Also, a had to remind myself as we consider this reaction that even within our own community there is more than one "origin story" for coworking as we know and embrace it. This was one of my major takeaways from the Coworking EU conference:
I led a Barcamp-style session at Coworking Europe called “Coworking History > 101″ where I kicked off by telling the origin story that I knew, as far > back and as detailed as I could go. I then suggested that others in the > room tell their origin stories, knowing full well that they would be > different. Even in this self-selecting group – our experiences of “when > coworking began” were varied. > What was common, in some cases, was relative time period. What was common, > in some cases, was the experience we had right before discovering > coworking. And in some cases, specific people and times wove through our > stories as if they were connected. > My point was well illustrated: there’s no single history of coworking, and > just like there is no single history of Rock and Roll. > Music history does a good job of describing such histories, though and I > think there’s lessons to be learned there. > Much like coworking in the last decade, “Rock and Roll” was a disruptive > force in the 1950s. And like coworking being a style of work, Rock and Roll > is a style of music, with endless room for invention and reinvention, for > classification and interpretation. > Also like Rock and Roll, I believe that once coworking enters this > collective consciousness, it’s here to stay and at the same time, will > continue to evolve into countless additional genres. Reference: http://dangerouslyawesome.com/2011/11/sex-coworking-and-rock-n-roll/ -Alex /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 10:54 PM, Alex Hillman <[email protected]>wrote: > One of my favorite interactions is when an artist visits Indy Hall and > says "oh, I wish I had a place like this!" and my response is, "you do > realize that we stole this idea from artists, right?" > > Of course, lessons from arts communities, writing communities, and many > others that have been around for centuries are baked into coworking. Steven > Johnson's book "Where good ideas come from" points to the existence of > unique and serendipitous "3rd places" during every period of innovation in > history. Cafes, salons, and other casual gathering places weren't > necessarily places of business, but became the rooted origins of many > business innovations. (Got 10 mins? Watch this video version of the book > for a quick redux: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NugRZGDbPFU) > > Point is, of *course* this isn't a new idea, which makes it hilarious > that anyone defends it. > > But it *is* a new way of executing it, led with different intents and > purposes (or in some cases, less intents and purposes). > > Further, it's not just one, but many, many new ways of executing it. > > >> Well that’s just great, and I have no doubt that New Work City is a >> healthy development. *But it’s not for everyone* > > > It's interesting that he can say that about NWC, but not realize the same > about his own company. I wonder what else is missing from his worldview > that's impacting Regus' members, let alone Regus itself. > > -Alex > > /ah > indyhall.org > coworking in philadelphia > > > > On Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 10:40 PM, Will Bennis, Locus Workspace < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Go New Work City, getting a rise out of the Man: >> http://realbusiness.co.uk/news/lets-work-together >> >> The defensive undercurrent of the article aside, however, part of me >> agrees with Dixon: Coworking isn't a new invention, it's been going on >> for millenia, no doubt, and in many stellar examples in ways that many >> coworking spaces can only long for. Arguing that coworking didn't >> begin until 2005 because that's when the word was first used to >> describe a particular set of values about how to cowork seems to me to >> be a bit off the mark and to focus on labels over content (especially >> since there are so many self-identified coworking spaces that have not >> yet achieved their lofty ideals, my own space included). >> >> That said, Regus is clearly not one of those venues where coworking >> (between independent workers or members of different organizations) >> tends to happen. And if their way of "coworking" counts, then they >> clearly aren't the first, since there have been business lounges since >> long-before Regus was founded in 1989, I'm sure some airport or dozens >> of hotel chains could make better claims to being the first. :) >> >> -- >> 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. >> >> > -- 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.
