Re: [Coworking] Re: Co-working directory websites?
There is also desktimeapp.com ~ Eric Marden -- 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.
Re: [Coworking] OK So What are the Pros and Cons of Working at Home
On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 12:02 AM, peter blair pblair...@gmail.com wrote: e, thank you for the nice thoughts, lets stay in touch. p My pleasure. I'm here, and on twitter: @xentek cheers, ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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] Issue with List
I switched the list back to my main gmail account, so I could better keep up with the conversation and make it easy on myself to respond. I participated in two threads yesterday, and while I know the message went through (I got replies and see them in the archives) every message I sent resulted in a message like this: ** ** THIS IS A WARNING MESSAGE ONLY ** ** YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESEND YOUR MESSAGE ** ** The original message was received at Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:59:47 +0800 - Show quoted text - Final-Recipient: RFC822; ggr...@localhost X-Actual-Recipient: RFC822; ggr...@localhost.localdomain Action: delayed Status: 4.0.0 Last-Attempt-Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:09:44 +0800 Will-Retry-Until: Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:59:47 +0800 ... Is it just me? ~ Eric Marden (sorry to clog your inbox with this) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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.
Re: [Coworking] OK So What are the Pros and Cons of Working at Home
Not that I'll add too much more to the discussion, but I felt compelled to chime in. See below. On Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 9:40 AM, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.comwrote: Interesting! I think you're preaching to the choir here, but I wanted to come back with a few thoughts nonetheless. Pro: Independence. You do what you want, when you want. Con: No Security. Working from home and calling your own shots aren't necessarily the same thing. The most effective freelancers I've met are the ones that collaborate...and hard. They may be their own boss, but they still support a team. I want to collaborate so hard! :) I also don't believe that having a full time job means security, nor does being independent mean a lack of security. My approach over the last year has been to break my cost of living down into smaller chunks, and find more sustainable ways to support those individual living needs. Client work isn't the only path to income, and when you can get out of that headspace, your world opens up. Indeed it does. Going through that transition now myself. Pro: Flexible Working. Con: Work Never Ends. I think this is something that coworking combats, and one of my primary reasons to start coworking. More often than not, my laptop stays at the office now. I choose when I leave the office and when I come in, if at all. But I've finally broken the habit of finding work to do when I should be balancing my life. Also, learning to delegate to other collaborators...who aren't necessarily your boss...can save your sanity. Work/Life blending is a skill most independents have to learn, generally the hard way. Those that are willing to go out on a limb and generate their own income are generally go-getters and work harder then their corporate counter parts (sweeping generalization, I know). This means that Work-aholism is more prevalent in these types of people and is an issue to combat. Then again, when I worked for someone else - I also put in the crazy hours to get the job done. This doesn't *always* work for me and generally is unsustainable and should be avoided. Pro: Keeping All the Money. Con: Doing Everything. You're presupposition is that you're working in solitude, with no team or collaborators. I firmly believe that if you're independent and not collaborating, you're likely to fail. I started making more money when I brought on a collaborator. We split revenues in half, after cost. We both bring on clients and do biz dev, but our skills complement each other and we do higher quality work together than we do apart. Its fantastic and I wouldn't change it for the world. Pro: No More Commuting. Con: One Less Room. Not much to argue with here...except that maybe you should check out a coworking space near you ;) I had a home office before I was an independent. I mean, its were the computers live! :) I've almost always lived near my jobs, so commuting has only been an issue a couple of times in my life. Now I just look forward to getting out of the house, so traveling to a cafe, or coworking space is kind of an adventure and a nice change of scenery. I live in Chicago now, so my commutes are by public transit and I get to brainstorm and catch up on my audio books while traveling so I feel productive while traveling. Pro: A Healthier Lifestyle. Con: The Loneliness. This one's up for debate. I know I've gained a lot of weight and am much less healthy...but that's my fault, not my jobs' And that loneliness...well...I don't want to repeat myself :) I'd have to agree here. Health depends on a lot more than the work you're doing, and collaboration and coworking is the antithesis to being lonely. I think the point here is that like retail and food service, working independently is something that everyone should try once, even if its just to see if it works for you. - Alex Life's too short to stay at a job you hate, even if that job is working for yourself. I've known the joy of being independent for 6+ years, and while you have to learn a whole new set skills and its not always been fun, but personally I can't imagine living any other way. Freedom is choosing your own obligations. ~ Eric Marden @xentek -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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.
Re: [Coworking] Re: Any coworking groups include WAHMs? (Work at home moms/men)
On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 10:53 PM, Heather heatheracto...@gmail.com wrote: Interesting you bring this up - I am a WAHM myself, and have had the same desire/need up in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I have contemplated leasing some space to start a coworking facility also, but am really just starting by getting a group together once every 2 weeks to cowork at a local restaurant with lots of space and free wi- fi. I'm hoping that a tight community will grow out of this group in time and that together we'll pursue a space of our own, but for now this gets me out of the house for a couple nights out of the month. Heather, Do you guys bring your kids to the meetup? Is it only at night? Our son is 2 now, and my wife and I just moved to Chicago (south loop). And now that he is getting a bit older she is ready to start something for herself and this might be a nice way to get out of the house and get some work done. ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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.
Re: [Coworking] OK So What are the Pros and Cons of Working at Home
On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 2:18 PM, peter blair pblair...@gmail.com wrote: Eric, Thank you for the words of wisdom. Recently I embarked on a new life journey leaving a salary paying position behind. I learned something new today called coworking. Along in my discovery I found you. Apparently the google gmail dictionary does not recognize coworking. Wonder why? Peter Peter, My pleasure. Good luck on the path. Its one you won't regret. Where do you hail from and what kind of work do you do? I'm sure there is a coworking space near you. If there isn't, I'm sure there are groups of likeminded folks for you to connect with. Getting plugged into your local community will not only give you more visibility as you build your new business but I'm sure you'll also meet some folks that you can collaborate with too. Welcome to the fold! ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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.
Re: [Coworking] OK So What are the Pros and Cons of Working at Home
On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 2:38 PM, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.comwrote: Coworking isn't in the dictionary, sadly. Should be. :) Of course that means we'd have to agree on the definition first. :) ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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.
Re: [Coworking] OK So What are the Pros and Cons of Working at Home
Tell me more about this place. It all seems so new to me. How long have you been coming here? I've been championing coworking in Orlando since 2004, and helped get a couple of things moving in the right direction there. We had a regular informal meet-up every Tuesday that has grown to about 20 people strong, and helped nurture the coworking space they do have grow early on. I've recently moved to Chicago and now that I'm settled in I'll be searching for my new coworking home here now that the weather is warming. The Seattle folks will have to chime in on this thread about what's popping in your neck of the woods coworking wise, but this may be a good place to start: http://wiki.coworking.info/CoworkingSeattle (some info on the wiki may not be current) With that said, you sound like you're in a really good position, and coworking can help you realize your dreams. There is something really special about surrounding yourself with other motivated individuals that makes you dig deep into yourself and pull out pocketfuls of awesome. ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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.
Re: [Coworking] Re: Any coworking groups include WAHMs? (Work at home moms/men)
On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 3:10 PM, Heather heatheracto...@gmail.com wrote: We do not bring kids to the meetup, so we've been doing the sessions at night when my husband can be with the kids. That's what I kind of figured when I reread your post. I don't want to discourage your wife, but also want to encourage her to only pursue something if she is totally passionate about it - like would rather do it than watch TV, shop, etc. Because every minute you're not doing something for the family/house, you need to be working your venture. It's crazy over here...and really dirty...lol =) That's where she is at now, discovering what she loves, and how she can apply her skills to it. Anyways, just my 2 cents. You can feel free to have her email me anytime if she has questions or just needs support. Will do, thanks. ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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: Wiki home page (mockup)
On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 11:36 AM, t...@c4workspace oneill.t...@gmail.com wrote: I'm wondering if the wiki is the best platform for the audiences I wrote above. Were are pretty limited in terms of navigation/way finding. And the big front page is really information dense even with trimming down the location info. I tend to agree. The wiki is great for the community to build up a list of resources, articles, and pages to help people figure out what Coworking is, If its for them, and how do they get started with creating a space, joining a space, or generally being a catalyst or champion of coworking in general. However, as a directory of spaces the format breaks down rather quickly. There has been some talk about creating a database, on this and other threads, and I would happily volunteer some of my expertise in helping get this going. I'm not loyal to any platform, but we may be limited by where we can/want to host this. Organizing this part of the information is one thing, but how the information is governed and gardened is the big question I feel needs to be answered before any real initiative around this will get off the ground. ~ Eric Marden -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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: Baker Creative: CoWorking Survey
http://bcreativela.com/CoWorking_questioner_BAKER%20CREATIVE.pdf Consider making it easier on people to participate (and for you to analyze the results) by using an online survey tool to collect this data. PDF is cool and all, but firing off answers in the browser should bring in more respondants. Good luck with your community building efforts! ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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: 2 years
On Feb 4, 7:24 pm, Woodie Neiss wood...@gmail.com wrote: we are site selecting here in Miami right now and looking at all your beautiful spaces gives me inspiration! Woodie, Have you checked out Brikolodge in Miami yet? http://brikolodge.wordpress.com/ ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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: SXSW Coworking Meetup Announcement
On Feb 3, 11:22 am, Tara Hunt horsepig...@gmail.com wrote: True that you don't always need a pass, but many of the parties actually require one. On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 3:22 AM, Cody Marx Bailey superp...@gmail.comwrote: I didn't realize people actually bought passes to SXSW. There's so much going on outside the actual event proper that I didn't think most of the folks on this list ever bought passes. Plus the content of the sessions and the fantastic keynotes is worth the trip alone in my opinion. ~e -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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.
