Update [11/14/11]

[Brian Corrigan]

Hey Folks - 

I owe you an update, here's where we're at.  We have three goals at the moment:

**Recruiting

We need 30 or so dedicated full time people as well as people interested in part time or membership.

* Setup a info website (http://www.collarcollective.org), Twitter account @coworkgingtroy, and this newsgroup. 

* Should we limit this to web-type people or open it up to a wider audience.  Most spaces seem to be either general business incubators or general coworking spaces, none seem to limit by profession.  Its been suggested by many people that in general this would be too limiting.  Open to your thoughts!

* We still need to find an identify people who are interested.

**Sponsors/Fellows

We'd like to offer local businesses the opportunity to join as sponsors/fellows which will both allow them to participate in a positive way and fund the construction costs..  Its been suggested we setup a Kickstarter project as a way to legitimize the effort and allow people to contribute.

**Location

We've identified 4 potential locations so far: Quackenbush Building on Broadway, River St

What can you do?

SOCIALIZE THE IDEA  We need to recruit.  Ask friends, tweet the idea, mention it at user groups, etc.  

HELP WITH THE WEBSITE Its on github, join up!

Note: I'm actually out of town for the next week or so, if the list goes quiet don't fear. I'll be back on Monday :)

Best,

Brian

[Christy Collins]

Hello,

Just learned about Collar Collective via Twitter. I'm a contract web
developer with side projects living in Chatham, NY.

I work with a development team remotely and would love to be around
some devs/geeks/web entrepreneurs in person occasionally. I can't see
myself getting into Troy full time, but you could count me in for a
basic membership.

It would also be great to have a space for classes and tech meetups.
I'm always longing to go to the Girl Develop IT classes in NYC, but I
can't justify the drive -- the classes are usually a weekly series.

You asked about limiting this to web people -- this is the most
exciting prospect to me, personally. I know very few web workers
locally though.

Do you have any Collar Collective meetups planned? I'd love to meet
the organizers in person and it might help with recruiting.

Best,
Christy

[Brian Corrigan]

Hey Christy - Great to hear it, that's about 10 people now I'm fairly sure would jump on board in some way or another :)  We were planning on (trying to) devote about half the space to meetups at night. One of the arrangements that seem to work well, is a two floor (or just two area) configuration where one is understood to be "work focused" 24x7, whereas the other is work focused during the day (to handle ad-hoc members, etc) but shared at night.  

We're planning a meetup after Thanksgiving either IRL or via Skype or similar.  I think the next step is to continue to identify people, but also get the city on board.  I think we'll find that they're a good source of help here :)

[Dan Larkin]

On Nov 15, 2011, at 11:46 AM, Christy Collins wrote:

You asked about limiting this to web people -- this is the most
exciting prospect to me, personally.  I know very few web workers
locally though.

I think this would be a big mistake; why limit participation?  Diversity pays dividends :)

[Brian Corrigan]

Hey Guys - 

Good point too.

Question: We toured a KILLER space today.  9000sqft that we can get for about half what other spaces are going for if we take the whole thing.  Realistically, to afford it we'd need a few anchor tenants: small startups who are looking for space for 4-5 people  

Anyone know someone looking for space?

Brian

[Christy Collins]

Just my perspective.  I personally probably wouldn't schlep to Troy to be around marketers or freelance writers or architects.  I'm not arguing for a business model, just stating what I would be most excited about participating in personally.  

I have a diverse community here in Chatham, I share a lovely office space with a graphic designer, an attorney, a sales person/marketer and a writer.  It does nothing for me professionally, nor is it particularly inspiring.

[Brian Corrigan]

Depending on the space I actually think we could have both?  The place we looked at today was HUGE.  Assuming we can attract a community of techies (and I think we can, troy is full of them, and I really believe that the marketing focus of this effort should remain tech) we could section off part of the place for artsy folks, etc.

[gWaldo]

I'm more of a Systems Engineer than a Developer, but can I come into the clubhouse too?!

