Re: [Coworking] Re: Standard Membership Types
This is a great technique for pricing in general: look at what your desired customers already spend money on, reverse engineer that to understand how they perceive value, and base your price points on that. There's nothing worse than having something great to sell to an audience who isn't interested in spending money in the first place. -Alex /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 11:52 AM, Angel Kwiatkowski fccowork...@gmail.comwrote: Oddly enough, I based a lot of my membership pricing on the typical amount of money people were spending on food/drink to be at a cafe all day. Generally, if they were responsible cafe patrons, they would spend $10 for 4 hours and $20 to sit there all day. I also did a regressive (is that even a word?) where membership would become less and less expensive per day the more and more days you are here in a month. -Angel On Feb 28, 8:26 am, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com wrote: Agreed. /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:24 AM, Jeannine flexkantoorkame...@gmail.com wrote: I was about to mention Deskbookers.nl, and you beat me to it. Here's the thing: there are several different groups looking for a coworking space. One, and the one that is the easiest to serve from a portal perspective, is the mobile worker who wants a drop in desk or the folks who want a room for a meeting or a workshop. They are the early adopters and they are the ones most likely to use a portal. But unless you are Seats2meet (which incidentally mostly does not use portals) or easyoffice (ditto) they are not the majority of most coworking spaces' business. I like Frank a lot and I like Desbookers a lot also. But other than as a way to get the name of your space under the eyes of many people, such a portal isn't particularly helpful in terms of long term relationships (which is what the core business is, at least for a lot of us). It encourages the perception of coworking as a place where people drop in for one day, pay as little as possible, and then go away. This in turn encourages a race to the bottom in which everybody is trying to exploit everybody else as much as possible. This would be something closer to De Oude Onzin than it is to Het Nieuwe Werken. Worksnug, on the other hand (the webpage and the app) has scales for number of power outlets, number of dataports, refreshements available, community, noise level, and formal areas, as well as whether membership is required. Now, worksnug is not about booking, it is about locating. But the Coworking Registry is also not about booking but about locating. So I don't think I (myself) would be willing to subsume it all to a question of price per desk, which is what I think the proposed grid does. It's not a booking site. Jeannine On Feb 28, 1:26 pm, Joel Haasnoot joelhaasn...@gmail.com wrote: Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. I'm all with you on that from the perspective of coworking spaces. However, it's painfully hard software-wise to compare dissimilar options. I'm developer for a booking portal for coworking spaces, and we decided to standardise on workspace categories (i.e open workspace/desk, closed workspace/an office, or meeting rooms of various sizes). This makes price comparisons between different spaces much much easier, and per category spaces can still specify the facilities that are available to that category of workspace. If you allow spaces to provide their own categories it becomes very complicated very quickly, and it's almost impossible to compare price because of the dissimilarity of what's offered. I'd stick with a couple of standardized options for the coworkregistry, or risk not having a good comparison tool. Joel Haasnoot Developer On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 02:28, c...@thecreativespace.ca wrote: Our 2cents. One size fits all does not fit coworking. When it comes to membership costs there are Different models, different overheads, different cultures, different economy, diffferent values, etc. Even when it comes to naming levels. Hotdesk vs Flexdex, and so on. Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. Chad The Creative Space Barrie, Ontario, Canada Www.thecreativespace.ca Jonathan, I caution against any form of standardization. I know it makes it easier for the software, but this is a community of individuals that can't even decide on the definition of coworking. We each know it in our hearts, and that is enough. I'm trying to summarize quickly for the sake of fitting this into an email but that right there is a crucial factor in how this community sticks together. It's a subtle
Re: [Coworking] Re: Standard Membership Types
Precisely. It's easy to get lost in what the software can do, but it's important to carefully consider what the software should, or shouldn't do. And let's not all conform to the software and lose all our beautiful differences. Jacob --- Office Nomads - Individuality without Isolation http://www.officenomads.com - (206) 323-6500 On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 7:24 AM, Jeannine flexkantoorkame...