Re: [Coworking] Hi from a new and lonesome freelancer from Leeds!
Anyways, I do feel isolated, but not yet ready to join the coworking place in Leeds yet, till I start earning more money! You should look to see if there aren't any informal coworking events in Leeds. If not, you could start one. 'Work at Jelly' is good model for this: http://www.workatjelly.com/ - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://xentek.net/ tw: @xentek -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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.
Re: [Coworking] Re: The wikipedia entry is off on it's accuracy
On Dec 1, 2009, at 3:14 PM, Alex Hillman wrote:
In fact, I created a Google Doc.
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcnmwmjz_3hkqhv2ff
You can add me as: eric {at} xentek.net
- Eric Marden
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
http://xentek.net/
tw: @xentek
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Re: [Coworking] Re: Payment Online
On Nov 21, 2009, at 6:00 AM, Devin wrote: Before going with paypal you might wanna check out: http://www.paypalsucks.com/ If you actually read some of these complaints you'll realize that the 'victims' are idiots and were caught doing something questionable and stories they post online are clearly one sided. Paypal runs a tight ship and having been a user since they first opened their doors almost 12 years ago I can attest that I've never had an issue with their service. If you're unable to secure a merchant account, you shouldn't be reluctant to use their service. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://xentek.net/ tw: @xentek -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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=.
Re: [Coworking] Hello
You may also want to add yourself to the list of hacker/maker spaces here: http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_Hacker_Spaces - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://xentek.net/ tw: @xentek -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@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=.
Re: [Coworking] Souk and getting started on your day...
On Nov 11, 2009, at 11:52 PM, kathryn aaker wrote: The super nice guy at reception whose name I can't remember greeted me, got me seated, and was like get set up, we'll deal with the rest later... is there anything I can do to get you working?, and the very focused attention on the value of my time was both refreshing and wildly appreciated, especially since I was getting a late start that day and worried about getting in touch with my client ASAP. Thanks for sharing this. While this is a small change from 'standard operating procedure', it make a big impact as you experienced. More spaces should adopt his practice. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://xentek.net/ tw: @xentek -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=.
Re: [Coworking] Payment Online
On Nov 10, 2009, at 9:52 AM, ourspacefortwa...@gmail.com wrote: I would appreciate obtaining responses from space mgrs. who utilize online payment services (PayPal, GoogleCart, etc.), and how well it has worked for you members. Paypal is pretty universal. I use it in my own (non-coworking) business and have used it to pay fees at more than coworking space. If you get set up with a business account on Paypal you can even get a nice Master Card Debit Card which makes using it a lot more convenient, and if you or someone in your community is developer- inclined, integrating into your web site is also straight forward. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://xentek.net/ tw: @xentek -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=.
Re: [Coworking] Payment Online
Mike, Talk to your accountant, transaction fees can be wriiten-off for tax purposes, at least a portion of them. ~ Eric Marden On Nov 10, 2009, at 11:55 AM, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com wrote: We've moved to 100% online payments to make our book keeper happy...much better paper trail, and worth it for the transaction fees. -Alex -- - -- - Alex Hillman im always developing something digital: a...@weknowhtml.com helpful: www.unstick.me visual: www.dangerouslyawesome.com local: www.indyhall.org On Tue, Nov 10, 2009 at 10:41 AM, Mike Pihlman m...@telbitconsulting.com wrote: It works for me, but, I prefer cash or check since I get to keep the $5 or so that PayPal would get. Mike ourspacefortwa...@gmail.com wrote: I would appreciate obtaining responses from space mgrs. who utilize online payment services (PayPal, GoogleCart, etc.), and how well it has worked for you members. Thanks, Jodi Dean www.ourspacefortwayne.wordpress.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl= . -- Mike Pihlman TracyVirtualOffice A Coworking Community 95 W. 11th Street, Suite 203 Tracy, CA 95376 Mobile: 209-608-4340 Web: TracyVirtualOffice.com Twitter: @TracyVirtOffice Skype: tracyvirtualoffice1 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl= . -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl= . -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to cowork...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=.
[Coworking] Re: Mailing List - 2 Lists or 1 Segmented?
On Oct 3, 2009, at 9:39 AM, Scott Tillitt / BEAHIVE wrote: MailChimp generally recommends to segment lists into groups, but my concern is that when signing up, folks may overlook checking a group (Beacon and/or Kingston). In that case they wouldn't get any communique unless something went out non-segmented (which would be rare). Thoughts? Thanks... scott. Since there is content you only want to show each group, you should definitely segment. Can't you determine which location they are a member of some other way? I'd use this information to figure out which list they want to be and only display one opt-in option during sign up (i.e. Do you want to receive our monthly newsletter?). You can offer the option to sign up for the other list in a deeper 'Edit Profile' type screen, if you really think there will be some cross over. Either way you can segment on the back-end, and provide a less confusing experience on the front-end, if that's what you want to accomplish. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: What do you carry with you?
On Oct 1, 2009, at 11:08 AM, Alex Hillman wrote: I think I'm in a minority. :) I'm all digital as well. The only thing I write on is a white board, and that's only when I'm explaining a new project to my contractors. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: CoWorking Architecture
On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:43 PM, Alex Hillman wrote: A year and a half ago, we made the decision to try a new desk arrangement: All of our desks are set up in clusters of 3 or 4. We asked all of our full time members to pick new desks, but the suggestion was that they kept every cluster mixed: at least one full time, or at least one flexible desk. The reason for this arrangement was to decrease the chance of someone sitting alone at a cluster of desks. That's a really poor way to start off a day that's meant to be interactive and social. We saw immediate results, and have replicated that in our new office. Probably seen by most, but this is an interesting article from wired that supports the (evolving) attitude in desk arrangement in the workplace: http://www.wired.com/culture/design/magazine/17-04/pl_design - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: New commercial!