-Waldo

On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 2:07 PM, Christy Collins <ccol...@loudjoy.com> wrote:

[Marnen Laibow-Koser]

On Nov 15, 2011, at 2:07 PM, Christy Collins <ccol...@loudjoy.com> wrote:

On Nov 15, 2011, at 11:46 AM, Christy Collins wrote:

You asked about limiting this to web people -- this is the most
exciting prospect to me, personally.  I know very few web workers
locally though.

I think this would be a big mistake; why limit participation?  Diversity pays dividends :)

Just my perspective.  I personally probably wouldn't schlep to Troy to be around marketers or freelance writers or architects.  I'm not arguing for a business model, just stating what I would be most excited about participating in personally.  

...whereas I'd be more interested if it *weren't* limited by profession.  If you want to meet colleagues in your profession, go to a user group or some such. 

Frankly, in a way I couldn't care less about who's at the next desk.  I'm interested in this as an affordable freelance office environment, not so much as a social space.  That said, I do like the idea of meeting others through this, but it's not even close to the main reason I'm interested. 

Best,

-- 

Marnen Laibow-Koser

http://www.marnen.org

mar...@marnen.org

Sent from my iPhone

[Parker Morse]

Like Christy, I'm locally-based (Loudonville) but work for a company
which isn't (our offices are in Greenfield, MA). I've been looking for
a *functioning* coworking situation for nearly two years now, because
working at home is doing nothing for my productivity or my mental
health.

I expressed interest in the Albany Coworking space which was being
discussed back in July (Capital Coworking), and told them to count on
me for at least two days a week when they got around to signing
members... but they haven't reached that stage yet, and the last time
I heard from them (September) their initial schedule had already
slipped significantly. It's not clear to me if they're still moving
forward at all.

Downtown Troy is marginally more convenient for me than the Albany
space, and while I'm not one to tell interested folks to go away, a
tech- and web-centric focus would also be attractive to me.

But in a fairly short amount of time I feel like I've seen several
people stand up saying, "Hey, the Capital District needs a coworking
space, I'm gonna start one!" and then disappear into the ether. (There
are even more people like me saying, "Hey, the Capital District needs
a coworking space, but I'm far too busy to be a catalyst.") I don't
want to be That Guy who asks all the uncomfortable questions, but
what's currently standing between this discussion and an actual,
functioning space, and what's the schedule for clearing those hurdles?

pjm

[Marnen Laibow-Koser]

On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 2:37 PM, Parker Morse <flashes...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't
> want to be That Guy who asks all the uncomfortable questions, but
> what's currently standing between this discussion and an actual,
> functioning space, and what's the schedule for clearing those hurdles?

I'm not Brian, but as far as I'm concerned, that's not so much an
uncomfortable question as a great way to get people to stand up and
volunteer to do whatever it is that needs to be done!

>
> pjm

[Erik Straub]

I'm more interested in the space as well, but having a diverse group of people in the same general field is great. I don't think it should be limited to web people. That's why we have groups like Build Guild and Ruby Brigade (both of which meet tomorrow, actually) and the handful of other user groups around. 

Brian, someone should go to Build Guild and spread the word. There are usually about 30 people that show up and it's a mixed bag of web professions. It would be a good place to look for those anchor tenants.

As for Troy, I think it would probably be one of the most accommodating cities around. They seem to have the right priorities.

All said, I'm in for a part-time spot.

[Brian Corrigan]

Hey Erik - Someone is going to build guild tonight :)

[Brian Corrigan]

Hey Parker - 

Unofficially, we have space as of last night.  We found two local business in the same space  who want to donate it to the cause.  The nice thing about RPI tech entrepreneurs is that they really care about seeing the city grow :) Neither wants recognition for the donation.  Assuming the deal works out the offer for users will look something like this:

Space including:

* Second and third floor space in downtown
* Large conference rooms + projector

* Shared Printer, Wifi, etc.

* Two kitchens

* Showers (for those of us who run at lunch!)

