> > *So while many spaces sound like "true" coworking, they are still the > minority. What can we do to fix this?*
We fix this by not thinking of coworking as a static thing that needs defending but by focusing on the deeper, more meaningful concept that is driving coworking. If you think of coworking as a movement, then its purpose for existence, by definition, is to change the status quo. It also means that it, like all movements, has a finite life cycle. Coworking, the movement, compels existing institutions like office rental businesses to change how they do things. In that sense, that's exactly what is happening now. But what we're talking about goes far deeper than that. If all coworking did was create a world in which anyone anywhere could find a local community of people to work alongside and collaborate with, whether by way of small community space or large workspace provider, that would be awesome. But to stop there would betray the far deeper and more important shift that is taking place. When Brad Neuberg invented Coworking<http://codinginparadise.org/weblog/2005/08/coworking-community-for-developers-who.html>, with a capital "C", he envisioned a more complete support system for people who were otherwise on their own. They maintained a mutual schedule of business hours, went to lunch together, and did group activities. It wasn't located in an office facility; it was in a wellness center. In other words, it was about far more than workspace from the outset. A lot of what he pioneered was ahead of its time, but at the core of it is the need for us to think of this as a completely new framework for servicing the needs of a workforce that has total control over how, where, when, and why they work. That's really different from the workforce that the rest of the world is used to accommodating. The world is used to serving the needs of a workforce that commutes, works regular business hours, has a hierarchical employment system, regular paychecks, paid vacations, and all sorts of other constructs. Those things just don't fit the needs of these new folks anymore, and Coworking is the beginning of a solution. But it's only the beginning. For coworking communities to distinguish themselves as something obviously different from renting office space, we have to continuously strive to find new ways to better serve that new workforce. The fact that Benjamin and Derek and others have distanced themselves from "coworking" is a wake-up call. If we ("who's we?") are to continue to compel the attention, respect, admiration, awe, and participation of a world of people for whom the old ways don't work, we have to continue to work hard to earn it by aspiring to better fulfill those deeper needs, and by continuing to bring this future to light. Keeping the perception of the word "coworking" centered on this deeper concept is important and it merits healthy discussion, but we only have so much control over that-- and, ultimately, it's just a shortcut. What we're really talking about is work as we know it, and what it will look like when we change it. Tony Bacigalupo --- New Work City Site <http://nwc.co/> | Twitter <http://twitter.com/nwc> | Newsletter<http://nwc.co/newsletter> On Wed, Apr 4, 2012 at 4:52 PM, Jerome Chang <[email protected]> wrote: > Is making a profit for a business necessarily bad for the coworking > community? > Coworking has brought about great ways to collaborate, and to create > community. Those kinds of intangible ideals will obviously manifest in > many different ways. I don't think there is one "true" coworking, nor two > or three, just as there is no one "true" art. > > > Jerome > ______________ > BLANKSPACES > "work FOR yourself, not BY yourself" > > www.blankspaces.com > ph: 323.330.9505 | 5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea) Los > Angeles, CA 90036 > > On Apr 4, 2012, at 12:02 PM, Derek Neighbors wrote: > > Beth, > > As someone who also has distanced themselves from "coworking" I can > sympathize. Coworking as a fad has become largely about space owners > trying to make money running their "coworking business" and/or propagating > corporations are evil and freelancer nation will rule the world. All of > these things make building community more difficult in the long run. > > I think the initial incarnation of coworking was very much about > community, but it became a victim of its own success and now a days its > hard to distinguish most coworking spaces from shared office groups like > Regus other than more modern layout/furniture. > > I think that Alex at IndyHall, Tony at NewWorkCity and the good folks at > Office Nomads have made a great push in the last two years to try to get > things centered back around community and many others have stepped up and > started to turn the ship. > > So while many spaces sound like "true" coworking, they are still the > minority. What can we do to fix this? > > -- > Derek Neighbors > Gangplank > > On Wed, Apr 4, 2012 at 9:49 AM, Beth Buczynski <[email protected]>wrote: > >> I'm confused...Benjamin goes to such great lengths to say that Grind >> isn't a coworking space because it's not "an incubator or an >> accelerator" and that the "chairs, the tables, the real-estate, >> renting a seat or a desk are secondary to constructing a strong >> community." That sounds EXACTLY like true coworking to me! While >> coworking spaces can act like incubators, the spaces that exist purely >> to facilitate this aren't necessarily committed to the community >> aspects that set coworking apart from every other type of work space. >> On a related but unrelated note, Grind's pop-up coworking space during >> SxSW was really great. Anyone else check it out? >> >> Beth >> @gonecoworking >> >> On Apr 3, 8:07 pm, David Singer <[email protected]> wrote: >> > David Judson, the proprietor ofwww.mystartstory.com-- long form >> > interview of founders of starups has included two piorneering >> > coworking/collaborative workspace founders in his series: Benjamin >> > Dyett, founder of Grind [www.grindspaces.com] and Jenifer Ross, >> > Founder of W@tercooler [www.watercoolerhub.com]. I highly recommend >> > these reads -- both of these individuals have inspired me to do a deep >> > dive into exploring coworking on multiple levels. The links to the >> > interviews are here: >> > >> > Benjamin Dyett: http://mystartstory.com/benjamin-dyett/ >> > >> > Jenifer Ross: http://mystartstory.com/jenifer-ross/ >> > >> > David A. Singerwww.twitter.com/davidasinger >> >> -- >> 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. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. 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