On Sep 8, 2009, at 3:01 PM, Jerome Chang wrote: Hello all. We just finished another commercial called Fill in the BLANK! It's only 20 seconds, and no actors this time. Enjoy! http://www.blankspaces.com/interact/commercials.php Great video. My only complaint is that the player kicks over to the other videos. With this commercial in particular it would be really powerful to have it linger on the last frame where the photo of the space is. It took me a second to find the photos on your site to get a closer look. Very sweet looking space. -e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Introductions
On Aug 26, 2009, at 11:04 AM, Tony Bacigalupo wrote: Welcome Cal! What city are you in? Coworking is far more than a networking opportunity; it's a chance to make real, human connections... which is even better :) +1 on Tony's sentiments. Coworking is more how can I help you then how can you help me. I've gotten real business, real collaborators, and real friends from Coworking. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: TweetUp last night
On Aug 22, 2009, at 3:05 PM, David J. Kordsmeier wrote: Curious, how does one host a TweetUp? I am familiar with Twitter, just not this new concept. Its an in-person meet-up advertised on twitter. 'Purists' liken it more to a flash mob or impromptu gathering, while most are planned weeks in advance and are advertised on multiple social networks. The largest Tweetup in Orlando takes its RSVPs on Facebook even. However, most people in attendance are on Twitter, and that is probably the only factor required to call it a tweet-up, but now I'm just splitting hairs. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: suggestions to meet new Co-workers
Jeff, You've got a great set of techie rituals. Thank you for sharing such a detailed account. -e On Aug 21, 2009, at 4:28 AM, Xanalogica wrote: Dan Ramaekers wrote: Hey I'm new to this concept, but I have spent a few days without sleep and reading from a computer screen in research of coworking. I am just looking for some suggestions of ways to meet people. I understand why this is the most important part of the coworking principal. I have not found much to read about what people have done to go out and meet people. I presume you mean how to meet people who are new to coworking, not identifying social opportunities for those already in the facility. At Company|Dallas (I'm not an owner, just a member) they hold a Free Friday every two weeks and I hold meetups all day from noon onward, starting with a group lunch. Since many of those who can attend on a workday are either unemployed or self-employed, we start with a group review of resumes and business cards. The group gravitates toward developers so we talk about the job market and business opportunities, sharing leads. Once or twice we've sketched out business plans for someone. Then the topic turns to gadgets, embedded systems and embedded Linux. People bring electronics projects to show, we have talks about boards to buy, how to build your own Linux kernel and some members offer free older boards to members. There are even a few small robots for playing around with. We then break for dinner, and some regroup afterward. This week a new meetup is happening at the space, a book/video discussion group about tranhumanism, AI, cryonics and such. It's experimental and meant to bring in the less nuts-and-bolts (engineer) kind of people and talk about the philosophical side of future tech. That runs late into the evening. The next day on Saturday, another group lunch at noon followed by a Beginners Guide to Programming using Python discussion. Over the afternoon the topic gets more advanced and we have a speaker give a more formal talk about Python in the last afternoon. Again we break for dinner and regroup for sprinting, which is collaborative programming where we pick projects or bugs to work on and share tips and techniques. We're also talking about starting to run a Code Dojo in the evening, a new group participation style of programming where pairs take turns developing on a projector screen while the rest watch. Every so often the pairs are changed. We do this every two weeks and draw a variety of kinds of people. Not everyone makes it each day nor sticks around all day but by posting a rough schedule of topics in advance, people come for the parts they want. It lets you meet new people, show off the coworking facility and introduce them to folks they might be hanging out with if they join. Perhaps these might give you some ideas, depending on the kind of members you are trying to attract. -Jeff - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: TweetUp last night
On Aug 21, 2009, at 11:51 AM, Mike Pihlman wrote: I gave tours and let the energy roll (kids playing magnetic darts, people on computers tweeting, chatting, or sitting in the comfy room reading or chatting)...one possible new member, but, the exposure to the community, I think, will be worth it in the long run. It usually is. However, you have to keep the energy level high. Plan your next TweetUp now, and get the date out there. Keep generating waves if you want to keep surfing. Good work, and congrats. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Space owner question on drop-ins
On Aug 20, 2009, at 11:07 AM, Tara Hunt wrote: Without drop-ins, Citizen Space would be boring IMO. We have always allowed for free drop-ins because they bring energy to the space. Even with 12-20 permanent residents, we find that only a few are there at a time. And their time is justified and made more exciting by the fact that we have between 5-10 drop-ins per day. I can't imagine our space without the drop-ins. We've added a tip jar, which regular drop-ins pop a couple of bucks into now and then, but nobody is obligated. T Actually, that is pretty amazing. The only time I've been to a space (Brikolodge, Miami, FL) with that many drop-ins in one days was during FOWA last year and all the drop-ins were from Orlando and there with me. Good Work, Tara. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Your thoughts on my coworking idea
I'd work there. the sun is trying to kill me, - Eric On Aug 17, 2009, at 10:36 PM, Jeff PC wrote: Hi, I rented a building for my wife's business and I have about 2000 square feet of basement that is seperate I can use myself. I would love to open a coworking location and have some great ideas on how to lay it out but my only aversion to the space is the ceiling height. We can carpet and drywall the space to brighten it up and etc but the ceilings are 7 foot. It is plenty for me and most people I know to walk around without hitting our heads but there is also the comfort level that people might have?? I have even thought of a couple great names that play into the fact that its office space in a basement (they even have kind of a techy/nerdy yet professional ring to them). What are your thoughts? I don't wanna waste what little money I have if people wont be able to get over the ceiling height. Otherwise I know I can market it well enough to at least pay for itself and bring in a little profit. I don't see it as being a cash cow in my area but still a really cool thing that I can do without having to quit my job to do it (software dev) - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: SXSW 2010 Coworking Panels Parties
Here's a quick link to get to all of the Coworking related panels: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/index/4/q:coworking Vote your hearts out, - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Questions about locations, finding a community, etc (West Chicago Suburbs)
On Aug 10, 2009, at 2:31 PM, Kurt wrote: What other features do people like to see? Cool People. Period. The rest is gravy. Also, where do you generally find the most interested community members? Pretty much any networking event, coffee house, business summit, BarCamp, Jelly event, Likemind (http://likemind.us/#chi) or anywhere lonely entrepreneur/independent/work-at-home types gather. Evangelize early and often. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Questions about locations, finding a community, etc (West Chicago Suburbs)
It's different for each space, but here in Orlando we already had a strong tech/independent community that was evangelizining coworking inside our BarCamp / BlogOrlando / FloridaCreatives, et al activities before we had an official space. In my opinion, communities are discovered not created. It's our job to be the glue, so that the community is cohesive and can get behind an idea and create the core values. After that, with care and feeding, it will start to take on a life of it's own. - Eric Marden On Aug 11, 2009, at 3:58 PM, Kurt Mackey mrk...@gmail.com wrote: What kind of cool people group did you guys have before you actually opened? Were they involved with finding space, etc etc? How much success do all of you space owners attribute to the community you had *before* opening? -Kurt On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 8:42 AM, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com wrote: What other features do people like to see? Cool People. Period. The rest is gravy. Amen and amen. -- - -- - Alex Hillman im always developing something digital: a...@weknowhtml.com helpful: www.unstick.me visual: www.dangerouslyawesome.com local: www.indyhall.org On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 9:29 AM, Eric Marden eric.mar...@gmail.com wrote: What other features do people like to see? Cool People. Period. The rest is gravy. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: business plan for investor types
If I could figure out how to post a doc to this post, I would post for all to see. You can upload files to the google group at this link: http://groups.google.com/group/coworking/files -e --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: I would like to list hotelofi.com
coworking.info is a global wiki documenting the coworking movement. You can list your space there. - Eric Marden On Jul 27, 2009, at 2:39 PM, hotel...@hotelofi.com wrote: Hello I would like to list http://www.hotelofi.com as a coworkign space in SPAIN at the city of A Coruña does anyone know if there is any listing directory to address? Thank you Daniel Weiss --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: Coworking in Burlington, VT - it's going to happen
Converting people from free to paid coworking is not as easy as it looks. Make your jelly events a regular thing. Keep the community engaged. Find a bigger spot for the informal. Invite more folks. Enlist the most passionate participants to help build the community and evangelize coworking. Good Luck! - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: SXSW Panel on Federated Coworking
On Jul 15, 2009, at 8:55 PM, Chris Stewart wrote: The first thing to do is to develop a structure for dialogue that involves people with a vested interest in coworking's success, namely the space owners, and the rest of the coworking faithful to a lesser extent. Just wondering why non-space owner catalysts were left off this list, and members of spaces were kind of delegated to some lower status? I realize that this may just be semantics, but it sounds like there is something more in the background that is going unsaid. In other words, is federated coworking more about pushing the good ship coworking forward or about tying individual rafts (spaces) together to keep them afloat? Communities are made of members, who galvanize around catalysts, that either start or promote a space (owner). All three players are needed, more or less equally, or you won't have a game. This is why starting a space before there is a coworking community in your city usually doesn't work. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Way to go, New Work City!
East Coast Represent. Can't wait to see what this turns into for you. I can't wait for my next trip to NYC so I can cowork at NWC. -e On Jul 8, 2009, at 5:00 PM, Tony Bacigalupo wrote: Thanks Susan! I was at yesterday's press conference and got to meet Mayor Bloomberg! Obligatory photo: http://yfrog.com/1753jj We're doing our part to interface with the city's efforts however we can, and hopefully will be able to report progress sometime next month. Stay tuned! Best, Tony - New Work City - Coworking NYC style. Phone: (888) 823-3494 Email: 3...@nwcny.com Web: http://nwcny.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/nwc On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 4:28 PM, Susan Evans susan.c.ev...@gmail.com wrote: http://www.observer.com/2009/media/mayor-announces-15-million-bailout-plan-citys-media-and-tech-industry Great mention in the article - you guys are rockstars, and a great example for the rest of us to connect with our local governments to provide a great example of how collaborative work can be done. Woo hoo! Susan __ Office Nomads http://www.officenomads.com 206-484-5859 - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Help me write my MA thesis on coworking!
Have you been to The Coop or Ravenswood yet? http://coworking.pbworks.com/CoworkingChicago - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: My Introduction
On Jul 1, 2009, at 3:46 AM, Xanalogica wrote: Gulp, there are almost 2000 members now on this list; truly coworking is taking off as a movement. Here in Dallas it is still a challenge to get others to understand exactly what it is. Don't focus on what it is. Focus on what you *get*. Tell anecdotes of you and other member's success and then ask questions that get others present to the simple fact that: Working ALONE sucks! - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Overusing Space for Personal Storage?
