Crisis management: One day to the opening and the floor is totally messed up.
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Liu Yan
Jun 29, 2009, 5:26:32 PM6/29/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Tomorrow is our big day and the floor guy called yesterday morning and told us this bad news: the color of our new cement floor is completely messed up. It looks like a child smear the mud all over his face, the wildest pattern design you could ever imagine!
It is possible to use this space, I figured, because I remember Dave Troy once told me here " don't impress your coworkers with your hardware", but we don't want to scare our coworkers off with our hardware, either! Anybody help me with some tips how to manage these?
Big thanks!
Liu Yan
--
Liu Yan刘妍
(+86) 135 2429 5509
Xindanwei Coworking Playce
Xindanwei Coworking China Network
@theliuyan
@xindanwei
http://xindanwei.com
It is possible to use this space, I figured, because I remember Dave Troy once told me here " don't impress your coworkers with your hardware", but we don't want to scare our coworkers off with our hardware, either! Anybody help me with some tips how to manage these?
Big thanks!
Liu Yan
--
Liu Yan刘妍
(+86) 135 2429 5509
Xindanwei Coworking Playce
Xindanwei Coworking China Network
@theliuyan
@xindanwei
http://xindanwei.com
Tony Bacigalupo
Jun 29, 2009, 5:55:38 PM6/29/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Liu,
Crisis team assemble!
Three ideas:
1. The description actuallysounds kind of artsy and cool, is it purely ulgly or just unprofessional? I hated the concrete floors in my space until I properly realized how much character it gave.
2. Call on volunteers to help you do a low-budget, last minute floor painting job and/or bring rugs. Thus can be a great community-building exercise anyway.
3. Maybe even tie it in with the opening. Bring a clean rug, work that day for free!
These are the sort of opportunities that can be turned to your advantage if you reshape the problem into an opportunity for the community to come together and help.
Keep us posted and let us know how it goes!
Best,
Tony
Matt Titsworth
Jun 29, 2009, 6:08:36 PM6/29/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Oh good. I was thinking the of artsy/character thing as well, but
thought it might seem dismissive to present it. If Tony's going to
suggest it though, I'll definitely back that. The community building
stuff had not crossed my mind though.
Really, to me the whole thing sounds like a great "gift from god." To
clarify that, I've been doing improvisational theatre for a number of
years now, and that's a fairly commonly used term for when something
happens in a scene that you couldn't possibly have forseen coming -
baby crying, phone ringing, fire truck driving by with sirens
blaring... you name it. The idea then with the "gift from god" is to
seize upon it as something random which truly makes what you're doing
unique; to turn that potential crisis into the biggest advantage you
have and make it look as if you'd planned it that way all along. There
is now something unique and out of the ordinary involved that can't be
created, and I am almost always of the opinion that things completely
unique should be embraced and used as an advantage. I would vote that
you leave it as is, because more likely than not, if you view it as a
positive thing and play it as if it were all intentional, the people
coming in to your space will view it as a positive thing and wonder at
how you managed to do it.
Provided that I'm missing something hugely negative which hasn't been
mentioned, I would actually say congratulations, because you've just
found one of those pieces that will really make your space yours and
impossible to be like any other.
Matthew
P.S. : Can we get some pics? Cause like Tony said, that sounds pretty cool.
thought it might seem dismissive to present it. If Tony's going to
suggest it though, I'll definitely back that. The community building
stuff had not crossed my mind though.
Really, to me the whole thing sounds like a great "gift from god." To
clarify that, I've been doing improvisational theatre for a number of
years now, and that's a fairly commonly used term for when something
happens in a scene that you couldn't possibly have forseen coming -
baby crying, phone ringing, fire truck driving by with sirens
blaring... you name it. The idea then with the "gift from god" is to
seize upon it as something random which truly makes what you're doing
unique; to turn that potential crisis into the biggest advantage you
have and make it look as if you'd planned it that way all along. There
is now something unique and out of the ordinary involved that can't be
created, and I am almost always of the opinion that things completely
unique should be embraced and used as an advantage. I would vote that
you leave it as is, because more likely than not, if you view it as a
positive thing and play it as if it were all intentional, the people
coming in to your space will view it as a positive thing and wonder at
how you managed to do it.
