Redefining Coworking

[Dusty]

Hi everyone!

After many discussions about what coworking entails (including things
like non-profit vs for-profit), I've been feeling a bit like there's
some confusion about what exactly coworking is.

I'd like to propose that coworking is not a noun but a verb. So,
coworking is not a space, a community, a set of values, a business
model, or any combination of those things. It's an activity like
swimming is an activity.

If we look at the definition of coworking on the Coworking Wiki, we
read that “coworking is a cafe-like community/collaboration space for
developers, writers and independents.” This defines coworking as a
noun and as a type of community space. Wikipedia does a bit better at
defining coworking in my mind, but still places a lot of emphases on
“the space.”

From my experience with Jelly, coworking is something you are doing.
For example, I’d use it in a sentence like this: “Today I am coworking
at Jelly.” Or, “I might go to Citizen Space to cowork.” From this
usage I’d like to propose the following definition.

- Coworking is two or more individuals working independently or
collaboratively who are socially interacting while they work.

As a verb you can cowork with people, you can be coworking, or you may
have coworked. You may even go to a designated coworking space.

Also note, that this definition does not mention anything about a
space or even proximity. This leaves the possibility to cowork
remotely. Second Life and Yahoo! Live come to mind.

When we talk about creating a “coworking space,” “coworking
community,” or having a specific set of values, we’re really talking
about how to create an environment or community that will encourage
the activity of coworking. Arguments over values, profits, business
models, and furniture can neither undermine nor enhance the definition
of coworking. Build a pool and I may go swimming. Is it a free pool?
Do I have to pay to swim? Is the water clean? Are kids allowed in the
pool? Is there a swim team that meets at this pool? Is the pool’s
owner honest? All of these thing may affect my decision to swim in the
pool, but are ultimately a matter of taste.

In this vein, the coworking movement is a movement of coworking
enthusiasts. We participate in, promote, and discuss the activity of
coworking.

In summary, I'm proposing that coworking is NOT a cafe-like community/
collaboration space. That’s like saying swimming is a pool. And
arguments such as for-profit versus non-profit need not become heated.
Coworking is coworking regardless of where it’s at, what values people
share, or how big the community is. If you’re working and socializing,
you’re coworking.

What do you think?

PS. I originally wrote this on my blog: http://dustyreagan.com/redefining-coworking/
but I wanted to bring the discussion here.

Dusty

[Tara Hunt]

I'm wondering why there is a need to redefine it. It seems to be doing
pretty well as it is.

Plus, it has a great deal to do with the vision of a small group of
people (including myself) who had a very specific type of space in
mind. There have been shared office spaces and coffee shops for a long
time. Coworking is very different.

That being said, it is BOTH a verb and a noun. The noun describes
something rooted in this movement and in a very strong philosophy and
is what has driven a great deal of growth where it wasn't before. It
IS a starfish organization. But then again, I may be too attached to
it.

Tara

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

[Kevin Ciesielski]

At Bucketworks we have the physical location which is an old lighting
store, but the idea and motion of the space is very different. We are
a health club for the brain and a co-working space. We want to
facilitate people makeing and doing what they are passionate about. So
Bucketworks.org is a website and location, but the people and their
work is pure verb.

-KeVroN

[Geoff DiMasi]

I think you are making a lot of sense.

Geoff, Indy Hall

--
Geoff DiMasi
P'unk Avenue
215 755 1330
punkave.com
window.punkave.com

[Erica Douglass]

Dusty, I agree with you. Well said.

-Erica
http://www.erica.biz/

On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 7:15 PM, Dusty <dusty...@gmail.com> wrote:
>

[rachel young]

while i appreciate dusty's post and agree with a good portion of it, i
still think coworking is both a noun and a verb.

sure, coworking can happen anywhere, which is a discussion we were
having at the first toronto town hall meeting last week - what is
coworking and how is it different than shared office space? if community
and collaboration happen because of the people, then can it happen anywhere?

i still think that the space can make a difference. a space that people
come to knowing that collaboration and community are both encouraged
predefines the mindset of the people who work in said space. even in
traditional companies/offices this can ring true. a company who frowns
upon innovation, where employees are just there to do their job, is less
likely to house willing and fruitful collaboration, whereas a company
that understands innovation and encourages employees to rise up will
foster that collaboration. is it the brick and mortar space itself? not
necessarily, but it is the expectation of the space that sets up
coworkers to be ready for it.

i say it is both noun and verb.
r.