On Jun 25, 2009, at 3:25 PM, WHERE MMM wrote: I have one thing though that may vary.. I AM A SPACE HOG myself. Now, In my opinion I dont think I am cluttered or like Charlie Brown's Linus carrying through with dust cloud but one very simple things that we have purchased for our work lounge at WHERE is lockers! Not to split hairs, but Linus carried a security blanket. Pigpen had the dust cloud. ;) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_van_Pelt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig-Pen - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: How do you make your residents feel special?
Great reply, Tony, and I agree about the name. I want to work at the FunkBunk. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On Jun 14, 2009, at 1:06 PM, Tony Bacigalupo wrote: Sam, Welcome! You can do many things, but the best thing you can do is get personal. When they walk in, greet them by name. Give them a handshake or a high five. Ask them what they're working on. Pay attention. Look for ways to help. Introduce them to new people or people working on similar stuff, or, if they're new, introduce them to everyone (within reason). Invite them (and everyone within earshot) to lunch or drinks after work. If and when they discover that they just found a business partner, or got introduced to a potential investor, or finally got to spend a workday with someone other than their potted plant in their apartment, they'll be hooked. You job is to facilitate all of that. While amenities are important, the primary service you are providing is access to a community of cool people. It's the ingredient that fundametally distinguishes coworking spaces from office rental establishments, so the better you execute on that, the more unique and effective you will be. The challenge is that this tends to be a time-consuming task, and since most space owners also have secondary occupations, this can be a significant distraction from your own work. I know several space owners who avoid their own spaces for fear of constant distraction because they need to focus on a deadline. Balancing your responsibilities is a constant challenge early on. The best way to mitigate this (and, consequently, to enable healthy scaling) is to empower your members and potentially part time employees to play this role of social facilitator as well. The more the community can be self-sustaining, the better. Also, I love your name. The name alone should go a long way in attracting like-minded people :-) Tony New Work City: http://nwcny.com I'm Outta Here! How coworking is making the office obsolete: http://imouttaherethebook.com Personal: http://tonybacigalupo.com On Jun 14, 2009, at 5:58 AM, FunkBunk prov...@googlemail.com wrote: Hi all This is my first post on here - so first off - hello everybody! You have a fantastic group here and it has been so valuable to us. Wish I had come across it sooner. My name is Sam Cranwell and I set up a coworking space in the UK 11 months ago called FunkBunk (http://www.funkbunk.com). FunkBunk is based in rural Buckinghamshire, just 35mins train ride from London. Our open plan studio is part of converted World War 2 Airforce Base, with 15 seats for permanent and hot-desk workers. Plans to double the size of our space this year. With the current economic climate here it has been a tricky year to get things up and running but we have made it through. To help things along we have upped our marketing effort to attract more drop-in style hot-desk renters. My question to the group is: What to do you do to make your residents feel special? We want people to come back again and again, so we want to make them feel warm and fuzzy about FunkBunk. We don't have a huge budget so we are looking for simple ways to make our residents feel welcome, so they will spread the word and re-book a desk many times over. From welcome notes and gifts to the ambiance in the room - what do you all do? Look forward to the response! Thanks all Sam and all at FunkBunk --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: New to the Group -- Thanks for being nice :)
Like - small businesses formed out of a crowd of talented solo workers/freelancers/consultants. Have you ever seen that where you cowork? That's what we're paying for access to! :) Coworking isn't a flat surface and a wi-fi. It's a gym membership for your brain. But all metaphors aside, that's exactly how it works for my team. And it got started at the space. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On Jun 12, 2009, at 6:05 AM, Lisa K wrote: Thanks everyone! I work for a company called MBO Partners. The long and short of what we do for independent consultants (the ones who would normally be 1099's) is kind of offload all the back office work like billing, invoicing, contract negotiation, and we carry all their business insurances, etc. But also, because we hire them as W-2 employees, provide group benefits like health insurance, a 401(k)... stuff like that. As far as questions for the group - Ya know a while back I wrote a blog post about coworking and how a lot of independent consultants are choosing to cowork rather than work at home alone. Then, as we were preparing an upcoming webinar on working in teams as a consultant, we started wondering if there were ever small teams that formed at these coworking locations. Like - small businesses formed out of a crowd of talented solo workers/freelancers/consultants. Have you ever seen that where you cowork? Thanks! On Jun 11, 7:18 pm, WHERE MMM where...@gmail.com wrote: What is the company you work for? On Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 7:27 AM, Lisa K lisakan...@gmail.com wrote: Hello! My name is Lisa and I'm really here in this group to learn more about coworking. My company actually supports independent consultants so I'm kind of tasked with learning as much as possible about the industry. Coworking seems like a big wave right now, and what better place to learn as much as I can than through this group. Thanks for welcoming me and being nice to someone from the corporate world. I promise I'm good people :) Lisa www.twitter.com/mbopartners --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: Marketing a Co-working space
we are wanting to do a Jelly and have contacted the Jelly gurus for some assistance but have not heard back yet. What's a jelly guru? I thought they were like BarCamps, you just pick a time and place and invite people. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Marketing a Co-working space
Colab Orlando has talked about printing biz cards for members to pass out with free drop-in coupon on back (which is cleverly disguised as a form for their name, email, phone :) - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On Jun 11, 2009, at 8:52 AM, BrianR wrote: Congrats Chris on the new space! Building good community is the best marketing. The most successful community building/marketing tools I've used so far are: 1) First Drop in Day Free. Once people try it. They stay. 2) Host Free Local Tech Meetups - as many as you can squeeze into your calendar. (We have 10. Adding more.) 3) Keep large table seat space very affordable. We call it the Part Time Coworker. 4) Participate in physical meetup community and virtual community (Twitter, Facebook) It does take a lot of time to get the word out to a larger community. But if you rock at what you do it will. Carrboro Creative Coworking has been open eight months now. I think we are about to jump over a big hurdle of greater awareness. The number of drop ins is increasing. Requests for general information is increasing. Partnerships with local Econ Dev and local University business school is forming. With all my heart I say to you... Be patient, be thrifty, and give back more than you receive. -BrianR, Owner Carrboro Creative Coworking www.carrborocoworking.com Hi All - Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd try to reactivate this one. I couldn't post this to here, but I want to continue the discussion from:http://groups.google.com/group/coworking/browse_thread/thread/f527023 ... My name is Chris Schultz. We just opened Launch Pad in New Orleans (http://launchpadnola.com/) on Monday, and its been a major process of preparation and move-in as many of you know up to this point. We have a core group of 9 people right now who are members, but with room for 30 or so, we need to get on the marketing stick to keep moving forward w/ the space. Up to this point, we've generated awareness by word-of-mouth, and most of our members right now are folks who were waiting for us to open and who we already know. Low hanging fruit if you will. We're trying to focus our efforts for a major push this summer to build the community. I definitely hear on the comments above and from what I've learned from many of you that building the community is the most critical component of making our space successful. But I have some specific questions that I'm hoping you can help me with. * Education about Co-working - we have 3 products: co-working, permanent desks, and 3 closed door offices. There has been big demand for the closed door offices and we have a waiting list. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to convert that into interest in the desks in the open workspace. We have some people who get it, but also, a number who aren't as comfortable with the concept. Has anyone else run into this? And if so, how do you educate the market about the joys of co-working and build a comfort level? * Sampling - One thing that we are considering is doing a series of free co-working days. We want to get people in here, build the community, and have people experience what its like to co-work. But we are also sensitive of giving away for free what we are charging others for. Right now, we are considering hosting a Jelly every Friday or every other Friday for the summer. Has anyone tried this to get the word out? * Traditional vs Online - one thing that we feel is that our message is fairly out there in the New Orleans tech community. However, outside of our social networks, we don't have as much awareness. We're considering trying to reach other folks in more traditional ways. On the thread above, there doesn't seem to be much luck with it. Anyone have any successes? If so, what? Thanks guys, and thanks to all of you who inspired and supported Launch Pad. We are thrilled to be open for business. Anyone who wants to stop by anytime you are in New Orleans, please come by any time! Chris Schultz Launch Pad New Orleans, LA --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: Marketing a Co-working space
Colab Orlando is a unique space in that its a high rise billed as a mixed-use space. At first one open area, with four pods surrounded by 4 ft walls was all we had. There is a large development studio next door that takes up the south side of the floor off the main hallway. On the north side are a serious of suites. The landlord included them in 'Colab' because he wanted to sell suites, since our low prices ($99 full time, $49 part time, $10 drop in) don't exactly equate to a windfall for him. I resisted the idea that they should even be considered a part of our coworking family, since they were businesses doing their own thing and weren't going to be open to collaboration or even knew what coworking was. They just wanted an office downtown. However, as time has gone on, those taking suites have started to mingle with us 'true' coworkers and its actually starting to work for us in an really great way. Some of them hire our coworkers. And as teams of folks form and want to work on projects as a group, they are starting to rent the suites out too, where they started out just working in the open area with the rest of us. They still work in the common area too sometimes, but the privacy to talk loudly about their projects without disturbing others is a benefit for them, etc. etc. Then it dawned on me. Coworking doesn't have to be an open area. It can be, and it works great. I actually prefer working in the open area and many of the others do too. But regardless of whether we can see each other always doesn't matter. The culture of innovation, collaboration, and permeates the whole floor. In other words, coworking breaks through walls, even if they stay erected. This is working so well, that some members are going to rent one of the windowless suites and set up a video 'foley' room of sorts to record vid casts, and the 8th floor (we're all on the 6th floor at the moment) is being GENEROUSLY donated by the landlord as the next expansion point for Colab Orlando, which has being a big focus for our landlord. He wants us to succeed, is willing to wait out the economic storm while our membership grows, and is also willing to invest in the space during that time. This reminds me of the recent thread where I believe Tony B. of New Work City (and others) said to the Dallas guy to play to their regional strengths. This is an example of that, by no doubts. We are taking our culture and working to position Colab Orlando, Coworking, and the Small Innovative companies that work there as a huge part in the revitalizing efforts of our downtown corridor. Our next step is to get involved with the Downtown Economic Development Board, and other similar associations in our area to in essence turn them into our evangelists in the greater business community. Our goal is to provide value to our members by hooking them up with connections, networking opportunities and possible clients and turning our loosely federated group of smart cookies into the first place the Orlando Business Community turns when they want creative work done. After that fire is stoked, we believe that people will be climbing all over themselves to work there, and the companies doing client work will start to branch out to creating their own products and services and moving from service firms to start-up firms. Welcome to Colab Orlando 2.0. I hope this inspires you to begin to think outside of the Citizen Space / Indy Hall / New Work City model/s. Mad props to Tara, Alex and Tony for blazing the trails. But there is more than one way to skin a starfish, and if you can figure that out for your community, there is no chance in hell you won't be successful when blazing your own. Remember, nothing ever looks exactly the way you think it will, even when the results you produce are the ones you set out to. There are a million squiggly lines between Point A and Point B. