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 it) of coworking spaces. There is value in the potential that coworking spaces bring to independent workers. It is a risk to take to join a coworking space, but a calculated one at that. You are taking a financial risk on a space (only if you’re used to getting your space for “free” at cafes and at home) but there is useful filter on that risk that I don’t think you take enough into consideration. It’s like getting to pick the customers who sit alongside you in the coffee shop – you get to put yourself in a room full of potential collaborators. There is incredible value in this. We see it nearly every day at Office Nomads and I hear similar stories from other coworking spaces all the time. This indicates that it is not an accidental, temporary outcome of running a coworking space, but a vital component of the success of these spaces in th efuture. I think you’d also see that coworking spaces aren’t painting themselves into a corner by dissenting against mainstream office spaces, but instead are part of a growing trend to make collaborative workspaces which encourage people to work closer to home (as in ditch their commute and spend more of that commute time doing more valuable things like hanging out with friends and family. We're actually in conversation about working with local transportation agencies to spread the word about coworking locations in the Puget Sound so they can share them with businesses who have commute trip reduction (CTR) strategies). Coworking spaces are not the end-all, be-all of where this new business model is heading. In fact, as you may have seen on this list, we dialogue (almost too-)regularly about what coworking is and what the model encompasses as it is put into action around the world. At SXSWi this year, there was a ton of talk about what the next step would be for coworking spaces. There is an infinite amount of possibility – just sit down with Alex and Geoff and IndyHall for 5 minutes and you’ll know what I’m talking about. They are the industry leaders and are pioneering some incredible methods and tools that are going to launch coworking into its next phase. What I DO think you do a great job of in your article is making us coworking space owners think a bit. We mull over all of the points you brought up daily, and I thank you for bringing many of them all together in one place (with even bigger, more important thanks to the authors of “I’m Outta Here!” for giving the book up for review in the first place, of course. ☺). I agree with you that the value proposition of coworking spaces has to be a serious one in this time in order for independents to take the financial step towards joining a space. It is similar to a gym in that respect – you know that coworking will help the health of your worklife, but you have to take the step to get in the space in order to get the value. These days many independents are looking for ways to garner value from the choices they make to move their business forward, and it is our challenge to let them know that the value they can gain from a coworking space is worth it. Again I have about a million more thoughts – but them’s the start. ☺ On Apr 16, 9:15 am, Venkat <[email protected]> wrote: > Dave: > > Your moon metaphor is perhaps not the best one, since the greatest > experts on the moon and how to get there and survive there are not/ > were not the astronauts in the Apollo program :) To the extent that > direct experience is relevant, I think I drew some fair conclusions > based on my experience of similar setups like coops, visits to > incubators/companies that try to foster similar atmospheres, and the > like. But yes, some of my commentary on cultural elements is > speculative, and I make full use of the bill of rights of book > reviewers :). I'd be glad if some of my speculative inferences about > the limited range of cultures on offer proved to be unfounded. > > But there ARE a lot of elements in the coworking conversation that > yield to armchair analysis. Economics and relation to other 'future of > work' trends being among them, and I hope to hear some interesting > conversations around those elements. > > As for me personally, it is pretty darn clear I can't afford coworking > on my current budget. But I am hoping something cheaper happens in > Pentagon City or the Crystal City area once commercial real estate > costs start coming down. I personally don't have the bandwidth to try > and start anything, though I may try something simple in the common > areas of the new apartment building I am moving to next month (nearish > Crystal City, in Arlington, VA). > > Venkat > > On Apr 16, 8:36 am, Dave Troy <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Venkat, > > > You make some very interesting points, however, the most important > > thing you state is this: > > "Though I haven’t yet managed to visit an actual space..." > > > In this regard, your article has a speculative air -- like a Jules > > Verne novel wondering about what the moon might be like, and what it > > should be like if the theories are correct. > > > I'd also argue that coworking has no particular interest in "winning," > > so the harping on a 3:1 odds against it becoming "the market leader" > > is a moot point (and obviously speculative since you haven't observed > > it first hand). It's a model and it works for some folks. > > > Books may not necessarily help the cause. You are right to write a > > review of a book; it is a physical object that tries to stand on its > > own, and a review is entitled to do the same. However, a book about > > coworking that doesn't afford an opportunity to actually experience > > coworking is arguably as lacking as an essay critiquing the coworking > > model written by someone who has no first hand experience with it. > > > Towards that end, I reiterate: come to Baltimore and cowork. And visit > > one of the other sites. Then write about the model once you have some > > experience with it. > > > Also, I'm very interested in helping you advance coworking initiatives > > in DC and would suggest that actions speak louder than words -- even > > well crafted and intelligent ones. > > > Thanks for your interest and enthusiasm -- it's the fuel that will > > drive us all forward. :) > > > Best, > > Dave --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