________________
rachel young
rac...@camaraderie.ca

[Julie Gomoll]

Tara, your vision for coworking has inspired people all over the world. That's a truly amazing accomplishment. What good does it do the movement to hold on tightly to a definition that excludes so many people who embrace the very values you champion? Great ideas aren't static. They evolve as they are adopted by others who share the passion.

It's worth redefining coworking to encourage more people to think about working differently. How does it help anyone striving for community, collaboration, transparency, accessibility, and sustainability to say "Nope, sorry, that's not coworking" because it doesn't fit the original definition? A simple, clear definition says "You can do this too! Join us!" We should be inclusive and welcoming to everyone who shares these values.

Coworking is a starfish movement. Coworking locations are not starfish organizations. They may be cooperative, they may be egalitarian, they may do everything by consensus. But someone's name is on the lease. Someone files for names and permits with the city or state. No one runs coworking, but someone runs the space.

We're having some good conversation about the definition of coworking here.

Julie Gomoll
http://launchpadcoworking.com

[Nancy]

Tara,

I think that, indeed, you are attached to the concept and rightly
so...That's not a bad thing. I use the word "concept" intentionally
here. While folks could get overly tied up in semantics, I think the
key here is that you have grown a concept that you have consistently
been referring to as "coworking" in a new definition of the word.
After all, the word coworkers certainly doesn't refer to coworkers in
a "coworking" setting as you and your fellow visionaries have
developed the concept (I use the term develop intentionally, as well,
instead of define)... Note that I just used coworking as an
adjective, a descripive that further defines a noun...

Think about branding for those who took marketing courses or simply
are into the history of capitalism - don't call a tissue a Kleenex,
it's a Kleenex tissue... Band-aid was originally a brand name that
lost it's exclusivity because of its generic use. The amazing thing
here is that the founders of this concept so wanted to both share the
concept while being able to put their own personal vision into it,
they didn't think of their rights to the word "coworking" as a part of
their new concept. They could have made some whole logo that would
have further protected their use of that "word" and offered its use to
folks for a fee. Instead, they chose to share their concept and use
the term coworking freely and openly, be it noun, verb or adjective,
as a generic term (in marketing terms) for the concept that several
changemakers (I like that term, too) have turned into successful
entities (don't like that word, sounds like a creature from another
planet!)... Citizen Agency, Indy Hall, Cubes and Crayons.

It seems to me that your definition has been incredibly inclusive. In
fact, I wouldn't be including it, referring to it in my business plan,
and as I promote my new business, if your definition wasn't so
broad...

I suggest that it can be used grammatically in different ways, noun,
verb, and indeed, my favorite the adjective - thus, ADJECTIVE: "You
haven't heard of Cubes and Crayons? It's a coworking space that is
perfect for the professional mom." OR, VERB: "I'm coworking at Citizen
Hall next week since I'm going to be in town and I hope I will meet
some of the founders!" OR NOUN: "So, coworking is this cool movement
whereby folks who are working on their own business or project can get
out of their jammies, skip the coffee shop, and head to work for the
day or everyday in a place set up to work around people of like
values, doing their own thing but working in a really creative,
supportive environment."

One last comment, and I apologize if I've gone on too long... It is a
good thing, your solid use of the term - you've coined a new meaning
which is amazing in this world of cluttered but wonderful new
concepts. My new business is going to be a.... triple-bottom-line
enterprise, financially-self-sustaining nonprofit, social enterprise,
L3C, For Benefit... There are more terms referencing the type of
business that I plan to start than I can shake a stick at and it is a
total problem for me... Whatever you call it, my vision, mission,
objectives, they are all the same. But, my choice of terms could stop
my worthwhile concept before I can even get it off the ground. You
guys are on the right track... While the conversation is a good one in
a self-analytical way, remember that the most important concepts or
words relate right back to your intentions which relate to your
values.