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On Jun 5, 2009, at 3:21 PM, heidi brown wrote: We run into the private office requests too, and it's a challenge -- we're working to expand closed door offices. But don't want to give up too much open spacebecause we do find there is still a shared effort going on. And our people in the closed door offices are still very social -- they interact with the other members and reap the benefits of coworking, but still just want a cave to escape to. Hard part for us is maximizing the space. We have had people sign on for cubicles or open desks and book the meeting rooms for private time, until more closed doors are available. Heidi Brown Office Space Coworking OfficeSpaceCoworking.com Date: Fri, 5 Jun 2009 09:10:58 -0700 Subject: [Coworking] Re: Marketing a Co-working space From: con...@chrisconrey.com To: coworking@googlegroups.com Chris, The biggest thing (and the answer you
[Coworking] Re: Hallenprojekt is Coworkination realized
I may have someone willing to do the translation. Is the app ready for i18n, yet? i.e. has a .pot file been generated (or other text replacement scheme)? - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On May 21, 2009, at 11:53 AM, Stephanie Frasco wrote: I am currently in Berlin and this is my guide to internet! I love it! On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 11:31 AM, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com wrote: Wow! This looks incredible. I'm gonna put out my feelers for translators. -Alex -- - -- - Alex Hillman im always developing something digital: a...@weknowhtml.com helpful: www.unstick.me visual: www.dangerouslyawesome.com local: www.indyhall.org On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 11:09 AM, Matt Titsworth paladi...@gmail.com wrote: Tony, this sounds absolutely awesome. Thanks for sharing. Matthew On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 10:02 AM, Tony Bacigalupo tonybacigal...@gmail.com wrote: Hey coworking friends! My new friend Sebastian from Berlin just popped into New Work City, and in a matter of minutes has already managed to blow my mind. He introduced me to Hallenprojekt http://hallenprojekt.de, which is our essentially the thing we've been trying to build for so long-- Coworkination. It has a big global map (http://hallenprojekt.de/?view=map) It has pushpins to designate dedicated coworking spaces versus ad- hoc locations. It lets you add your coworking space and upload a logo and add a description and address. It lets you check into a location. It lets you create a profile and add tags for what you do. It lets you update your status to tell people what you're working on. It will let you embed your Last.fm stream so people can know what you're listening to. It lets you add friends. It lets you apply for membership to a space (and lets admins approve members). It lets you leave comments on a particular space. It embeds your Twitter stream in your profile. It's clean. It's usable. It lets you embed a widget in your blog that shows off where you are working right now (see it in action on Sebastian's site, where you can see that he's checked into New Work City: http://sooth.de/) There's only one catch. It's in German only right now. They're working on translating it as we speak, but if anyone happens to be bilingual German/English and have a little time on your hands, let me know. Because this has to be ported over to English. This is awesome. Tony Bacigalupo - New Work City - Coworking NYC style. Phone: (888) 823-3494 Email: 3...@nwcny.com Web: http://nwcny.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/nwc -- Stephanie Frasco Special Operations http://www.efactor.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Coworking and College Students?
We have one member that's in school full time (Rollins). He comes to do his homework, network with other members, and ask questions about Ruby on Rails. He found us, but thinks that if we were closer to UCF we'd be able to attract a lot more 'young blood'. Your biggest hurdle will be in showing the value in a membership over the ratty wifi at the local coffee house (where most of them are grabbing internet, when not on campus). Also, internet speed matters. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On May 11, 2009, at 4:34 PM, Norcross wrote: Hey there everyone, I'm part of the CoworkingStPete group currently in the process of getting a space together in St. Petersburg, Florida. Something we've discussed internally is how to approach college students. For those that aren't aware, St. Petersburg is a smaller city, surrounded by suburbs. However, we have two college campuses downtown, both close to the area. Has anyone had any experience with either reaching out to college students, or having them use your 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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Catalysts in Chicago
Oh and I almost forgot they have a pretty popular 'Work at Jelly' in Chicago which meets two days a week with about 15 people coworking. Haven't dropped in on it myself, but its on my list of todos after I relocate. Feel free to email me anytime. You can also follow the coworking exploits in Orlando at: http://colaborlando.com http://twitter.com/colaborlando http://groups.google.com/group/coworking-orlando - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On May 8, 2009, at 11:54 AM, jasontgoodr...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks, Eric. I've already contacted Linsey Burritt at The COOP. I'm going there next week to work and chat. Ravenswood is next on the list, but I haven't talked to anyone there yet. We'll be visiting other coworking locations in the next month to put finishing touches on our business plan. I think there's huge potential for the movement here if we can raise awareness of coworking locally and nationally. *Personally, I believe this is something the people in this forum can do very effectively together.* I'll post some starter ideas this weekend that I hope you and everyone will add to. As for potential locations, we're focusing on the North Side in Lakeview/Lincoln Park. We've also looked in the West Loop and River North. Frankly I think every neighborhood should have multiple spots, but we're well aware of giving existing sites breathing space, especially early on. I love that cities like Orlando and Columbus are helping lead the coworking charge. When you get a chance, I'd like to hear more about the scene there and what you'd like to see happen here. We're approaching this as open source workspace. We have ideas and drive to get it done, yet the best solution will come with enthusiastic input. Talk to you again soon. -Jason On May 7, 3:24 pm, Eric Marden eric.mar...@gmail.com wrote: Jason, That's great to hear. Do you know which side of Chicago you're thinking about? Also you may want to reach out to The COOP (http://coworkchicago.com ) and Ravenswood (http://coworking.pbworks.com/CoworkingChicagoRavenswood ), which are coworking spaces currently open. I'm moving to Chicago this summer, so keep the list up to date on your progress. I know I'll be interested in getting involved with the coworking scene there (like I have been here in Orlando where I'm currently at). - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://ericmarden.com On May 6, 2009, at 6:54 PM, jasontgoodr...@gmail.com wrote: Hi, everyone! My wife and I are building a coworking community in Chicago with the goal of opening a space by the end of the summer. (Name tbd) Your posts have been a great introduction to the culture and workings of the movement. We hope to contribute substantially as the venture progresses. I'm a career journalist (editing and design) who became interested in coworking after I was laid off from the Chicago Tribune. While establishing my freelance business, I sorely needed affordable workspace outside my home in order to be productive. We all know the inadequate options. I was one of those who thought I had come up with a profound, new idea of collaborative, shared workspace—until I discovered the right search terms! For now, I Jelly with Sean Johnson, Brad Maier and crew at a spacious North Side coffee shop. Very cool, inviting people. I'm also developing a social media portal to ease introductions and grease the collaborative process at coworking sites and cafes, etc. Gretchen, my wife, probably saw the potential of coworking before I did. (Jason, you need to get out of the house.) She's my tag team partner in this enterprise. She's also a bookkeeper and mom who has been an actress, singer, IT manager... She will introduce herself to the group more aptly than I can in the near future. She always has great questions and thoughts. Enough for now. I'm so glad this community exists. I'll try to give even more than I get. Thanks! Jason Goodrich --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: Catalysts in Chicago
Jason, That's great to hear. Do you know which side of Chicago you're thinking about? Also you may want to reach out to The COOP (http://coworkchicago.com ) and Ravenswood (http://coworking.pbworks.com/CoworkingChicagoRavenswood ), which are coworking spaces currently open. I'm moving to Chicago this summer, so keep the list up to date on your progress. I know I'll be interested in getting involved with the coworking scene there (like I have been here in Orlando where I'm currently at). - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On May 6, 2009, at 6:54 PM, jasontgoodr...@gmail.com wrote: Hi, everyone! My wife and I are building a coworking community in Chicago with the goal of opening a space by the end of the summer. (Name tbd) Your posts have been a great introduction to the culture and workings of the movement. We hope to contribute substantially as the venture progresses. I'm a career journalist (editing and design) who became interested in coworking after I was laid off from the Chicago Tribune. While establishing my freelance business, I sorely needed affordable workspace outside my home in order to be productive. We all know the inadequate options. I was one of those who thought I had come up with a profound, new idea of collaborative, shared workspace—until I discovered the right search terms! For now, I Jelly with Sean Johnson, Brad Maier and crew at a spacious North Side coffee shop. Very cool, inviting people. I'm also developing a social media portal to ease introductions and grease the collaborative process at coworking sites and cafes, etc. Gretchen, my wife, probably saw the potential of coworking before I did. (Jason, you need to get out of the house.) She's my tag team partner in this enterprise. She's also a bookkeeper and mom who has been an actress, singer, IT manager... She will introduce herself to the group more aptly than I can in the near future. She always has great questions and thoughts. Enough for now. I'm so glad this community exists. I'll try to give even more than I get. Thanks! Jason Goodrich --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: Coworking Baby Born!
