[Coworking] Re: 2011 Austin Coworking Happy Hour
Check out this map of where everyone is coming from for the Coworking Happy Hour. We have a few coming from Europe too! http://i.imgur.com/4AGlh.png Pretty cool. :) -- 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.
[Coworking] Re: central work tables vs desks?
Even, We have a house too, just shy of 1600sq/ft. We have 2 rooms that are joined by double doors. It was our intention to get several small desks that could be rearranged and pushed around in those two rooms. However, due to monetary constraints, we started with 2 9ft long and 2 6ft long folding tables pushed to the center of each room, and for us this setup has been great! I like the big central work area primarily because it promotes collaboration, but I also think it allows us to seat more people. For example, it might be awkward to approach someone alone at a smallish desk to grab some laptop space, but people don't seem to have a problem bellying up to a large table. I guess my theory is that socially, many small desks equals (1 desk : 1 person), but socially a large table equal (1 desk : 1 - ? persons). Here's a picture of those 2 joined rooms: http://flickr.com/photos/thepxlpshr/2724386824/in/pool-conjunctured. We also have a couch room: http://flickr.com/photos/dustyreagan/2758435573/ A heads down room: http://flickr.com/photos/dustyreagan/2850916279/in/pool-conjunctured And a conference room (old pic): http://flickr.com/photos/dustyreagan/2700822363/in/set-72157606597867234/ Dusty http://Conjunctured.com On Jan 19, 1:00 pm, Jerome Chang wrote: > We have both fixed cubicles and a central "worktable". See > here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/blankspaces/2803672025/in/set-7215760619...http://www.flickr.com/photos/blankspaces/2804517438/in/set-7215760619... > > J > __ > BLANKSPACES > "work wide open" > > www.blankspaces.com > 5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea) > Los Angeles, CA 90036 > 323.330.9505 (office) > > On Jan 19, 2009, at 10:50 AM, Tony Bacigalupo wrote: > > > Yes, we have two blocks of four desks pushed up against each other, > > with a mix of FT and dropins at each. We also have two tables off to > > the side, which is proving nice for folks who want to be social but > > still want to maintain some privacy. > > > Then we have a long dinner table for six, which is great for events, > > lunch, and groups. One startup (Tripfilms.com) takes over the table > > twice a week and has their whole team there working together. > > > Diversity is definitely useful, but flexibility is paramount. Most > > important, as always, is to be offering what your members want... > > which, over the course of time, will change. > > > Tony > > New Work City > > > On Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 1:46 PM, Alex Hillman > > wrote: > > Depending on the desks you get, they can be pushed togehter like a > > large table. That way, depending on the needs of the group, you can > > get both effects. > > > Our most recent configuration pushes together clusters of 3-4 desks > > with a mix of full time spots + drop-ins, encouraging mix and > > collaboration. Our members have been really enjoying it. > > > CitizenSpace's dropin area is the same sort of thing, with a number > > of desks making up a large shared work table. New Work City has a > > table that fits 4-5 people at it too, right Tony? > > > -Alex > > > -- > > - > > -- > > - > > Alex Hillman > > im always developing something > > digital: a...@weknowhtml.com > > visual:www.dangerouslyawesome.com > > local:www.indyhall.org > > > On Mon, Jan 19, 2009 at 1:34 PM, evan wrote: > > > So we've been in our space for 2 weeks now and we started out just > > getting a big folding table while we figure out furniture. We've been > > trying to figure how how many desks we can fit in our relatively small > > rooms. Unlikely many coworking spaces, we've got a house we're using, > > so some of the rooms are smallish bedrooms. The total space is 2500 sq > > ft. > > > My question is this, have people tried / used central tables which are > > shared by 3 to 6 people for coworking? We're thinking that upstairs > > we'd put maybe central tables, on the main floor desks, and in the > > basement which is more of a hang out space and where the meeting room > > is, for couches. > > > Has anybody tried this? Does it work well? What problems might we > > run in to? > > > thanks, > > evan --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: internet access at coworking spaces
@Tony - Your router setup is awesome! What brand/model is your router hardware? Is the HTML for the calendar, paypal, twitter feed, etc, saved inside the router? Or is it hosted on a webserver outside of the router? Do you think it'd be possible to get a backup of your firmware file that we could shamelessly (or maybe shamefully ;) rip off? Sorry for the barrage of questions. We've talked often of setting something like what you have up at Conjunctured. We just didn't know the best way to go about it. @Will - Our day users get their 1st day free, after that it's $25/day. Our system for keeping records of this is very poor. Keeping a spreadsheet was simply too mundane for us to keep up. Now we keep track in our heads. Obviously that's prone to error. But like Alex suggested, we get to know everyone who comes in the door. Our wireless is protected by a password that's written on a white board inside the space. Dusty http://conjunctured.com On Jan 6, 11:35 am, "Tony Bacigalupo" wrote: > Hi Julie! > > Anytime is good for me, generally-- just need a couple days notice and a > time. > One note: right now, the system does not require you to pay to get online-- > only to create a user/pw. The ultimate goal would be to link internet > connectivity to payment, and have ways for full-timers to bypass, as well as > a "OMG just need 20 minutes to check my email" button. > > T > > On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 12:10 PM, Julie wrote: > > > Tony, > > > Would love to talk to you about wifidog some time before SXSW if not > > before. What's the best way to get on your sched? Just looking at > > your screenshot, looks like an efficient, automated way of tracking. > > We do manual sign-ins and process on paypal (similar to Alex, it > > sounds). We have a wifi password that all members have, of course, > > and we just provide it for drop-ins too. We change that password > > every couple of months. > > > Julie Duryea > > owner, souk > > 322 nw 6th avenue, suite 200 > > portland, oregon 97209 > > p | 503.517.6900 > > f | 503.517.6901 > > skype julieduryea > >http://www.soukllc.com > > tweet soukportland > > > On Jan 6, 6:33 am, "Tony Bacigalupo" wrote: > > > New Work City uses a system built by NYC Wireless on the WifiDog > > platform. > > > It requires users to create and use a login when connecting, which can be > > > useful down the line in building out profiles and other social features. > > > > It also allows us to build a landing page after people log in, which we > > use > > > for a buy button for dropins, headlines from our blog and twitter, and a > > > calendar (screenshot here: > >http://www.nwcny.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/nycw-nwc.jpg) > > > > I wrote a quick post about it here: > >http://www.nwcny.com/blog/2009/01/nycwireless-at-new-work-city/ > > > > WifiDog should fulfill your bullet point list of needs, except perhaps > > for > > > OpenID support. > > > > Keep us posted! > > > > Tony Bacigalupo > > > New Work City > > > > On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 9:17 PM, Will Norris wrote: > > > > > I've been talking with Tara and Chris about setting up a better system > > > > for the wireless network at Citizen Space. It is one of the few > > > > (only?) spaces in San Francisco that still offers free drop-ins (at > > > > least for the time being). As such, they've never had a good system > > > > for tracking who is using the space. There is a physical guest book > > > > by the door, but few people actually use. So we've been talking about > > > > changing the network to require users to fill out a basic form before > > > > they can access the net (similar to how most public wifi hotspots > > > > work). Before I spend too much time on this, I wanted to survey the > > > > community a bit... > > > > > What are other spaces doing to control internet access at their > > > > spaces? Do you require authentication of any kind to get online? Is > > > > it simply a password written on a whiteboard in a public area of the > > > > space? Do you have individual logins for each person? > > > > > How are others tracking drop-ins? If you are charging for drop-ins, > > > > then you pretty much have to track them in order to bill them. What > > > > about those that allow free drop-ins... do you have accurate records > > > > of who is using the space and when? > > > > > Some preliminary
[Coworking] Re: Intro: Patrick Keenan & THE MOVEMENT