@gmail.comwrote: I was about to mention Deskbookers.nl, and you beat me to it. Here's the thing: there are several different groups looking for a coworking space. One, and the one that is the easiest to serve from a portal perspective, is the mobile worker who wants a drop in desk or the folks who want a room for a meeting or a workshop. They are the early adopters and they are the ones most likely to use a portal. But unless you are Seats2meet (which incidentally mostly does not use portals) or easyoffice (ditto) they are not the majority of most coworking spaces' business. I like Frank a lot and I like Desbookers a lot also. But other than as a way to get the name of your space under the eyes of many people, such a portal isn't particularly helpful in terms of long term relationships (which is what the core business is, at least for a lot of us). It encourages the perception of coworking as a place where people drop in for one day, pay as little as possible, and then go away. This in turn encourages a race to the bottom in which everybody is trying to exploit everybody else as much as possible. This would be something closer to De Oude Onzin than it is to Het Nieuwe Werken. Worksnug, on the other hand (the webpage and the app) has scales for number of power outlets, number of dataports, refreshements available, community, noise level, and formal areas, as well as whether membership is required. Now, worksnug is not about booking, it is about locating. But the Coworking Registry is also not about booking but about locating. So I don't think I (myself) would be willing to subsume it all to a question of price per desk, which is what I think the proposed grid does. It's not a booking site. Jeannine On Feb 28, 1:26 pm, Joel Haasnoot joelhaasn...@gmail.com wrote: Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. I'm all with you on that from the perspective of coworking spaces. However, it's painfully hard software-wise to compare dissimilar options. I'm developer for a booking portal for coworking spaces, and we decided to standardise on workspace categories (i.e open workspace/desk, closed workspace/an office, or meeting rooms of various sizes). This makes price comparisons between different spaces much much easier, and per category spaces can still specify the facilities that are available to that category of workspace. If you allow spaces to provide their own categories it becomes very complicated very quickly, and it's almost impossible to compare price because of the dissimilarity of what's offered. I'd stick with a couple of standardized options for the coworkregistry, or risk not having a good comparison tool. Joel Haasnoot Developer On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 02:28, c...@thecreativespace.ca wrote: Our 2cents. One size fits all does not fit coworking. When it comes to membership costs there are Different models, different overheads, different cultures, different economy, diffferent values, etc. Even when it comes to naming levels. Hotdesk vs Flexdex, and so on. Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. Chad The Creative Space Barrie, Ontario, Canada Www.thecreativespace.ca Jonathan, I caution against any form of standardization. I know it makes it easier for the software, but this is a community of individuals that can't even decide on the definition of coworking. We each know it in our hearts, and that is enough. I'm trying to summarize quickly for the sake of fitting this into an email but that right there is a crucial factor in how this community sticks together. It's a subtle nuance that can be really difficult to wrap your head around but it's critically important. That might sound like something that is difficult to work with but it is also really easy to make solutions with this in mind if you don't try to fight it. Our current tools, the google group and the wiki page, are all-inclusive and neutral and no one has to conform to any standard to participate. I've spent a lot of time studying why these tools work for us, despite all the drawbacks people love to debate. Again, it's really tricky for me to explain this via email and I look forward to talking about this more over beers in Austin. Am I just being cryptic here or does this make sense to people? Anyone care to paraphrase what I'm trying to get at here? Jacob --- Office Nomads - Individuality
Re: [Coworking] Re: Standard Membership Types
That's how I approached it as well Angel, though I think your prices are a bit more generous than mine. I also made it so that either two of my lowest memberships or one of my 10days/month (the two most popular memberships I'm assuming) would cover my monthly expenses so I wouldn't feel stressed to fill the space and have to focus on members, but can take my time and build that community as I did not build the community first and I wanted to give myself time to focus on that. I'm open to adjusting prices as the community forms and we figure out what memberships people find the most beneficial. Jessica networkcoworkingspot On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 9:52 AM, Angel Kwiatkowski fccowork...@gmail.comwrote: Oddly enough, I based a lot of my membership pricing on the typical amount of money people were spending on food/drink to be at a cafe all day. Generally, if they were responsible cafe patrons, they would spend $10 for 4 hours and $20 to sit there all day. I also did a regressive (is that even a word?) where membership would become less and less expensive per day the more and more days you are here in a month. -Angel On Feb 28, 8:26 am, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com wrote: Agreed. /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:24 AM, Jeannine flexkantoorkame...