Coworking - A Place to Hang Our Digital Hats

Sharing office virtual space didn't start off as a way to create a community. It was born from necessity. I needed a place to base the Second Life arm of the work I do.

Other solutions I'd tried offered more in the way of unfortunate surprises than opportunities to network or work on meaningful projects.

If anyone had any visions of sharing they seemed to be hallucinating or not telling. What I was looking for either didn't exist in Second Life or was off the radar screen.

But I kept meeting people across the digital landscape who clearly would be well served by having the automatic head start of an office in Second Life. Sharing space started to pop into my head. I took the opportunity to just as regularly push that idea firmly down.

I didn't want to build. I didn't want to shop. I didn't want to organize. I didn't want to be responsible for the land fees, I wanted it to just happen.

Pfft. The just happening part - well - it wasn't happening. Looking at offices I found stark spaces on nearly uninhabited grey-beige islands. The rooms were tiny closed-in feeling, offering nothing in the way of community and networking options and few options as far as creature comforts.

More noddling around the idea made me sure that we needed more than desk space but less than a commune. The space had to be workable for people either alone or in groups. It had to enable if not foster working cooperatively. It had to work for larger group meetings if needed. And it had to be functional for those with diverse skill-sets and interests.

Almost from the beginning it was clear what we needed to avoid building. It shouldn't be a hangout since that need would be better served by a cafe.

No it shouldn't be a building full of sterile cubicles. That's depressing enough in the real world. Lots of coworking set-ups showed up in Google. The creative space concept seemed as if they were expecting a little too much collaboration

The real life model of Cubespace came closest to what I was looking for. Workspace sounded appealing as well. Both are shared meeting and work spaces that allow and foster relationships but do not force them.

So the task was set to make thie work on the 3-d web. Steps one through ten complete. Next to get important things like a bulletin board and coffee machine set up - and a fruit bowl on the table because even virtual selves need a nosh to feel like they really belong.

Comments

Suzy, I'll be glad to help you with the avatar part. It's a steep learning curve at first.

But going to a couple of meetings and business events makes all the difference.

And good point about round spaces. After much ado I've finally settled on a series of small offices opening on a central courtyard with chairs, snacks and yes a fire. It can be expanded as needed and I look forward to needing to make the courtyard larger as more spaces are added as a result of more people finding it a place they want to be.

It's exciting, and a little scary too.

[Marti]

I deeply appreciate your generosity and assistance with SL. I love sharing space with you - thank you! Best wishes for a wonderful evening!

[suzymiller]

I confess to still not having got past avatar stage in SL, but communal shared spaces that encourage cooperation are often round. I know a marketing company in London short on office space that have stuck a Mongolian yurt on the top of their office building. I myself used a yurt as a `bedroom/office' for over a year - when I get into SL I shall be searching out a community of roundhuts with a communal central area. Fires are better than coffee machines for encouraging cooperation and a good vibe.

Great idea Susan. Glad you are a `making it happen' kind of person.