Hey Pat, We're trying to do a similar thing at Conjunctured. You mentioned "At THE MOVEMENT we are working on allowing individuals to act like larger entities and form teams around meaningful projects under a shared brand." "Conjunctured is a member-based community in Austin of free agents who collaborate under a common brand while maintaining their autonomy." I think we may be having the same thought! :) We had a Google Group going about the particulars of the agency side of Conjunctured at http://groups.google.com/group/co-company. It's been pretty dormant since we finally opened up our coworking space. Would love to collaborate with you guys though. Cool podcast! Dusty --- http://DustyReagan.com http://Conjunctured.com On Dec 8, 11:42 am, pkeenan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Guys, > > I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Patrick Keenan, and I work at > THE MOVEMENT. I work in Toronto at the Center for Social innovation, > but plan on working at many more places. > > At THE MOVEMENT we are working on allowing individuals to act like > larger entities and form teams around meaningful projects under a > shared brand. You can find out more here,http://www.themovement.info > > But the reason I'm posting is because I recently did interviews with a > number of shared spaces and wanted to share the podcast. Included are > Co-Lab in Tokyo, Workspace in Vancouver, Office Nomads in Seattle, > Citizen Space in San Francisco, Center for Social Innovation in > Toronto, and The Hub in London. > > You can get the podcast here:http://prototype.thmvmnt.com/archives/148 > > I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave comments on the blog. > > –Pat --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Congrats Conjunctured, great coworking piece on MSNBC
Thanks everyone! We were really excited to get a showcase like that! Can't wait for y'all to come visit us the next time you're in Austin. :) Dusty --- http://DustyReagan.com http://Conjunctured.com On Nov 17, 9:08 pm, "Tara Hunt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I know I'm late to this, but wow! Great story and the MSNBC reporter really > 'got' it! Congrats! Can't wait to come cowork out of Conjunctured next time > I get to Austin. :) > T > > > > On Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 5:30 PM, Kelly Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Congratulations -- great piece! > > Kelly Brown > > Office Space Coworking > >www.officespacecoworking.com > > > On Nov 17, 2:35 pm, "Alex Hillman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > > >http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27723226#27723226 > > > > Quality piece, nice showcase for conjunctured. > > > > Would love for a piece of this caliber to be done about coworking: the > > > movement beyond any individual space. > > > > Either way, nice piece and enjoy :) > > > > -Alex > > > > -- > > > - > > > -- > > > - > > > Alex Hillman > > > im always developing something > > > digital: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > visual:www.dangerouslyawesome.com > > > local:www.indyhall.org > > -- > -- > tara 'missrogue' hunt > > Book: The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your > Business > (http://www.amazon.com/Whuffie-Factor-Capital-Winning-Communities/dp/0... > ) > Company: Citizen Agency (http://www.citizenagency.com) > Blog: HorsePigCow: Marketing Uncommon (http://www.horsepigcow.com) > Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/missrogue > phone: 415-694-1951 > fax: 415-727-5335 --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Conjunctured's on Mashable!
Conjunctured made it onto Mashable! w00t! http://mashable.com/2008/09/29/conjunctured/ Dusty http://conjunctured.com --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: New Work City membership agreement - version 1
I'd also dig helping with an open source coworking member agreement. We're currently not using one at Conjunctured! :o We are however, working up a very thorough partnership agreement for an LLC. Anyone need one of those? :) Would be nice to have a open source coworking legal library. Dusty http://conjunctured.com On Sep 29, 11:51 pm, "Mike Schinkel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > An open source working agreement would be GREAT. > I don't know how much I can contribute (legally), but would love to see one > created and will provide ideas the best I can. > > -Mike Schinkel > President; NewClarity LLChttp://mikeschinkel.com > > -Original Message- > From: coworking@googlegroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > > Behalf Of Alex Linsker > Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 5:04 AM > To: Coworking > Subject: [Coworking] Re: New Work City membership agreement - version 1 > > Hi Alex, > > I'd like to help create an open source working agreement. Although I'm not > a lawyer, I've worked for lawyers in relevant fields, and have written > employment, partnership, client and outsourcing contracts which have been > greenlighted by some of the best lawyers. I'm great at writing really > plain-language, simple, direct, easy-to-read contracts. > > What's the next step? > > -Alex > > Alex Linsker > (646) 269-4915 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Organizational democracy: helping people work together in companies > > On Sep 26, 11:01 am, "Alex Hillman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > To the many of you who've worked from our agreement: > > Ours was taken from a very generic "shared space" agreement that I > > found somewhere on the web. We needed something FAST, so we slightly > > modded the TOS that I'd found and worked from there. > > > It's been my desire for over a year now to tone down that agreement, > > it's got a lot of garbage and legalese in it. > > > If anyone is interested in working with Geoff and myself, as well as > > if anyone has any legal resources that could chip in, I'd love to work > > together to create an open source coworking agreement that covers what > > really needs to be covered, and cuts out all of the other crap. > > > -Alex > > > -- > > - > > -- > > - > > Alex Hillman > > im always developing something > > digital: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > visual:www.dangerouslyawesome.com > > local:www.indyhall.org > > > On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 10:58 AM, Tony Bacigalupo > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > > > > Agreed all around. So should we simply removed the "disparaging" or > > > get rid of the clause altogether? Is it important to have protection > > > against defamation? > > > > Also, since the space isn't open yet, we'll be adding stipulations > > > that membership won't start until after the space is open, and that > > > the space will open within a certain range of dates or the agreement is > null and void. > > > > Anything else? > > > > On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 8:27 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] < > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> > statements or comments of a defamatory or disparaging nature to > > >> > any third party regarding NEW > > > >> Yeah, we based our contract on IH too (thanks Alex!) but took out > > >> "disparaging" after the first round of signings, "defamation" is > > >> one thing but with "disparaging" in there it looks like we don't > > >> want to be critiqued either. > > > >> Btw, if anyone opens up a space in Canada, our version has a couple > > >> of local tweaks so feel free to ask for the file. > > > >> Patrick > > >> station-c.com- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Spike's latest question for everyone
Susan, I totally drive to Conjunctured on off traffic hours. I leave the house after 10am and leave Conjunctured after 7pm. I miss traffic both ways! Here's to setting your own hours! :) Dusty http://conjunctured.com On Sep 11, 2:50 pm, "Susan Price (Firecat Sue)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Very interested in everyone's answers to this. > > For me, I spend about 3 days a week in the studio - coworking, and 3 > days at home. On coworking days, I get there at 9:30 or 10 and leave > at 3:30 (specifically to beat traffic). > > I'm curious to know if others do an "off-hours" schedule skew trick to > avoid traffic, or pick the kids up from school, or whathaveyou. It's > my sense that folks who take advantage of coworking ALSO take > advantage of being able to work from home, or client locations > generally - but would love to have that validated. > > We should surveymonkey everyone, eh? > > Thanks! > > -Susan > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]://firecatstudio.com > > On Sep 10, 6:04 pm, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > about how many hours do you work in a week and/or in a month at your > > coworking space? --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Spike's latest question for everyone
Total hours spent in the space (work, live, play). Probably around 40hrs per 7 days. - Dusty http://conjunctured.com On Sep 10, 5:04 pm, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hey Y'all, > > another one of my (informal) survey questions for any/all takers: > > about how many hours do you work in a week and/or in a month at your > coworking space? > > i'm not talking about hours spent running the space. i mean hours you > spend working on your regular work gig. please feel free to pass this > along to any coworkers you know even if they aren't in this group. > they can email me directly with answers. > > Thanks, > spike --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Coworking Research: Questions about the space.