Provided that I'm missing something hugely negative which hasn't been
mentioned, I would actually say congratulations, because you've just
found one of those pieces that will really make your space yours and
impossible to be like any other.
Matthew
P.S. : Can we get some pics? Cause like Tony said, that sounds pretty cool.
Matthew Wettergreen
Jun 29, 2009, 6:30:09 PM6/29/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Everything that Tony said is brilliant. Those are all good tips that can be applied to multiple problems (current and future) that your coworking space will experience.
At Caroline Collective we purposefully sealed but didn't stain our concrete floors so that it gives them a raw look which we feel promotes the idea of creativity. There's even a spot on the concrete where the workers tracked a couple tar footsteps through one hallway. Warts and all we love the floor because of the character.
One additional point is that the uniqueness of each space doesn't just imbue character but also identity. That identity can be used as a calling card for each space and also as something that people positively identify with and keep coming back for.
Good luck, congrats on your opening and please post pictures for us!
Matthew
--
Matthew Wettergreen, Ph.D
Caroline Collective
Co-Founder // Co-Director
4820 Caroline st // Houston // TX // 77004
http://carolinecollective.cc
Rice University
Engineering and Design for Art and Artifact Conservation (EDAAC)
Program Director
http://edaac.rice.edu
e: mwette...@gmail.com
w: http://matthewwettergreen.com
c: 713.825.4613
t: @organprinter
--
Matthew Wettergreen, Ph.D
Caroline Collective
Co-Founder // Co-Director
4820 Caroline st // Houston // TX // 77004
http://carolinecollective.cc
Rice University
Engineering and Design for Art and Artifact Conservation (EDAAC)
Program Director
http://edaac.rice.edu
e: mwette...@gmail.com
w: http://matthewwettergreen.com
c: 713.825.4613
t: @organ_printer
At Caroline Collective we purposefully sealed but didn't stain our concrete floors so that it gives them a raw look which we feel promotes the idea of creativity. There's even a spot on the concrete where the workers tracked a couple tar footsteps through one hallway. Warts and all we love the floor because of the character.
One additional point is that the uniqueness of each space doesn't just imbue character but also identity. That identity can be used as a calling card for each space and also as something that people positively identify with and keep coming back for.
Good luck, congrats on your opening and please post pictures for us!
Matthew
--
Matthew Wettergreen, Ph.D
Caroline Collective
Co-Founder // Co-Director
4820 Caroline st // Houston // TX // 77004
http://carolinecollective.cc
Rice University
Engineering and Design for Art and Artifact Conservation (EDAAC)
Program Director
http://edaac.rice.edu
e: mwette...@gmail.com
w: http://matthewwettergreen.com
c: 713.825.4613
t: @organprinter
On Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 4:55 PM, Tony Bacigalupo <tonybac...@gmail.com> wrote:
--
Matthew Wettergreen, Ph.D
Caroline Collective
Co-Founder // Co-Director
4820 Caroline st // Houston // TX // 77004
http://carolinecollective.cc
Rice University
Engineering and Design for Art and Artifact Conservation (EDAAC)
Program Director
http://edaac.rice.edu
e: mwette...@gmail.com
w: http://matthewwettergreen.com
c: 713.825.4613
t: @organ_printer
Liu Yan
Jun 29, 2009, 8:36:45 PM6/29/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Thanks guys for your great tips and encouragement. I am going to leave the floor as it is because we obviously have no time to repaint the whole thing(except for the meeting room, it is a bit too dark so I decided to paint it completely white). We too, consider this as the gift of god, will proudly keep it as our first group graffiti...LOL...
I got to go to the space for "firefighting" now, will make some final pictures to share with you guys later.
Again I want to let you know how much your suggestions and support mean for us!
cheers, Yan
I got to go to the space for "firefighting" now, will make some final pictures to share with you guys later.
Again I want to let you know how much your suggestions and support mean for us!
cheers, Yan
2009/6/30 Matthew Wettergreen <mwette...@gmail.com>
Mike Schinkel
Jun 30, 2009, 1:05:29 AM6/30/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Liu:
That's the culture in China like today? In the 1950's in the USA everyone wanted shiny and new(-looking) because they were emerging from the depression. Today in the US we want weathered and old(-looking, even if new) because we've had some many mass-produced new items we want to get back to the perceived-quality or something with longevity and character. Do Chinese people value the "loft look" (an example: http://www.carolinarealtyguide.com/images/lofts9.jpg) or do they prefer for things to be new and spotless?
