Despite the bias, I do have to agree whole-heartedly with the article. Coworking is about two things: productivity and community.
It's insanely productive to work among others, particularly like-minded, self-motivated individuals. We've got a library of books here, but I get way more value out of the people. Right in front of me, I've got a group discussing and learning about Chef. In just an hour or two of discussing, I've gotten all the knowledge of a full 500 page book. It's that much faster! Every single day I've been here, I've either given or gotten help from others that has saved us significant amounts of time. It's highly motivating.
The other equally big aspect is community. I didn't know who to go to for PR or marketing before we opened up. Now I know 3-4 people. The same goes for designers, programmers, business folks, etc. And I now know about a dozen or so really interesting projects going on in the area. I've struck up a major business deal with another member of the space. Business is booming!
Coworking is the real-world extension of the communities we've built in the virtual world. It's an incredibly motivating and highly rewarding concept.
My only regret is that I wish I had started this project 2 years ago!
Despite the bias, I do have to agree whole-heartedly with the article. Coworking is about two things: productivity and community.
It's insanely productive to work among others, particularly like-minded, self-motivated individuals. We've got a library of books here, but I get way more value out of the people. Right in front of me, I've got a group discussing and learning about Chef. In just an hour or two of discussing, I've gotten all the knowledge of a full 500 page book. It's that much faster! Every single day I've been here, I've either given or gotten help from others that has saved us significant amounts of time. It's highly motivating.
The other equally big aspect is community. I didn't know who to go to for PR or marketing before we opened up. Now I know 3-4 people. The same goes for designers, programmers, business folks, etc. And I now know about a dozen or so really interesting projects going on in the area. I've struck up a major business deal with another member of the space. Business is booming!
Coworking is the real-world extension of the communities we've built in the virtual world. It's an incredibly motivating and highly rewarding concept.
My only regret is that I wish I had started this project 2 years ago!