I'll stop now! Best to all who embrace the coworking concept! (I could
call it the coworking movement, but being a mom, the term "movement"
will forever refer to a bodily function and does not bring to mind a
pretty picture at all!).

Nancy


Social Entrepreneur
Ipswich, MA
temp website/blog:
http://twsblog.wordpress.com/

[patrick...@gmail.com]

Dusty I agree with the spirit of what you are saying and mentioning
Jelly is a good idea because yes, I would agree Jelly is a great part
of coworking and no they aren't linked to a specific permanent place.
I think the Cream Cheese sessions were also a great example of
coworking with no specific space. I think you can have a great
community that coworks without a space.

However, I think (and would love to be proven wrong) that you are
trying to change it to solely a verb so that you can extract the part
you like. Coworking, from it's inception, has been about a community
that works and collaborates and socializes and meets up for community
building (eesh, that sounds too much like team building in big cos.,
not the same ;) events. It's possible to take the simpler definition
and see it in a different light but the spirit behind it is, I
believe, what I just described.

Jelly and Cream Cheese, not being location based were making the act
of coworking be the community event. The secret sauce is/was the act
of going there together and working and more. When you have a space,
you can hold other events, foster community in more ways. Whatever the
model the fact remains that we are doing more than just working and
randomly talking with people who are there.

I think making it a verb and trying to make it "individuals working
and interacting" is reductive, it takes away from what a coworking
space wants to / should be building; a group, a community. Working
next to someone and socialising is being a normal human with human
contact needs. Working together and building something more together
is coworking. The "place" can be a permanent physical place, it can be
a place the group swarms to but the ulterior motives are more than
just socializing because you happen to be next to each other.

Finally, I think if this had come from someone hosting a coworking
session that just happens to change location, it would have been
better received. In this case it's a way of making a business center
be able to sound like a coworking space. I think you have a great
project ramping up, I also think the fact you are involved and trying
to find a way to fit your model with the original vision of coworking
shows you pretty much get what the thing is and want to be part of it.

I'd suggest, if I may, finding ways to have people in your future
space become a community and start putting emphasis on that instead of
on the huge investment and responding to every hint of profit/non
profit discussions. If you were always talking about the future
workshops and Camps and such that you want to host, how you want to
foster collaboration, how you are looking forward to seeing the group
coming together, we wouldn't even notice the for profit model.

I hope this doesn't sound too harsh, it's not meant to be but it's
also because I think coworking as it is does work and is springing up
everywhere without becoming just a verb.


Patrick
Station C

[Riaz Virani]

When you're having a discussion in which semantics are by far the biggest point of contention, it's a pretty good idea to simply create distinct terms for each separate part. We could say "coworking" is the act of working together in a particular way and a "coworking space" is an environment created to encourage coworking. Coworking spaces can attack that challenge in a variety of different ways as can the method of coworking to achieve the same positive end.

I think that's a reasonably fair compromise.

Best,
Riaz Virani
Special Projects Coordinator
Affinity Lab
2451 18th Street NW
Second Floor
Washington, DC 20009
(W) 202.518.6181
(C) 678.575.0631
ri...@affinitylab.com

[Alex Hillman]

Similar to some of the sentiments expressed here, I wrote a post recently that placed coworking into two categories:

Coworking (community of workers sharing their work-lifestyle with each other. in many cases, this is activity. jelly. events. etc.)
Coworking (space - this is a place in which a coworking community can reside, and coworking activity can take place).

Either way, I think it's important that whatever deliberation we make in this thread today, tomorrow, or next year, the "definition" will always change. None of these decisions are permanent, and being open to change, adjustment, and experimentation are key for this larger community to co-exist.

