We need the "Worldwide Coworking Directory"

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hey Xavier,

That’s precisely what I’m working on with Open Coworking through the Open Coworking Map: http://coworkingdotcom.herokuapp.com/ (The site will be moving to map.coworking.com very very shortly.)

The idea behind the Open Coworking Map is very simple. All “global coworking lists” have had the same problems in maintenance due to their data management policies. Either one person curates the whole list or alternatively they create an open platform allowing any space to list itself. The former is impossible since no one can be in 5,000 places at once keeping track of openings and closings. The latter runs into issues with opt-in as it’s nearly impossible to inform and convince 5,000 spaces to sign up. The latter approach also has issues of opt-out when a space closes. Most directories I’ve seen end up becoming more of a graveyard than an active list.

The Open Coworking Map addresses these issues by appointing a local curator in each city (or country if city level is too specific or coworking is too sparse in the country to support city listing). In this way, the individual keeps track of all the openings and closings without requiring opt-in or opt-out from the spaces themselves. This is the only way to ensure a fully inclusive list that doesn’t forget to include or remove spaces as required.

The project is ready for roll-out, but thus far I’ve been struggling a bit to find willing local curators in each locality worldwide.

Xaver, if you’re interested I can get you credentials to manage the Switzerland list. Same offer applies to locals of any other city/country that want to curate their city’s list of spaces!

Cheers,
Oren

···

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 7:48:18 AM UTC-5, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hi, Xaver,

That was me who followed you on Quora today. And also me who sent you that email about the Wiki. :slight_smile:

I would love for you to put your directory on the Wiki, on the Front Page there is a listing for Directories and listings.

The Wiki Directory is fundamentally organized by city, because that’s how we find that people look for a coworking space. Knowing that there are coworking spaces in the Netherlands (where I am) is not especially helpful if they are all in Amsterdam and the Hague and you are working in Eindhoven or Maastricht. The city links are then inded organized by country or by region if there are a lot of them.

The pages are as detailed or as general as the peple in the area want to make them: I think Tabby did a beautiful job with Coworking Joh-burg, Coworking Paris is more understated but nevertheless gets the idea across, and I think Coworking New York also makes clear who is doing what. I think Coworking San Francisco intentionally chose to keep pictures and so on out, so as to cut down on placement competition.

But Open Coworking is an all volunteer army, whose population ebbs and flows over time. If you feel a need to work on the Worldwide Coworking Directory, then we would love to work with you. I happen to have a handy dandy little form for you to sign up right here.

As it happens. :slight_smile:

Cheers!

Jeannine

···

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 2:48:18 PM UTC+2, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hey Oren

Thx for reply. Your concept with “area managers” sounds resonable. I will check with my colleagues if we want to step in to manage the Switzerland lists and let you know asap.

Cheers

Xaver

···

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 6:40:22 AM UTC+2, [email protected] wrote:

Hey Xavier,

That’s precisely what I’m working on with Open Coworking through the Open Coworking Map: http://coworkingdotcom.herokuapp.com/ (The site will be moving to map.coworking.com very very shortly.)

The idea behind the Open Coworking Map is very simple. All “global coworking lists” have had the same problems in maintenance due to their data management policies. Either one person curates the whole list or alternatively they create an open platform allowing any space to list itself. The former is impossible since no one can be in 5,000 places at once keeping track of openings and closings. The latter runs into issues with opt-in as it’s nearly impossible to inform and convince 5,000 spaces to sign up. The latter approach also has issues of opt-out when a space closes. Most directories I’ve seen end up becoming more of a graveyard than an active list.

The Open Coworking Map addresses these issues by appointing a local curator in each city (or country if city level is too specific or coworking is too sparse in the country to support city listing). In this way, the individual keeps track of all the openings and closings without requiring opt-in or opt-out from the spaces themselves. This is the only way to ensure a fully inclusive list that doesn’t forget to include or remove spaces as required.

The project is ready for roll-out, but thus far I’ve been struggling a bit to find willing local curators in each locality worldwide.

Xaver, if you’re interested I can get you credentials to manage the Switzerland list. Same offer applies to locals of any other city/country that want to curate their city’s list of spaces!