Conjunctured's (Austin) Answers: 1) How much finishing did you require in order to get your space functional? We leased an old house built in 1918. It was in great condition when we got it. We had the interior repainted and gave it a good cleaning. Other than that, it was ready to go. 2) Did you go wireless exclusively, or did you provide ethernet connections? And if you did, did you spend the money to have these inset, or did you run cable and use switches/routers? We're running business class cable on a Airport Extreme with an Airport Express as a repeater. We also use the Express to take turns streaming iTunes to the stereo. Sometimes people have wireless issues with their laptops and have to plug into the router via cable. We have plans to add business class DSL from a separate provider on a different wireless router to add some redundancy. 3) What percentage of your starting budget did you allocate to preparing the facility? Truthfully, zero. We used all of our starting budget to pay the deposit with a bit left over. As we got money from members, we improved the space. Also, after we got rolling we got some modest investment money to help us spruce up the place further. 4) Where did you get your office furniture? Did you involve the interested community in donating items, did you buy surplus, used, auction, new? We have donated items, we have surplus items, IKEA items, and some REALLY nice couches from IF+D. 5) How many months of lease did you include in your initial budget calculations? How did the numbers work out for you? We negotiated our first 2 months free So 2 months. ;) 2 months worked out great. We now bring in enough money to cover all of our expenses, including rent. 6) What was the biggest obstacle to getting your space ready to work? We're bootstrapped, and pretty much had no money getting started. Makes things pretty tricky. 7) Does your space represent a profit (by that, I mean your wage comes from the space) center, or do you run it as a break-even and have your own business or job on the side for primary income? Do you know what the norm is for space owners? Right now we run it as break-even and have our own businesses. However, we have plans to scale it so it creates a profit. Although we're break even at the moment. We (there's 4 of us) run the space like startup. We have marketing and operational budgets, balanced books, waterfall financial projections, weekly management meetings, and we even have an advisory board. We spend alot of time working on Conjunctured. 8) Aside from rent and equipment, were there any other financial gotcha's that really stood out or were unexpected? Did people consume 7 times as much coffee as you expected, for instance. Also, because of the heavy computer load, how accurate were any power utility estimates that you forecast? Our financial gotcha was our central heat and air. We had to spend $1100 to get it working. Then we found out it just doesn't have the oomph to cool our poorly insulated house in the Texas heat when more than 10 people are working. To combat this we purchased two 1 ton floor air-conditioners for $300 each. The old house needs better insulation, and probably a bigger compressor. But the floor units have solved our AC problems cheaply for now. 9) Do you have any advice to share on getting started with a commercial real estate broker? Did you do the research on your own, or did you rely on an agent to find spaces? Any things to look out for when hunting for the space that might not be obvious? I know it's important to verify that the facility can handle power load. We did some research on our own, but having a professional commercial real estate agent made all the difference in the world. Highly recommend you use one. Hope this helped some. :) --- Dusty http://conjunctured.com On Sep 6, 1:17 pm, Christian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Thank you all for your responses! It is certainly helfpul to hear. I > have a few more questions: > > Does your space represent a profit (by that, I mean your wage comes > from the space) center, or do you run it as a break-even and have your > own business or job on the side for primary income? Do you know what > the norm is for space owners? > > Aside from rent and equipment, were there any other financial gotcha's > that really stood out or were unexpected? Did people consume 7 times > as much coffee as you expected, for instance. Also, because of the > heavy computer load, how accurate were any power utility estimates > that you forecast? > > Do you have any advice to share on getting started with a commercial > real estate broker? Did you do the research on your own, or did you > rely on an agent to find spaces? Any things to look out for when > hunting for the space that might not be obvious? I know it's important > to verify that the facility ca
[Coworking] Re: Marketing and Advertising a Space or Group
Hey Joseph, For Jelly in Austin I got started by announcing our Jelly meetups to other related local organizations, both in person and via their list serves / forums. I also started our own Google Group to announce Jelly meetups on. The next big thing that helped a lot was hosting the meetups at a consistent public place and time. We have the support of a local cafe which is a huge help. I post meetups to Twitter, Upcoming, the Jelly wiki, and several other spots on line. For traditional marketing, flyers at local cafe's worked pretty well. The hard core Jelly fans put Jelly stickers on the backs of their laptops. I've also tried printing some business cards with our web address and the time and location of our consistent Jelly meetups. All 3 of those things works pretty well and are reasonably affordable. Another thing that worked great was having other local orgs have their meeting during Jelly. That's worked beautifully. The few times that's happened it was the other orgs that approached me with the idea (and I *heart* them for it). You could try approaching them though. Get involved in some of you communities other organizations, make a lot of friends and tell them what you're doing. Viral marketing and word of mouth does the rest. We also got some really good press via the Austin Statesman and the Austin Business Journal, but that came quite a bit later and is usually out of your control as an organizer. But it sure does help. :) Marketing our coworking space Conjunctured revolves around word of mouth and supporting our community as much as humanly possible, and that's not fluff. Seriously, support your community and they'll support you. Make friends, be consistent, help people, tell them what you do. Dusty PS. I've got more material in my head on this subject. I'll try and get all down in writing soon so I can share it. :) On Jul 9, 6:27 pm, Joseph A Holsten <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I've been pruning the patterns pages, and i feels like the pages on > marketing are a bit sparse. I know that regarding there's more > knowledge about it in your heads than on the wiki! > > How are new communities (like us jelly folks in tulsa) getting the > word out? How are the established spaces keeping the community alive? > Have you had luck (or failure) with events, sponsorships or > conventional marketing? > > I know we're planning on flyering and buying a few ads. Plus I run a > regular jelly and have a grillout afterwards. > > http:// Joseph Holsten.com --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Conjunctured Coworking in Austin, Oh Hai!
Thanks Audiogeek, Julie, & Tara! I'd love to write about Conjunctured on the coworking blog! Thanks Tara! I already put us on the Google Map. :) And our url is http://conjunctured.com. We're working on the next version of site now, one with more info about the coworking space. We really appreciate the support everyone! Thanks! :) Dusty On Jun 28, 4:06 pm, "Tara Hunt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dusty, > > Would you like to blog about this on the coworking blog? Also...make sure > you put yourself on the map and send me your url so I can add you to the > existing spaces on the website. > > T > > > > > > > > On Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 7:57 PM, Dusty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hi all, > > > Dusty from Austin here. > > > After 2 false starts, Conjunctured finally secured a lease for a > > coworking space in Austin! w00t! > > > We had an impromptu party last Monday when we got the keys. Check out > > Cesar's video here: > >http://conjunctured.com/blog/the-super-secret-party-from-last-night/ > > > We're opening for a "soft launch" July 1st and our grand opening is > > August 4th! Please wish us luck and I'll keep everyone posted as > > things develop. :) > > > Dusty > > -- > tara 'missrogue' hunt > coFounder > Citizen Agency (www.citizenagency.com) > blog:www.horsepigcow.com > phone: 415-694-1951 > fax: 415-727-5335 --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Conjunctured Coworking in Austin, Oh Hai!