* Big desks

* Lounge (+ XBOX)
* Current workers are mostly techies + designers but I'd like to leave it open for now and see who's interested.  (Again, current community is going to trend towards tech)

Also, this will likely mean we lower the rate for the first few months as a way to build the community up.  One thing I still need to figure out is parking; most of the current troy workers park on the street which is a pain.  I'd like to talk to the city about donating lot space.

I'm out of town for the next few weeks, but we should have more details after Thanksgiving.

Best,

Brian

On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 2:37 PM, Parker Morse <flashes...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Marnen Laibow-Koser]

On Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 11:24 AM, Brian Corrigan <bcorr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey Parker -
> Unofficially, we have space as of last night.  We found two local business
> in the same space  who want to donate it to the cause.  The nice thing about
> RPI tech entrepreneurs is that they really care about seeing the city grow
> :) Neither wants recognition for the donation.

Excellent! My only concern: does that mean we have a business model
that *relies on* donations in order to be viable?

>  Assuming the deal works out
> the offer for users will look something like this:

[...]

This sounds wonderful.

[Dan Larkin]

On Nov 16, 2011, at 11:24 AM, Brian Corrigan wrote:

* Showers (for those of us who run at lunch!)

Essential feature! I'm glad to see this on the list.

How about rooms/space/whatever for remote pairing? I wouldn't want to be a nuisance by having skype calls at inopportune times.

[Brian Corrigan]

Two rooms for remote pairing :)  Assumption would be that short phone calls or whatever are fine in the common room, but if you're going to be on for too long please be considerate.

Looking good :)

[Jim Connell]

Hi Brian,

I'm also looking for co-working space. I'm the CTO for a web and
multi-device startup in NYC, but just moved back to this region. I'd
be interested in a full membership. In addition, I'll be hiring at
least one other developer who would work there too.

I love the idea of not limiting this to web developers. I really
enjoy working around people who do all kinds of things. I've spent a
lot of time in multidisciplinary spaces while in NYC -- large
interactive agency, coworking spaces, etc. Having access to people of
other disciplines helps you meet other people with whom you can
collaborate.

Another great reason to not limit this to web developers is the pool
of available members will be larger. I suspect the other co-working
initiatives aren't moving along so quickly because they need more
interest. It's going to be hard to find 30 dedicated solo/freelance
web developers in this area, but I suspect if you open that to graphic
designers, user experience designers, architects, and other
freelancers, you'll have a better chance of getting momentum.

The other features you've proposed sound great. I especially like
these features:
24/7 Access (the other space is talking about only 8-6 -- too limited
IMO)
Kitchen
Meeting Rooms

Thanks and keep us posted!

Jim

[Jim Connell]

Also, I'd be interested in joining the discussion you host either IRL
or via Skype.

Thanks!

[Brian Corrigan]

Jim - any interest in coffee?  I'd love to learn about what you're up to

[Kevin Galligan]

I run a little Android shop based in NYC. We work out of New Work
City, http://nwc.co/. I'm originally from the Albany/Troy area and
have a couple guys working part time upstate. Hopefully over the next
year I'll be getting a few more devs set up. A co-working space would
be great for that kind of thing.

I'm no co-working "expert", but I've been around for a good chunk of
the nwc build and have been with them through 3 different spaces as
they grew. Some thoughts.

You don't want certain types of professions around, but you don't need
to get crazy with limiting things. Specifically you don't want
anybody in sales if they're mostly on the phone. This is a disaster
in an open work space, for obvious reasons. I'd just set up some
rules and stick to them (short, infrequent calls can be at your work
space. All other calls need to happen in a "call booth" or room. You
can't take over a room all day, unless its special circumstance).
Beyond that, you get some outliers, but for the most part, the
community tends to attract similar fields on its own. If you have a
room full of tech, you won't get too many freelance writers who want
to hang out there (unless they're tech writers, but then that's a
plus). Start broad, and restrict if you need to.

Somebody mentioned a concern about relying on charity (paraphrasing).
News flash. You will not get rich running a co-working space. I
think you need to divorce the idea of "temporary office space" and
"co-working". The term co-working is kind of abused by office space
vendors, but at the root, its supposed to be a community rather than
just a place to put your laptop. All work I've had in the past year
has come from that community. Literally, all. If I had rented a cube
somewhere, I'd have been back in a "real job" a long time ago.
Community has value, and local companies, gov, schools, etc, get value
from better community. They're not giving charity so much as
investing in that community.

