Jaaga has several floors

The road to optimal productivity and happiness at the lowest cost is paved with pallet racks, the Internet, yoga and local organic leafy green salads, according to Freeman Murray, the co-founder of Jaaga, which is pretty much the coolest co-working space you’ll find out there. Jaaga is in Bangalore, India, and when the Geeks on a Plane group visited the community this weekend, it was filled with young entrepreneurs and hackers pitching their ideas about everything from e-commerce, to robot advertising, to tablet operating systems.

Jaaga provides its community — which pays a small fee — first off with the very basic needs: space and chairs and tables. The building was built with stacks of pallet racks making it look really cool to hang out in, and slightly terrifying to be in when there are dozens of people in the same room. The building offers dorm rooms and also has a variety of artistic Burning-Man-style touches like lighting made from recycled parts, a living wall in the front, and an old swing set.

Jaaga, of course, has Wi-Fi access, and a media room where the community can show off their business ideas or works of art. Beyond the space itself, Jaaga offers classes on skills like building Android mobile apps or HTML5, and hosts community events (like the one we participated in).

Instead of just describing the space to you more, I thought I’d put up these pics. Read more about Jaaga here.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Personal tools lead to practical business
• Flash analysis: Collaborative consumption – a first look at the new web-sharing economy
• Millennials in the enterprise, part 1: strategies for supporting the new digital workforce

Deskmag talked to 1,500 people in 52 countries to reach its conclusion, working with a web of partner organizations. The verdict was great news for coworking when it comes to the individual benefits of participating:

• 93 percent said their social circle had increased a lot as a result of joining a coworking space
• 86 percent said their business network had grown
• 76 percent reported an increase in productivity
• 88 percent said their isolation had decreased

Respondents were nearly universally enthusiastic (96 percent) about the sense of community at their spaces, with 54 percent trusting fellow members enough to always leave a laptop unattended and 29 percent happy to leave one for a few hours.

While coworking is clearly well-loved by space members, the news was more mixed for space owners, with only 40 percent of coworking spaces reporting making a profit this year. This confirms concerns about finding a profitable model for spaces without sacrificing the ambiance and community that members value so highly, which we have heard previously from owners and managers.

More detailed results from the survey are due out soon.

Do you think much of the coworking movement is built on a shaky business model?

Image courtesy of Flickr user mdanys

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• The Future of Work Platforms: An Overview
• By The Numbers: Running a Coworking Space
• Personal tools lead to practical business

Joining a coworking space is obviously a necessary first step, but it’s not enough to get the maximum benefit out of participating in the movement, according to a recent post on the blog Freelance Switch. If you want joining to really boost your career you need to approach your new workspace with a bit of networking savvy, writes Genevieve DeGuzman, the co-author of Working in the UnOffice: A Guide to Coworking, who also spoke to WWD earlier this year about her book. Among her tips:

• Don’t force it. “Prepare a short introductory spiel — your name, and what you’re working on,” and “don’t forget the niceties” like a warm smile and open body language, writes DeGuzman on Freelance Switch. She even suggests a box of cookies as an icebreaker. But when we spoke to her  earlier this year, she also stressed that you shouldn’t go on a self-promotion blitz. “Fun and community aside, people are coming to a coworking space to get work done.  A lot of members recommend waiting until after-hours events to put on the charm. Or ask someone to lunch or to fuel up on coffee in the kitchen. Bonding and networking this way is less obtrusive.”
• Take responsibility. Some of the biggest benefits of coworking come when you find collaborators and clients at your local space, but it’s not the job of the space to make sure those connections happen. “Coworking works best with self-starters who actively seek out others for conversation and collaboration,” write DeGuzman, so don’t shun casual chats as productivity busters. “The sooner you get to know your coworkers, the sooner you can start building the relationships that can lead to collaboration. While small talk may seem like unproductive behavior, the ten minutes here and there adds up. If people have a congenial relationship with you, they’ll be more likely to discuss ‘work-related’ matters later when you have questions or need help,” DeGuzman told WWD.
• Make your peace with the chaos. Your coworking space is probably going to be louder and busier than where you were working before. That will take some adjusting to, writes DeGuzman, as you learn the rules and locate the photocopier. She also stressed to WWD that the atmosphere may feel odd at first: “If you’ve been slaving away in the cubes or working in isolation in your home office, being exposed to so many different people can be disconcerting. Many members have to adjust to talking on the phone with people within earshot.” But DeGuzman’s research showed that when people persist, they often grow to love the bustle. For instance, a member of Gangplank told her the space “can be noisy and chaotic at times, but that’s part of what makes it work: you overhear things. You find opportunities to jump in and help someone.”