(BTW, there's no judgment here; everyone's current culture is their own and it goes in cycles typically differenting from what they had in the somewhat recent past.)
-Mike Schinkel
Organizer; Atlanta Web Entrepreneurs
http://atlantawebentrepreneurs.org
http://twitter.com/mikeschinkel
http://twitter.com/atlantaweb
That's the culture in China like today? In the 1950's in the USA everyone wanted shiny and new(-looking) because they were emerging from the depression. Today in the US we want weathered and old(-looking, even if new) because we've had some many mass-produced new items we want to get back to the perceived-quality or something with longevity and character. Do Chinese people value the "loft look" (an example: http://www.carolinarealtyguide.com/images/lofts9.jpg) or do they prefer for things to be new and spotless?
(BTW, there's no judgment here; everyone's current culture is their own and it goes in cycles typically differenting from what they had in the somewhat recent past.)
-Mike Schinkel
Organizer; Atlanta Web Entrepreneurs
http://atlantawebentrepreneurs.org
http://twitter.com/mikeschinkel
http://twitter.com/atlantaweb
Liu Yan
Jun 30, 2009, 10:19:17 AM6/30/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Mike, There are simply just so many abandoned factory in the downtown area, the regeneration to the old industrial grey area is the trend all around the world. Artists and creative people love old buildings because of their unique identities, high ceiling, cheap rent and the stories hidden in the cement. lol
I have just uploaded the photos of Xindanwei Coworking Playce to our website: http://xindanwei.com. Please check them out if you are interested:
greetings, Liu Yan
@theliuyan
www.we-need-money-not-art.com/activist
www.xindanwei.com
I have just uploaded the photos of Xindanwei Coworking Playce to our website: http://xindanwei.com. Please check them out if you are interested:
greetings, Liu Yan
2009/6/30 Mike Schinkel <mikesc...@newclarity.net>
www.we-need-money-not-art.com/activist
www.xindanwei.com
Tara Hunt
Jun 30, 2009, 10:24:18 AM6/30/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Wow. That's one gorgeous space. I love the floors, actually!
--
tara 'missrogue' hunt
Book: The Whuffie Factor (http://www.thewhuffiefactor.com)
Blog: HorsePigCow: Marketing Uncommon (http://horsepigcow.com)
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/missrogue
phone: 415-694-1951
--
tara 'missrogue' hunt
Book: The Whuffie Factor (http://www.thewhuffiefactor.com)
Blog: HorsePigCow: Marketing Uncommon (http://horsepigcow.com)
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/missrogue
phone: 415-694-1951
Trent
Jun 30, 2009, 11:29:39 AM6/30/09
to Coworking
Carpet tile is a great solution. Concrete floors look great initially
but over time wear poorly and the acoustics are awfull. I recommend
laying carpet tile over part of it and you can make a great design.
Im a building Architect so I have had to solve poorly stained or worn
concrete many times. Just a thought.
Trent Clark
SmartOffice.pro
but over time wear poorly and the acoustics are awfull. I recommend
laying carpet tile over part of it and you can make a great design.
Im a building Architect so I have had to solve poorly stained or worn
concrete many times. Just a thought.
Trent Clark
SmartOffice.pro
Liu Yan
Jun 30, 2009, 6:35:17 PM6/30/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Thanks Tara, please do pay us a visit if you happen to speak in Shanghai.(why not? We could figure out how to organize that!)
Trent, I will take your suggestion for consideration. I would love to have carpet under the "group desks", but we need to wait for a few months to get the business on track. Right now we are totally broke. LOL
Best, Yan
Trent, I will take your suggestion for consideration. I would love to have carpet under the "group desks", but we need to wait for a few months to get the business on track. Right now we are totally broke. LOL
Best, Yan
2009/6/30 Trent <trent...@verizon.net>
Mike Schinkel
Jul 1, 2009, 2:02:21 AM7/1/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Liu,
That's awesome! Sounds like those in your country are really appreciating the character of old buildings. Given that, I'd say your "wildest pattern design" is a "happy accident" and could well be one of the better things that happened for your space.
