Thanks for the inspiration. Y'all been blogified, for easier sharing & reference.
http://dangerouslyawesome.com/2012/01/social-capital-cool-kids-clubs/ /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 1:12 PM, Tom Brandt <[email protected]> wrote: > I love the distinction between bonding and bridging capital. Thanks for > that. > > > On Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 10:16 AM, Alex Hillman < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> I haven't heard the words "social capital" on this list in a long time, >> it's good to have them back. One of my favorite topics, with a big hat tip >> to Tara Hunt & Chris Messina for my introduction to this in the olden days >> of coworking. >> >> I love Trek's simple equation, it's one I personally live by as well and >> has done well for me. In coworking, it manifests in lots of other ways, >> too. One thing we actively work on at Indy Hall is making sure it's a place >> to DO work, not a place to GET work. Not to say that people can't find or >> get work within a coworking space - in fact we all know it happens and >> happens a lot. But members who show up with the express desire, or worse, >> the express NEED for work, tend to find less of what they want. It's like >> trying to withdraw from a new bank account that you haven't made a deposit >> into yet. >> >> It's the people who contribute before they take (make a deposit before a >> withdrawl) that get the most. >> >> Teach a skill. Share a lunch conversation. Recommend a book or article. >> Simple stuff pays back 10-fold. This is the kind of stuff that Angel >> mentions, and why it's not only so much more fun but why it makes a richer >> experience. >> >> All of that said, within social capital, there are also two kinds to >> consider and balance: *bridging* capital and *bonding* capital. >> >> Bridging social capital is accumulated between heterogeneous groups, and >> bonding social capital is accumulated between homogeneous groups. >> >> There *are* negative consequences of *too* much *bonding* capital: >> >> - exclusion of outsiders >> - burdons imposed on group members >> - increased pressure to "fit in" >> - a trend towards lowest common denominator social norms >> >> Basically? Cool kids clubs are their own worst enemies, and many >> coworking spaces have the same problem. >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBWpWSKjTbU >> >> Luckily the antidote is simple: balance bonding capital with bridging >> capital. >> >> Think of it like diversifying investments. You (and your members) want to >> diversify your social capital across the coworking space and it's members - >> but actively encouraging people to invest their social capital in other >> neighboring groups as well is often overlooked. >> >> Protip: this practice can start long before you open a coworking space - >> and if put into practice on this list by more people, would make it a >> better place for everyone!. :) >> >> -Alex >> >> /ah >> indyhall.org >> coworking in philadelphia >> >> >> On Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 9:47 AM, Tom Brandt <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> At Workantile it took us a while to get what we say during tours >>> perfected, but we have learned to tell people right off the bat that we are >>> membership organization of independent and remote workers, and then go on >>> to explain the social and community aspects of Workantile. if someone says >>> the word "rent", we cut them off almost immediately because that word is a >>> clue that the don't quite get what it is. Our retention rate has improved >>> significantly since we started explaining what Workantile is correctly >>> right off the bat, because people looking for something else don't join. >>> >>> One of the concepts my colleague Trek Glowacki emphasizes is "social >>> capital" and "social debt". You accumulate social capital by contributing >>> to the community and social debt by detracting from it. If your social debt >>> exceeds your social capital, you are probably not worth retaining as a >>> member. Most of our members have built up huge amounts of social capital, >>> so we are in a good place there. >>> >>> On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 6:26 PM, Angel Kwiatkowski < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> I'm such a huge fan of letting members do the implementing when they >>>> have ideas that go beyond basic infrastructure. Here are some recent >>>> things they've asked me and my responses... >>>> "we want to do a swap meet at Cohere, is that okay with you?" >>>> ----"yes, I love it, just reserve the conference room for the date/ >>>> time you want to do it" >>>> "we think it would be neat to have 4 community bikes that people could >>>> check out"----"me too, go for it!" >>>> "I really want a towel rack in the new bathroom"----"I will install >>>> that today" >>>> >>>> :) >>>> >>>> On Jan 26, 4:07 pm, Susan Evans <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> > That guy sounds like he'd make an *awesome* community cultivator at >>>> the >>>> > coworking space he opens up. I hope he gets inspired to build >>>> something >>>> > better!* >>>> > >>>> > *that is my favorite part about the simplicity and fluidity of >>>> coworking. >>>> > Can't find a space that suits you? Create your own, or get yer Jelly >>>> on! >>>> > __ >>>> > Office Nomads >>>> > officenomads.com >>>> > 206-484-5859 >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 3:00 PM, Tony Bacigalupo <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> > > > Which will be fine, because for every person with a "how can you >>>> serve >>>> > > me?" >>>> > > > mentality who leaves, we usually get two with a mindset of "what >>>> can I >>>> > > > do for the community?" >>>> > >>>> > > [Tiny Tower analogy redacted] >>>> > >>>> > > Bingo, the challenge is how to set expectations differently for the >>>> next >>>> > > people who walk in the door. Is it a matter of some people just >>>> being a bad >>>> > > fit, or an opportunity to improve the onboarding process? >>>> > >>>> > > > -- >>>> > > > 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. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> 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. >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> twb >>> member, Workantile Exchange <http://workantileexchange.com/> >>> >>> -- >>> 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. >> > > > > -- > twb > member, Workantile Exchange <http://workantileexchange.com/> > > -- > 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.