For more on DeGuzman’s tips check out her post on Freelance Switch or more from her earlier interview with WebWorkerDaily.

Veteran coworkers out there, do you have any tips for newbies looking to get the most out of their space?

Image courtesy of Flickr user Citilab-Cornella

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Flash analysis: Collaborative consumption – a first look at the new web-sharing economy
• Millennials in the enterprise, part 1: strategies for supporting the new digital workforce
• The Future of Work Platforms: An Overview

In her spare time, Schweber serves on the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Cabinet and chairs the Small Business Development Workgroup of the City of Portland’s Small Business Advisory Council. She also sits on the City Club of Portland’s Research Board and in June 2007 was appointed by Governor Ted Kulongowski to serve on Oregon’s Commission for Voluntary Action and Service. Her blog is her attempt to reconcile her ever-growing interest in small business with her wonkish tendencies.

WWD: Why did you decide to open a coworking space in Portland?

Schweber: Those are actually two separate questions. Why did we decide to open a co-working space, and why Portland?  The coworking idea came from experiences David and I had as freelancers and the logistical and social challenges we faced. We had also heard many of the same complaints from our colleagues. We saw that there were no options in Portland for freelancers wanting occasional work space outside their home, a private meeting space or a meeting space that could accommodate more than a couple of people. So we decided to fill that niche.

Why Portland? Portland is a small town masquerading as a medium-sized city. No one is more than one or two degrees from everyone else, so communities connect organically. Since we wanted to create a workspace community that was independent of industry or sector, Portland was the natural place for us.

WWD: How do you think that the coworking market in Portland is different than or similar to other cities, like New York and San Francisco?

Schweber: It depends on the type of coworking space. The idea for CubeSpace’s undedicated workspaces came from a New York Times article about a writer’s coworking space in New York. Given the expensive housing market and tiny apartments in New York, a workspace outside one’s home is almost a necessity. People there literally have their home office in a closet. A coworking space would be a huge benefit to newcomers who freelance or telecommute. It would provide an entry point for making connections, a critical need in a city that size.

There are some really successful coworking spaces in San Francisco who cluster around industry. Maybe that is because the dot-com era brought a lot of tech folks into the region and they are naturally drawn to each other.  Several San Francisco to Portland transplants have told me that San Francisco is a very competitive city that inhibits the formation of communities. I can see that being both a help and a hindrance to the San Francisco coworking market.

WWD: What are your biggest challenges during these tough economic times and what have you been doing to mitigate your risk as a coworking business?

Schweber: For better or worse we began to see the economic downturn very early on.  Microbusinesses and startups often lack the cushion necessary to sustain themselves in a down market.  But the early warning signal gave us time to diversify our revenue stream.

When adding additional services or resources, we have always taken the lead from the community. We had seen the challenges that our community face with client management, fee structures, invoicing, etc. and had been offering assistance on an ad hoc basis. As we saw more folks laid off and looking for work, and more work being contracted out, we formalized contract and project management services. These services give customers who are not members incentives to spend more time at CubeSpace, which also strengthens community ties.

WWD: What is your vision for the coworking industry over the next 5-10 years? How do you think the industry will change?

Schweber: We are still in the early days of coworking, and it remains a foreign concept to many.  People who work in tech have become comfortable with non-traditional work spaces because the dot-com era changed the office paradigm. That is why we have seen tech workers on the leading edge of coworking. The economic downturn has made people much more price-sensitive. The high unemployment rate is creating more business startups whose owners are desperately seeking support and community. Those two elements combined are strong incentives for people to look beyond what they are familiar with and venture into coworking spaces. The industry will have to evolve to meet the needs of these new populations, but it is hard to predict exactly what will change.

There will likely be more traditionally “professional looking” coworking spaces.  The shortage of jobs for recent college graduates will produce more young entrepreneurs who are looking for the mentorship that used to come from their employers.  The range of services coworking spaces offer will increase as the coworking population diversifies.

How do you see the coworking movement evolving over the next 5-10 years?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

You can kiss your home office good-bye (hopefully temporarily). So now what?