-Alex

--
--
-----
--
-----
Alex Hillman
round(3)media new! ask me about it
digital: al...@round3media.com
visual: www.round3media.com | www.dangerouslyawesome.com
local: www.indyhall.org

[Dusty]

Good discussions happening! Cheers to that.

Patrick. You mention that you thought this concept would be better
received had it been brought up by someone hosting a coworking session
that just happens to change location. That would be me. I founded
Jelly in Austin. I've hosted about 30 coworking sessions. The space,
to me, is irrelevant to whether a group of people are coworking or
not. For example, consider a Jelly meetup hosted outside on a nice
day.

I don't think defining coworking as "individuals working and
interacting" is reductive, or that it takes away from what a coworking
space wants to / should be building. I think "individuals working and
interacting" is exactly what a coworking space should strive to
promote. Their interaction is the secret sauce. The space, community,
or group is the facilitator to encourage people to interact.
(Interestingly, the space, community, or group was probably derived
out of two or more individuals interacting whilst working.)

Building the perfect coworking space, or the perfect coworking
community, is a kin to building the perfect swimming pool. I can swim
anywhere there's water, but of course I'd prefer to swim in my ideal
swimming pool.

I'm gonna' step out a little farther on the limb. I believe people
working 9 to 5 at an office, if they’re socially interacting while
working, they are coworking. Thus, they are coworkers. The concept of
coworking came about when people who worked from home began to miss
the social interaction that is usually available at a traditional
office. Thus the term was born. The term coworking does not
distinguish traditional workers from progressive workers. It
distinguishes working alone versus working in a social group.

Progressive workers, organizations, movers and shakers, they
incorporate coworking into their groups and systems, because it's
clearly the best way to work and generate innovation. They tweak the
model of how people cowork to get the best results. That doesn't mean
that a group that hasn't tweaked their model as well as another is not
coworking.

To me, the discussions we have are about how to best tweak our models
to generate the most innovation through coworking. This is what the
coworking movement is about. We're comparing notes on what works best
in our experience and situation. One model is not more coworking than
another. The activity our models promote is coworking.



On Jun 4, 10:05 am, "patrick.tang...@gmail.com"

[Joseph Holsten]

I gotta say that you can use the word however you want. I couldn't
stop you anyhow. But If you decide you want to chill at a coworking,
or start a coworking, or arrange a mutiny at a coworking, I'll know
what you mean. "Define" it however you want, I won't be referring to
your dictionary when next I hear the word.

Further, you're welcome to pretend you have no idea what I mean when I
say I'm trying to start a coworking. But don't tell me I'm "wrong." If
I was wrong, either you'd have no idea what I meant, or misinterpret
my meaning. If you know what I mean & refuse to acknowledge it, then
that's pretty pedantic. Almost at pedantic as writing a critique on
the internet wherein your subject is deemed pedantic. Almost as bad as
that last sentence.

Anyway: I don't care how you define things. How about we agree that if
I don't know what you mean, I'll ask for an explanation nicely.

http:// Joseph Holsten .com

PS
If I misunderstood anything, sorry. But I've abused the right to
"define" things to great (that is, ill) effect over the years. It lets
me be both formally correct and an asshat all at once.

I try to stick to purely consensus definitions whenever possible now.

[Dusty]

Joseph, I'm not trying to be a poop head. I agree you can use the word
however you want. No need for a vote. Just discussing semantics. :)

On Jun 4, 11:05 am, "Joseph Holsten" <jos...@josephholsten.com> wrote:

[Geoff DiMasi]

I have not read anyone's response carefully, but I would say that what
I like about the discussion is that coworking as a verb attempts to
get to the spirit of things.

Coworking as a space is not that interesting to me.

Spirit is interesting to me.

