have all stepped up to sponsor the Coordinator positions that form the foundation of this team. Katie, Ashley, Jeannine, and Alexandra will continue on and from here on out will be the ones in charge. And of course there is Kevin, without whom you wouldn't be as well informed about this whole project! Thank you so much Kevin. You are a rockstar. I'm not leaving the project, just shifting into an advisory role. As the Director of Open Coworking, the non-profit we formed to handle the finances of this endeavor, I'll continue to direct the team and offer my insights and philosophy. In the next few weeks I will compile and send out a report on the fundraiser and where we've used the money. There are a lot of things we have had to put on hold due to lack of funds (remember those maps?) and we will continue to accept donations. We are just ending active fundraising after today, although we have some follow up calls to make to connect promises with dollars. Thank you again to everyone who has been a part of this project. This all happened because we came together and made it happen. By demonstrating our core values in big impact, highly visible ways like this we show the world how collaboration wins out over competition. Go Team! Sincerely, Jacob --- Office Nomads - Individuality without Isolation http://www.officenomads.com - (206) 323-6500 On Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 7:51 AM, Kevin Skiena <kdski...@gmail.com> wrote: > *Followers, Donors, and Friends,* > > We are very excited to announce that the project has hit critical mass. > After we completed recruitment of the Coworking Wiki oversight > team<http://www.opencoworking.org/coworkingwiki/project/team/>, > the work of reorganizing the wiki became self-sustaining. Right now, the > team is welcoming and training new editors, recruiting volunteers, cleaning > up the directory, adding information to the site, and reviewing the > proposed wiki content > structure<http://wiki.coworking.com/w/page/55313141/Coworking%20Wiki%20Content%20Structure>. > We’re also preparing to update our project > site<http://www.opencoworking.org/coworkingwiki/>to better reflect our > progress and support the work ahead. The only aspect > of the project we’ve had to put on hold is the upgrade to a map-based, > searchable coworking space directory. We hope to implement this change > someday, but present fundraising simply will not allow us to proceed on > this until a later date. > > Several brave souls have stepped forward to volunteer. Some are > translating the details of the upgrade project for non-English speakers in > order to broaden awareness and support. Others are cataloging wiki > resources so that when the content structure has been finalized, we can > begin migrating the data. There’s a lot of work ahead, and thanks to your > support, it will get done. > > The Coworking Wiki educates about the values and models of coworking, > connects freelancers and small business owners to spaces, and shares the > tools that make opening and running a space easier. Our donors recognized > the need to improve this incredible resource, and this project would not > have been possible without their help in carrying the burden. Coworking > communities everywhere will all benefit from their generosity, and they > have our eternal gratitude. Individuals and organizations that contributed > to the project are recognized as Coworking Wiki Founding > Partners<http://www.opencoworking.org/coworkingwiki/thankyou/> > . > *What Happens Now* > > The wiki belongs to all of us, and a top priority is making sure the > community is informed and has a voice in its development. We will continue > to post news about our progress and calls for > volunteers<http://www.opencoworking.org/coworkingwiki/participate/#volunteer>on > the blog and > Twitter <http://twitter.com/coworkingwiki>. We will also keep a list of > ongoing and upcoming wiki-related projects on this site. Your > feedback<http://www.opencoworking.org/coworkingwiki/contact/>is always > welcome. > *Adieu, My Loves. Adieu* > > Starting today, the project coordinators responsible for launching the > upgrade - Jacob, Chelsea, Susan, and me - will be retiring or moving to > advisory roles. Jacob and Chelsea were with the project from the start, and > Susan joined soon after. When it became clear that we would fall short of > our first fundraising target, all three of them offered to forfeit > compensation in order to see the project through. Even after the July 31 > transition, they’ve offered to pitch in when they can. Inspired by Jacob > and Susan’s passion, I came aboard in early May to assist in communications > and outreach efforts. I’d originally signed on for a month and stayed for > three, but the obligations of my day-job and other part-time commitments > now require that I step back. I am honored to have been a part of the > project and to have worked with everyone involved. They are wonderful, > inspired people. > > And don’t even get me started on the rest of the team! Knowledgeable, > talented, and brilliant! Never have I experienced a staff with less drama > and more humor. Our email exchanges were epic. Team Coordinator Katie Hurst > has organized an excellent system of check-in emails, shared documents, and > Skype calls to keep everyone on track. > > So, with that, we begin our transition. We hope to soon have a global > Coworking Wiki that we are all proud of. There will be the inevitable bumps > in the road and false-starts. When we encounter these, we ask for your > patience. We’re here for the long haul. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/coworking/-/OtOTH-oFv6sJ. > 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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