@gmail.com wrote: I was about to mention Deskbookers.nl, and you beat me to it. Here's the thing: there are several different groups looking for a coworking space. One, and the one that is the easiest to serve from a portal perspective, is the mobile worker who wants a drop in desk or the folks who want a room for a meeting or a workshop. They are the early adopters and they are the ones most likely to use a portal. But unless you are Seats2meet (which incidentally mostly does not use portals) or easyoffice (ditto) they are not the majority of most coworking spaces' business. I like Frank a lot and I like Desbookers a lot also. But other than as a way to get the name of your space under the eyes of many people, such a portal isn't particularly helpful in terms of long term relationships (which is what the core business is, at least for a lot of us). It encourages the perception of coworking as a place where people drop in for one day, pay as little as possible, and then go away. This in turn encourages a race to the bottom in which everybody is trying to exploit everybody else as much as possible. This would be something closer to De Oude Onzin than it is to Het Nieuwe Werken. Worksnug, on the other hand (the webpage and the app) has scales for number of power outlets, number of dataports, refreshements available, community, noise level, and formal areas, as well as whether membership is required. Now, worksnug is not about booking, it is about locating. But the Coworking Registry is also not about booking but about locating. So I don't think I (myself) would be willing to subsume it all to a question of price per desk, which is what I think the proposed grid does. It's not a booking site. Jeannine On Feb 28, 1:26 pm, Joel Haasnoot joelhaasn...@gmail.com wrote: Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. I'm all with you on that from the perspective of coworking spaces. However, it's painfully hard software-wise to compare dissimilar options. I'm developer for a booking portal for coworking spaces, and we decided to standardise on workspace categories (i.e open workspace/desk, closed workspace/an office, or meeting rooms of various sizes). This makes price comparisons between different spaces much much easier, and per category spaces can still specify the facilities that are available to that category of workspace. If you allow spaces to provide their own categories it becomes very complicated very quickly, and it's almost impossible to compare price because of the dissimilarity of what's offered. I'd stick with a couple of standardized options for the coworkregistry, or risk not having a good comparison tool. Joel Haasnoot Developer On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 02:28, c...@thecreativespace.ca wrote: Our 2cents. One size fits all does not fit coworking. When it comes to membership costs there are Different models, different overheads, different cultures, different economy, diffferent values, etc. Even when it comes to naming levels. Hotdesk vs Flexdex, and so on. Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. Chad The Creative Space Barrie, Ontario, Canada Www.thecreativespace.ca Jonathan, I caution against any form of standardization. I know it makes it easier for the software, but this is a community of individuals that can't even decide on the definition of coworking. We each
[Coworking] Re: Standard Membership Types
Earlier I mentioned that I adjusted some prices after opening. I mainly culled some of the memberships that people NEVER bought. No reason to clutter up the rates page if no one is interested. I'm also open to custom pricing. For example, I don't offer any 3 day/week plans but a new member really, really wanted that so I made it happen. After a quick entry in Quickbooks, it's no trouble at all. I still won't advertise that plan though b/c she's the only person in year who has requested it. My point is, this kind of flexibility is impossible to impart to potential coworkers on data entry driven websites... On Feb 28, 9:52 am, Angel Kwiatkowski fccowork...@gmail.com wrote: Oddly enough, I based a lot of my membership pricing on the typical amount of money people were spending on food/drink to be at a cafe all day. Generally, if they were responsible cafe patrons, they would spend $10 for 4 hours and $20 to sit there all day. I also did a regressive (is that even a word?) where membership would become less and less expensive per day the more and more days you are here in a month. -Angel On Feb 28, 8:26 am, Alex Hillman dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com wrote: Agreed. /ah indyhall.org coworking in philadelphia On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:24 AM, Jeannine flexkantoorkame...@gmail.comwrote: I was about to mention Deskbookers.nl, and you beat me to it. Here's the thing: there are several different groups looking for a coworking space. One, and the one that is the easiest to serve from a portal perspective, is the mobile worker who wants a drop in desk or the folks who want a room for a meeting or a workshop. They are the early adopters and they are the ones most likely to use a portal. But unless you are Seats2meet (which incidentally mostly does not use portals) or easyoffice (ditto) they are not the majority of most coworking spaces' business. I like Frank a lot and I like Desbookers a lot also. But other than as a way to get the name of your space under the eyes of many people, such a portal isn't particularly helpful in terms of long term relationships (which is what the core business is, at least for a lot of us). It encourages the perception of coworking as a place where people drop in for one day, pay as little as possible, and then go away. This in turn encourages a race to the bottom in which everybody is trying to exploit everybody else as much as possible. This would be something closer to De Oude Onzin than it is to Het Nieuwe Werken. Worksnug, on the other hand (the webpage and the app) has scales for number of power outlets, number of dataports, refreshements available, community, noise level, and formal areas, as well as whether membership is required. Now, worksnug is not about booking, it is about locating. But the Coworking Registry is also not about booking but about locating. So I don't think I (myself) would be willing to subsume it all to a question of price per desk, which is what I think the proposed grid does. It's not a booking site. Jeannine On Feb 28, 1:26 pm, Joel Haasnoot joelhaasn...