I also loved the analog idea and I don't think that as coworking spaces we have to create any kind of virtual social network, but our online directory with search and easy connecting is very useful. From the beginning the idea of the online directory has been to showcase the members and help them connect and be found, and also to remove me and the rest of the staff as bottlenecks.
The public directory only displays about half of the members, but it is the 3rd most visited page of our site, mostly by members trying to find others with whom to speak or a name they forgot. A lot of visits come also from companies looking for freelancers to hire. The private directory (members choose to display their profile publicly or only to other members) also has a contact form so that you can send an email directly to any member. Anything that makes it easier for members to connect is welcome :) Ramon Suarez Serendipity Accelerator, Betacowork Author: http://coworkinghandbook.com email & hangouts: ra...@betacowork.com Phone: +3227376769 GSM: +32497556284 Twitter:http://twitter.com/ramonsuarez Skype: ramonsuarez Try coworking: http://betacowork.com <http://betacowork.com/free-coworking-tryout/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=468x60_banner&utm_content=girl-home&utm_campaign=ramon-signature> On Wed, Jan 14, 2015 at 6:08 PM, Alex Hillman <dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com> wrote: > I’m also a big fan of offline, low-tech solutions…especially within the > space itself. Photos of members’ experiences - things that show off life in > and outside of the coworking space - sound awesome. > > But we also ran into the problem with analog photos (using the Instax > camera) getting dreadfully out of date…or running out of film… > > And really, it wasn't as useful as we’d hoped. The goal of having photos > is to help people learn (or remember) names along with faces since that’s > easily one of the hardest parts about joining. And for a long time, I was > really really resistant to an online directory/bios, especially ones that > focus on their skills. The big reason for THAT is because we want people to > connect and have conversations about things other than what they *do * > (see: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/2014/08/conversation-therapy/) > > But our community doesn’t just “happen" inside the coworking space. In > fact, some of you have heard me say this year that 70% of our members use a > desk less than once a month…but they’re still active in our online > discussion community spaces between coworking days and events. Those > members don’t get to see the analog photo wall when realistically they’re > the ones who would benefit from it the most. > > So one of our members started this project, which has been picked up as a > collaborative effort led by one of our team members: > http://hello.indyhall.org/member-wall/ > > It’s NOT online bios…just photos and names, and really nice photos! We > currently only have around 20% of our community on here and it’s a slow > process to add people, but it’s been worth it because these photos can live > in *lots* of places. > > Most recently, we brought the online photo wall back offline by connecting > it to our Lounge TV via a Chromecast. It rotates through member photos with > their names, and current events/announcements/reminders. Looks like this: > > http://instagram.com/p/xzg-1DOGLW/ > http://instagram.com/p/xzX4OsuGN_/ > > Still a work in progress, but it’s been working :) > > -Alex > > > > ------------------ > *The #1 mistake in community building is doing it by yourself.* > Join the list: http://coworkingweekly.com > Listen to the podcast: http://listen.coworkingweekly.com > > > > On Wed, Jan 14, 2015 at 3:52 AM, Alex Linsker <alexlins...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >> I was inspired by bulletin boards at an office I used to work at, with >> photos of employees doing what they're passionate about: fishing trip, >> silly faces on a plane, hugging their kids, etc. >> >> At Collective Agency we have hallways with white walls, and as people >> come in, the photos are on the walls. Most photos have a series of >> questions and answers below that most members fill out the answers to when >> they join -- a mini-interview. I use double-sided tape on the pages, which >> makes it easy to move them around, and add new members, and provide a sense >> of continuity and anyone-can-do-this relaxed feel. >> >> We tried online bios years ago, but that quickly did not work -- it >> wasn't supporting the reasons why we exist (in the minds of the people who >> are willing to value us by paying), and actually detracted value. >> >> Alex Linsker, Collective Agency, Portland Oregon >> http://collectiveagency.co/ >> >> On Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 7:53:37 AM UTC-8, Gretchen Bilbro wrote: >>> >>> Hi all, >>> What have you used to create your member boards? I have a giant old >>> metal sign that I want to use for the board itself and place photos with >>> brief write ups on with magnets for our member board. For those that have >>> done something similar did you print photos on your printer or buy an >>> instant camera for this purpose? I seem to recall hearing at GCUC last year >>> that the instant camera idea was not the best option but can't remember why >>> or who said that. Any suggestions? >>> Thanks! >>> Gretchen >>> >> -- >> 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+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > -- > Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the > Google Groups "Coworking" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/topic/coworking/XqpJ345DRK0/unsubscribe. > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to > coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- 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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