Berkeley Coworking: The Inside Story
September 10th, 2007 (6:00am) Judi Sohn 12 Comments
By Sean O’Steen
As a web worker for more than ten years and as an independent software developer for the past six, I’ve worked in a wide variety of environments. Cubicle prairies, home offices, rented desks, cafes, libraries and even my car; you name it, I’ve tried it. In the last year I began lurking in some of the coworking community forums to see what this movement was all about. The idea of a group of independent peers and a culture of sharing ideas was very appealing, so I debated whether it would be a good fit for me and my work habits.
Initially the two closest facilities were over an hour away (on a good day) and I couldn’t justify commuting that far on a regular basis. I decided to keep my quiet little office that I was renting from a client even though I was feeling increasingly stir crazy from having isolated myself, perhaps too much, in the name of productivity.
Then two months ago I responded to a call for anchor tenants in a newly forming coworking space in Berkeley, California. The facility is about 18 miles from my home, close to our regional train system, and nearly centered within my sphere of clients. So, I decided to give it a go. We opened the doors to Berkeley Coworking a little over a month ago, and so far, the response is quite promising!
Currently five out of the eight anchor positions (aka the folks who pay for a permanent desk and have a key) are filled at this time. Even at capacity, the space should still feel roomy. There’s usually two to four people in the office each week day, and one or two of us in on the weekends. The anchor desks share about 1,100 sq. ft. upstairs and we have another 1,100 sq. ft. downstairs for special events and guests. We welcome drop-in coworkers, who can use the open tables, whiteboards, WiFi and power outlets any time one of the anchors are in the office.
Granted, I’m only a month into this experience, but so far I am very happy with my decision to try coworking. The other anchor tenants at at our office and the guests who have visited so far are, by and large, brilliant people, who are kind, thoughtful, and thought provoking. I’ve already picked up some networking contacts that may turn into business opportunity in the coming months. And I feel my productivity has increased due to new-found energy and eagerness to participate.
At night, I’m still working out of my home office after I get the kids to bed, and occasionally I still use the library or a cafe to get small chunks of work done. However most days, when I’m not at a client site, I will be coworking in my new community.
If you are looking to try coworking, I would strongly recommend a “try before you buy” approach. Most of the coworking spaces will have a very open guest policy. You are usually welcome to use their facilities at little or no cost, and should you become an active member in the community you will then be expected to contribute financially. Some of the more commercial ventures will certainly have a day pass option.
Make sure you are a good fit with the community. Although most coworking spaces will be open to new participants and new perspectives, there will be some commonalities amongst the members. At Berkeley Coworking, most of us are related to software and game development. At other locations graphic design or film making may be the common thread. Just make sure your contribution to the community is compatible with the other members.
Above all, be ready to contribute to the community! If you just want to get some work done, go to the library or to Starbucks. If you want to work, and share, and occasionally clean the bathrooms, then coworking may be for you.
Photos from Flickr images tagged BerkeleyCoworking.
Sean O’Steen is the principal web developer and IT Consultant at Tech Monkey Design. He specializes in content management systems based on .NET and LAMP technologies. When he is not knee deep in code, he can be found at home in Pleasant Hill, California playing with his wife and two little monkeys. Read his blog here.
12 Comments Post your own comment
Serge Lescouarnec says: September 10th, 2007 7:09am
Sean
After looking at the CoWorking experience and Visiting Jelly NYC once, I am considering starting a CoWorking Group here in Montclair, New Jersey.
What would you say is the minimum number of members that can make it work?
Should the focus be on diversity of backgrounds as much as size?
I agree with you that what is attractive in the format as much if not more than the sharing of costs is the collaborative element.
My last piece on CoWorking Focused on New Flavors (new groups).
Serge
‘The French Guy from New Jersey’
Alex Hillman says: September 10th, 2007 9:57am
If anyone is in or near Philadelphia is looking for a coworking facility, Independents Hall (affectionately dubbed IndyHall for short) has opened as of the beginning of this month and accepts both day rate drop ins and various levels of membership. Check out http://www.indyhall.org for more info.