Geoff, Indy Hall

--
Geoff DiMasi
P'unk Avenue
215 755 1330
punkave.com
window.punkave.com

[Dawn Hayes]

I agree. I'd say more, but you pretty much covered my thoughts. ; - D

Cheers,

Dawn

[Dawn Hayes]

Oh- and my last "I agree" comment was at Dusty; although it seems the beauty of coworking is that everyone is adding their own take to enhance the experience and I wouldn't be surprised if Austin coworking had a slightly different feel from NYC or London coworking as a result.

On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 10:15 PM, Dusty <dusty...@gmail.com> wrote:

[spikegi...@gmail.com]

Hey Y’all,
This thread is making me, what with both an English degree and fifteen
years of food service under my belt, giddily dizzy. I love language so
much and—all in the spirit of comic relief—would like to point out
that “bitching” is a verb and an adjective and “bitch” is a noun and a
verb. Also, if we want to be literalists, Jelly and Cream Cheese are,
first and foremost, food (and actually go well together). In some
ways, this debate reminds me of that scene in “The Holy Grail”—you
know the wedding where people are getting knocked off left and right?
And someone says, “Let’s not bicker about who killed whom!” Point
being that, while I think it’s evocative of coworking itself that
we’re discussing this and concurring and dissenting as we go, in the
end we’ll all wind up doing our own variation of coworking (not for
profit, for profit, in a set space, not in a set space) and none of us
will be “wrong.”

Now here’s the part where I get a little defensive (aside: as a middle
child, defensive is sort of my default setting). Patrick said:

[Finally, I think if this had come from someone hosting a coworking

session that just happens to change location, it would have been
better received. In this case it's a way of making a business center
be able to sound like a coworking space. I think you have a great
project ramping up, I also think the fact you are involved and trying
to find a way to fit your model with the original vision of coworking
shows you pretty much get what the thing is and want to be part of it.

I'd suggest, if I may, finding ways to have people in your future
space become a community and start putting emphasis on that instead of
on the huge investment and responding to every hint of profit/non
profit discussions. If you were always talking about the future
workshops and Camps and such that you want to host, how you want to
foster collaboration, how you are looking forward to seeing the group
coming together, we wouldn't even notice the for profit model.]

I’m not sure—and Patrick I’d appreciate clarity/correction if I’m wrong
—but it felt like maybe the above “business center sound like a
coworking space” was somehow referencing, disparagingly (if
unintentionally so), what we’re trying to do in Austin with LaunchPad
Coworking. I also think maybe there’s some confusion about the
relationship between Dusty and LaunchPad Coworking. Dusty is the Jelly
King here in Austin and he is behind Conjunctured Coworking. LaunchPad
Coworking is a soon to open, for profit coworking space, headed by
Julie Gomoll, whom many of you know is my “boss” (though I wish I had
a better word, since “boss” connotes something negative in my mind).
Julie and Dusty are friends and colleagues but not collaborators on
LPC.

Regarding the second paragraph quoted above, again, it seems this is a
reference to LaunchPad Coworking? I say that because I clearly recall
the moment at SXSWi when someone asked, during a core discussion,
about money people are putting in up front for their spaces and Julie
named a very high figure that evoked an audible gasp. I was proud of
her for this transparency but worried it might give the wrong idea and
folks would assign us suspicious motives. Now, it seems, my fear has
been realized.

Which is why I’d like to steer back to the idea of community and how
LPC is very much about community. Julie has assembled a core team to
help her make coworking a reality in Austin (or, with respect to
Jelly, a more widespread reality). I’ll offer only two community/
people examples here but know there are plenty more. Tina, our café
manager, turned Jo’s Coffee Shop not only into a very profitable
business but, more importantly to Austinites who live for community,
into the bustling, living, breathing, internationally known outdoor
space that is so conducive to community people crowd there even when
the heat goes triple digit (as it often does here). Additionally, she
used the space a thousand times to raise money for all sorts of
causes, from helping out sick musicians to helping out abandoned,
neglected and abused animals. Working with LPC, she is very focused on
not only making our café area a free coworking area, but one that
reaches out beyond the coworking community and, for example, into the
community of local organic farmers and independent food folks to make
LPC something that serves lots of Austinites, whether they ever set
foot in our place or not.