Hi all, Dusty from Austin here. After 2 false starts, Conjunctured finally secured a lease for a coworking space in Austin! w00t! We had an impromptu party last Monday when we got the keys. Check out Cesar's video here: http://conjunctured.com/blog/the-super-secret-party-from-last-night/ We're opening for a "soft launch" July 1st and our grand opening is August 4th! Please wish us luck and I'll keep everyone posted as things develop. :) Dusty --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Redefining Coworking
Joseph, I'm not trying to be a poop head. I agree you can use the word however you want. No need for a vote. Just discussing semantics. :) On Jun 4, 11:05 am, "Joseph Holsten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 9:15 PM, Dusty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hi everyone! > > > After many discussions about what coworking entails (including things > > like non-profit vs for-profit), I've been feeling a bit like there's > > some confusion about what exactly coworking is. > > > I'd like to propose that coworking is not a noun but a verb. So, > > coworking is not a space, a community, a set of values, a business > > model, or any combination of those things. It's an activity like > > swimming is an activity. > > > If we look at the definition of coworking on the Coworking Wiki, we > > read that "coworking is a cafe-like community/collaboration space for > > developers, writers and independents." This defines coworking as a > > noun and as a type of community space. Wikipedia does a bit better at > > defining coworking in my mind, but still places a lot of emphases on > > "the space." > > > From my experience with Jelly, coworking is something you are doing. > > For example, I'd use it in a sentence like this: "Today I am coworking > > at Jelly." Or, "I might go to Citizen Space to cowork." From this > > usage I'd like to propose the following definition. > > > - Coworking is two or more individuals working independently or > > collaboratively who are socially interacting while they work. > > > As a verb you can cowork with people, you can be coworking, or you may > > have coworked. You may even go to a designated coworking space. > > > Also note, that this definition does not mention anything about a > > space or even proximity. This leaves the possibility to cowork > > remotely. Second Life and Yahoo! Live come to mind. > > > When we talk about creating a "coworking space," "coworking > > community," or having a specific set of values, we're really talking > > about how to create an environment or community that will encourage > > the activity of coworking. Arguments over values, profits, business > > models, and furniture can neither undermine nor enhance the definition > > of coworking. Build a pool and I may go swimming. Is it a free pool? > > Do I have to pay to swim? Is the water clean? Are kids allowed in the > > pool? Is there a swim team that meets at this pool? Is the pool's > > owner honest? All of these thing may affect my decision to swim in the > > pool, but are ultimately a matter of taste. > > > In this vein, the coworking movement is a movement of coworking > > enthusiasts. We participate in, promote, and discuss the activity of > > coworking. > > > In summary, I'm proposing that coworking is NOT a cafe-like community/ > > collaboration space. That's like saying swimming is a pool. And > > arguments such as for-profit versus non-profit need not become heated. > > Coworking is coworking regardless of where it's at, what values people > > share, or how big the community is. If you're working and socializing, > > you're coworking. > > > What do you think? > > > PS. I originally wrote this on my > > blog:http://dustyreagan.com/redefining-coworking/ > > but I wanted to bring the discussion here. > > > Dusty > > I gotta say that you can use the word however you want. I couldn't > stop you anyhow. But If you decide you want to chill at a coworking, > or start a coworking, or arrange a mutiny at a coworking, I'll know > what you mean. "Define" it however you want, I won't be referring to > your dictionary when next I hear the word. > > Further, you're welcome to pretend you have no idea what I mean when I > say I'm trying to start a coworking. But don't tell me I'm "wrong." If > I was wrong, either you'd have no idea what I meant, or misinterpret > my meaning. If you know what I mean & refuse to acknowledge it, then > that's pretty pedantic. Almost at pedantic as writing a critique on > the internet wherein your subject is deemed pedantic. Almost as bad as > that last sentence. > > Anyway: I don't care how you define things. How about we agree that if > I don't know what you mean, I'll ask for an explanation nicely. > > http:// Joseph Holsten .com > > PS > If I misunderstood anything, sorry. But I've abused the right to > "define" things to great (that is, ill) effect over the years. It lets > me be both formally correct and an asshat all at once. > > I try to stick to purely consensus definitions whenever possible now. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Redefining Coworking
Good discussions happening! Cheers to that. Patrick. You mention that you thought this concept would be better received had it been brought up by someone hosting a coworking session that just happens to change location. That would be me. I founded Jelly in Austin. I've hosted about 30 coworking sessions. The space, to me, is irrelevant to whether a group of people are coworking or not. For example, consider a Jelly meetup hosted outside on a nice day. I don't think defining coworking as "individuals working and interacting" is reductive, or that it takes away from what a coworking space wants to / should be building. I think "individuals working and interacting" is exactly what a coworking space should strive to promote. Their interaction is the secret sauce. The space, community, or group is the facilitator to encourage people to interact. (Interestingly, the space, community, or group was probably derived out of two or more individuals interacting whilst working.) Building the perfect coworking space, or the perfect coworking community, is a kin to building the perfect swimming pool. I can swim anywhere there's water, but of course I'd prefer to swim in my ideal swimming pool. I'm gonna' step out a little farther on the limb. I believe people working 9 to 5 at an office, if they’re socially interacting while working, they are coworking. Thus, they are coworkers. The concept of coworking came about when people who worked from home began to miss the social interaction that is usually available at a traditional office. Thus the term was born. The term coworking does not distinguish traditional workers from progressive workers. It distinguishes working alone versus working in a social group. Progressive workers, organizations, movers and shakers, they incorporate coworking into their groups and systems, because it's clearly the best way to work and generate innovation. They tweak the model of how people cowork to get the best results. That doesn't mean that a group that hasn't tweaked their model as well as another is not coworking. To me, the discussions we have are about how to best tweak our models to generate the most innovation through coworking. This is what the coworking movement is about. We're comparing notes on what works best in our experience and situation. One model is not more coworking than another. The activity our models promote is coworking. On Jun 4, 10:05 am, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dusty I agree with the spirit of what you are saying and mentioning > Jelly is a good idea because yes, I would agree Jelly is a great part > of coworking and no they aren't linked to a specific permanent place. > I think the Cream Cheese sessions were also a great example of > coworking with no specific space. I think you can have a great > community that coworks without a space. > > However, I think (and would love to be proven wrong) that you are > trying to change it to solely a verb so that you can extract the part > you like. Coworking, from it's inception, has been about a community > that works and collaborates and socializes and meets up for community > building (eesh, that sounds too much like team building in big cos., > not the same ;) events. It's possible to take the simpler definition > and see it in a different light but the spirit behind it is, I > believe, what I just described. > > Jelly and Cream Cheese, not being location based were making the act > of coworking be the community event. The secret sauce is/was the act > of going there together and working and more. When you have a space, > you can hold other events, foster community in more ways. Whatever the > model the fact remains that we are doing more than just working and > randomly talking with people who are there. > > I think making it a verb and trying to make it "individuals working > and interacting" is reductive, it takes away from what a coworking > space wants to / should be building; a group, a community. Working > next to someone and socialising is being a normal human with human > contact needs. Working together and building something more together > is coworking. The "place" can be a permanent physical place, it can be > a place the group swarms to but the ulterior motives are more than > just socializing because you happen to be next to each other. > > Finally, I think if this had come from someone hosting a coworking > session that just happens to change location, it would have been > better received. In this case it's a way of making a business center > be able to sound like a coworking space. I think you have a great > project ramping up, I also think the fact you are involved and trying > to find a way to fit your model with the original visi
[Coworking] Redefining Coworking
Hi everyone! After many discussions about what coworking entails (including things like non-profit vs for-profit), I've been feeling a bit like there's some confusion about what exactly coworking is. I'd like to propose that coworking is not a noun but a verb. So, coworking is not a space, a community, a set of values, a business model, or any combination of those things. It's an activity like swimming is an activity. If we look at the definition of coworking on the Coworking Wiki, we read that “coworking is a cafe-like community/collaboration space for developers, writers and independents.” This defines coworking as a noun and as a type of community space. Wikipedia does a bit better at defining coworking in my mind, but still places a lot of emphases on “the space.” From my experience with Jelly, coworking is something you are doing. For example, I’d use it in a sentence like this: “Today I am coworking at Jelly.” Or, “I might go to Citizen Space to cowork.” From this usage I’d like to propose the following definition. - Coworking is two or more individuals working independently or collaboratively who are socially interacting while they work. As a verb you can cowork with people, you can be coworking, or you may have coworked. You may even go to a designated coworking space. Also note, that this definition does not mention anything about a space or even proximity. This leaves the possibility to cowork remotely. Second Life and Yahoo! Live come to mind. When we talk about creating a “coworking space,” “coworking community,” or having a specific set of values, we’re really talking about how to create an environment or community that will encourage the activity of coworking. Arguments over values, profits, business models, and furniture can neither undermine nor enhance the definition of coworking. Build a pool and I may go swimming. Is it a free pool? Do I have to pay to swim? Is the water clean? Are kids allowed in the pool? Is there a swim team that meets at this pool? Is the pool’s owner honest? All of these thing may affect my decision to swim in the pool, but are ultimately a matter of taste. In this vein, the coworking movement is a movement of coworking enthusiasts. We participate in, promote, and discuss the activity of coworking. In summary, I'm proposing that coworking is NOT a cafe-like community/ collaboration space. That’s like saying swimming is a pool. And arguments such as for-profit versus non-profit need not become heated. Coworking is coworking regardless of where it’s at, what values people share, or how big the community is. If you’re working and socializing, you’re coworking. What do you think? PS. I originally wrote this on my blog: http://dustyreagan.com/redefining-coworking/ but I wanted to bring the discussion here. Dusty --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Fort Worth - Coworking groups?
Have you tried Jelly? http://www.workatjelly.com/ Looks like some folks have organized a DFW meetup before: http://wiki.workatjelly.com/Jelly+-+DFW,+Texas Maybe you could hook up with those folks and get a regular meetup going. Dusty On May 17, 12:55 pm, "Nick - Fort Worth, Texas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Does anyone know of any Coworking groups in Fort Worth, Texas, or > nearby? > > I spend about 40% of my time with customers, 20% driving around the > Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and 40% sitting at some random coffee > shop or diner working on my laptop and talking on the phone amongst > strangers. I can't say I'd mind going somewhere with recognizable > people. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: How many people can you cram into a space?