@gmail.com wrote: Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. I'm all with you on that from the perspective of coworking spaces. However, it's painfully hard software-wise to compare dissimilar options. I'm developer for a booking portal for coworking spaces, and we decided to standardise on workspace categories (i.e open workspace/desk, closed workspace/an office, or meeting rooms of various sizes). This makes price comparisons between different spaces much much easier, and per category spaces can still specify the facilities that are available to that category of workspace. If you allow spaces to provide their own categories it becomes very complicated very quickly, and it's almost impossible to compare price because of the dissimilarity of what's offered. I'd stick with a couple of standardized options for the coworkregistry, or risk not having a good comparison tool. Joel Haasnoot Developer On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 02:28, c...@thecreativespace.ca wrote: Our 2cents. One size fits all does not fit coworking. When it comes to membership costs there are Different models, different overheads, different cultures, different economy, diffferent values, etc. Even when it comes to naming levels. Hotdesk vs Flexdex, and so on. Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. Chad The Creative Space Barrie, Ontario, Canada Www.thecreativespace.ca Jonathan, I caution against any form of standardization. I know it makes it easier for the software, but this is a community of individuals that can't even decide on the definition of coworking. We each know it in our hearts, and that is enough.
[Coworking] Re: Checklist for opening a space
pariSoma just completed a move from a 2200 sqft space to a 10,000 sqft space in the span of 2 days :D. We're really excited, and things are obviously still getting settled in. We were lucky enough to move into a space where the previous tenants were starting their new office from scratch, so there were a lot of pieces left behind, meaning our cost to move hasn't been outrageous and we were able to leave a lot of furniture decisions until later. I've been working on the move for a couple of months, and here are some takeaways: - Get your existing community involved early! Show them what you're thinking, ask for ideas, and give them ownership of some tasks during the actual move. If they feel like the space is theirs in some way, they'll bring an even stronger vibe to the community and want to show your space off more. - Be flexible in your plans. Inevitably, something takes longer or shorter or isn't as clean as you expected. Be prepared for this and don't freak out, your members will understand - Pizza and beer are the way to any coworker's heart :) Things that need to be planned early: - Internet (ISP) - Internet (IT/network) - Access/security. We called around to around 6 places to get estimates on security and keyless entry, which has already proven itself worthwhile. - Furniture and rough layout. This will definitely change day-of as you see what the space actually looks like with stuff in it. Considerations in planning your space: - Social areas vs work areas. It's easy to try to cram as many desks in as you can, but what will make your space unique is having a great place for people to congregate. Mix couches, coffee tables, and armchairs into your space - Power/access for your desks. Our space is REALLY well wired (it's the old Razorfish office) but we still needed to acquire some power strips - Storage. For some reason, there can never be enough storage. If you don't have closets built into your space, take the time to think about cabinetry, shelves, etc. - Phone calls. We've taken a couple of old cubicle parts from the previous tenants and created a few call spaces, but we'll be adding more as time passes as well. Just some quick takeaways... I'm sure I'll have more to add as we get fully up and running here. Cheers, Anne a...@parisoma.com On Feb 27, 8:38 pm, kleverdog davidosh...@gmail.com wrote: My checklist seems to get bigger and bigger everyday and I am struggling with just prioritizing. Like Mojo, we're supposed to get into our space next week and hope to be open in April. I'd be happy to share my list and build up a resource for people who are starting out on the same path. On Feb 26, 5:40 am, Mojo Coworking cmca...@native-marketing.com wrote: This is a great idea and one that would help right now as Mojo Coworking is gearing up to open on April 1. Someone mentioned posting your starting list as a wiki that we could all edit. As I'm going through the process I could easily add to it. Today is buying paint for interior walls, and calling the electric company to have power switched over beginning March 1 when I take possession. On Feb 24, 2:38 pm, Eli Malinsky e...@socialinnovation.ca wrote: Hey all, CSI is on the cusp of opening its next space and our team gathered to assemble a checklist of 'things to do' based on past experience. We have a good list but I wonder if there are any existing examples. I'd be happy to combine them with our own thoughts and circulate a more comprehensive document (unless someone out there really nailed it). I'm thinking of steps from business planning and site selection down to nitty gritty details like lease agreements, cabling/internet infrastructure, insurance etc. Let me knowthanks all! Eli Malinsky Centre for Social Innovation Toronto, Canada -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
