Hey there, I am Charlie. I've been lurking on this list for awhile since I blog for and at Office Nomads in Seattle. When I explain Office Nomads to folks, I rarely have this issue so I thought I'd finally say something on this list.
I don't know if it's who I talk to or that I am in Seattle so the idea of community is a bit easier for people to digest but when asked if I work at home (I am a writer for a magazine based in the Bay Area as well as a blogger) I generally say, "I work out of Office Nomads. It's a coworking space." Then they say, "oh.... yeeeeeah" as if they may have heard the term coworking but I know they haven't, so I explain. "Yeah, it's great. I have an office to go to where I get work done instead of trying to work at home where I always get distracted by laundry, the cat or what have you. But the best part is that I have an office life again which also helps me get work done. You know, after working at home for awhile, I realized how much I missed that social interaction you only get with your office mates. I get that again at Office Nomads. We're all coworkers even though we don't actually do the same things." Invariably, the person I am talking to gets it then and they drop the word "community" into the conversation on their own, somehow. Personally, while I think the concept of community being a part of coworking is extremely important, I think the term is a bit too nebulous for most people unless they are tuned into thinking about it on a regular basis anyway. And let's face it, most people today don't. So I try to leave it out until I've got someone on the hook already by using concrete terms I know they'll get: "office life," "social interaction you only get with office mates," and that sort of thing. Like I say, when folks can releate to the concept (and who in this culture, can't releate to the concept of office life?) they can and will get that the important aspect is the community. Then I can tell them that coworking made me feel like a productive member of society again and they don't look at me like I'm nuts. Until I tell them I've been to over 40 Phish shows, spent a summer at the South Pole or rode every inch of the New York City subway system on one token when I was 17 for a school project. Then they look at me like I'm nuts again and then everyone feels more comfortable! hope this helps you come up with a description that deliniates for folks the difference between coworking and virtual offices. c On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 8:01 AM, LaurenB <[email protected]> wrote: > > Tony, > > Thank you so much for information!! I am open to all the help I can > get! I was trying to explain the atmosphere to a commercial > realtor...I need to come up with my elevator speech that is creative > and accurate!! > > P.S. I love your home page! > > Lauren > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
