The Ideal Co-working space — thoughts from NY
November 12th, 2007
I’ve been thinking a great deal about co-working recently and the potential it has to add value to the lives of those who get involved. The three strands I’ve been thinking along have been relationships, networking and shared high quality of life.
First up is what I was taught growing up was the most important thing in our lives — our relationships with other people. It’s 7am, I’m wide awake and heading to GramStand (home of NY co-working CooperBricolage) this afternoon. I’ve already been in touch with Tony Bacigalupo, one of the two founding members. After a few emails I’m excited to meet him as I get the sense that he’s full of the spirit of the co-working movement, but also realistically aware of the challenges present. Hell, he even offered me a couch to stay on if I was stuck.
There is something about the co-working movement that fosters strong relationships. This is why I’m slightly uncomfortable with the ‘co-working’ moniker. Co-workers, in the literal sense are traditionally forced together — superficial relationships plastered together by necessity in a day job, thrown together for the benefit of ‘the man’ — I hear about this all the time, although my experience of it myself is limited.
Yesterday afternoon as I sat in the airport, I had a text from one of my fellow co-workers Eoghan wishing me well on my trip, and yesterday Eamon and I chatted at length on the phone before I left for my parents’ place up north — I was annoyed to miss out the opportunity to pop in to the office and say goodbye. My point? There’s something more going on here than just working alongside each other. In the few months that I’ve been part of TL01, even though I’ve not actively used the space as much as I’ve liked, I’ve noticed a trust and respect build up that is far more related to an almost military camaraderie, as though we’re part of something that could be big, and in it together, rather than just working alongside one another.
In terms of networking — well, I guess I’m going to find out all about it. I read this post about Tangler, and about half way down the comments was a reply from Mick Liubinskas — Mick who I happened to meet in Citizen Space. Now, when I met Mick, he filled me in on Tangler, but he wasn’t promoting it to me or even looking for a business lead. Not only that, but Ivan Storck invited me to dinner with Mick and a few others and we ended up having a few beers and bowling in Presidio. Yes, of course there’s the standard human superficiality — but there was something unerringly comfortable about the whole affair. Call me naive and I admit that I am still a minnow in this great big old world, but it was some old school hanging out and I didn’t catch the whiff of back rubbing and schmoozing that I’ve experienced since.
The third tier of my thoughts is where to go from here. Citizen Space in San Francisco is obviously way ahead of TL01 in Dublin in terms of resources and atmosphere — it’s a much larger space for one, and can cater for more than just a few lads sitting at desks (it’s been exciting, but frustrating to see the level of interest in co-working in Dublin with the knowledge that TL01 can only support four people.) My thoughts are : what next? Tomorrow at GramStand I think is going to be an interesting journey. Cooper Bricolage are still in coffee shop mode, albeit a space that fits twenty.
Getting up and running and to what level I think is an interesting question. Should there be money behind this thing? Should there be a ‘home team’ company paying for the space and subletting as in Citizen Space, or should the landlord be responsible for that as TL01 does it? And how does it grow? Are there joint insurance schemes that can be cooked up? Are there any benefits to working together but not under one company that we havn’t seen? Should there be non-working facilities in a co-working space, games rooms, dorms, chill out zones? What IS the goal?
It’s through asking the questions I think that many shall be answered and while some may seem trivial, I think that we could be onto and part of something big.
3 Responses to “The Ideal Co-working space — thoughts from NY”
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November 12th, 2007 at 08:42 PM
Great post, Paul. While the softer ideas around the Coworking model (like how you relate personally, rather than professionally, to your “coworkers”) can be allowed form organically, the practical structures that support it (like who pays who for rent, brings out the rubbish) must be thought-out fully. For example, I’d hate to be in the position of having to chase and put pressure on people for rent or give out to people for not being tidy. But I’m sure workable solutions can be found. I’d love to talk seriously about setting something up ourselves in the New Year and maybe look to get funding to kick-start it.
November 13th, 2007 at 09:57 PM
Hey Paul, nice post. That was a great night bowling. I still have one of those sticker pics we took.
Coworking spaces are great. Maybe Mike Cannon-Brookes at Atlassian can get one going in Sydney. Mike, you tracking yourself?
November 14th, 2007 at 12:08 PM
That’s a really interesting post Paul. It’s my first time here, I’ll be sure to check back.
On the issue of renting etc, when I lived in San Fran I met 4 guys who started out renting desks in an office somewhere, and eventually moved in together.
Funnily enough, they then rented a second apartment in which they each took a room as an office. All the while they were working separately, as a 4 competitors who just happened to get along.