At the same time, the co-working space needs to foster that community.
Without that, its just a place to work. Marginally better than
Starbucks.

Rambling. Anyway, looking forward to see what you guys put together.
I'd suggest having a get together with people interested in a space.
Coffee. Whatever. Get ideas/feedback. That whole "community" bit.
Will make the trek up if I can.

-Kevin
The website (in case anybody needs the Android...) http://touchlab.co

[Marnen Laibow-Koser]

On Sat, Dec 3, 2011 at 4:28 PM, Kevin Galligan <kgal...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I run a little Android shop based in NYC.  We work out of New Work
> City, http://nwc.co/.  I'm originally from the Albany/Troy area and
> have a couple guys working part time upstate.

I'm in the same situation, except that I'm full-time: I work at home
for a company in NYC. I think a co-working space could be marvelous.

[...]

> Somebody mentioned a concern about relying on charity (paraphrasing).
> News flash.  You will not get rich running a co-working space.

That may have been me. If so, I was not talking about getting rich,
merely being sustainable and self-supporting, which I think are good
goals for any business.

 I
> think you need to divorce the idea of "temporary office space" and
> "co-working".  The term co-working is kind of abused by office space
> vendors, but at the root, its supposed to be a community rather than
> just a place to put your laptop.

I don't think I have any interest in that sort of community. Perhaps
I'm wrong -- I am certainly curious to try and find out -- but I want
my co-working space to be an office where I can go and work, not
network with others (which I believe I would find more distracting
than beneficial). I *think* that all I'm interested in is a place to
put my laptop that's better than the library or Panera.

>  All work I've had in the past year
> has come from that community.  Literally, all.

OTOH, this does sound attractive. I'm having trouble envisioning how
the community aspects of this would work, but according to your
experience, they must indeed work. Hmm.

>  If I had rented a cube
> somewhere, I'd have been back in a "real job" a long time ago.
> Community has value, and local companies, gov, schools, etc, get value
> from better community.  They're not giving charity so much as
> investing in that community.

What's their return on the investment? That is, what's in it for them?

>
> At the same time, the co-working space needs to foster that community.
>  Without that, its just a place to work.  Marginally better than
> Starbucks.

All it *should* be is a place to work, no? Where do you see the difference?

But perhaps I don't understand. How does the community part work?

>
> Rambling.  Anyway, looking forward to see what you guys put together.
> I'd suggest having a get together with people interested in a space.
> Coffee.  Whatever.  Get ideas/feedback.  That whole "community" bit.
> Will make the trek up if I can.

Yes, please. Brian, I think you wanted to meet with me, but we never
set up a time. Let's fix that.

>
> -Kevin
> The website (in case anybody needs the Android...) http://touchlab.co

Best,

[Kevin Galligan]

What's the value of community and networking? That's one of those "if
you have to ask" situations.

I had a longer reply, but I guess I'd ask you, what are you looking
for from a "co-working" space? If you just want a cube with
conference room access, I'm sure you can find plenty of that, at cheap
rates.

Its not like we all get together and do jumping jacks in the morning,
but there's an implied "get to know your neighbors" thing going on.
I'm better/worse with that depending on my work load (right now,
terrible with that). The space itself hosts parties, classes,
meetups, hackathons and whatever else. If you're getting part of the
space from another company, that would limit what you'd be able to do
with it, but still plenty. We have the occasional group lunch. There
are "rules". You can tell if somebody is busy or in "chat mode".
Often somebody will intro you to whoever anyway. Pro tip, if they
have headphones on, do not bother them.

Its hard to quantify why contributing to the community and networking
has value. I guess you want that or you don't. Personal preference.
For businesses, I know several of them who have Android apps now. You
could start there ;) The network reach is much wider. If I need
anything, somebody knows somebody. That kind of thing. For
businesses, recruiting is pretty big too. It also helps getting the
product/name out.

