fund raiser for new co-work/collaborative facility in San Francisco

[Benry]

Hello,

Some of my friends and I are attempting to start a new co-work
facility in San Francisco. We have an LLC, but are starting to fund
right now. We have an idea for a fund raiser that we'd like to throw
on 12/12/2007, but need some space to use. Here is our website:
http://collab21.com/, and the idea for our first fund raiser is here:
http://collab21.com/wiki/index.php?title=DIY_Themed_Party

The idea is to have a bunch of really easy DIY things for people who
are interested, but might not have a background in certain areas that
we're all interested in. For example, there are three of us who are
illustrators, and the people they draw in might not know (or care) how
macros work, but if they're interested, there will be a quick tutorial
on it (in the form of a prank).

If anyone is willing to let us use their space for free or trade for
services, let me know. We're expecting probably a maximum of 100
people at any one time, and will be serving free beer until it runs
out :).

Cheers,
Ben Henry

[Erica Douglass]

Hi Benry,

I'm sure I'm asking a question you've been asked before, but I hope you can clarify this for the list: Why another coworking space in San Francisco? Tara mentioned a few weeks ago that Citizen Space was still struggling to remain "full" on a regular basis, and there are 4 other coworking spaces already in San Francisco...some of which just opened and I'm sure would appreciate your support.

So...why another space? And what do you want to do differently than the existing coworking spaces?

-Erica

[Tara Hunt]

I agree with Erica,

I'm all for the growth of coworking spaces, but all of the spaces that exist in SF are struggling to stay full. Citizen Space only has 6 rentable desks and 1 is open...and we have ALOT of press, karma, community pull, buzz, etc. - but there is a really nice space: Sandbox Suites, that still has probably 30 spaces open. And it's a fantastic space in a fantastic location with a nice vibe, boardrooms and all of the amenities.

Is this part of the NASA CoLab project? I was under the impression that the thought was to use the very cool old gentleman's quarters on NASA property for this (complete with lounge and pool)...did that fall through? Why San Francisco, then, and not Mountain View? Or Sunnyvale?

Tara

--
tara 'miss rogue' hunt
coFounder
Citizen Agency (www.citizenagency.com)
blog: www.horsepigcow.com
phone: 415-694-1951
fax: 415-727-5335

[David Doolin]

Erica,

Each space has it's own "culture."

People fitting well into one space, may
not fit well into another space. For example,
because I live in East Bay, do business in
the city and have a client in Alameda,
Citizen Space with limited parking is not
a good fit for me. Great space. (I always
beep my horn when I roar by on 101.)
But I can't bill commuting time on public
transportation, and I can bill mileage to client.

The infrastructure of the space is also a
consideration. For example, Hat Factory
is weekdays only, inconvenient for someone
who likes to work on weekends.

There may be a much larger market for
coworking spaces than we can imagine.

Hope this helps,
-dave d

On Dec 3, 2007 10:07 AM, Erica Douglass <slash...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Tara Hunt]

Just an FYI...Sandbox Suites is 24/7 (as far as I know), has awesome parking and is generally pretty sweet. And, just a warning, running a space becomes a full-time thing for many. If you have clients, it will be a bit of a struggle to keep up both. We had to hire people to run our space, but then couldn't afford it, so now we don't have an ideal condition (CS doesn't run regular hours).

I agree that each space has it's own 'culture' - that's important and true.

Tara

[schlomo rabinowitz]

I'm with Dave on this; I think its great to have many spaces open as the needs of people is just as varied.

As someone who owns a couple small businesses, I've found the more the merrier.  It can only help everybody to have the public see more coworking spaces so they start to have a more complete understanding of what a coworking space can offer-- which is much more varied than just renting a room.

I haven't tried out the newer spaces and am looking forward to checking them out!  Just like I change up my coffeeshop habit, trying out new coworking facilities sound like a good winter plan!

On Dec 3, 2007 10:18 AM, David Doolin <david....@gmail.com> wrote:

Erica,

Each space has it's own "culture."

--
Schlomo Rabinowitz
http://schlomolog.blogspot.com
http://hatfactory.net
AIM:schlomochat

[noel hidalgo]

cw'srs,

as a piper of diversity, i think it's important that many "spaces" are
tested... there are no set prescriptions of what works for ALL people,
and with that in mind... if any community finds a space/community with
conflicting personalities, ideas, ideals, or concepts we have a free
market to balance the remedy. granted, all of this "should" work with
a social equation where people treat each other with honesty, respect
and professionalism.

i wish you all the best, but sometimes these moments offer us
opportunities to rethink what one location/organization isn't the
end-all-be-all of the entire community.

good luck and hope to see you open soon!
noel
--
join me on a trip around the world!
http://ontheluckofseven.com

noel hidalgo
[ skype ] nonecknoel
[ twitter ] http://twitter.com/noneck
[ email/jabber/aim ] noel[a]noneck.org
http://www.dopplr.com/traveller/noneck
http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/nonecknoel