[Coworking] Coworking App Update
Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you all know we'll be submitting an update to the Coworking iPhone app in the coming week or two with any updated or new data that has been added to the spreadsheet. We've also begun working with Jonathan, of the Coworking Registry, and Jacob, of Office Nomads Coworking DB, to get all the data pushed to the app, so updates can happen and new spaces can be added at will without a delay in updating the app. We look forward to getting that update out soon too and I look forward to seeing those of you who will be in Austin. Also, pariSoma just moved into it's new space today! (I'll send out something else about that). Cheers, Julian -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
[Coworking] Re: Coworking App Update
Yay! Cool beans. Congratulations and thanks for all your hard work. And I hereby send you a case of virtual Belgian beer (since nobody has yet perfected the transporter for freight) for moving day. And also, um, Pictures? Where's my pictures? Wanna see the new space! Laters, Jeannine On Feb 28, 7:20 pm, Julian @pariSoma jrnachti...@gmail.com wrote: Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you all know we'll be submitting an update to the Coworking iPhone app in the coming week or two with any updated or new data that has been added to the spreadsheet. We've also begun working with Jonathan, of the Coworking Registry, and Jacob, of Office Nomads Coworking DB, to get all the data pushed to the app, so updates can happen and new spaces can be added at will without a delay in updating the app. We look forward to getting that update out soon too and I look forward to seeing those of you who will be in Austin. Also, pariSoma just moved into it's new space today! (I'll send out something else about that). Cheers, Julian -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
[Coworking] Re: About the Unconference: Who's for virtual attendance?
Just wanted to say that I am all for virtual attendance. Hope to hear back from everyone about how to participate. Wish I could help out in some way, but won't be able to make it this year. Thanks, Brian Whipple www.incubationworks.com On Feb 22, 7:43 am, Jeannine flexkantoorkame...@gmail.com wrote: There are some noises coming from this side of the ocean about EU folks wanting to come to the unconference in avirtualway: I know I would like to, I know the folks in Dresden would, I feel sure that Wuppertal would like to as well. Possibly the folks in Asia as well. I already have one trip stateside planned in July and another one is just not in my budget nor would my family appreciate it much. I can dump any input for the unconference on the incomparable Jean-Yves, but it's not all that fair to ask him to represent all of our (sometimes conflicting) notions, and besides it would be so much more fun! Can we use this thread to explore how to make it happen? Pretty please? I'll send you chocolate. From Belguim. Come on, it doesn't get any better than that. Jeannine -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
[Coworking] Introduction
Hello. My name is John Scheine and I am a new member to this group. My family and I are opening a coworking facility on Long Island. It is called The Business Corners. I joined this group to learn from other coworking owners and members. Our facility is the first of its kind on Long Island. (NY) I look forward to this experience. Thanks. --John Scheine P.S. If you are curious to see what the facility looks like I posted some pictures on Flickr. they can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebusinesscorners/sets/72157625931365905/. Our company website and social media is still being developed. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
[Coworking] hi from singapore!
hi people, i'm bt from singapore, have recently joined this group hoping to discover more about coworking groups. i'm currently exploring setting up our new office together with informal coworking space. we have been exploring a flexible work setup and it has worked out well, in terms of some existing partnerships, as well as office sharing. http://kidotech.com/our-thin-office-print/ btw, we are kidotech, an IT services firm and we have been sharing our office with our design partners for the past 6 years... and enjoy some great synergies between us. in the past 6 months, we have worked on projects for several startups and enjoyed the energy and creativity of such tie-ups. in short. we believe that we have the infrastructure and services that can support a budding startup environment. but i'm having thoughts if our existing business can co-exist within this co-working space. and of cos, would love to be in touch with anyone who's interested in coworking in singapore, and we are not too far from hackerspace.sg /boon teck boont...@kidotech.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
Re: [Coworking] Re: About the Unconference: Who's for virtual attendance?
