Coworking Ireland

Travis j, Todd and David Troy to discuss coworking, berlin, art and the future of online and offline communities.

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Jelly sounds like an interesting variation on the theme of coworking -

“Jelly meetings are a way for folks who usually work at home to get out of the house, find kindred workers to collaborate with, or simply to socialize — without having to commit to the gym-like membership setup of most of the country’s coworking arrangements, where rented office spaces feel much like a traditional workplace and require a regular financial commitment beyond the means of most freelancers. Indeed, the term “office” can happily be avoided all together with Jelly. Unlike most coworking setups, Jelly exists for only one day every other week, and it’s free.”

The Altrupreneur is crossing the United States while filming a documentary on coworking but I wonder if he’d be interested in going trans-Atlantic to feature our location in Dublin.

After returning from a field-trip to Boston and New York Alex made the following observation -

“Just about everyone agrees that no matter what kind of work you’re into, chances are, you’ll be working better in a community of like-minded independent folks rather than out of your home or a coffee shop.”

Paul Walsh tells us that there are 4 desks to spare at the Segala‘s Dublin office in Beacon Court. Let him know if you’re interested.

Chris Messina posts a terrific video about Coworking featuring interviews with Brad Neuberg, Tara Hunt and Chris himself. Tara said one thing which was particularly quote worthy – “I would describe Coworking as BarCamp every day”. Woah, if it’s that good I want in!

Brad also had a great metaphor for the difference between cafe-working and co-working (in a more formal office-like environment). He likened it to the difference between going to a bar and going to a house party, i.e., the latter has a real social context.

Chris makes another great point – “I’d encourage others in coworking spaces, getting started or simply interested in the idea to record their own videos and share them with the community…. the power of video [is] to make all our ideas come more real.” So how about it Paul?

I got an email from Travis J. Tood in Berlin telling me about Noel Hidalgo who is off on an ambitious “open-source journey around the world documenting free culture, social innovators & global change”.  According to Travis Noel helped build the coworking community in New York and would like to have a sit down and exchange of ideas on his various stops around the world. I wonder if he’d be interested in making a stop at our first coworking location in Dublin?

Philip Wilkinson puts an interesting spin on the idea of coworking in a post entitled – “Internet Start-Up’s : Let’s all share the same office!” -

“I’ve always thought it would be a good idea to get some office space and share with a number of innovative internet start-ups, as opposed to everyone being scattered around London.”

We’ve written previously here about the idea of twinning international coworking locations and it’s great to see Dave Winer coming up with a similar notion during his recent trip to Italy, one he’s labeled TouristCamp -

“Wouldn’t it be great to have a TouristCamp, where people come from all over the world to taste La Dolce Vita while they work on new ideas and technology for social networking over a plate of delicious Italian food, breathing fresh Mediterranean air? In other words, would Italy like to be our host? All that’s standing in the way, imho, is a little international outreach.”

Well we can’t offer Mediterranean air here in Ireland but we do have very fresh Atlantic air! Dave’s main point is worth repeating in the context of coworking – all that’s standing in the way is a little international outreach.

The New York Post talks to Elliot Winard, a software engineer who worked from home for a time after moving from San Francisco to New York City. That was until the novelty wore off and he discovered the downsides of being a free agent -

“Distractions ranged from cleaning the house to playing with the cat to talking on the phone,” he says. “And it was hard to set up borders between work time and play time. I started feeling guilty about not working all the time.”

So what did Elliot do to solve the problem? He started coworking of course -

“Winard had come to the same conclusion some others have started to arrive at in a free-agent era when working outside a traditional office is increasingly common. While the freedom of such an arrangement holds an undeniable appeal, the downside is the lack of any work community. The coworking solution: Build your own.”

Build it and they will come! That’s all well and good but what I found most interesting in this article was a tip for funding independent coworking spaces -

“Socializing is such a part of coworking culture that some spaces rely on parties and shows to pay the bills. In the first several months 3rdward was open, the organizers kept the space afloat with money they earned from hosting parties.”

Hey, I bet that could work here in Ireland

What is coworking?

Coworking is a movement to create a community of cafe-like collaboration spaces for developers, writers and independents.

What is the goal of coworking.ie?

The goal of Coworking.ie is to promote coworking in ireland, to provide a community space for coworkers to team up and to serve as a guide to people who are looking to go out on their own. .

How do we work?

The project is community driven and completely non profit. Everyone is encourages to contribute to the project in whatever way they can.

How can you help?

Spread the word about coworking / coworking.ie and encourage others to do the same. Tell anyone and everyone, as often as you can, in every way you can.