Congrats! - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On May 6, 2009, at 3:34 PM, Julie wrote: Gave birth to baby boy last week, joining Felicity - and I'm sure some others out there - who are space owners with kids, or SOWKslol! Julie Duryea http://www.soukllc.com @soukportland 503.517.6900 --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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] Colab Orlando - Epic Office Party - May 7
If anyone is in the Central Florida area, Colab Orlando is having an office party to kick off our May Membership Drive. If you live in the area, and haven't checked out our Coworking Space, this is an opportunity to meet the folks that work here and to ask any questions you may have. We're giving away three part time memberships at the event. To learn more and to RSVP, see here: http://colaborlandoparty-may2009.eventbrite.com/ See you there! - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Introduction and Northern Virginia Coworking
Laban, It seems that I would either offer coworking reimbursement (they pay the space, you pay them) or you ask the coworking space to bill you directly for your employees that are members. Regardless of how the space is managed, paying for someone else's membership seems like an easy enough thing to do. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On Apr 26, 2009, at 8:52 PM, Laban Johnson wrote: Suppose I am a business owner and I have people I am working with all over the country or who work independently from home and I want to offer them office space in a coworking environment as an incentive to work with me. How difficult is that with umpteen different coworking facilities which are all probably managed slightly differently and have their own rules, procedures, etc? How difficult is it for a large company to make use of co-working facilities as part of the plan and not just the occassional exception to the rule? Might there exist a need for co-working agencies to broker space anywhere/everywhere so that larger companies can easily arrange for space in multiple facilities through a single contact, on a single invoice? Maybe a few of you will take the co-working broker idea and run with it :) Laban Johnson Founder, President CEO, The Laban Johnson Group http://www.LabanJohnson.com Improving the Quality of Life la...@labanjohnson.com 888-841-4282 (vm / fax) LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/labanjohnson Twitter: @labanjohnson Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=601471689 --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: how do you treat guests?
If they didn't come to work, then I'd let them in for free. Treat them as guests, and they'll become members or tell their friends. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On Apr 24, 2009, at 7:49 AM, Nia wrote: Hi, everyone! My name is Nia and I am writing a business plan for a coworking place in Istanbul. In my discussions with potential partners, we stumbled over the question of how to deal with guests of the members. We plan on having a lounge area that will serve coffee and snacks. We cannot agree on whether 1) if a member invites a friend over for a chat but has not booked a conference room, we should charge the guest at the daily rate (or an hourly rate, or a guest rate, etc...) OR 2) guests should be allowed in for free as long as they are invited by a member, only sit in the lounge and do not use the internet. Because the lounge is meant for the members, we do not want to get the reputation of a cafe with internet that is open to everyone, but on the other hand, we do not want to restrict members from inviting people for informal meetings. What is the policy of your respective coworking places? What do you think makes most sense in the context of a coworking place? Thanks a lot! Best, Nia --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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] Coworking in Chicago - New Article
I've been visiting family in Chicago and got to stop by The COOP to do a little coworking. I was thoroughly impressed with the space, met some cool folks, and got some work done. I brought a friend of mine, a post-graduate student at Medill, Northwestern's journalism school. He wrote an article about Coworking in Chicago that you guys should enjoy. Its online at its original home: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=127375 But was also syndicated here: http://techloop.windycitizen.com/2009/04/29/are-you-a-freelancer-need-an-office-consider-coworking The Windy Citizen link has comments and voting, and other social whatnots, if you want to add to the discussion. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Review of I'm out of here and general post about coworking
This is a chicken/egg argument. I don't know if I'm busy because I cowork or that I'm coworking because I'm busy. All I know is that if I keep going, I make more money and enjoy my work more than if I did not. Affording the space is just a part of my overhead, which for a business like mine (small web dev shop) is insanely cheap once you take personal living expense out of it. Plus, I write it off anyway. - Eric Marden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://ericmarden.com On Apr 26, 2009, at 8:26 AM, Venkat wrote: Whoops, checking this thread again after quite a while, so I missed this excellent response by Susan, sorry. For those who came in late, sorry if this is obscure. Again, as with Dave's points, I don't have much to say about things that can only be learned by participation, and I am willing to take most of what you say on faith! A lot of what you say is probably correct, especially on the accelerated serendipity front. If I were a full-time field ethnographer on the future of work (as some of my colleagues are), I'd like nothing better than to visit every 'future of work' cauldron around and see this first hand. At the same time, I am skeptical about the point of view that the insider point of view is the only one, or even the most accurate one, for all questions. Or that ethnographic data can change economic axioms or the basic realities of any small-biz venture :) The one thing I'd probably be careful about is reading too much into casual remarks and anecdotal evidence when it comes to hard pricing questions. You quote your members saying things like “I don’t think I’ve been this productive in years,” or “I feel like I’m on the cutting edge here,” or thanks for giving me a great reason to go to work, or “It’s worth every penny – you guys aren’t charging enough for this.” All that can be absolutely honestly said, and still not matter. I wish perceived value and the price structure the market will bear were always in sync, but they aren't. I may perceive the experience to be worth, say, $3000 a month. You may build a business model around the idea of charging $500 a month. But all that won't matter if I can only afford $250 a month, and the local real-estate market, at a given utilization and churn-rate, forces a minimum of $1000 a month. There is a reason so many coffee shops (non starbucks...) go out of business (9/10 is it??). But at any rate, thanks all for the excellent discussion and feedback. I've definitely learned as much as possible without hauling my lazy backside to actual locations. I'll probably eventually make it to Baltimore sometime in the next year or two. On Apr 21, 2:15 pm, Susan Evans susan.c.ev...@gmail.com wrote: Whoops - in that second paragraph I meant to say coworking, not corking. :) I'll admit, I've never plunked down to get a sense of what corking is all about, either. UNcorking, now I've done plenty of that... ;) Susan __ Office Nomads officenomads.com On Apr 21, 10:31 am, Susan Evans susan.c.ev...@gmail.com wrote: I spent some time reviewing this article over the weekend and got hit with a lot of thoughts. Thanks Venkat for writing up a thought- provoking piece. That said, I am sitting here prepping my notes to respond to you (I wrote down pages of them over the weekend), but I’m not sure if any of the responses will resonate with you as you’ve never been to a coworking space. As Dave said this is the critical piece of the puzzle as far as those who participate in this listserv are likely concerned. You may think it a trivial point – that you can still review the model without seeing it in action. You CAN analyze it academically and make a ton of great points about the benefits and the pitfalls of the concept. But after a year and a half of owning and running Office Nomads in Seattle, I’ve heard folks all too often say things like wow - working here went way beyond my expectations, or “I don’t think I’ve been this productive in years,” or “I feel like I’m on the cutting edge here,” or thanks for giving me a great reason to go to work, or “It’s worth every penny – you guys aren’t charging enough for this.” None of this can truly resonate with you unless you’ve plunked yourself down in one of the spaces around the country and gotten a true sense of what corking is all about. Specifically, I think that visiting a coworking space would really change your opinion about the value vs. cost analysis you went through in your review, as well as the thought that you mentioned there at the end about not being able to rely in the longterm on “economic- cultural benefits” such as potential teaming and start-up creation out of coworking spaces. Until you sat side-by-side with other workers and got to really see the “accelerated serendipity” (yes, a woo-woo hippie- like term, but when you see it you GET
[Coworking] Re: Hello
Hi Fred, Feel free to use me as a resource. I help manage the coworking space in Orlando, and while we are just getting going, I'd be happy to chat about our experience so far. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Apr 21, 2009, at 7:44 PM, Fred wrote: Just following the rules and introducing myself. I'm in St. Petersburg FL and looking to start a coworking group in the area...and the usual questions that come along with a new membership on here...HA! If anyone has any information, would be interested in joining or knows of anyone looking to start a coworking facility in the area, let me know. Thanks Fred --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: It only takes 10
