tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33273315.post6713424042153091976..comments2023-07-16T04:38:04.407-05:00Comments on Spinuzzi: Coworking in Austin: Texas CoworkingClay Spinuzzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13356273383001825508noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33273315.post-90684677048568493702010-03-20T07:52:50.691-05:002010-03-20T07:52:50.691-05:00Good question. Networking tends to be very big, bu...Good question. Networking tends to be very big, but it takes different shapes in different environments. For instance, Conjunctured is full of entrepeneurs and they tend to subcontract each other and form companies; they're networking constantly. Cospace is newer, and it's also more oriented to established players working remotely, so networking is less oriented to team-building and more to developing contacts. I'm not sure about Texas Coworking yet, but my impression is that it's more like Cospace.Clay Spinuzzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13356273383001825508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33273315.post-46610522882542343542010-03-19T10:53:27.859-05:002010-03-19T10:53:27.859-05:00But networking is definitely a big benefit of cowo...But networking is definitely a big benefit of coworking, I'm assuming?LifeSizehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09811603786707126840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33273315.post-12843929461391106732010-01-31T19:45:50.597-06:002010-01-31T19:45:50.597-06:00I don't have that sort of data, Pete. Partiall...I don't have that sort of data, Pete. Partially it's because coworking is still fairly new. But my guess is that it's very rare -- if by that you mean that the coworkers as a whole integrate into a company that takes over the entire coworking space. <br /><br />Typically you get just a few types of coworkers:<br /><br />1) Freelancers and very small (1-3 person) businesses. They are in related but separate fields (e.g., graphic designers, web developers, T-shirt companies - see e.g., Conjunctured). Individuals and small biz may see the coworking space as a good place to network (especially freelancers) or to stay until they're large enough to move into an office of their own. But they're not cohesive enough as a group to form a single integrated organization. And that brings us to ...<br /><br />2) Incubators. In fact, there's a blurry line between traditional incubators, in which small startups work in different parts of the same building, and some coworking spaces, where the shared office can house many small businesses/startups. But again, incubated startups tend to plan to grow and leave the space separately.<br /><br />3) Telecommuters who work for larger companies. A coworking site-> company transformation seems even less likely here, since the workers already work for much larger organizations.<br /><br />(I hasten to add that these are spur-of-the-moment categories rather than solidly grounded in analysis, but they should give us a starting place.)<br /><br />My sense is that for group 1 in particular, devolving into an old-fashioned office setup would be a very negative thing. Coworkers in this group tend to be serial (and sometimes parallel) entrepeneurs who highly value their autonomy, flexibility, and control over their time and working conditions. These sorts of folks would likely flee a nascent office environment and either join or start another coworking space.Clay Spinuzzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13356273383001825508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33273315.post-46367832187949300652010-01-30T16:50:51.384-06:002010-01-30T16:50:51.384-06:00Interesting story, Clay. Do you have any data (or...Interesting story, Clay. Do you have any data (or guesses) at how often coworking leads to formation of a new company, thus eliminating the original coworking configuration and devolving into an old-fashioned office setup?Pete Englandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03153191689008615136noreply@blogger.com