Hi Steve, I know it's a big project as it is, so take this suggestion as just what I'd want from a dream version of what you're doing, but... I think it would be useful to start with the broadest definition of coworking that still has any integrity, and then tag individual spaces with whatever key words you're encountering that make space categorization ambiguous (or that otherwise distinguish spaces from one another on a recurring basis). That way people interested in your analysis could define coworking in a variety of ways and see how many spaces there are of that type. If I'm interested in a particular kind of dedicated space (say writers' spaces or hacker spaces), or particular membership model (say all hot desks or all anchor desks or a mix), I could then see the list of spaces like that. If you're also going to have a web or software based catalog, you could then allow people to filter by multiple criteria and (maybe for a future project :) compare across categories (e.g., # of anchor vs. hot desk spaces in the U.K.; # of coworking spaces in the U.K. v. Germany, etc.).
If you're looking for a good broad definition to start with, maybe just use the short version of the Seattle coworking group's definition that Alex pointed to as one of the best he's seen: "Coworking is about making the personal choice to work along side other people instead of in isolation" (from http://www.coworkingseattle.org). So, a "coworking space" could be any kind of space designed, at least with one of it's purposes, to facilitate that goal? Will On Jul 19, 6:15 pm, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > A quick question for the group. Would you consider hacker spaces > coworking facilities? Hacker spaces are physical locations that are a > shared workshop for people interested in making things. Most are non- > profit and community owned, but private ownership is becoming more > common. > > Hacker spaces share many attributes with coworking. They provide > shared access to space and equipment. They provide and encourage a > social environoment and community. They provide training classes and > support services. Their membership plans are similar. Many self- > describe as coworking for hackers or makers. > > Hacker spaces have traditionally been targeted at amateurs, but are > increasingly being used by professional freelance artisans and other > small business people. The professional users of hacker spaces use > them for pretty much the same reasons people use traditional coworking > spaces. > > Hacker spaces are linked to the broader Maker/DIY movement, which is > chronicled by Make Magazine (www.makezine.com). Examples include > Alpha One in Brooklyn (http://www.alphaonelabs.com/), Hack DC in DC > (http://hacdc.org) and Noisebridge in SF (https://www.noisebridge.net). > > We're not sure how many hacker spaces exist, but it is likely in the > 30-50 range in the U.S. and their numbers appear to be growing pretty > rapidly. > > We've included a few hacker spaces in our coworking facility count so > far (Tech Shop being a good example -www.techshop.ws). But after > spending some time researching these spaces we are considering adding > more. > > What do you think? > > Thanks, > > Steve -- 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.
