I share this if you haven't seen it. Andrius Kulikauskas, [email protected],
http://www.ms.lt
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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122252297
Co-Working Offers Community To Solo Workers
by Kaomi Goetz
Wi-Fi, laptops and cell phones make it possible to work from just about
anywhere these days. They've helped people leave the office and work
from the comfort of their living rooms or corner coffee shops.
But now, an increasing number of Americans are looking for something in
between.
Community
Kevin Prentiss started his Internet-based business from his apartment in
New York City. For two years, he says he worked 14-hour days in solitude
— ironic, considering he runs a social networking site.
"I don’t know that I was talking to myself," he says. "I think that
probably I was talking to myself."
Then one day he heard about New Work City. It's a rented office space in
Manhattan where workers like Prentiss can drop in, hook up their laptops
and work away with other people similarly mobile, while making
face-to-face connections.
Membership at New Work City is kind of like going to a gym. The plans
range from $150 a month for two visits per week on up to getting your
own key.
Tony Bacigalupo is New Work City's self-styled mayor.
"This is the front door of New Work City," he says. "The first thing you
see is a calendar of what's going on."
It looks like any other typical start-up office environment: There are
two conference rooms, a main room with tables pushed together and a
kitchen. Members pitch in for the first aid kit and communal office
supplies shelf. There isn't a janitor; everyone cleans up. There are
snacks, soda and beer too.
"It's real simple," Bacigalupo says. "If you take something, just drop a
dollar into the jar."
A Growing Movement
New Work City is part of a trend that started a handful of years ago on
the West Coast. Newly mobile tech workers with laptops liked their
freedom but still missed the human interaction they got from going to an
office. So they formed meet-up groups: casual, once-a-week deals at
different locations — sometimes even people's living rooms. Today,
Bacigalupo says more and more people are working independently — either
by choice, a layoff or both.
"The same way that [during] the last century work shifted from blue
collar to white collar," Bacigalupo says, "I think we'll be seeing in
this century, we're going to be moving away from the idea of a
centralized Monday-to-Friday, 9-to-5 workplace, and we'll be moving much
more in this direction. People will work when they want where they want."
The Future Of Shared Office Space
California-based Emergent Research says co-working spaces continued to
grow during the recession. Public libraries are also getting in on the
trend by offering conferencing and other business services.
And co-working is not just happening in major cities. Office furniture
giant Steelcase is subsidizing a co-working cottage in East Grand
Rapids, Mich. Members there can tap away on their laptops next to a cozy
fireplace for $100 a month. Organizers say it’s part community resource,
part social experiment.
Prentiss says he likes the support he gets from other members at New
Work City. He's even hired a few people that he's met there. And just
like an office environment, there are sometimes silly contests — which
he likes.
"What it doesn't have, though, because of a lack of the collective
[organization] chart, there's not any kind of jockeying or power-play
politics," Prentiss says. "So I definitely think it's much of the good
and none of the bad. No one is competing here."
New Work City is just breaking even, and that's OK with its founders.
They say for-profit spaces tend to operate like impersonal office suites
and miss what co-working's about — community.
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Co-Working's Pros And Cons
Pro: Flexible Work Hours
For people who dislike the 9-to-5 shift, co-working facilities offer the
benefits of an office without the rigid schedule.
Pro: Collaboration And Networking
One of the cons of working from home is often the solitude. Co-working
allows people to share ideas across industries as well as create new
contacts.
Pro: Productivity
Co-working curbs more alluring activities like shopping, watching TV and
napping, which are tempting when home alone.
Con: Distraction
Although many people work best in a lively, social environment, others
find that water-cooler conversation disrupts their focus.
Con: Privacy
Conversations are sometimes easily overheard and important notes and
documents are often left lying around co-working spaces.
Discretion-seeking workers are better working from home or a private office.
Con: Costs Money
Patrons of co-working facilities must pay rent, usually by the day or
month. And depending on the amenities and location, the cost can run
upwards of $500 a month.
— Katherine Bascuas
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