Thanks Susan and everyone for the feedback. If anyone else has links to other videos, photos, or blog posts from the SXSWi or other conferences/events, please feel free to share them with the group.
I can see that the definition of what 'Coworking' is may eventually evolve from the initial picture that some of its pioneers had in mind. For example, what the term 'like-minded individuals' refer to when the initial definition was coined may not apply to other coworking spaces today. The majority of the early coworking pioneers may have been mostly coders, but I believe the diversity of backgrounds and expertise of people who are interested in coworking is changing, and I think this is for the better. Diversity is something that we have always valued at The Network Hub, and I've seen the benefits of it since our early days. I think innovation is more likely to occur when you have conversations between developers, designers, and the non tech folk in marketing, PR, sales, writers, NGO consultants, etc. Their backgrounds may differ, but they are all smart, independent, passionate individuals who enjoy working alongside other people. I'm not yet convinced that coworking virtually or ad-hoc co-location can create the type of relationships that build from coworking with the same people in the same space on a regular basis. There is great value in the depth of conversations that occur when you go for lunches, breaks, or drinks with people that you see every day working alongside you. At the end of the day, the definition will be defined by the people that are engaged in the conversation. And as Susan mentioned, we all need to participate and help each other spread the word about what coworking means to us, and the value it can provide to others. - Jay - thenetworkhub.ca twitter.com/jaycatalan On Apr 6, 1:34 pm, Susan Evans <[email protected]> wrote: > 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. 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