Yeah, I see what you mean Julie. I think formula c) needs tweaking. Illustration about occupancy ratio (My apologizes if this is painfully obvious to anyone.) If your space can handle 10 occupants. Deciding on a 80% occupancy ratio would mean you try to sell at max 12 - 13 memberships. You're assuming on any given day 2 - 3 people will not come into the space. You could also add padding for slow months by calculating the member dues as if your space can handle only, lets say, 6 occupants. So perhaps formula c) changes to introduce a new variable "min_membership": a) space_total_area / space_per_person = max_occupancy b) max_memberships = max_occupancy / occupancy_ratio c) expenses / min_memberships = cost_per_member Then max_memberships is the most memberships you can sell (and is the best potential your space can achieve) and min_memberships is the fewest amount of members you can have and be sustainable. Thoughts? -Dusty On Oct 26, 5:40 pm, "Julie Gomoll" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dusty - > > I really, strongly recommend you estimate low, at least for budgeting > purposes. If you estimate 100% occupancy and budget for that, and then 3 > people drop out after a month, you could end up in a bind. Budget for less, > and if you end up with 100% occupancy, you have a crisis of success :) > > Julie Gomoll > Austin --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: How many people can you cram into a space?
I certainly buy into the philosophy of building the community first and bootstrapping. But I believe this type of planning is valuable and is not in conflict with community building or bootstrapping. The reason is, if I have these formulas: a) space_total_area / space_per_person = max_occupancy b) max_memberships = max_occupancy / occupancy_ratio c) expenses / max_memberships = cost_per_member Then I can balance (or combine) those equations to estimate the unknown. So for example, coming at it from a community first and bootstrapping angle, if I have 10 folks interested in joining a space but don't have a space yet then I could use the following formula (if I know the space_per_person). a) your_friends * space_per_person = total_space_needed "space_per_person" and "occupancy_ratio" are hard to estimate. That's why I'm seeking experience. :) I can see how it might be a stretch to estimate a generic occupancy ratio. It might be safest to assume the space will be at 100% occupancy until you know otherwise. If you estimate a low occupancy, and you end up being wrong, you may end up charging too little to cover costs or you'll have too many people in your space. On the other hand, if you estimate high you may charge too much or have an empty space. Estimating too high seems easier to correct though. Useful? Are my formulas whack? ( I'm actually not that great at math, I just pretend to be. :p ) -Dusty On Oct 26, 2:30 pm, "Alex Hillman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I don't think we (at IndyHall, anyway) have any stable enough numbers to > present after 60 days of being open, and even then, its very very > subjective. I don't think even a ballpark would help you. Our members are > not your members, within our own membership use and use cases vary widely. > > For the gabillionth time(and I'm still smiling when I say that!): all of > these figures will become evident when you have some semblance of a > community interested in utilizing a space together. Ask them, not us! I > understand that for business plans and investors, these figures might be > necessary, but that's just one more reason to spend the time a) building the > community and b) putting yourself in a position to bootstrap. > > On 10/26/07, Dusty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > This is great information. Thanks everyone. > > > Great tip on the Ikea desk's! Thanks Alex. > > > So we think each person takes up about 36sq/ft to 100sq/ft of space. > > That's a pretty broad range! :) But great information for planning > > purposes. Anymore experience out there on the matter? > > > What do you guys think about the membership to occupancy ratio? In > > other words. Say you have 100 members, would you say 60 of them are in > > the space at any given time (on average)? > > > Again, looking for ballparks. > > > Thanks, > > -Dusty in Austin > > > On Oct 26, 12:15 pm, "Alex Hillman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > > > These tops:http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60117016 > > > With these legs:http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10105290 > > > > There are other dimensions of desk-tops in the same line if you wanted > > > bigger/longer ones, but for the price, these are an EXCELLENT deal, easy > > to > > > move/arrange, and if one gets damaged it's not a huge loss. > > > > We had sort of a desk/chair-buliding party where we had members come by > > > during out set-up period and help put furniture together. BYO drill. It > > was > > > a good time! > > > > -Alex > > > > On 10/26/07, Columbus Bryce <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > I've heard mention of these IKEA desks before... could you give us an > > > > idea of which specific model it is? > > > > > On Oct 26, 8:41 am, "Alex Hillman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > wrote: > > > > > Our desks are identical to those at CitizenSpace, 2' deep by 4' > > across. > > > > -- > > > - > > > -- > > > - > > > Alex Hillman > > > web.developer.innovation.consultant > > > vocal: 484.597.6256 > > > digital: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | skype: dangerouslyawesome > > > visual:www.weknowhtml.com|www.dangerouslyawesome.com > > > local:www.indyhall.org > > -- > - > -- > - > Alex Hillman > web.developer.innovation.consultant > vocal: 484.597.6256 > digital: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | skype: dangerouslyawesome > visual:www.weknowhtml.com|www.dangerouslyawesome.com > local:www.indyhall.org --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: How many people can you cram into a space?
This is great information. Thanks everyone. Great tip on the Ikea desk's! Thanks Alex. So we think each person takes up about 36sq/ft to 100sq/ft of space. That's a pretty broad range! :) But great information for planning purposes. Anymore experience out there on the matter? What do you guys think about the membership to occupancy ratio? In other words. Say you have 100 members, would you say 60 of them are in the space at any given time (on average)? Again, looking for ballparks. Thanks, -Dusty in Austin On Oct 26, 12:15 pm, "Alex Hillman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > These tops:http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60117016 > With these legs:http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10105290 > > There are other dimensions of desk-tops in the same line if you wanted > bigger/longer ones, but for the price, these are an EXCELLENT deal, easy to > move/arrange, and if one gets damaged it's not a huge loss. > > We had sort of a desk/chair-buliding party where we had members come by > during out set-up period and help put furniture together. BYO drill. It was > a good time! > > -Alex > > On 10/26/07, Columbus Bryce <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > I've heard mention of these IKEA desks before... could you give us an > > idea of which specific model it is? > > > On Oct 26, 8:41 am, "Alex Hillman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > wrote: > > > Our desks are identical to those at CitizenSpace, 2' deep by 4' across. > > -- > - > -- > - > Alex Hillman > web.developer.innovation.consultant > vocal: 484.597.6256 > digital: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | skype: dangerouslyawesome > visual:www.weknowhtml.com|www.dangerouslyawesome.com > local:www.indyhall.org --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] How many people can you cram into a space?