Cheers,
Oren

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 7:48:18 AM UTC-5, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hi Jeannine

I just checked some examples on the wiki space directory: very different approaches for each city: It is hard to use since you have to learn how (different) each page “works”. I know this is a community project, but some structure/templates would help to make it easier to maintain and more fun to navigate. Did you already think about other taxonomy/attributes besides geography to describe the spaces? What services do they offer, what do they feel like (vibes) … the one thing that makes this space unique? May be it is better to have a single page for every space and then work with categories/tags to build overviews (… although I do not yet know the features/limitations of this wiki platform …)

I hope this does not feel to pushy … Just thinking out loud.

Cheers

Xaver

···

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:09:44 PM UTC+2, Jeannine wrote:

Hi, Xaver,

That was me who followed you on Quora today. And also me who sent you that email about the Wiki. :slight_smile:

I would love for you to put your directory on the Wiki, on the Front Page there is a listing for Directories and listings.

The Wiki Directory is fundamentally organized by city, because that’s how we find that people look for a coworking space. Knowing that there are coworking spaces in the Netherlands (where I am) is not especially helpful if they are all in Amsterdam and the Hague and you are working in Eindhoven or Maastricht. The city links are then inded organized by country or by region if there are a lot of them.

The pages are as detailed or as general as the peple in the area want to make them: I think Tabby did a beautiful job with Coworking Joh-burg, Coworking Paris is more understated but nevertheless gets the idea across, and I think Coworking New York also makes clear who is doing what. I think Coworking San Francisco intentionally chose to keep pictures and so on out, so as to cut down on placement competition.

But Open Coworking is an all volunteer army, whose population ebbs and flows over time. If you feel a need to work on the Worldwide Coworking Directory, then we would love to work with you. I happen to have a handy dandy little form for you to sign up right here.

As it happens. :slight_smile:

Cheers!

Jeannine

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 2:48:18 PM UTC+2, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hi Oren,

I am the manager of a Coworking space in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and would love to help by taking care of curating the list of spaces in Argentina.

Let me know if this would be possible.

Cheers,

Matias
https://www.facebook.com/dorreguscoworking

···

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:40:22 AM UTC-3, [email protected] wrote:

Hey Xavier,

That’s precisely what I’m working on with Open Coworking through the Open Coworking Map: http://coworkingdotcom.herokuapp.com/ (The site will be moving to map.coworking.com very very shortly.)

The idea behind the Open Coworking Map is very simple. All “global coworking lists” have had the same problems in maintenance due to their data management policies. Either one person curates the whole list or alternatively they create an open platform allowing any space to list itself. The former is impossible since no one can be in 5,000 places at once keeping track of openings and closings. The latter runs into issues with opt-in as it’s nearly impossible to inform and convince 5,000 spaces to sign up. The latter approach also has issues of opt-out when a space closes. Most directories I’ve seen end up becoming more of a graveyard than an active list.

The Open Coworking Map addresses these issues by appointing a local curator in each city (or country if city level is too specific or coworking is too sparse in the country to support city listing). In this way, the individual keeps track of all the openings and closings without requiring opt-in or opt-out from the spaces themselves. This is the only way to ensure a fully inclusive list that doesn’t forget to include or remove spaces as required.

The project is ready for roll-out, but thus far I’ve been struggling a bit to find willing local curators in each locality worldwide.

Xaver, if you’re interested I can get you credentials to manage the Switzerland list. Same offer applies to locals of any other city/country that want to curate their city’s list of spaces!

Cheers,
Oren

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 7:48:18 AM UTC-5, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hi, Xaver,

You are not at all pushy, and all your points are valid and have at various times been discussed as the Wiki has developed. I agree with you as it happens but here’s the thing:

The Wiki has indeed developed as an organic process, which means that it is indeed not standardized.

But really while the most often used resource of the WIki is the Directory and the Visa listing, the truth is that the Wiki was meant to be and should be more than that. Ultimately I want the wiki to be a real resource for people in coworking, with content they can use and share.

We in Open Coworking have not always priovided people with what they need to do that and I think there are two reasons for that: 1) the wiki does date to a time when pretty much everybody in coworking knew everybody else, at least by reputation if not by name. And 2) we are an all-volunteer army around here which has left us open to surges of activity followed by people having to stop because they had to attend to their own businesses.

Those things are changing and there is a large enough group that nobody should have to work a fullltime job to be a volunteer on the wiki. We can swap off jobs now, there is enough. But we have to communicate better and it has to be properly organized.

