Forget about networking: it's time for "worknetting"
Fed up with presentation rounds at meetings?,
Coffees that are not there to be drunk but to “start a conversation”?
Piles of business cards of “who is this guy and why is his card here”?
Getting requests to link from a friend of a friend of a friend in (your professional social network here)?
Why not do the opposite?
Create a safe environment to work with perfect strangers, see if they (and you) deliver and then decide if you keep them in your network.
That is “Worknetting”: building networks of reliable coworkers… through co-working.
The trick is in creating formats for bootstrapping trust in action combining:
a) safe environment
b) perfect strangers
c) real work from the start
Discovering the sense of global coworking
Everybody, who’s observing the fast growing coworking movement, is amazed about its global broadening. Coworking seems to answer to some unfulfilled needs of people from everywhere. The economical, political and social shift of structures in a globalized world makes people from everywhere think about how to organize themselves and their surroundings in a new way. Coworking is connecting the value of cooperation with new types of mostly self-organized and customer-oriented workspaces. Seen as symbols of the global shift coworking spaces are the nucleus of futuristic styles to do business, act together for common reasons and build up new communities and solidarities. And this is done both locally grounded and globally connected …
Let’s discover the sense of global coworking in the upcoming WORLDWIDE #JELLYWEEK 2012. Which important needs can be fulfilled by coworking? For which local and global problems coworking can be a part of the solution? How can coworkers use the global coworking infrastructure to foster their businesses and projects? Which people and networks aren’t yet connected to the idea of coworking and should be involved? How can business-oriented networks and NGOs use the coworking infrastructure for their global community building and actions? How can we communicate during the #JELLYWEEK from jelly space to jelly space, from continent to continent with each other? Can we send voyagers from one place or continent to another place or continent in january? What kind of technical, organizational, social and cultural prototypes can we develop during the #JELLYWEEK for the enrichment of a global coworking culture?
The structure of the WORLDWIDE #JELLYWEEK 2012 will make the global community visible.
Monday —- 16/01/12 —- is the day of #NorthAmerica.
Tuesday —- 17/01/12 —- is the day of #SouthAmerica.
Wednesday —- 18/01/12 —- is the day of #Africa.
Thursday —- 19/01/12 —- is the day of #Europe.
Friday —- 20/01/12 —- is the day of #Asia.
Saturday —- 21/01/12 —- is the day of #Australia.
Sunday —- 22/01/12 —- is the day of #OneWorld.
Each of these days will be focused on one special part of the world. During the day it’s for example possible:
—- to discuss about special topics concerning the continent of the day,
—- to create a program, that shows a part of the special culture(s),
—- to ask about the special mentality and tradition of cooperation and
—- to get in contact with the coworkers of the concerning continent.
During this day it’s also possible:
—- that the coworkers of the concerning continent are presenting themselves to the rest of the world and
—- to create whatever you want.
Let’s collaborate and explore the deeper sense of global coworking!
Loosecubes, 'The Airbnb For Shared Office Space' Shutting Down
Loosecubes, the community marketplace for shared workspace, sent out an email today saying it is shutting down this Friday, 16 November. Very little detail was provided.
I looked back into the company’s recent history, and they had secured $7.8M in series A funding back in June from NEA, Revolution Ventures, Accel, and Battery Ventures. These are very serious players. The firm had earlier raised $1.2M.
I don’t get it. The concept for Loosecubes seems solid, or I might say the market for co-working seems solid.
But a fast shutdown of this sort means that the investor lost faith in the concept and/or the team, and decided to shut down and claw back any remaining funds.
I will email a few folks to try to get the back story.
Related articles
- Airbnb for Workspaces ShareDesk Adds to Platform to Help Mobile Workers Connect (betakit.com)
- Revisiting Airbnb’s Listing-Inspired Headquarters (officesnapshots.com)
- loosecubes (swiss-miss.com)
Forget about networking: it's time for "worknetting"
Forget about networking: it’s time for “worknetting”
Fed up with presentation rounds at meetings?,
Coffees that are not there to be drunk but to “start a conversation”?
Piles of business cards of “who is this guy and why is his card here”?
Getting requests to link from a friend of a friend of a friend in (your professional social network here)?
Why not do the opposite?
Create a safe environment to work with perfect strangers, see if they (and you) deliver and then decide if you keep them in your network.
That is “Worknetting”: building networks of reliable coworkers… through co-working.
The trick is in creating formats for bootstrapping trust in action combining:
a) safe environment
b) perfect strangers
c) real work from the start
Fernsehbericht auf France 3 über Coworking in Berlin und über Reign of Art
Das Videoteam von France 3 hat uns für die Sendung über Coworking in Berlin einen halben Tag lang begleitet. Wir waren im Betahaus, sind in Kreuzberg mit dem Fahrrad rumgegurkt und haben Stefan Guzy und Björn Wiede einen Besuch in ihrem Atelier abgestattet. Wir fühlten uns ein bißchen wie Stars - auch wenn wir den Kottbusserdamm zweimal mehr hoch und runter fahren mussten. Da bleibt nur zu sagen: Vive la France!!
TV report on France 3 about coworking in Berlin and Reign of Art
The camera team from France 3 followed us around for half a day to film the report about coworking. They accompanied us to the Betahaus, filmed us riding our bikes in Kreuzberg and visited the studio of Stefan Guzy and Björn Wiede with us. We felt a bit like stars even though we had to do the one or other take more riding up and down the Kottbusserdamm. Let us say: Vive la France!
Going Cubeless?
loosecubes.comFreelancers and telecommuters have a new tool to help them find a home. As seen on Mashable, LooseCubes.com is perfect for professional nomads and cubeless employees looking for a coworking space. They are still building their database though - Norfolk’s very own 757Creative Space is not listed on the site.
And here’s a tidbit of trivia for ya - there are 380 coworking spaces in North America and 820 worldwide. More than you expected or less?