Good luck!
-Mike Schinkel
Ignition Alley
Atlanta Coworking
That's awesome! Sounds like those in your country are really appreciating the character of old buildings. Given that, I'd say your "wildest pattern design" is a "happy accident" and could well be one of the better things that happened for your space.
Good luck!
-Mike Schinkel
Ignition Alley
Atlanta Coworking
Susan Evans
Jul 1, 2009, 12:44:11 PM7/1/09
to Coworking
Liu the photos look great! Don't sweat the relatively small stuff
there to start - your space will grow and develop over time and will
grow into itself before you know it. :) You should have seen Office
Nomads on the day we opened - there was basically nothing in here
except Jacob and I and a few free desks we'd grabbed from a friend.
If we could do it I'm certain you could!
Best of luck and keep the updates & photos coming - it's so fun to see
other spaces grow.
Be well,
Susan
__
Office Nomads
officenomads.com
206-323-6500
@officenomads
On Jun 30, 11:02 pm, Mike Schinkel <mikeschin...@newclarity.net>
wrote:
there to start - your space will grow and develop over time and will
grow into itself before you know it. :) You should have seen Office
Nomads on the day we opened - there was basically nothing in here
except Jacob and I and a few free desks we'd grabbed from a friend.
If we could do it I'm certain you could!
Best of luck and keep the updates & photos coming - it's so fun to see
other spaces grow.
Be well,
Susan
__
Office Nomads
officenomads.com
206-323-6500
@officenomads
On Jun 30, 11:02 pm, Mike Schinkel <mikeschin...@newclarity.net>
wrote:
> Liu,
>
> That's awesome! Sounds like those in your country are really appreciating the character of old buildings. Given that, I'd say your "wildest pattern design" is a "happy accident" and could well be one of the better things that happened for your space.
>
> Good luck!
>
> -Mike Schinkel
> Ignition Alley
> Atlanta Coworking
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Liu Yan" <liuyan.dat...@gmail.com>
> To: cowo...@googlegroups.com
> Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 10:19:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: [Coworking] Re: Crisis management: One day to the opening and the floor is totally messed up.
>
> Mike, There are simply just so many abandoned factory in the downtown area, the regeneration to the old industrial grey area is the trend all around the world. Artists and creative people love old buildings because of their unique identities, high ceiling, cheap rent and the stories hidden in the cement. lol
>
> I have just uploaded the photos of Xindanwei Coworking Playce to our website:http://xindanwei.com. Please check them out if you are interested:
>
> greetings, Liu Yan
>
> 2009/6/30 Mike Schinkel < mikeschin...@newclarity.net >
>
> That's awesome! Sounds like those in your country are really appreciating the character of old buildings. Given that, I'd say your "wildest pattern design" is a "happy accident" and could well be one of the better things that happened for your space.
>
> Good luck!
>
> -Mike Schinkel
> Ignition Alley
> Atlanta Coworking
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Liu Yan" <liuyan.dat...@gmail.com>
> To: cowo...@googlegroups.com
> Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 10:19:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: [Coworking] Re: Crisis management: One day to the opening and the floor is totally messed up.
>
> Mike, There are simply just so many abandoned factory in the downtown area, the regeneration to the old industrial grey area is the trend all around the world. Artists and creative people love old buildings because of their unique identities, high ceiling, cheap rent and the stories hidden in the cement. lol
>
> I have just uploaded the photos of Xindanwei Coworking Playce to our website:http://xindanwei.com. Please check them out if you are interested:
>
> greetings, Liu Yan
>
>
> Liu:
>
> That's the culture in China like today? In the 1950's in the USA everyone wanted shiny and new(-looking) because they were emerging from the depression. Today in the US we want weathered and old(-looking, even if new) because we've had some many mass-produced new items we want to get back to the perceived-quality or something with longevity and character. Do Chinese people value the "loft look" (an example:http://www.carolinarealtyguide.com/images/lofts9.jpg) or do they prefer for things to be new and spotless?
>
> (BTW, there's no judgment here; everyone's current culture is their own and it goes in cycles typically differenting from what they had in the somewhat recent past.)
