Entries from May 2007
To the extent Wired Magazine is an accurate reflection of what techies are doing, CoWorking is apparently where it’s at. From the latest issue of Wired:
It may be true that ‘working in Starbucks’ is tired, but at least here in Minneapolis, it seems as though working in a Caribou, or Dunn Brothers, is not just Wired, but downright jittery. Could it be that Minneapolis is such a vanguard that we cruised right by the specialized CoWorking space and went straight to the vertically-integrated coffee shop-cum-workspace (a la Dunn Brothers)?
In fact, it seems like this town is some kind of coffee shop epi-center. On a lark, I went to Google trends and typed in ‘Coffee Shop.’
Minneapolis leads the nation in searches for the term ‘Coffee Shop‘. WTF? What on earth does this mean? Ideas?
Categories: Uncategorized
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the old trap that frequently befalls otherwise competent researchers. That is, gathering only data that supports one’s already-formed conclusions.
Why have I been thinking about it so much? Because I realized it’s exactly the trap into which I have:
a) Fallen.
b) Settled for a good long nap.
I realized it when I almost chose to ignore a post about workspace concepts similar to WorkSpace 3 that, heaven forbid, closed up shop.
The post, from Garrick Van Buren, has got me reconsidering the whole Workspace 3 concept. On the bright side, if I can see my way around these obstacles, I’ll be even more resolute in my pursuit of the Utopian Workspace. But for now, the warning signs are worthy of serious consideration.
Categories: CoWorking · Feedback · Research
What I knew before: Intuit makes Quicken and TurboTax.
What I know now: Intuit has an Institute for the Future.
Wow. While I’m tempted to examine what it must have been like to coin the term Institute for the Future (and get away with it), I will skip that and tell you about a nifty report they put out called the Future of Small Business Report.
In it, all roads point to: more small businesses, more startups, more single-person businesses, less formal structure, and less working in traditional offices. In other words, a bona fide recipe for a flexible, comfortable, community-focused office space. From page 13:
Starting a personal business can be a lonely and difficult task. Many people miss the social environment the workplace provides, as well as the business infrastructure. Coworking facilities are emerging to provide office space, meeting rooms, Internet access, printers, copiers, and so on as well as access to a community of like-minded people. These café-like collaboration and community spaces often start as local, grassroots efforts. They provide more than just office space and equipment; they also provide access to a network of small and personal business entrepreneurs.
Workspace 3 is gonna be huge.
Categories: CoWorking · Home Office Alternatives · Place Neutral Work · Workspaces
Great post from the trendwatchers at psfk, asserting that ‘bedouin workers’ may be killing the coffeeshop. Makes sense.
“The Bedouin Worker has so taken over his cafe that [coffee shop owner] Mike now vigilantly restricts laptop use to two long tables at the weekend. Pull out a laptop at a 2-top on a Saturday and you’re out!
Come to think of it, the last time I visited a Starbucks, there were so many cellphone-talkers and laptop-gazers it looked more like an airport terminal than a coffee shop. The article continues:
Maybe it’s time that Starbucks saves its Third Place. Instead of developing different brands offering basically the same thing (which will be inundated by the laptopers), maybe they should offer a modern version of the Second Place to keep the Bedouin Workers and the cafe dwellers happy and apart.”
Hmmm … the ‘modern version of the Second Place.’ Place 2? Place 2.1.?
Categories: Coffee Shops · Home Office Alternatives · Workspaces
