I missed you guys, so I'm back for a 3rd post. ;) Angel's point about people looking for coworking and being disappointed when they find desks but no community is a real one. This doesn't hurt those of us doing a good job, but it will hurt anyone who, as Joel once aptly put, "are selling an empty room full of tables and chairs as a creative, collaborative place to work".
It also reinforces points I've made in the past, and spoken to the crew at LooseCubes, DeskWanted, and others - if you're building a "coworking finder" that doesn't put the emphasis on the people instead of the desks, you're not helping coworking and you *might* be hurting it. http://dangerouslyawesome.com/2011/09/finding-coworking/ Seriously, back to work now. -Alex /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 4:20 PM, Alex Hillman <[email protected]>wrote: > I just noticed something that I didn't notice before I replied: he > specifically *asks* for a better option. > > "If you know of a good shared space that encourages community, please let > me know." > > /ah > indyhall.org > coworking in philadelphia > > > On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 4:13 PM, Alex Hillman < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> I find this more encouraging than not, actually: >> >> 1) he knows what he's looking for. >> 2) he recognized they didn't have it, and moved on. >> 3) he shared his experience >> >> I don't think this is an isolated incident, and it won't be the last. The >> fact that people recognize the difference is the best thing we could ask >> for. I'd say that most people I speak to who don't see the difference have >> never experienced either, or both. Once they experience one, or the other - >> they see the difference. >> >> So our job is to make sure they get to have at least one experience, >> right? If we're lucky, their *first* experience is us, and it's good. >> But if not - I don't think all is lost, at least not most of the time. >> >> I think your intuition to reach out as someone who works at another >> coworking space and say "hey, it's good that you knew what you were looking >> for - don't give up on that!" is perfect. Do it. >> >> *To your worst nightmare*: I know that there are people who absolutely >> hate Indy Hall, and not just because I tend to speak my mind. It's just not >> a place for them - and that's okay, because there are close to 200 people >> who love the shit out of this place, and a waiting list out the door of >> more who want to love the shit out of this place. >> >> If you're pleasing everyone, you're pleasing no-one. The CoworkingSeattle >> stance of "coworking represents a choice" means that some people will >> choose "not". It's still a choice, and we gave them a chance to make that >> choice. >> >> That's worth it to me. >> >> -Alex >> >> >> /ah >> indyhall.org >> coworking in philadelphia >> >> >> >> On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 4:04 PM, Angel Kwiatkowski <[email protected] >> > wrote: >> >>> This came across my google alerts yesterday and I found it fascinating >>> >>> http://www.builtinchicago.org/profiles/blogs/when-coworking-fails-and-the-side-effects-on-the-community?xg_source=activity >>> . >>> It's basically one person's story of wanting to be a part of a >>> community, finding a "coworking" space and then realizing that there >>> was no community at all. :( >>> >>> We've had a lot of discussion around executive centers branding >>> themselves as coworking spots and there are plenty of emotions around >>> the topic. What sticks out for me in this article is the feeling of >>> helplessness I had after reading it. How can we encourage the author >>> to continue to try to find the perfect fit community/coworking space >>> for his needs? It breaks my heart that he had a bad experience with >>> the word "coworking." >>> >>> Additionally, my worst nightmare situation is having a member who felt >>> this way about Cohere's version of coworking. >>> >>> Angel >>> >>> -- >>> 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.