Hi everyone, I'm wondering what a good rule of thumb is on how many people you can fit into a given space? I'm trying to find the maximum revenue potential for a given space. Say, given 1000 square foot (excluding conference rooms, and bathrooms) what is the maximum membership capacity of permanent desk members and walk-in members. Just pulling some numbers out of the air. If permanent desk members took up a footprint (desk, chair, and room to move) of 8x8ft on average and walkins took up 5x5. You should be able to fit 10 permanent members and 14 walkins. (If I did my math right.) Further if we assume only 60% of our walkins will be in the space at any given time we could reserve up to 23 walkin memberships. To those of you that own spaces. Do my average member footprints sound about right? And how about my ratio of walkin members that are in the space at any given time? I'm looking for ballparks. :) Thanks, Dusty in Austin --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: quote of the day re "why coworking" (and gender balance); Austin visit this week
Friday is good for me. I'll shoot you an email Julie. :) On Oct 22, 11:08 am, "Julie Gomoll" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Raines - I'd sure like to meet with you while you're in town. I'm opening a > coworking cafe in Austin this spring (along with 4 other women, btw :) and > would love to hear your thoughts. Are you around Friday? > > Dusty, clearly you and I need to meet, too. Maybe we can all get together > Friday? > > best, > Julie Gomoll > > --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: quote of the day re "why coworking" (and gender balance); Austin visit this week
Hi Raines, I'd enjoy meeting up to talk about your coworking experiences sometime during the week if you're available. Maybe over coffee? -Dusty in Austin On Oct 22, 9:36 am, Raines Cohen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > (spotted on a Daily Kos post): > > > "Virginia Woolf's idea of a room of one's own has never been the place for > > middle- > > and working-class women. We work with interruptions." - Ananya Chatterjea > > That must be why we have so many women participating in the coworking > movement, right? ;-) One related item just popped up on my radar > yesterday c/o The New Yorker (9/3/07), as far as presence of women > being a leading indicator/driver of quality/viability of a public > space: > > http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2007/09/03/070903ta_talk_paumgarten > > So perhaps we need a "counter" revolution to keep track of our > progress: national coworking census day? Of course, we may already > have lots of women in coworking, we just don't realize > it:http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/20/japanese-women-could.html > > the question might then be, how do we get them to decloak? Perhaps > this will come up at today's "She's Geeky" unconference at the > Computer History museum (http://shesgeeky.org/), sponsored in part by > coworking pioneer and gender-balanced firm Citizen Agency, I notice. > > Raines, your neighborhood Coworking Coach (Berkeley, CA) > > off to Austin this week for a Fellowship for Intentional Community > (http://www.ic.org/) board meeting and Art of Community gathering all > day Saturday, would be happy to facilitate a discussion there on > coworking and/or meet with GroovyLittleCity or Floating Head Studios > folks during the week and share insights from my visits to coworking > in Seattle, Portland, and Cambridge, and participation in spaces in SF > and Berkeley, plus from a quarter century of community organizing with > user groups and communities of practice. If flights work out Tuesday I > may get to visit The Hive in Denver en route. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Is coworking part of an economic revolution?
I hear ya' xray! :) Steve, Thanks again for the reply and for the blog links! I think you make good points about the difficulty of sustaining a "leaderless" organizations. Though difficult, it seems plausible that such an organization could succeed. You've pointed out several resources on the topic in general. Do you know of any communities that are exploring the nuts and bolts of creating a profitable leaderless organizations? Kind-of a "where the rubber meets the road" community on "profitable leaderless organizations" similar to our coworking community. Perhaps such a community would explore pure and hybrid models? Regarding the barbell industry structure. I can easily imagine that happening. My next thought is, is that good or bad for the consumer? I can imagine lots of great things coming from small business growth. But what about things like cable, or cell phone providers. Small business won't really be able to compete in that market and big business won't have any medium sized geographic specific competition. I think my utopian world would have small, med, and large business on a linear graph with small businesses having the largest piece of the economic pie, followed by med, then large. How do we make that happen? ;) --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Please put your location in your email [was: Re: [Coworking] Re: Lining up members before opening]
Really? How does that work? Maybe something like "Jelly Enthusiasts & Coworking Space Catalyst in Austin." I'd certainly appreciate it Chris. On Oct 14, 2:29 pm, "Chris Messina" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I could take care of that. What do you have in mind? Give me an > example of what you're thinking? > > Chris > > On 10/12/07, Dusty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > Good advice Erica! :) > > > I don't suppose anyone knows how to setup a signature in Google > > Groups? > > > -Dusty > > Interested in opening a space in Austin. > > > On Oct 12, 1:35 pm, "Erica Douglass" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > This is semi-OT to the thread (hence the subject change), but the post > > > from Dusty reminded me... if you're thinking about opening a coworking > > > space, I strongly recommend you put a location in your messages. There > > > are several hundred people on this list, and some of us may be > > > interested in your location, or may know someone who might be > > > interested. So, if you're thinking about opening a space, even if > > > you're nowhere close to ready, it would be great if you could add a > > > location in your email. Heck, put it on the wiki too... there's no > > > shame in saying "I'm interested in opening a coworking space [here], > > > and am looking to meet with others who are interested as well. Please > > > contact me at [blah] and let's talk." I did this for a while before > > > officially opening Simpli as a coworking space, and got several > > > responses from the mailing list and wiki. > > > > -Erica (Simpli Hosting / San Jose, CA) > > > > On 10/11/07, Dusty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Great topic Tony! I've been struggling with this question myself. I'd > > > > also like to open a coworking space. > > > > > I'm not sure how much value I have to add to this topic, but I'll do > > > > my best to push the discussion further. :) > > > > > I think you have to start by considering what separates a cowoking > > > > space from a coffee shop that charges a cover at the door, or a shared > > > > office. I think what makes a coworking space different from those 2 > > > > things is not any type of physical offering, it's actually the intent > > > > of the space and it's patrons (to work and collaborate) and the fact > > > > that the patrons are a community amongst themselves, even outside of > > > > the space. > > > > > So how do you get people interested in your space before you have a > > > > space? > > > > 1) Get involved in the coworking community in your area and if it > > > > doesn't exist start it. > > > > 2) Establish the intent of your space to the community (to facilitate > > > > working and collaboration) > > > > 3) Ask the community if they're interested (Maybe there's a magical > > > > ratio of interested people to actual membership you could use to > > > > measure risk?) > > > > 4) Once the magical ratio is palletable to you, take the leap. > > > > > After you've taken the leap you then you must continuously feed and > > > > nurture the community or risk becoming a shared office or a quiet > > > > coffee shop with a cover charge. > > -- > Chris Messina > Citizen Provocateur & > Open Source Advocate-at-Large > Work:http://citizenagency.com > Blog:http://factoryjoe.com/blog > Cell: 412 225-1051 > IM: factoryjoe > This email is: [ ] bloggable[X] ask first [ ] private --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Is coworking part of an economic revolution?
Hey xray! Thanks for replying. I think maybe I framed the heart of my question poorly. Really what I'd like to propose to this community is, can a headless company exist based on the principles of "commons based peer production?" I agree that coworking isn't just about open source software. I think coworking gets associated with open source software because it shares the same values as "commons based peer productions." Which the best examples we see of that are open source software. I believe coworking lends itself to anyone who wants to collaborate ideas and be apart of a community. Regarding my 1st "Revolution" I now kinda' think it is irrelevant to my proposed question. I wrote it because the example headless company I had in my mind was a software services company. However, I still think the standard software model of build, distribute, sell is on it's way out. Maybe not soon, but eventually. But I think that is a different thread. :) On Oct 14, 12:19 am, xray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I think coworking is really revolution # 1 in your scheme. I agree > with the spirit of what you've said, but not the facts. > > I've got a problem with Revolution #1. I'd love to live in a world > where I pay a reasonable price for software and not have to buy it > twice to use it on my laptop as well as my desktop when I travel, but > I don't think I'll ever want software that forces me to watch an > advertisement before I use it. I would definitely pay for support > when I need it rather than paying for it in advance whether I need it > or not. But, I want the support when I need it, and I suspect I could > call someone at an 800 number in Mumbai to get it quicker than I could > get it close to home. > > Don't get me wrong - I work in an arena where I give a lot of > information away for free rather than trying to copyright and control > it. My own business model is to make everything I "develop" (which is > knowledge rather than software) available for anyone to use as they > see fit. I utilize this model because I know that those who need this > knowledge will never have as much knowledge of this particular subject > as I do, and they will never be able to put it into action as well as > I do. Thus, they will use the free knowledge I provide them, and my > name will become synonymous with the subject, and they will call me > for help when they need more knowledge. I am therefore in a sort of > open source business. I train my clients like I am training them to > not need me any more, but they keep recognizing that as their > knowledge grows, so does mine, No matter how much I teach them, they > can still benefit by utilizing my services. I don't say all this to > brag, I just want you to know that I am in a bureaucracy fighting, > boat rocking, semi-anarchic business myself. I'm not trying to diss > the open source software community at all. I admire what you guys do, > and if I was (much) smarter and (much) younger, I'd probably be one of > you guys. > > But, I want to acknowledge that coworking is definitely a revolution. > It's a revolution that is really beneficial to the open source > software crowd, and these benefits are more immediately apparent to > you. You are also early adopters. Maybe that's too weak a term - to > be fair - you're really at the leading edge, where others adopt your > ideas. > > I don't think that revolution # 1 above is necessary to the coworking > revolution, but it is a catalyst. Revolution # 2 above is not > entirely a revolution. In a revolution, somebody new takes control. > What you're calling revolution # 2 is more a disenfranchisement from > my old man perspective. I remember when a good job was a meal ticket > for life. People a little older than me stayed in jobs for 30 years. > I never had the same job more than 3 years until I became an indy. > I've been indy 9 years now, but still never did the same exact thing > more than a couple years. > > There is a definite close mesh between the open source community and > coworking, but don't you open source guys try to claim it for > yourselves. Stop trying to own it. Don't try to lay claim a second > exclusive mystique - that wouldn't be very open source, would it? > Work toward making coworking apply to other fields and areas of > society. > > Recognize that there are a lot of independent workers in a lot of > other fields who could also benefit by coworking. There are > independent workers who do house cleaning, car detailing, and all > kinds of services. There are independent workers who do art. Lots of > artists share work spaces and network, party, and drink coffee in > these same spaces. Aren't they coworkers too? > > Coworking is a revolution in progress. I think you're going to see > coworking in many fields unrelated to software. They already exist, > but the people in them aren't calling it coworking yet. > > I think coworking is going to become more and more common as people in > field
[Coworking] Re: Is coworking part of an economic revolution?
