Comments on: The conversion to coworking 2.0 continues

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:56:35 +0000

It would be a shame if coworking sold its soul and became a commercial phenomenom. The whole idea is that it is not meant to be organised and rigid, more a free-flowing, organic idea as Bruce mentioned.

Also, why is it that almost everyone these days doesn’t know the difference between “who’s” and “whose”, “its” and “it’s” or “they’re” “their” and “there”? Depressing.

By: Jessica Stillman

Jessica Stillman — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:26:41 +0000

A space owner actually pointed me towards Mark Gilbreath’s comment as the pithiest expression of her viewpoint. Plus, this isn’t really about what owners think of the idea of “coworking 2.0″ but instead the fact that the idea is penetrating the corporate consciousness. Owners’ reactions might make a good follow-up though — folks seem to have strong and interesting opinions.

By: BRUCE BOROWSKY

BRUCE BOROWSKY — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:40:30 +0000

Great point Beth! I’m happy to say that the coworking space we have here at Boulder Digital Arts wasn’t designed as a business – it grew organically out of the community we’d already built at BDA through our training and social events. We embraced coworking as an ideal way to foster collaboration amongst the creative digital professionals that were already using our space; it was the perfect fit to take our community to the next level and provide a place for them to meet with their clients, have a nice professional space to work surrounded by other like-minded folks, and generally keep the creative community vital. It’s been very interesting watching new coworking places in Boulder spring up lately, as people seek to ride the tide, and their business plans are very aggressive, yet they seem surprised when they don’t make tons of money from coworking. As anyone knows who’s been dealing with coworking, it’s not the best business to go into if you want to get rich! Meanwhile, we just keep trying everyday to make BDA a nice place to come to work, when you want to come in to work, especially when you just want to be around a creative environment. To us, it’s all about community.

By: Beth Buczynski

Beth Buczynski — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:23:36 +0000

I’m afraid that corporate interest in coworking will probably lead to a rise in what I feel are copy-cat spaces. They look like coworking, but aren’t invested in the community aspect. This sucks, but is inevitable, as it’s in the business world’s nature to exploit opportunities when they emerge. However, I’m confident that the real coworking movement will continue unabated, despite this intrusion.

I’d also like to point out that no actual coworking space owners were quoted in this article. Aren’t they the ones who’s opinions would have been relevant here?