>
> -Mike Schinkel
> Organizer; Atlanta Web Entrepreneurshttp://atlantawebentrepreneurs.orghttp://twitter.com/mikeschinkelhttp://twitter.com/atlantaweb
> Liu:
>
> That's the culture in China like today? In the 1950's in the USA everyone wanted shiny and new(-looking) because they were emerging from the depression. Today in the US we want weathered and old(-looking, even if new) because we've had some many mass-produced new items we want to get back to the perceived-quality or something with longevity and character. Do Chinese people value the "loft look" (an example:http://www.carolinarealtyguide.com/images/lofts9.jpg) or do they prefer for things to be new and spotless?
>
> (BTW, there's no judgment here; everyone's current culture is their own and it goes in cycles typically differenting from what they had in the somewhat recent past.)
>
> -Mike Schinkel
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Liu Yan" < liuyan.dat...@gmail.com >
> To: cowo...@googlegroups.com
> Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 5:26:32 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: [Coworking] Crisis management: One day to the opening and the floor is totally messed up.
>
> Tomorrow is our big day and the floor guy called yesterday morning and told us this bad news: the color of our new cement floor is completely messed up. It looks like a child smear the mud all over his face, the wildest pattern design you could ever imagine!
>
> It is possible to use this space, I figured, because I remember Dave Troy once told me here " don't impress your coworkers with your hardware", but we don't want to scare our coworkers off with our hardware, either! Anybody help me with some tips how to manage these?
>
> Big thanks!
>
> Liu Yan
>
> --
> Liu Yan刘妍
> (+86) 135 2429 5509
> Xindanwei Coworking Playce
> Xindanwei Coworking China Network
> @theliuyan
> @xindanweihttp://xindanwei.com
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Liu Yan" < liuyan.dat...@gmail.com >
> To: cowo...@googlegroups.com
> Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 5:26:32 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: [Coworking] Crisis management: One day to the opening and the floor is totally messed up.
>
> Tomorrow is our big day and the floor guy called yesterday morning and told us this bad news: the color of our new cement floor is completely messed up. It looks like a child smear the mud all over his face, the wildest pattern design you could ever imagine!
>
> It is possible to use this space, I figured, because I remember Dave Troy once told me here " don't impress your coworkers with your hardware", but we don't want to scare our coworkers off with our hardware, either! Anybody help me with some tips how to manage these?
>
> Big thanks!
>
> Liu Yan
>
> --
> Liu Yan刘妍
> (+86) 135 2429 5509
> Xindanwei Coworking Playce
> Xindanwei Coworking China Network
> @theliuyan
jasontg...@gmail.com
Jul 1, 2009, 3:32:48 PM7/1/09
to Coworking
Looks quite hip, actually. Like dark-stained wood floors.
Best of luck. We're rooting for you!
Jason
On Jun 30, 9:19 am, Liu Yan <liuyan.dat...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Mike, There are simply just so many abandoned factory in the downtown area,
> the regeneration to the old industrial grey area is the trend all around the
> world. Artists and creative people love old buildings because of their
> unique identities, high ceiling, cheap rent and the stories hidden in the
> cement. lol
>
> I have just uploaded the photos of Xindanwei Coworking Playce to our
> website: http://xindanwei.com. Please check them out if you are interested:
>
> greetings, Liu Yan
>
> 2009/6/30 Mike Schinkel <mikeschin...@newclarity.net>
Best of luck. We're rooting for you!
Jason
On Jun 30, 9:19 am, Liu Yan <liuyan.dat...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Mike, There are simply just so many abandoned factory in the downtown area,
> the regeneration to the old industrial grey area is the trend all around the
> world. Artists and creative people love old buildings because of their
> unique identities, high ceiling, cheap rent and the stories hidden in the
> cement. lol
>
> I have just uploaded the photos of Xindanwei Coworking Playce to our
> website: http://xindanwei.com. Please check them out if you are interested:
>
> greetings, Liu Yan
>
Steven Heath
Jul 1, 2009, 4:42:28 PM7/1/09
to cowo...@googlegroups.com
Best of luck. We're rooting for you!
--
Steven Heath
Director, Foxbane Consulting
Founder, AltSpace
Cell: +64 21 706-067
www.foxbane.co.nz
Suite 607
29 Brandon St
Wellington
AltSpace.co.nz - Shared office space in Wellington for home based workers, freelancers, or nimble companies
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