Colab's free fridays are a temporary thing (based on the excellent coaching below that Alex provided to us earlier). Next month will be our last month where this is on offer. The reason I wanted to chime in on this is, because one thing I've really noticed, which completely backs up this up, is that there are a number of folks that only come on Fridays, and we have only converted one of them to a part-time membership (and that was because he wanted a place to meet with clients on one of our non-free days, and the cost of a membership was only a little bit more than paying for that meeting). The only value that Free Fridays have provided is the buzz in the community about the space. Not a bad thing, but it hasn't significantly impacted our Membership. What has impacted our membership numbers has been passionate coworkers helping explain the benefits and asking them if they want to join. That action had us add 5 members in the last week and half. YMMV, - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Apr 3, 2009, at 10:07 AM, Alex Hillman wrote: I've never really thought that free days made a good incentive to convert to paying members, short or long term. It's an association thing. In the short term, part of the barrier to entry created by paying for membership at a coworking space is dedication and commitment. Free isn't a good way to start a committed relationship. Furthermore, even our night shift members have pointed out that they get more done in a 4 hour session that costs $10 because they know they should; sitting on the couch working on their side projects is free, but that means that slacking has no real cost. When you slack AND you pay for your desk-time, your utilization patterns change. Furthermore...there's the factor of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators. Extrinsic motivators, like providing things for free, or other monetary (or otherwise token) incentives may work once. It may work a few times. Even several times. But odds are, if your goal is to charge money in order to sustain at some point, the free-ness will have to go away at some point. And then expectations need to change and you've taken a technical problem (cashflow) and made it a social problem (commitment). Free is an extrinsic motivator. Community is an intrinsic motivator. Intrinsic motivators are the ultimate in sustainability. They're harder to provide initially because you have to figure out what they are, but we think it's worth it in the long run. -Alex, IndyHall -- - -- - Alex Hillman im always developing something digital: a...@weknowhtml.com helpful: www.unstick.me visual: www.dangerouslyawesome.com local: www.indyhall.org On Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 9:57 AM, felicity at cubes felicity.chap...@gmail.com wrote: Interesting...Fridays are busy for us but when we do free days, we seem to have less people not more people come. Apparently, cost not such the issue in our area. People come when they want to and need to, so for us member schedule seems to be the drive. Thanks for sharing...all good information. All the best, Felicity Founder CubesCrayons www.cubesandcrayons.com cubes.typepad.com/blog On Apr 2, 2:34 pm, HeatherO heath...@heathero.com wrote: how funny! Friday is our slowest day and it's free! we have had NO one come in for that. We do insider workday weds for the folks atwww.inside919.comsothat is our busiest day. yesterday was the first we've had where folks actually worked! (first few times everyone was just networking. had fewer people yesterday) it was very cool! At Your Service, Heather O' Heather O'Sullivan Canney, CGG (Chief Go-Giver) Heather O Inc.http://www.HeatherO.comhttp://www.heathero.com Soco Studiohttp://www.SocoStudio.bizhttp://www.socostudio.biz 104-B N. Salem St. Apex, NC 27502 Soco Studio: 919-387-0408 Direct (cell): 919-427-7770 Google Talk: goheathero Contact Me: Linkedin %20%20http://www.linkedin.com/in/heathero%20%20 Facebook http://profile.to/heathero/Flickrhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/heatheroapex/ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/HeatherOYoutubehttp://www.youtube.com/user/heatheroapex Plaxo http://heathero.myplaxo.com --- @ WiseStamp Signature. http://www.wisestamp.com Get it nowhttp://www.wisestamp.com On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 3:49 PM, Steven Heath she...@gmail.com wrote: On Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 6:22 AM, Mike Pihlman m...@telbitconsulting.comwrote: It is nice to have a goal10 seems very achievable. Thanks for this ! Two questions: 1. Is there one day of the week that you all find is busier than the others? 2. Have you ever run out of seats on a busy day? Friday is our busiest day. We have come close to running out of desks only once (and it was a Friday
[Coworking] Re: What percentage of your coworkers are:
Great way of thinking about this... we are mostly service providers here. I'll have to go after the 'Demander' market next ;) - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Apr 7, 2009, at 1:24 PM, Philippe Chetrit wrote: I like to classify our members in a couple different ways. One, which I find to be very valuable, is Service Providers and Service Demanders. A Service Provider is person/biz who contributes their service or talent to the space economy like graphic designers, web developers, various consultants etc. Service Demanders are people/bizs which contribute projects and cash to the space economy like non- profits, consumer products, techies etc. I strive to keep a good balance of both groups to ensure the effectiveness and balance of the coworking economy. Best, Philippe Affinity Lab www.affinitylab.com On Apr 6, 12:58 pm, ourspacefortwa...@gmail.com ourspacefortwa...@gmail.com wrote: I have recieved some great feedback from Alex and Susan, and a few others, regarding this matter! However, I would love to have some other date! What percentage of your coworkers are: techies (designers, coders, etc.)? artists? business professionals? Thanks - Jodi Dean OurSpace Fort Wayne --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: It only takes 10
1. Is there one day of the week that you all find is busier than the others? Right now that day for us is Friday. Due in no small part that for the next couple of months Fridays are free to members and non-members alike. 2. Have you ever run out of seats on a busy day? We've gotten close, but not quite. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Apr 2, 2009, at 1:22 PM, Mike Pihlman wrote: It is nice to have a goal10 seems very achievable. Thanks for this ! Two questions: 1. Is there one day of the week that you all find is busier than the others? 2. Have you ever run out of seats on a busy day? Thanks, Mike Tony Bacigalupo wrote: Alex, I saw that post by Godin earlier and immediately thought of you guys. It's really a great mantra and a great bar to set for yourself for anything you're doing. Tony Bacigalupo Coworking: http://nwcny.com Book: http://imouttaherethebook.com Recession: http://runwayproject.org Personal: http://tonybacigalupo.com On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 9:46 AM, HeatherO heath...@heathero.com mailto:heath...@heathero.com wrote: Absolutely true! We have found 10+ raving fans (not all are members, but fans) via www.inside919.com http://www.inside919.com. if you haven't joined or aren't actively participating in yourareacode.com http://yourareacode.com, you're missing a great FREE opp'ty. Many networks have just launched. If there's no one in your yet, sign up anyway! contact Pat Howlett and become a community organizer. I promise it's the best thing we've done, the best tribe you could have:) It's a totally spam free zone to by the way! Feel free to contact me directly for more info! Here's what our's looks like http://inside919.ning.com/profile/HeatherO At Your Service, Heather O' Heather O'Sullivan Canney, CGG (Chief Go-Giver) Heather O Inc. http://www.HeatherO.com http://www.heathero.com Soco Studio http://www.SocoStudio.biz http://www.socostudio.biz 104-B N. Salem St. Apex, NC 27502 Soco Studio: 919-387-0408 Direct (cell): 919-427-7770 Google Talk: goheathero Contact Me: LinkedinFacebook http://profile.to/heathero/Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatheroapex/Twitter http://www.twitter.com/HeatherOYoutube http://www.youtube.com/user/heatheroapexPlaxo http://heathero.myplaxo.com --- @ WiseStamp Signature. http://www.wisestamp.com Get it now http://www.wisestamp.com On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 9:37 AM, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com mailto:dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com wrote: If you've read some of our responses in this group, or seen the videos we've produced so far, or seen either of us speak on the topic of community building, you may have heard Geoff or I say It only takes 10 committed people to start a successful coworking community. In the case of coworking, that 10 number is variable, but a likely minimum, to having enough people to validate the concept for your area, and start helping spread the word. Need more proof? The mantra that Geoff coined showed up on Seth Godin's blog this morning. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/04/first- ten-.html -Alex -- - -- - Alex Hillman im always developing something digital: a...@weknowhtml.com mailto:a...@weknowhtml.com helpful: www.unstick.me visual: www.dangerouslyawesome.com http://www.dangerouslyawesome.com local: www.indyhall.org http://www.indyhall.org -- Mike Pihlman TracyVirtualOffice A Coworking Community 95 W. 11th Street, Suite 203 Tracy, CA 95376 Mobile: 209-608-4340 Web: TracyVirtualOffice.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: game room?