Thanks so much for replying Steve! I certainly buy into the decentralization of the economy into microbusinesses. I wonder though, if it's possible to decentralize the company itself. A "starfish company," if you will. For example. Take the same principles that drive the development of open source software, but instead of developing free software, your community performs a service or sells a product for a profit. Everyone in the community is paid based on the value of the contribution to the desired goal. It would be different from a standard profit making company because it is headless. Well, as much as an open source project is headless. Certainly there will be community leaders. Also, the founder of the company has to step down, out of the way of community. If you run down the "commons based peer production" laundry list of necessities and apply them to a business they might look something like this: (I got this list from Bruce Sterling at SWSWi 07, whom I believe derived it from Yochai Benkler's work in a "The Wealth of Networks." Though I could be mistaken.) 1) Granular work loads - The workload must be able to be distributed across the community 2) Self selected - Members choose to join you. You don't select them. 3) In or out mechanism - Members may contribute 5 minutes of work and leave or 200 hours. Either way the end goal is enhanced respectively and the member is paid accordingly. 4) Communication - Need clear communication channels 5) Humanization - The community and its members should work on something that is compelling on a human level. 6) Trust - Members trust each other. Customers trust the community. 7) Norm Creation - AKA there is a company culture 8) Transparency - No NDA's. No secrete elite VP board room meetings. No unaccounted for monies. 9) Monitoring - The community policies for rotten members 10) Peer Review - Members review and rate each others work. Everyone knows who stacks up in the community. This, in conjunction to the amount of work performed, is how you come up with who gets paid what amount. 11) Fairness - It doesn't work if a few people are exploiting the community for their own personal gains. Transparency helps keep it fair. 12) Sustainability - It's gotta' be profitable, or at least break even and be compelling. An example might be a company that made an open source version of SalesForce.com and then charged other companies for the service of technical support, hosting, or customizations. Again without any salaried employees or stock holders. The money is going back into the community and then to the members that the community deems has earned it. Further, that company doesn't even have an office, the company members collaborate face-to-face via coworking spaces, and over long distances via the internet. The infrastructure is distributed. Hosting may even be done on a grid of community member's computers, with those member being paid for the use of their idle processing power and bandwidth. No interviews, no bosses, no owners, no HR, just peers with peer- review and "commons based peer production" mechanisms in place. Does this seem like a possible scenario? On Oct 13, 3:34 pm, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi: > > My name is Steve King and I'm the project leader for the Future of > Small Business report you reference (and thanks for the reference:)). > To make a long story short, we agree that coworking is part of a > broader, long term shift towards economic decentralization. I've been > following this group for some time (as a lurker) because coworking is > an interesting example of the impact of the growth of personal > (meaning solo) businesses . > > We see coworking as a supporting trend - by that we mean coworking > facilities and the coworking movement is a sub-trend of the broader > trend towards more personal and microbusinesses (1-5 employees). > There are many impediments to successfully building a personal or > microbusiness, and coworking helps overcome some of these. In > particular, providing a social environment and access to a broader > work-related network is extremely useful and potentially very powerful > - but of course anyone on this group gets all this. > > I'm not ready to declare privately developed software dead. There is > a clear trend towards open source software and meta revenue models for > software. This is even more true for software aimed at consumers. > However proprietary software will be with us for a long time and will > continue to dominate many segments for at least the next decade, if > not longer. This is particularly true for enterprise software and > most B2B software. Whether or not you consider software as service > business models meta or not, most are not open source and companies
[Coworking] Re: Please put your location in your email [was: Re: [Coworking] Re: Lining up members before opening]
Good advice Erica! :) I don't suppose anyone knows how to setup a signature in Google Groups? -Dusty Interested in opening a space in Austin. On Oct 12, 1:35 pm, "Erica Douglass" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This is semi-OT to the thread (hence the subject change), but the post > from Dusty reminded me... if you're thinking about opening a coworking > space, I strongly recommend you put a location in your messages. There > are several hundred people on this list, and some of us may be > interested in your location, or may know someone who might be > interested. So, if you're thinking about opening a space, even if > you're nowhere close to ready, it would be great if you could add a > location in your email. Heck, put it on the wiki too... there's no > shame in saying "I'm interested in opening a coworking space [here], > and am looking to meet with others who are interested as well. Please > contact me at [blah] and let's talk." I did this for a while before > officially opening Simpli as a coworking space, and got several > responses from the mailing list and wiki. > > -Erica (Simpli Hosting / San Jose, CA) > > On 10/11/07, Dusty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > Great topic Tony! I've been struggling with this question myself. I'd > > also like to open a coworking space. > > > I'm not sure how much value I have to add to this topic, but I'll do > > my best to push the discussion further. :) > > > I think you have to start by considering what separates a cowoking > > space from a coffee shop that charges a cover at the door, or a shared > > office. I think what makes a coworking space different from those 2 > > things is not any type of physical offering, it's actually the intent > > of the space and it's patrons (to work and collaborate) and the fact > > that the patrons are a community amongst themselves, even outside of > > the space. > > > So how do you get people interested in your space before you have a > > space? > > 1) Get involved in the coworking community in your area and if it > > doesn't exist start it. > > 2) Establish the intent of your space to the community (to facilitate > > working and collaboration) > > 3) Ask the community if they're interested (Maybe there's a magical > > ratio of interested people to actual membership you could use to > > measure risk?) > > 4) Once the magical ratio is palletable to you, take the leap. > > > After you've taken the leap you then you must continuously feed and > > nurture the community or risk becoming a shared office or a quiet > > coffee shop with a cover charge. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Is coworking part of an economic revolution?