Example number two, pardon any unintentional narcissism, is me. I
never bothered to track the hours, or even number of projects I’ve
undertaken to build community in my seventeen years here in Austin,
but suffice it to say, I have done plenty. Why? Because I LOVE
COMMUNITY. I’ve put out a Naked Calendar bringing together all sorts
of musicians, photogs and designers to raise money for uninsured sick
kids. I hosted for many years the Kick Ass Awards at my own expense,
recognizing people in the community who are unsung heroes. And I write
a weekly column (for no pay) for The Austinist, frequently profiling
cool people in the city so others can find out what’s happening. The
list goes on. Julie selected me for her team not just because of my
professional writing resume, which is extensive, but for my interest
in community and with the hopes that I could do some outreach, which I
am.

And, heck, since I’m blathering here, let me go off on a tangent and
say that, in paying me fairly, she’s eliminated my decades long need
(the need of many freelancers) to take on tons of dull piecemeal work
to support the sort of writing I’m passionate about (creative writing
often paying far less than commercial writing). This fair pay in turn
frees me up to do more community building.

Anyway, getting back to the point (as much as I have one)—if I am
correct and there is some concern that the for-profit model is somehow
“wrong,” I hope we can all sit back and wait and see what LaunchPad
Coworking has to bring to the coworking table before dismissing for-
profit as some sort of corporate wolf in a coworking sheep costume.

As for the (seeming) allegation: “If you were always talking about the

future workshops and Camps and such that you want to host, how you
want to foster collaboration, how you are looking forward to seeing
the group coming together, we wouldn't even notice the for profit

model.” Gosh… I spend an awful lot of time doing just that—writing
blog posts about workshops, collaboration, community events, and
articles relating to coworking. In addition, I have profiled many of
you, including Patrick, with a genuine interest in your experience
with coworking and a real curiosity about what is and isn’t working in
your model.

Let me conclude with an apology for any misinterpretation I had. But I
have this fear of an unnecessary divisiveness creeping in and I don’t
want that to happen. I know I speak not only for myself but all of
LaunchPad Coworking when I say we are so grateful for all of the
community encouragement and insight to date.
Cheers,
spike
http://www.launchpadcoworking.com

[ATusler]

This thread is a good indication that we are all participating in an
innovative, evolving concept. It's wonderful to see everyone so
passionate.

Up till now I haven't thought explicitly about what constitutes the
coworking movement. My experience has been focused on the nuts and
bolts of establishing a collaborative coworking space that does,
indeed, have two people on the lease and a steering committee making
key decisions.

I have been involved in a number of social movements. (I have to say
disability has never had the almost immediate media attention that
coworking has.) Here's a few things I've learned. Discussing and
arguing semantics illustrates the vibrancy of an emerging movement.
The words we use helps to define the new vision we’re seeking. It’s
important to remember that we all want essentially the same thing.
Exactly how achieve that is the discussion. Remembering we all want
the same thing means we have to listen to what others are saying and
be respectful of them and their opinions. Sometimes that’s hard
because of our passion and fear that this wonderful thing might slip
away.

All that being said, four years ago I read about the then 9 year old
San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. I knew I desperately needed to work in
a space like the Grotto, where there were other like-minded people and
I didn’t have to give up my self-employment. Then, when I googled
coworking last September I saw how I could help create a coworking
space here in Sonoma County. I became part of a supportive community
that reflects the values of coworking.

From the beginning coworking for me has been the space. I’ve worked in
collegial offices and while they might have many of the benefits of
coworking I didn’t have the freedom I do now as a consultant. I’ve
participated in online communities that provide the support of
coworking, but it’s not the same as face to face.

Our original core group looked at different coworking spaces. We
talked about what kind of building we should rent. It was, for us the
coworking space that made it real and satisfied our needs.

For me coworking is a space that incorporates key values.

Anthony
http://www.SoCoDepot.com

[Hillary Hartley]

Hear, hear, Patrick.

