Funny you bring up the press and their overs simplification. I had almost the same sentence written in my reply and axed it :)
One of the lessons in my workshop is how to talk to the press and get your stories told. Its been suggested by some students that I could teach it as a standalone class, and that's coming soon! Glad to hear we've got another advocate in you, though. -- /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 6:34 PM, Randall G. Arnold wrote: > Thanks Alex, and agreed on every point with one tiny caveat: mainstream media > is going to always lean toward oversimplifying. So that will mean a > continual struggle for coworking advocates to keep the message clean. We > just need to do our parts to be clear and especially concise in everything we > do, especially in interviews, press releases, etc. > > To that end, as I've noted before I recently started a digital magazine, > http://post404.com , geared toward community and collaboration. Coworking > will be a big part of our coverage. We will definitely do our part to help > the signal-to-noise ratio. We welcome any and all contributions and in fact > are hoping to add some full and occasional volunteer writers. If you ever > need a podium, we'll be glad o provide it! That includes republishing > original articles, in either direction. > > Randy > Editor-in-Chief, post404 > @texrat & @post404_Mag on twitter > > > On April 10, 2012 at 6:17 PM Alex Hillman <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Thanks for recognizing the change from most to many. That was intentional. > > > > > > As far as norms, I think the point (and perhaps the problem) is that they > > are changing. As more players enter the fray, and as the intentions and > > models diversify, the norms change and diversify as well. > > > > This itself isn't inherently a problem (in fact I think it's natural and > > important > > (http://dangerouslyawesome.com/2011/11/sex-coworking-and-rock-n-roll/)). > > Embracing that fragmentation helps us all get more done. What worries me, > > and you head in this direction as well Randall, is that the media often > > conflates all of the variations as one specific genre. > > > > Coworking as a pattern was developed with some very specific intentions. > > The core values helped crystallize those intentions into something > > shareable, moldable, adaptable. > > > > Coworking as a business doesn't have as clear of intentions. I think that's > > where we're running into confusion. > > > > But I still think that confusion lies more in the realm of the media and > > our inside-baseball conversations than in the heads of our members and > > potential members. Like music, people tend to avoid what they don't like. > > They also tend to use and share what they do like. > > > > That's good news for all of us. > > > > -Alex > > > > > > -- > > /ah > > indyhall.org > > coworking in philadelphia > > > > > > > > On Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 5:50 PM, Randall G. Arnold wrote: > > > > > At least Alex used the word "MANY" in his article instead of "most" (used > > > earlier in the dialog); I suspect the latter to be hyperbolic. > > > > > > And not to axle-wrap over mere semantics, but I do wonder how many is > > > "MANY". I think that's actually important to the discussion, because I > > > have to wonder what the NORM is. > > > > > > I also suspect that part of the distinction problem stems from those > > > getting into this space without first understanding how and why they > > > should separate their offerings from traditional establishments, as well > > > as thinking through the pitfalls before opening up a coworking operation. > > > > > > > > > But as was raised earlier, this isn't a black and white subject; > > > coworking lives along a gradient of communal/corporate philosophy. > > > There's room for all flavors, BUT operators do need to define their > > > offerings clearly to customers IMO. > > > > > > Here is where my old military nomenclature experience rears its ugly head > > > and wonders if qualifiers might help clear the confusion. "Corporate > > > Coworking" vs "Community Coworking", et al. Maybe my subconsious is > > > reflexively overthinking it though. > > > > > > Anyway, it's also possible this is much ado about, ultimately, nothing. > > > Still, the discussion has been (mostly) good, clean fun. :D > > > > > > Randy > > > > > > > > > > > > On April 10, 2012 at 4:41 PM "Felix Schürholz" > > > <[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])> wrote: > > > > > > > link to article with video: http://bit.ly/HsRlKH > > > > > > > > Already one of the great fruits of the widespread discussion on free > > > > coworking is the acknowledgement that paid coworking has lost its > > > > bearings > > > > in many instances. Alex Hillman on his blog > > > > dangerouslyawesome<http://dangerouslyawesome.com/2012/04/free-as-in-coworking/> > > > > puts > > > > it like this: “MANY paid coworking spaces aren’t differentiating > > > > themselves > > > > from business centers and aren’t keeping in line with the coworking > > > > core > > > > values. Social capital is often missing from the exchange between the > > > > provider and the member.” I fully agree with Alex!!! > > > > > > > > To address these aspects free