What if coworking is more than a space for independents? What if it's part of turning business on it's head? I'll frame this with 3 sub plots "Revolutions" then I'll get to my main point. Tell me if you think I'm smoking crack. :) Revolution #1 - The fall of privately developed software Software quickly approaches a value of $0 over time as it becomes obsolete. In the mean time open source software is gaining ground on privately developed software. Even Google doesn't make money on selling it's software, it makes money on advertising. So (here comes insight from 2005), let's assume the next wave isn't making software and selling it, it's making software and making $ in a "meta" way around that software. Such as selling ads (Google), or supporting it, as in a technical services company that's keen to open source development. Yes, web services as a business are big now. But I'll argue that even products like Basecamp aren't exempt from open source competition (see activeCollab). And web services actually make their $ in a "meta" way. They manage the hosting for their customers. Revolution #2 - Rise of the independent worker The days of company, employee loyalty are over. Gen-Y doesn't trust big corporations and the baby boomers are pissed they lost their pensions. Also technology has given individuals the ability to work remotely and independently of a single employer. Check out http://http-download.intuit.com/http.intuit/CMO/intuit/futureofsmallbusiness/SR-1037_intuit_SmallBiz_Demog.pdf for more on the rise of the independent worker. Revolution #3 - Coworking spaces form I don't need to explain why coworking spaces are forming to this group. :) So with these 3 things in mind. Wouldn't it make sense for a coworking community to create a decentralized service company based on open source values? Thus creating a company with near 0 full-time employees. And is instead powered by independent workers who are already gathered in a coworking space and community and may come and go as they please. In other words. Could you take open source values, a coworking community, and create a decentralized company that supports it's community and rewards it's contributers fairly based on the value of their contribution? Thoughts? --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Lining up members before opening
Great topic Tony! I've been struggling with this question myself. I'd also like to open a coworking space. I'm not sure how much value I have to add to this topic, but I'll do my best to push the discussion further. :) I think you have to start by considering what separates a cowoking space from a coffee shop that charges a cover at the door, or a shared office. I think what makes a coworking space different from those 2 things is not any type of physical offering, it's actually the intent of the space and it's patrons (to work and collaborate) and the fact that the patrons are a community amongst themselves, even outside of the space. So how do you get people interested in your space before you have a space? 1) Get involved in the coworking community in your area and if it doesn't exist start it. 2) Establish the intent of your space to the community (to facilitate working and collaboration) 3) Ask the community if they're interested (Maybe there's a magical ratio of interested people to actual membership you could use to measure risk?) 4) Once the magical ratio is palletable to you, take the leap. After you've taken the leap you then you must continuously feed and nurture the community or risk becoming a shared office or a quiet coffee shop with a cover charge. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Austin's First Jelly Coworking Event
Thanks Tara! That's very thoughtful of you! I appreciate the support! On Oct 3, 8:32 pm, "Tara Hunt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I just twittered it. I don't know how many peeps you have already signed up > in the area, but I know a few Austinites. > > t > > On 10/3/07, Dusty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > For those in and around Austin. We're having our first Jelly coworking > > event November 2nd. For more details check out the Jelly wiki at > >http://wiki.workatjelly.com/JellyInAustin > > > For those not in Austin. Wish us a big turn out! :) > > -- > tara 'miss rogue' hunt > co-founder & CMO > Citizen Agency (www.citizenagency.com) > blog:www.horsepigcow.com > phone: 415-694-1951 > fax: 415-727-5335 --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Austin's First Jelly Coworking Event
For those in and around Austin. We're having our first Jelly coworking event November 2nd. For more details check out the Jelly wiki at http://wiki.workatjelly.com/JellyInAustin For those not in Austin. Wish us a big turn out! :) --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Coworking as a business vs non-profit
Thanks David. :) Another thing I am pondering. Tell me if you agree. Sustainable non-profit Coworking facilities are most likely going to born out of the desire of the local coworking community to have such a thing. For-profit coworking facilities are born from entrepreneurs realizing the community has a need that is not being filled. I was mixed up thinking I needed to create a non-profit facility (because that is the open source way) where the problem is, a non- profit facility would have to be initiated by the community in order to have sustainability. Why? Because, if a few individuals create a non-profit facility and the community is not as "into it" as the founders are; once the founders leave the facility will fail and sustainability will be lost. Further, the founders will leave with nothing more than the experience for their efforts. ... On Sep 28, 6:55 pm, "David Doolin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On 9/28/07, Dusty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > [] > > > Suming it up: > > > Coworking community != Coworking facility > > Coworking community == Open Source > > Coworking facility == Business w/ Open Source sensibilities > > This should go on the blog. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Coworking as a business vs non-profit
Thanks for all the replies! So, arguing for coworking as for-profit we have the concept that independents don't want to fuss with the particulars of sustaining an environment. They'll pay you for that, but you need to promote nerd values. I can get behind this thinking. So the role of a coworking facility owner is to promote community growth and nerd values that benefit everyone in the community. And the community will reward the site owner for taking on the risks and sustaining the community facility. I think what I had mixed up is that the coworking community and the coworking facility are two different things. The coworking community could choose to work out of peoples houses (aka Jelly). But the role of the coworking facility is to cater to the coworking community. That is cater to their values, needs, and wants. And to continuously give back to the community and help it grow, which coincidently, is good for business. Suming it up: Coworking community != Coworking facility Coworking community == Open Source Coworking facility == Business w/ Open Source sensibilities Thoughts? On Sep 28, 2:11 pm, Geoff DiMasi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > It makes sense what you are saying. > > Alex tapped in my biz experience to help make those kinds of > decisions. And now that we have done it, we would be able to advise > on future spaces. > > -- > Geoff DiMasi > P'unk Avenue > 215 755 1330 > punkave.com > > On Sep 28, 2007, at 3:04 PM, James Bentley wrote: > > > > > Hello, James from Columbus, OH where there is currently no coworking > > here or in the state. As an accountant/entrepreneur myself, I have > > had similar questions. In fact, Chris encouraged me to pose it to the > > group but Dusty beat me to it. > > >> From an accounting/legal entity viewpoint, unless the coworking space > > was functioning under an existing business (like Citizen Space I > > think) then a corporate entity would need to be formed, regardless of > > whether it is for-profit or non-profit. [FYI: A non-profit is > > typically a C Corporate with Non-profit status. Nonprofits do make > > "profits" but those don't benefit shareholders/directors.] > > Therefore, a NPO (non-profit org) still will require the necessary > > local, state, and federal corporate requirements that a for-profit > > requires, with certain difference. > > Which brings me to several things that I have been considering: > > 1) How many Space Catalysts really want to deal with the "business" > > aspects of running/managing a space? > > 2) How many understand the ramifications of opening a space in > > regards to licensing, permits, filings, regulations, accounting, > > sales, marketing, purchasing, customer service, operations, etc. > > 3) How many just want a space that is available for their use so they > > can focus on their "real" job and not try to become a property > > manager? > > > What I see a need for is a Coworking Consultant who understands all of > > the dynamics of opening/operating a coworking space. Someone who can > > help from selecting a suitable space to setting up the appropriate > > accounting/membership and operating policies. Because as much as we > > would like these spaces to be informal and community-driven, they are > > "businesses" and must be operated as such. > > > So I am trying to ascertain if there is a "business model" in becoming > > a Coworking Consultant; > > a) I believe there is a need for it. > > b) I believe that it would allow new coworking spaces to get off the > > ground more quickly, efficiently and economically. > > c) It would allow those interested in starting ones to spend a > > minimal amount of time on property management and most of their time > > on their livelihood. > > d) It would open the doors for more coworking spaces being started > > across the country, which is what we all want to see. > > > Any thoughts? > > > James > > > On Sep 28, 2:00 pm, Geoff DiMasi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> I am down with people making money on the spaces. > > >> From the beginning, I felt that Indy Hall needed to be a business, > >> and run like one. > > >> I think the idea of "nerd values" applies well to our situation. > > >> I always said to Alex that if the doors close, no one gets anything. > >> So let's run this as a biz so that we can keep doors open. > > >> Geoff > > >> -- > >> Geoff DiMasi > >> P'unk Avenue > >> 215 755 1330 > >> punkave.com &g
[Coworking] Coworking as a business vs non-profit
Hello, Dusty Reagan from Austin TX here. I'm a programmer / entrepreneur who's interested in coworking and the concept of applying the open source model to business. I'm really excited to see that there is a movement and community developing around these concepts. I've been thinking about how a coworking facility based on open source values like transparency and fairness would work as profit making venture. Coworking (and open source in general) seems to have a very socialist spin. Does opening a coworking facility as a business undermine the qualities that make coworking different (and arguably better) than a shared office? Specifically in regards to transparency and fairness. Are the individuals that are making a profit from the community exploiting the community? Potentially causing a break down in transparency and trust? Is the only way an honest coworking facility exist is as a non-profit organization? My next thoughts are well, is it not fair that the individuals who took the risk of starting the facility reap the rewards of profit, thus keeping "fairness" in check. Arguably they could have started the organization as a non-profit and focused on securing a working salary for themselves to run the facility and nothing more. Following this thinking a little deeper. If individual profit making undermines fairness and transparency, does that make business and open source incompatible? What if the community worked together as a service company and split the profits on some formula developed on "fairness" to the individuals in the community while still allowing the come and go as you please participation model found in open source? In summary. Can a coworking facility be a business? And further could a profit making company in general fit into a open source model? Interested to hear everyones thoughts! :) --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