-Kevin

[Marnen Laibow-Koser]

On Tue, Dec 6, 2011 at 1:37 PM, Kevin Galligan <kgal...@gmail.com> wrote:
> What's the value of community and networking?  That's one of those "if
> you have to ask" situations.

Perhaps I didn't make my point clearly. I am well aware of the value
of community and networking. However, I'm not sure I expect them from
my co-working space -- that's why I go to user group meetings and the
like.

>
> I had a longer reply, but I guess I'd ask you, what are you looking
> for from a "co-working" space?  If you just want a cube with
> conference room access, I'm sure you can find plenty of that, at cheap
> rates.
>
> Its not like we all get together and do jumping jacks in the morning,
> but there's an implied "get to know your neighbors" thing going on.

Which would certainly be enjoyable, and one of the reasons I like a co-op idea.

> I'm better/worse with that depending on my work load (right now,
> terrible with that).  The space itself hosts parties, classes,
> meetups, hackathons and whatever else.  If you're getting part of the
> space from another company, that would limit what you'd be able to do
> with it, but still plenty.  We have the occasional group lunch.  There
> are "rules".  You can tell if somebody is busy or in "chat mode".
> Often somebody will intro you to whoever anyway.  Pro tip, if they
> have headphones on, do not bother them.

Hmm. This actually does sound nice.

>
> Its hard to quantify why contributing to the community and networking
> has value.  I guess you want that or you don't.  Personal preference.
> For businesses, I know several of them who have Android apps now.  You
> could start there ;)  The network reach is much wider.  If I need
> anything, somebody knows somebody.  That kind of thing. For
> businesses, recruiting is pretty big too.  It also helps getting the
> product/name out.

Unfortunately, my attempts at deliberate business networking have so
far been pretty disastrous, so I have been somewhat unconvinced of the
value of it for someone (like me) who's not a terribly good salesman.
:)

That said, I do see what you're getting at, and I believe that it
could be a very good thing...

>
> -Kevin

[Erik Straub]

On Tuesday, December 6, 2011 1:46:11 PM UTC-5, Marnen Laibow-Koser wrote:

Unfortunately, my attempts at deliberate business networking have so
far been pretty disastrous, so I have been somewhat unconvinced of the
value of it for someone (like me) who's not a terribly good salesman.
:)

Co-working would be good for someone like that because you could show the quality of your work without necessarily having to sell it.

[James Ruffer]

Agreed.  There is nothing better than word of mouth sales. It usually comes with a reference.
It has been a while since I have been in Troy but while I was there I started a company called Unixbox. It helped businesses with their computer networking and internet solutions.  Word of mouth is what made it a success.  Nothing else.

Marc Erhlich introduced me to Gary Doyle.  Gary Doyle rented me space and introduced me to Anita Savoy who later did my corp taxes.  She brought me into the YWCA which lead me to the Arts Center account it just went on and on.  Troy is a great place full of helpful people if you also help them back.  

Many businesses keep their money in Troy as many of us were raised with that mentality.

If anyone in the Co-Working space needs help with an intro do not hesitate!

Thank you for your time.
James F. Ruffer III
C|EH
1.312.238.8571  Mobile

[Kevin Galligan]

Now that I think about it, I don't really do any "business networking"
directly. I meet people, show them what I'm doing, then get an intro
through them. Usually like, "If you need Android, talk to this guy".
All projects pretty much came about that way, or close to it.
"Direct" business networking comes off like a sale. You need to go
through a trusted party.

[James Ruffer]

PS I have some android IP that was not sold in my last acquisition.  We started to create two solutions that allowed a user to create an android/iPhone app through a website. www.appanda.com
The other solution was for newpapers to show local garage sales.  It was a huge success but we sold the company for our games and other IP.  They didnt want the web to mobile solutions.  If you know anyone looking for a project to run with please let me know.  I am not allowed to put money into these solutions or I would also offer some start-up money with the IP.

Thank you for your time.
James F. Ruffer III
C|EH
1.312.238.8571  Mobile