Hi all: I am not sure if folks saw my earlier post (it was my first one). Any way - GC would be happy to sponsor livestreaming the Unconference through The UpTake (http://theuptake.org). Best, Chirs Chris Dykstra Cell: 507-261-0222 Skype: chrisdykstra Http://globalcontributioncorp.com Brands: http://warecorp.com http://zanby.com http://theuptake.org http://cocomsp.com On 2/28/11 1:21 PM, Brian Whipple wrote: Just wanted to say that I am all for virtual attendance. Hope to hear back from everyone about how to participate. Wish I could help out in some way, but won't be able to make it this year. Thanks, Brian Whipple www.incubationworks.com On Feb 22, 7:43 am, Jeannineflexkantoorkame...@gmail.com wrote: There are some noises coming from this side of the ocean about EU folks wanting to come to the unconference in avirtualway: I know I would like to, I know the folks in Dresden would, I feel sure that Wuppertal would like to as well. Possibly the folks in Asia as well. I already have one trip stateside planned in July and another one is just not in my budget nor would my family appreciate it much. I can dump any input for the unconference on the incomparable Jean-Yves, but it's not all that fair to ask him to represent all of our (sometimes conflicting) notions, and besides it would be so much more fun! Can we use this thread to explore how to make it happen? Pretty please? I'll send you chocolate. From Belguim. Come on, it doesn't get any better than that. Jeannine -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
Re: [Coworking] Re: Standard Membership Types
So maybe I was a little off on my first post. It really does matter what your goal is: whether you primary focus is differentiating based on price, or those looking for a community. If you're after people who differentiate based on price, it's a lot easier to define set plans. It makes the whole interface side simpler for visitors, but does indeed not reflect the spread of coworking facilities. Also as Jacob mentions: I too hate software that dictates workflow versus the other way round. Plans are definitely a more complicated thing business wise that types of workplaces or meeting rooms If you're just offering a table of plans for people to compare, for people looking for somewhere to work and a community the approach you're taking should be fine OP, but you might want to add functionality in the future and create some sort of search wizard, a more detailed comparison, similar to for instance telecom plan comparison sites out there, that compares several plans based on your wishes (needs for certain facilities, days per month you'll need the space, etc). One thing I'm always looking at is will someone new to the concept understand this table, it's a user experience exercise. To give a bit of background to Jeanine's post, I'll just give the quick spiel: I'm the developer and one of the partners at Deskbookers.com, a (currently) Dutch portal connecting people looking for a place to work with providers. We partner with coworking spaces to rent out their workspaces and meeting rooms as they want, and provide an easy way for people who are looking for a place to work to book. The spaces get access to a booking system (for bookings from the site, or not), can enter all their details, upload pictures, etc, and handle payments and billing. That said, the market for flexible office solutions in it's breadth is quite large and fragmented: there's pure coworking communities, yet also more commercial entities, to the large enterprise-focused firms with large networks of offices. It's definitely a constant balance we try to keep and look at. We launched in November, and we've got lots of plans that we're working out. We are looking at ways to incorporate memberships and make the site more community-oriented: there are things in the pipeline. Joel Haasnoot On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 16:24, Jeannine flexkantoorkame...@gmail.com wrote: I was about to mention Deskbookers.nl, and you beat me to it. Here's the thing: there are several different groups looking for a coworking space. One, and the one that is the easiest to serve from a portal perspective, is the mobile worker who wants a drop in desk or the folks who want a room for a meeting or a workshop. They are the early adopters and they are the ones most likely to use a portal. But unless you are Seats2meet (which incidentally mostly does not use portals) or easyoffice (ditto) they are not the majority of most coworking spaces' business. I like Frank a lot and I like Desbookers a lot also. But other than as a way to get the name of your space under the eyes of many people, such a portal isn't particularly helpful in terms of long term relationships (which is what the core business is, at least for a lot of us). It encourages the perception of coworking as a place where people drop in for one day, pay as little as possible, and then go away. This in turn encourages a race to the bottom in which everybody is trying to exploit everybody else as much as possible. This would be something closer to De Oude Onzin than it is to Het Nieuwe Werken. Worksnug, on the other hand (the webpage and the app) has scales for number of power outlets, number of dataports, refreshements available, community, noise level, and formal areas, as well as whether membership is required. Now, worksnug is not about booking, it is about locating. But the Coworking Registry is also not about booking but about locating. So I don't think I (myself) would be willing to subsume it all to a question of price per desk, which is what I think the proposed grid does. It's not a booking site. Jeannine On Feb 28, 1:26 pm, Joel Haasnoot joelhaasn...