not to plug it but I have recently started a blog on tech, amongst other blogs I've started, http://startupsasia.wordpress.com/. I will certainly be documenting the adventure of starting my coworking space. I'm actually from Singapore but have been living in Hanoi for sometime. Thanks for the interest of my endeavor, let's do stay in touch, I need ot learn more from 'veterans' like yourself.
On Friday, March 15, 2013 2:30:05 AM UTC+7, Alex Hillman wrote: > > Alex..for one, Hanoi, or Vietnam, for that matter, is still a city/country > trying to overcome its past and in the process of achieving economic growth > as an emerging economy. > > > This is *very* true, and an important factor. On a personal level, I'd > love to hear more about how you see coworking having an opportunity to > contribute to overcoming that past. That's a story - and a purpose - that I > think more people (including your prospective members) will be able to > understand and get behind than "sharing workspace + community = cool!" > > It's a very different context, my own story came from a similar place. I > felt that we were a city living in its own past instead of it's future. I > found others that felt that way, and that became the core of our community. > I've got a super-truncated version of that story from a couple of summers > ago, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsVZz8dZ_h8 > > However, and to build upon that story... > > The idea of co-working is still very new in Vietnam with less than 5 in > the country. I'll probably be #5. > > > I'll remind you (as I've reminded others) that when I executed my "spend > $0, start the community first" bootstrapping model, there were only a few > coworking spaces in the united states (at least that were using the term) > and ZERO in Philadelphia. > > I totally see where you're coming from, but did you notice what you're > comparing yourself to? *Places*. Business centers, virtual offices, > internet cafes and bars. > * > * > *"As it is, I'm having a hard time telling people why I love working out > of a cafe even tho I have an office."* That's because, until there's > community, there's not much difference other than your intent (which is > really hard to express without practice). > > To be clear, I'm not saying you went about this the wrong way, Bobby. > There's plenty of people who've successfully catalyzed community after > opening the physical space. Many will agree that it was harder than they > expected. > > But the "people haven't heard of coworking" reason - as my veteran > counterparts will attest - has been a problem since the beginning and it's > only gotten *better*, not worse, regardless of where in the world you're > located. > > I'm hoping that your story of "Why coworking is important for Hanoi" is > something that's a prominent part of your message. That's a powerful seed > for building community, regardless of what stage of the physical space > you're in. > > -Alex > > > -- > /ah > indyhall.org > coworking in philadelphia > > > > On Mar 14, 2013, at 3:17 PM, Bobby Liu <bobby...@gmail.com <javascript:>> > wrote: > > Alex..for one, Hanoi, or Vietnam, for that matter, is still a city/country > trying to overcome its past and in the process of achieving economic growth > as an emerging economy. The idea of co-working is still very new in Vietnam > with less than 5 in the country. I'll probably be #5. To your $0 idea in > building community, it works when you're able to gather or are exposed to a > wider like-minded individuals who understand the concept. At the moment, I > have to equate co-working space to Business Centers or Virtual Office...at > one point, it was compared to an internet cafe/bar. As it is, I'm having a > hard time telling people why I love working out of a cafe even tho I have > an office. > > There's still this perception of what corporate world is...the image in > the minds of the young...sort of akin to the 80s graduates? But I'm > optimistic, given the high percentage of Vietnamese under 35 (about 50%). > With the easy access of internet here (much much better than China. My 3G > plan is $2 per month on pre-paid card), I'm sure the idea of co-working, > once introduced, will spread virally. > > On Friday, March 15, 2013 2:05:10 AM UTC+7, Alex Hillman wrote: >> >> Bobby - I'm sure that there are lots of cultural differences around the >> world where the things that we do don't work. >> >> I'm curious why that's the case for Hanoi, in your perspective? >> >> -Alex >> >> -- >> /ah >> indyhall.org >> coworking in philadelphia >> >> >> >> On Mar 14, 2013, at 3:03 PM, Bobby Liu <bobby...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Thanks Alex...btw, have read your post also...very cool on ZERO $ >> idea...unfortunately, doesn't quite work in Hanoi... >> >> On Friday, March 15, 2013 2:01:05 AM UTC+7, Alex Hillman wrote: >>> >>> Hey Bobby! >>> >>> Check out the Coworking Visa page on the wiki: >>> http://wiki.coworking.com/w/page/16583744/CoworkingVisa >>> >>> Congratulations, and welcome to the community :) >>> >>> -- >>> /ah >>> indyhall.org >>> coworking in philadelphia >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mar 14, 2013, at 2:55 PM, Bobby Liu <bobby...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> Hi all, yes, you're reading correctly. Co-working space in Hanoi, >>> Vietnam. Currently, there's only one other space, and only recently opened >>> (open house next week!). I've been reading this forum and it's a wealth of >>> info to my learning on how to set up a co-working space. >>> >>> I'd like to know tho, are co-working spaces practice reciprocal use with >>> each other? If so, I'd like to see how I can set up such arrangement. I >>> don't foresee too many hours used but is always nice to know that if and >>> when required, it is made available. Thanks all. >>> >>> -- >>> Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Coworking" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> -- >> Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Coworking" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> >> >> >> > -- > Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to coworking+...@googlegroups.com <javascript:>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > > > -- Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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