On Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 10:03 PM, H. Kurth Bemis <[email protected]> wrote: > Not be the downer of the party, but there's a lot more to it then just > getting some office space and a net connection. At Foulab we're > constantly trying to recruit new members, which in a city the size of > Montreal is still proving fairly difficult. There's a lot of folks that > would "love to have a space" but are not/not able to pay for the space. >
Not a downer at all... the first-hand info is greatly appreciated. > I would HIGHLY recommend watching Nick Farr's talk on hackerspaces, from > The Last HOPE this past summer.[2] It will give you a much better idea > of what is required to make something like this work. As much as it > *LOOKS* like a hacker hangout in techno heaven, in reality most spaces > are run like *REAL* clubs with meetings, agendas, dues, the whole 9. > This includes paperwork. :[ Will do > > A hackerspace is really a shared workshop, so office space is generally > unadvised. Also, it's a workshop, so office space isn't really where > you want to be setting up a space, IMHO. Also, office space is > typically expensive, while warehouse or basement space is generally not, > or not as cheap. I don't see it as being office space, per se. Rather a place to escape to on occasion. Working at home full time can be a bit stifling. If the space had a lounge with WiFi, it would be a great place to work for a few hours a week, as well as a place to go to next time my home internet goes down (as I'm sure it will again soon). > > The other issue I see with a space in Vermont is the lack of centralized > population. Sure, Burlington is a fine place to have a space, but is > nearly inaccessible to anyone living outside of the northwest part of > the state, which will make it harder to build a sustainable base of > members with will be required for long term growth of the space. > Agreed. Even on this list the interest seems split between Montpelier and Burlington. > > Foulab met weekly at a local cafe in Montreal for several months before > enough interest was formed to pursue a lease for suitable space. While > it is simple enough to throw a space together, building a sustainable, > long term space is a bit more involved. > > If anyone is interested, I invite any and all of you to visit our space > in Montreal. It's pretty easy to get to and there's plenty of beer and > pizza to share. We have our weekly meetings Tuesday nights, which are > generally open to interested parties. You can also check us out our > Facebook group[3] and our IRC channel ##fou...@freenode. > I'll be in Montreal at least once, probably twice in the next few weeks. I may take you up on your offer. Kevin