Cheers, and excellent coverage! I couldnt agree more with your points about try before you buy (coworking ISNT for everyone) as well as giving back to the community. A coworking facility is only as good as the people who use it!
Chris Messina says: September 10th, 2007 11:03am
Coworking is a special blend of community, camaraderie and productivity, situated in cafe-like environments. It’s not about executive suites that breed isolation for $1000 bucks a month or even replacing cafes with spaces that you have to pay to stay at.
Instead, coworking is something different, looking at what people were already doing (trying to find connections with one another in cafes) but providing a chance to retain the productivity and independence they had achieved working from home.
I’m thrilled to see the movement emerge and for spaces and individuals to be supporting one another. I personally feel strongly that this movement is critical to the future of web workers — as we begin to come into our own and figure out how to best meet our new-found needs and wants.
Geekularity » links for 2007-09-10 says: September 10th, 2007 4:32pm
[...] Berkeley Coworking: The Inside Story « Web Worker Daily Mike Gunderloy asked me to write an article about my experience with Coworking. It just went live this morning! (tags: coworking berkeleycoworking) [...]
citizendesk.com » BERKELEY COWORKING: THE INSIDE STORY says: September 11th, 2007 6:47am
[...] Read the entire article [...]
Renee says: September 12th, 2007 6:29am
Hello!
I run Indoor PLayground in Toronto, Ontario. It has been an absolute blast getting to meet new members and see what type of entrepreneur organizations are coming through these doors. I am also happy to see the trend starting to catch on all over the world. To me this all “makes sense”. Most entrepreneurs cannot afford ridiculously high rent and do not have the large network they crave. With co-working office spaces, rent is cheap and you get an instant network. I love it!
Here is a blurb about Indoor Playground - Centre for Innovation:
Indoor Playground is a next generation co-working environment that gives small businesses and entrepreneurs the opportunity to collaborate and work in a friendly atmosphere. It is an inspirational and creative home for the entrepreneur who needs an office as well as a community centre to meet and work. Whether the worker is on the road or simply needs to get out of the house, Indoor Playground provides a very creative and easy going atmosphere for start-ups and independent innovators who are looking for a professional yet affordable way to develop their business. This environment takes away the isolation of typical office cubicles and in return inspires idea development and the sharing of information.
http://www.indoorplayground.com
Between the Lines mobile edition says: September 13th, 2007 10:16am
[...] that cities are creating co-working spaces. A recent article by Sean O’Steen documented a co-working space in Berkeley created just for that purpose. The Berkeley experience, and I presume the NY one to some degree, take co-working to a more [...]
Thomas David Kehoe says: September 14th, 2007 1:34pm
Are there any dog-friendly co-working spaces? Maybe I’ll start the first one. If you’re in Boulder, Colorado, my home office is bigger than I need and has an extra desk (with computer) plus wi-fi, laser printer, and a fenced-in back yard.
Testing the People Search Engines « Web Worker Daily says: September 20th, 2007 11:00am
[...] and Sean O’Steen, a web developer I know who also happens to have recently penned a piece on coworking for us. Results after the [...]
Telework: the Ultimate Flex Office « Web Worker Daily says: October 16th, 2007 7:58pm
[...] for the camaraderie and mental stimulation of a coworking [...]
Web Worker Daily » Archive Weekend Coffee Break: MicroISV Marketing, Calendars & Coworking « says: February 16th, 2008 6:43am
[...] Spreads - As you probably already know, we’re fans of coworking. Now web workers in sunny San Diego have a new alternative for coworking, with the opening of a [...]
Web Worker Daily » Archive Alternatives to the Home Office « says: April 8th, 2008 9:01am
[...] office spaces used by other web workers. Coworking spaces have been featured in the media, and many local options are cropping up. If working alone is one of the things that drew you to web working in the first place, this might [...]