There may be co-working spaces near you, but they’re not quite as ubiquitous as Starbucks yet… You can dig (and dig and dig) through craigslist and hope it’s your lucky day and that your dream workspace will appear in the first 10 listings (because looking at any more than that is mind numbing and hazardous to your health) and that the people with the perfect space for rent that miraculously appears in listing number seven actually respond to you when you do contact them. (I have a very low tolerance for classifieds sites, can you tell?)

You can go to Regus, the slick, corporate rent-a-workspace/meeting room/virtual office people, and deal with “a representative” who will probably try to sell you a plan or a package or something. (That’s just the impression I get from looking at their site and knowing how American businesses operate… I could be wrong.)

Or… You can check out ShareYourOffice.com, a new project with a whole lot of potential. It’s a free service for people who need office space, or those who have extra space they’d like to fill with a warm, rent-paying body.

Wait! Before you say, “Not interested” and stop reading, think of this: it’s a French startup. Parisian. Which means most of the office spaces (at the moment) are in Paris. Ever dreamed of living and working in France?

Why not get outta Dodge for a month or three and rent a workspace in some gorgeous, 19th-century (or older) building with hardwood floors and crown molding on the high ceilings, curlycue iron balconies embracing every giant window… And they have fancy espresso machines in their offices here, and teensy weensy cups (like in those annoying George Clooney Nespresso commercials). No donuts on Fridays, though. No donuts period. (Small price to pay, if you ask me.)

You can search for a space using multiple criteria (number of desks, physical space, amenities, price range), and you can see your search results on a Google map. You can create an alert so you’ll receive an e-mail if something that fits your criteria comes up. Those with space to offer can provide many details, so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting. (Here’s a demo.)

The site began as bureauxapartager.com (offices to share), a project of FaberNovel, a management consulting company with their fingers in many pies. The company recently translated the site into English and kindly bought a domain name we anglophones could remember how to spell. The project came into being because the company had some extra office space and, being groovy techie webbie types, they decided to offer their space to stray geeks in need.

The idea has since grown into something very cool. They want to accumulate office space and focus on startups in need of incubator space, and plan to offer them space at a below-market rate. All in the spirit of cooperation and community that pervades the (generally) youthful and idealistic tech crowd. (I so dig all that warm fuzziness.) And, as we speak, they’re submitting a proposal to the City of Paris, which currently has plans to build 50,000 m2 of space for incubators in the city. (How sweet is that, by the way?) The bureauxapartager proposal urges the city to consider using existing space instead, by encouraging businesses to use their platform to rent their spare space to co-workers and startups.

I really like the idea of this project. I think we don’t really know what the economic storm that’s brewing will bring, and this platform could not only be a great service for web workers in need of a change of scenery, but it could also potentially help businesses pay their rent if they fall on hard times.

Help spread the word (and the grooviness)!

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks

Then, reality set in.  Working from your home can be isolating and can result in feeling cut off from the working world.  Co-working is a new trend, as recently reported by CNN and others, which involves teleworkers gathering within the same physical space in order to have some social time while working on their tasks.  There are businesses such as CubeSpace and Citizen Space that make co-working easy by offering space for co-workers to gather, however what is a web worker to do if they don’t have this type of option close by?

Do It Yourself

Most teleworkers likely know someone who also works remotely from their office.  If you feel comfortable doing this, offer to host a co-working session at your house or other meeting space.  Much in the same way moms self-organize play dates, teleworkers will gain benefit by gathering to work together on an occasional basis.  In exchange for offering up your Wi-Fi connection and a making a few pots of coffee, you’ll be able to exchange ideas and make some potentially profitable business connections.  For example, by gathering with other bloggers or programmers, I often gain story ideas and other opportunities I would otherwise not come across.

Break Out Of Your Shell

If you see the same people routinely at your Starbucks, engage with them in a conversation to see if they’d like to make it a regular meeting time.  This might be a great way to meet teleworkers who don’t necessarily work in your field.  Additionally, by meeting at a Starbucks or your local pub, you can use the hosting business’ Wi-Fi and avoid the effort of hosting a co-working session at your house.

Tools to Aid You

To organize a group of co-working professionals, you can either:

• Start a website: build a web site to serve as the communication hub.
• Initiate a Google Group: Drop dead easy way to centralize communications, however everyone will need a Google Account
• Simply start an email mailing list
• Check out the Co-Working wiki page as it has many valuable resources.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.

• A 2011 Green IT Forecast
• Green IT’s Q4 Winners: Wind Power, Solar Power, Smart Energy
• Report: Cleantech’s Third-Quarter Growing Pains