I am so stealing this idea. We got some board game nerds in our community with some exotic games. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Mar 31, 2009, at 10:49 PM, Alex Hillman wrote: We had a video game night last year, but I love the idea of a board game night. Some folks have requested it in the past, thanks for the reminder. -Alex -- - -- - Alex Hillman im always developing something digital: a...@weknowhtml.com helpful: www.unstick.me visual: www.dangerouslyawesome.com local: www.indyhall.org On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 7:43 PM, Charles Redell cmons...@gmail.com wrote: We've had a monthly game night here at Office Nomads which was really popular for awhile but interest has waned a bit. Recently a few of us have been playing board games at lunch time though and that's generated a fair amount of interest. And every once in a while, a board/card game starts late in the day and suddenly, it's 9pm and we're a bit tipsy and having a great time. There's also now an Atari 2600 here which takes the edge off during the day, for sure. All in all, I'd say games and playing have been a part of ON's DNA since the beginning. People come together over games and get to know each other. charlie On Mar 31, 2009, at 4:35 PM, Chris Conrey wrote: We put on a Board Game night just recently here at Gangplank as well - I've had several people tell me that it was a great way to meet people and to get involved.Easy ice breaker. Chris Conrey chrisconrey.com Human-Geek Relations at Integrum @conrey on Twitter On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 4:32 PM, BrianR anon...@gmail.com wrote: At Carrboro Coworking we've have a requisite Wii. Several loud and fun nights have been had whilst being beaten badly at Mario Kart. We've even had a board game night. Playing strategy games is a great way to exercise your business brain. Hope to have another board game night soon. Alex is right. Fun is a major component of coworking. Its how we build strong communities. Right now I'm thinking we might increase the amount of play. Details at 11. -BrianR So some of you seem to have game rooms, but most don't. I'd love to hear the why we did or why we didn't stories. Thx in advance! Kevin kevin.christ...@acu.edu 325-280-8680 facebookhttp://profile.to/kevinchristian/ linkedinhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/kclegal --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: game room?
This is about as exotic as they come: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlers_of_Catan but is FSFW (fully safe for work). - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Apr 1, 2009, at 4:21 PM, Alex Hillman wrote: Exotic games might not be the most appropriate for a workplace. But whatever works for your crew ;) -Alex -- - -- - Alex Hillman im always developing something digital: a...@weknowhtml.com helpful: www.unstick.me visual: www.dangerouslyawesome.com local: www.indyhall.org On Wed, Apr 1, 2009 at 4:17 PM, Eric Marden eric.mar...@gmail.com wrote: I am so stealing this idea. We got some board game nerds in our community with some exotic games. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Mar 31, 2009, at 10:49 PM, Alex Hillman wrote: We had a video game night last year, but I love the idea of a board game night. Some folks have requested it in the past, thanks for the reminder. -Alex -- - -- - Alex Hillman im always developing something digital: a...@weknowhtml.com helpful: www.unstick.me visual: www.dangerouslyawesome.com local: www.indyhall.org On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 7:43 PM, Charles Redell cmons...@gmail.com wrote: We've had a monthly game night here at Office Nomads which was really popular for awhile but interest has waned a bit. Recently a few of us have been playing board games at lunch time though and that's generated a fair amount of interest. And every once in a while, a board/card game starts late in the day and suddenly, it's 9pm and we're a bit tipsy and having a great time. There's also now an Atari 2600 here which takes the edge off during the day, for sure. All in all, I'd say games and playing have been a part of ON's DNA since the beginning. People come together over games and get to know each other. charlie On Mar 31, 2009, at 4:35 PM, Chris Conrey wrote: We put on a Board Game night just recently here at Gangplank as well - I've had several people tell me that it was a great way to meet people and to get involved.Easy ice breaker. Chris Conrey chrisconrey.com Human-Geek Relations at Integrum @conrey on Twitter On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 4:32 PM, BrianR anon...@gmail.com wrote: At Carrboro Coworking we've have a requisite Wii. Several loud and fun nights have been had whilst being beaten badly at Mario Kart. We've even had a board game night. Playing strategy games is a great way to exercise your business brain. Hope to have another board game night soon. Alex is right. Fun is a major component of coworking. Its how we build strong communities. Right now I'm thinking we might increase the amount of play. Details at 11. -BrianR So some of you seem to have game rooms, but most don't. I'd love to hear the why we did or why we didn't stories. Thx in advance! Kevin kevin.christ...@acu.edu 325-280-8680 facebookhttp://profile.to/kevinchristian/ linkedinhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/kclegal --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: Captive Portals
We just have an encrypted network and the key is written on the whiteboard. Though recently we've been discussing getting a bigger antenna and focusing the signal at one of the bars downstairs so we can continue coworking during happy hour ;) - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Apr 1, 2009, at 11:31 AM, lanceball wrote: Hi all I've just opened up a new coworking space in Asheville (htp:// locomotivity.com). Right now I've got a decent wifi setup with both an encrypted and unencrypted network. No splash screen or anything like that - you just connect and you are good to go. I'm curious about other coworking spaces and whether you are using a captive portal so users have to log in. There are a few reasons why I think this is an ideal setup. Mainly I want to monitor bandwidth usage and lower P2P priority etc; and eventually plug it into some coworking software (e.g. my not-yet-even-alpha http://github.com/lance/planomatic) so that I can easily track things like 10-pass cards. I've seen the page of recommendations on the wiki - http://coworking.pbwiki.com/WirelessNetworkRecommendations - and there's a lot of good info. But I'm curious if any of you space owners doing something like this already? If so, what's your setup? Thanks Lance Ball http://locomotivity.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] What a difference a year can make...
One of our local groups put up a blog post briefly documenting the leaps Orlando has made in getting coworking established in our city: http://floridacreatives.com/blogs/ryanprice/2009/03/25/coworking-what-difference-year-can-make I thought it might be of some interest to those on the group, especially if you're early on in the process. The discussion in the comments is good too, so feel free to jump in with your own thoughts, if you are so inspired. Thanks, - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Introducing myself, plans for coworking in Lancaster, PA
We are working out the details on a lease of an incredible building in downtown Lancaster--the original powerplant, now beautifully rehabbed--which will house not only a variety of coworking spaces for 25+ individuals, but also a large coffee shop and separate performance venue. That space sounds really cool. Send pics once you get moved in. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: Looking for coworking in western Chicago suburbs
To expand this further, I will be in Chicago proper at the end of April. Any spaces near Bucktown or downtown that I can check out while I'm there? I took a look at the Wiki and COOP and Ravenswood look the most inviting: http://wiki.coworking.info/CoworkingChicago Anyone have comments about either of these spaces? It seems only COOP has day rates and neither seem to be on the Coworking Visa. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Mar 24, 2009, at 11:49 AM, Mike Biang wrote: Greetings! I'm new to coworking, but am very excited about the idea. Is anyone aware of any coworking groups / locations in the western chicago suburbs, particularly near Naperville, Wheaton, St. Charles or Geneva? Many Thanks! Mike Biang --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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: Concerns about future competition?
Could a corporate version of coworking even survive? Yes, but who would want to use it? - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando http://colaborlando.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 coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[Coworking] Re: How do you manage collaboration?
Have people do a show and tell at the end of the day, or during a break, to show off something they learned or something cool they are working on. Introduce yourself to everyone and get to know what they are working on. Hold events that allow people to interact and talk about their work. Basically anything that can get people talking will help foster collaboration. People will get to know the others in the community by the work they do, and will start to make their own connections on who and how they'd like to collaborate. You just need to cultivate the atmosphere, and the rest will happen naturally. - Eric Marden CoLab Orlando 37 N. Orange Ave, 6th Floor Downtown Orlando http://colaborlando.com On Mar 20, 2009, at 2:30 PM, ourspacefortwa...@gmail.com wrote: What tools and techniques do you use at your sites to assist each in the process of collaboration? --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ 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 -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