@gmail.com wrote: Make the fields fillinable and you'll find more adapters. I'm all with you on that from the perspective of coworking spaces. However, it's painfully hard software-wise to compare dissimilar options. I'm developer for a booking portal for coworking spaces, and we decided to standardise on workspace categories (i.e open workspace/desk, closed workspace/an office, or meeting rooms of various sizes). This makes price comparisons between different spaces much much easier, and per category spaces can still specify the facilities that are available to that category of workspace. If you allow spaces to provide their own categories it becomes very complicated very quickly, and it's almost impossible to compare price because of the dissimilarity of what's offered. I'd stick with a couple of
[Coworking] Re: Checklist for opening a space
Hey all, Okay, so I put our list on a Google Doc, which you can access here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1waBLyi4mbVw8RTqT7QUf3uPx2CA2vCNyBJZBUQytAUI/edit?hl=enauthkey=CIy4vUs My goal wasn't to create a MasterLis of 'everything to know' about setting up and managing a space, but instead to create a checklist of 'practical' considerations...the details that sometimes aren't obvious for those startine new (and which are too easily forgotten by those who have walked down the road before)... i'm not sure this format will work for others and I am sure there is a TON I am missing... please do jump in and add what you can, and reorganize if you think it would be helpful... Hopefully some of these notes will be helpful to you.. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1waBLyi4mbVw8RTqT7QUf3uPx2CA2vCNyBJZBUQytAUI/edit?hl=enauthkey=CIy4vUs Eli Malinsky Centre for Social Innovation Toronto, Canada -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
Re: [Coworking] Re: Checklist for opening a space
Anne, Please feel free to give me a call about your access control and security. I am not a contractor, nor do I enjoy installing wiring, but I speak about access control systems and security at conferences. (And video security, and facial recognition, and digital forensics) (You ever have WAY too many hobbies?) I'd be happy to tell you if you are getting ripped off, and if the systems being installed are state of the art, or state of last decade's art. :) And no, no charge. I do not make money off of this. I am offering as a favor. (You could offer me a couple of membership days. ;) ) Not that I'm likely to use them. I'm east coast. But it would be cool to have when I make it over there for conferences and such. Joshua Marpet jmar...@datadevastation.com 908-916-7764 On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 1:04 PM, Anne annetgo...@gmail.com wrote: pariSoma just completed a move from a 2200 sqft space to a 10,000 sqft space in the span of 2 days :D. We're really excited, and things are obviously still getting settled in. We were lucky enough to move into a space where the previous tenants were starting their new office from scratch, so there were a lot of pieces left behind, meaning our cost to move hasn't been outrageous and we were able to leave a lot of furniture decisions until later. I've been working on the move for a couple of months, and here are some takeaways: - Get your existing community involved early! Show them what you're thinking, ask for ideas, and give them ownership of some tasks during the actual move. If they feel like the space is theirs in some way, they'll bring an even stronger vibe to the community and want to show your space off more. - Be flexible in your plans. Inevitably, something takes longer or shorter or isn't as clean as you expected. Be prepared for this and don't freak out, your members will understand - Pizza and beer are the way to any coworker's heart :) Things that need to be planned early: - Internet (ISP) - Internet (IT/network) - Access/security. We called around to around 6 places to get estimates on security and keyless entry, which has already proven itself worthwhile. - Furniture and rough layout. This will definitely change day-of as you see what the space actually looks like with stuff in it. Considerations in planning your space: - Social areas vs work areas. It's easy to try to cram as many desks in as you can, but what will make your space unique is having a great place for people to congregate. Mix couches, coffee tables, and armchairs into your space - Power/access for your desks. Our space is REALLY well wired (it's the old Razorfish office) but we still needed to acquire some power strips - Storage. For some reason, there can never be enough storage. If you don't have closets built into your space, take the time to think about cabinetry, shelves, etc. - Phone calls. We've taken a couple of old cubicle parts from the previous tenants and created a few call spaces, but we'll be adding more as time passes as well. Just some quick takeaways... I'm sure I'll have more to add as we get fully up and running here. Cheers, Anne a...