I think the definition of "working + being social" is FAR too generic to
"define" coworking. I don't really care if it's a noun, verb, or an
adjective -- Geoff said it best, that the *spirit* of coworking is
what's unique and has ultimately drawn us all to this concept and movement.

Coworking is a movement that has taken several forms -- and I've made my
qualms with some of those forms public. But as long as you are fostering
and preaching the core values (collaboration, openness, community,
accessibility, sustainability), I don't care how, where, or why you are
doing it.

And on that note -- we should probably put those core values on the main
page of the wiki. Tara summed them up nicely for the Citizen Space web
site here: http://citizenspace.us/about/our-philosophy/

I removed most of Patrick's email, and left the two paragraphs that
really get to the heart of it for me...
Hillary

[qotu]

The coworking concept has so much power that it occupies all parts of
speech. This thread celebrates that. We are evolving the basic service
economy business model because technology has empowered us to work
from anywhere - and we're boldly deciding where we want that somewhere
to be.

"Space" got to be so important to me as regards coworking because like
many others here, my work life evolved like this:

1. Chew myself free of a corporate job.
2. Start a business.
3. Work from home most of the time, using remote tools.
4. Rediscover the importance of face-to-face interactions.
5. Meet clients and colleagues in wi-fi coffeeshops and borrowed
spaces. Find that limiting.
6. Create our own space for our team.
7. Share our space for coworking.

Coworking (the movement, distinct from the kind of coworking I did
with coworkers in the corporate environment) has never made sense to
me outside the context of the ubiquitous, robust remote teaming now
possible over the web.

Is that an important difference to anyone else? So Dusty, I think the
difference we love is, corporate "coworkers" are forced to cowork
inside the salt mine, and we Coworkers have freedom to do it when and
where we want :) Empowerment being the difference.

I'm reading this in the cold predawn, so feeling expansive and not
defensive. Just remember people, it's ALL good; take a moment to look
where we are and celebrate the extent to which we control our own
destinies :)

Best regards to you all,

-Susan Price

[Tampa Startup]

A great discussion and I agree with most of the previous points, but
it reminds me of the countless times I have listed to programmers
argue over differing approaches to product design, completely missing
the point that the discussion is much bigger than the bits, the
features or the packaging.

This is, as many have stated very passionately, about building and
serving a community. In some cities, the tech / creative community is
an open and identifiable entity where people are always coming
together to collaborate and socialize. Jelly-like sessions just make
those collaborations a little bigger and more social.

Sometimes the community comes together organically; sometimes the
community needs a kick in the ass and someone is needed facilitate
(build and fill the pool.) Either way, the “customer” gets what they
need, the community benefits and the concept of coworking is credited
with the win.

The noun vs. verb discussion is akin to trying to put the genie back
in to bottle. Use the momentum we have to get more people aware of
coworking and we all win regardless of the topic, the venue or the
motives.

[bunnyhero]

i'm not convinced that coworking "needs" redefinition, as you write on
your blog post.

to me, the space is VERY important to the core of the movement. i
already work in cafes a lot, and have worked in a couple of different
shared office environments, but it's the combination that i am looking
for, and is why i was drawn to it.

wayne

[Alex Rollin]

Coworking - The Good, The True, and The Beautiful

• The Good - CoWorking is done in a place that is designed for the support of complex social interaction and engagement along with focused, highly creative, demanding work.
• The True - I am a CoWorker because I work with others in a CoWorking Space to the benefit of myself, my clients, and my fellow CoWorkers.
• The Beautiful - CoWorking is a way of being in a CoWorking Community that allows all of us to shine individually and as a collective in a way that is different from every other way of being I have ever experienced.

Alex
http://alexrollin.com

--
Alex Rollin

[Hillary Hartley]

I totally agree. But want to add that "the space" could be an office
space, OR simply someone's living room (like Jelly). But there's
*something* that gets you out of your PJs, or out of your usual cafe,
and into the community.

Hillary