coworking stresses the importance of > > > > shared/common projects of the coworkers, social capital and community > > > > building. In this article I like look particularly at the last two > > > > namely > > > > community building and social capital. > > > > > > > > Up to now community building in coworking spaces has largely if not > > > > exclusively been the task of the coworking space operator or manager. > > > > This > > > > is and was fine in a time where coworking was just starting up and > > > > developing. In Germany for example in 2009, when coworking started to > > > > spread across the country, many coworking operators felt as if they had > > > > “invented > > > > coworking<http://www.coworking-news.de/2009/10/video-zum-treffen-der-coworking-initiativen-jetzt-online/>” > > > > > > > > themselves. While this was always said with a smile, there was some > > > > real > > > > truth in it. In those days and in many instances today coworking space > > > > > > > > operators were and are still pioneers. It was normal that they would > > > > take > > > > care and focus on community building in their individual spaces. > > > > > > > > But times have changed and things have developed a great deal. With > > > > several > > > > hundred coworking spaces worldwide now, there is a huge knowledge base > > > > now > > > > that every new operator can draw upon. On top of that there is now a > > > > wonderful physical network of spaces worldwide that did not exist > > > > before. > > > > Now coworkers can travel through the world and they will find a > > > > coworking > > > > space in nearly every major city of the world. With this network in > > > > place I > > > > believe there should also be a shift in terms of community building in > > > > > > > > coworking. > > > > > > > > Now the coworkers themselves should become more active in community > > > > building. This community building can take various forms. One aspect > > > > can be > > > > in carrying out various jobs within the space itself as is done in the > > > > free > > > > coworking model of Gangplank > > > > <http://www.coworking-news.de/?s=gangplank>. > > > > One task or role here is called “the > > > > anchor<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEBy7idILDY&feature=player_embedded>” > > > > > > > > (see video in article, or press link to video). > > > > > > > > Another task of community building should take place on the internet. > > > > It is > > > > very easy, there are manyfacebook groups on > > > > coworking<https://www.facebook.com/groups/coworkingeurope/doc/231235143607416/> > > > > > > > > or meetup groups <http://coworking.meetup.com/all/> already. But the > > > > focus > > > > of these groups is largely local and limited by the functions that > > > > facebook > > > > or meetup offers. For free coworking to develop we need > > > > aninfrastructure > > > > that is owned and developed by the coworkers > > > > themselves<http://www.coworking-news.de/2012/02/free-coworking-a-facebook-developed-run-and-owned-by-the-coworkers/>. > > > > > > > > Fortunately we have already started a tool which we like to develop > > > > with > > > > everybody who feels that coworkers themselves should be more active in > > > > > > > > community building. The tool is the “Free Coworking Skill > > > > Sharing<http://www.coworking-news.de/2012/02/free-car-sharing-for-skills-free-coworking-skill-sharing/>“. > > > > > > > > With its latest development we particularly focussed on team > > > > building<http://www.coworking-news.de/2012/03/team-building-by-skill-sharing-identify-your-key-style-of-thinking-in-a-team/>, > > > > > > > > which we believe is essential for the spread of free coworking. > > > > > > > > Coworkers, get involved!!! Now is the time that coworkers themselves > > > > should > > > > take more responsibility for their communities. In the great wikipedia > > > > > > > > article on community > > > > building<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_building>, > > > > Lew Feldstein is quoted as follows:”We must learn to view the world > > > > through > > > > a social capital lens” … “We need to look at front porches as crime > > > > fighting tools, treat picnics as public health efforts and see choral > > > > groups as occasions of democracy…”. I like to add:”We should see > > > > coworking > > > > spaces as places for vital social exchanges and a base for a new > > > > sustainable economy.” > > > > > > > > For more information on free coworking, please refer to our resource > > > > page<http://www.coworking-news.de/free-coworking-resources/> > > > > . > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > > > Groups "Coworking" group. > > > > To view this discussion on the web visit > > > > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/coworking/-/jF0IE8rFLbYJ. > > > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > > > > (mailto:[email protected]). > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > [email protected] > > > > (mailto:[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] > > > (mailto:[email protected]). > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > [email protected] > > > (mailto:[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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