@parisoma.com On Feb 27, 8:38 pm, kleverdog davidosh...@gmail.com wrote: My checklist seems to get bigger and bigger everyday and I am struggling with just prioritizing. Like Mojo, we're supposed to get into our space next week and hope to be open in April. I'd be happy to share my list and build up a resource for people who are starting out on the same path. On Feb 26, 5:40 am, Mojo Coworking cmca...@native-marketing.com wrote: This is a great idea and one that would help right now as Mojo Coworking is gearing up to open on April 1. Someone mentioned posting your starting list as a wiki that we could all edit. As I'm going through the process I could easily add to it. Today is buying paint for interior walls, and calling the electric company to have power switched over beginning March 1 when I take possession. On Feb 24, 2:38 pm, Eli Malinsky e...@socialinnovation.ca wrote: Hey all, CSI is on the cusp of opening its next space and our team gathered to assemble a checklist of 'things to do' based on past experience. We have a good list but I wonder if there are any existing examples. I'd be happy to combine them with our own thoughts and circulate a more comprehensive document (unless someone out there really nailed it). I'm thinking of steps from business planning and site selection down to nitty gritty details like lease agreements, cabling/internet infrastructure, insurance etc. Let me knowthanks all! Eli Malinsky Centre for Social Innovation Toronto, Canada -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send
Re: [Coworking] Re: Chairs
When we purchased our space we picked up some cheap furniture from the previous occupants, including a heap of office chairs for around $30 each. They are for the use of members, however we encourage everyone to purchase their own chairs and bring them in. This works for everyone - people that don't care about their chair save money and aren't forced to pay higher membership fee to cover the cost of chairs they don't want. And those who do think it's worth investing in a good chair probably want to choose their own anyway, and their lower membership fees help them justify spending their own money to buy one. It also means one less admin issue - if our cheap chairs break we'll just throw them out, and if members chairs break they can get them repaired (hopefully under warranty) themselves. Marc Marc Harrison Six8 Bromham Richmond, VIC, Australia. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
[Coworking] Re: Introduction
Welcome to the group! I'm a newcomer as well and opening a coworking space in Highland Park, CA in the next month. Congratulations and keep us posted! On Feb 28, 9:23 am, J. Scheine jschein...@gmail.com wrote: Hello. My name is John Scheine and I am a new member to this group. My family and I are opening a coworking facility on Long Island. It is called The Business Corners. I joined this group to learn from other coworking owners and members. Our facility is the first of its kind on Long Island. (NY) I look forward to this experience. Thanks. --John Scheine P.S. If you are curious to see what the facility looks like I posted some pictures on Flickr. they can be found here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebusinesscorners/sets/72157625931365905/. Our company website and social media is still being developed. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
Re: [Coworking] Re: Introduction
Welcome, John. I'm new too, but you can get introduced to a lot of great ideas by just following some of the threads here. There are lots of bright creative coworking people contributing. Garth. On 28 February 2011 21:15, kleverdog davidosh...@gmail.com wrote: Welcome to the group! I'm a newcomer as well and opening a coworking space in Highland Park, CA in the next month. Congratulations and keep us posted! On Feb 28, 9:23 am, J. Scheine jschein...@gmail.com wrote: Hello. My name is John Scheine and I am a new member to this group. My family and I are opening a coworking facility on Long Island. It is called The Business Corners. I joined this group to learn from other coworking owners and members. Our facility is the first of its kind on Long Island. (NY) I look forward to this experience. Thanks. --John Scheine P.S. If you are curious to see what the facility looks like I posted some pictures on Flickr. they can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thebusinesscorners/sets/72157625931365905/. Our company website and social media is still being developed. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Coworking group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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 coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.
