Hey all, Thanks for getting the started, Jay! And my apologies for my delay to getting to these e-mails. Here are a few of the key takeaways I had post-SXSWi:
1. As most others will tell you, the value in my time at SXSWi definitely came from the smaller conversations I had post-panels, post-summits, and post-forums. The organized sections of the event are great jump-off points, but the real meat of the matter comes from the conversations had and reflections within those conversations. I'd say that my trip became "worth it" after several conversations I had after both the Coworking Meetup and the Coworking Summit. Instead of getting wrapped up in any controversy, *those conversations inspired me to go home and get shit done.* 2. I did come away from the coworking panel feeling very conflicted. Thanks to Clay for re-clarifying here that the panel was designed to talk about the future of work (that helped me to reframe my thoughts). I walked away realizing that maybe I was *more OK with defining coworking a bit more than I ever have before *(as in, I'd say that coworking *does indeed * mean colocation. Beyond that and the values we've set out, I'm not sure I can go much further than that just yet). ;) 3. When it comes to offices of Economic Development and other government offices, I have come away from several conversations as well as SXSWi with the following:* let them approach you*, not the opposite (hat tip to the crew at Gangplank, Tony B, Geoff, and Alex). That said, I'd add that (in conjunction with point #1 and getting shit done), make sure they know who you are and what you're doing. Make sure that you can clearly state the value that coworking brings to your city. Participate in the conversations that connect deeply to coworking. If you don't see anyone else taking the lead, take it yourself. Hope those things help! All the best from Seattle, Susan __ Office Nomads officenomads.com 206-484-5859 On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 7:51 AM, Tony Bacigalupo <[email protected]>wrote: > Really well put, Devin. > > I'm in the process of revamping NWC's messaging online and off, and our > language will be very similar to what you proposed. > > On Apr 3, 2010 8:14 PM, "Devin" <[email protected]> wrote: > > The movement must go beyond the word 'coworking.' Words will always > be coopted by people who'll use them to benefit themselves. > > Below is a quote I received on a metrocard. > > "The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are > caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey > ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can > I find a man who has forgotten the words, so that I can talk to him?" > > We should defend the term 'coworking' but we also need to strengthen > the language we use to describe this movement and develop a shared > mission statement and strong set of core principles. > > I propose something like following for a mission statement: > The mission of a coworking space is to create an environment in which > autonomous individuals (prefer: independent workers?) thrive. > > > > On Apr 1, 8:11 am, Tony Bacigalupo <[email protected]> wrote: > > Apologies to Jay for swayin... > > > On Mar 31, 2010 8:40 PM, "Clay Spinuzzi" <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > Sorry to hear that y... > -- > > 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]<coworking%[email protected]> > . > > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > > -- > 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]<coworking%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en. > -- 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.