That’s where I come in. :slight_smile:

These are the things we really want to come to grips with in the new Open Coworking; we need all the help we can get.

I thank you for signing up (did I mention my handy dandy little sign up sheet to anybody else listening? ahem. :-). My window at this moment is the end of this year to get it all together and tell the world how great we are.

We are pretty great.

And you may expect to see me appearing in an in-box very near you very soon. :slight_smile:

CHeers,

Jeannine

···

On Thursday, September 25, 2014 9:39:35 PM UTC+2, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi Jeannine

I just checked some examples on the wiki space directory: very different approaches for each city: It is hard to use since you have to learn how (different) each page “works”. I know this is a community project, but some structure/templates would help to make it easier to maintain and more fun to navigate. Did you already think about other taxonomy/attributes besides geography to describe the spaces? What services do they offer, what do they feel like (vibes) … the one thing that makes this space unique? May be it is better to have a single page for every space and then work with categories/tags to build overviews (… although I do not yet know the features/limitations of this wiki platform …)

I hope this does not feel to pushy … Just thinking out loud.

Cheers

Xaver

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:09:44 PM UTC+2, Jeannine wrote:

Hi, Xaver,

That was me who followed you on Quora today. And also me who sent you that email about the Wiki. :slight_smile:

I would love for you to put your directory on the Wiki, on the Front Page there is a listing for Directories and listings.

The Wiki Directory is fundamentally organized by city, because that’s how we find that people look for a coworking space. Knowing that there are coworking spaces in the Netherlands (where I am) is not especially helpful if they are all in Amsterdam and the Hague and you are working in Eindhoven or Maastricht. The city links are then inded organized by country or by region if there are a lot of them.

The pages are as detailed or as general as the peple in the area want to make them: I think Tabby did a beautiful job with Coworking Joh-burg, Coworking Paris is more understated but nevertheless gets the idea across, and I think Coworking New York also makes clear who is doing what. I think Coworking San Francisco intentionally chose to keep pictures and so on out, so as to cut down on placement competition.

But Open Coworking is an all volunteer army, whose population ebbs and flows over time. If you feel a need to work on the Worldwide Coworking Directory, then we would love to work with you. I happen to have a handy dandy little form for you to sign up right here.

As it happens. :slight_smile:

Cheers!

Jeannine

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 2:48:18 PM UTC+2, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Oren,

I appreciate your initiative for an open coworking map. I’m actually in the design phase of a similar project for Mexico locations, we could join efforts to enhance both of our resources. I would like to hear from you how do you plan to market your site and make it visible to whomever is looking for a place such as this.

it is indeed necessary to have a more centralized way to find coworking locations either by region or worldwide as you are trying. how to connect each other’s efforts and get the best bang for the buck…that is the question.

thanks

MF

···

El martes, 23 de septiembre de 2014 23:40:22 UTC-5, [email protected] escribió:

Hey Xavier,

That’s precisely what I’m working on with Open Coworking through the Open Coworking Map: http://coworkingdotcom.herokuapp.com/ (The site will be moving to map.coworking.com very very shortly.)

The idea behind the Open Coworking Map is very simple. All “global coworking lists” have had the same problems in maintenance due to their data management policies. Either one person curates the whole list or alternatively they create an open platform allowing any space to list itself. The former is impossible since no one can be in 5,000 places at once keeping track of openings and closings. The latter runs into issues with opt-in as it’s nearly impossible to inform and convince 5,000 spaces to sign up. The latter approach also has issues of opt-out when a space closes. Most directories I’ve seen end up becoming more of a graveyard than an active list.

The Open Coworking Map addresses these issues by appointing a local curator in each city (or country if city level is too specific or coworking is too sparse in the country to support city listing). In this way, the individual keeps track of all the openings and closings without requiring opt-in or opt-out from the spaces themselves. This is the only way to ensure a fully inclusive list that doesn’t forget to include or remove spaces as required.

The project is ready for roll-out, but thus far I’ve been struggling a bit to find willing local curators in each locality worldwide.

Xaver, if you’re interested I can get you credentials to manage the Switzerland list. Same offer applies to locals of any other city/country that want to curate their city’s list of spaces!

Cheers,
Oren

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 7:48:18 AM UTC-5, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hi Matias,

Please email me directly: [email protected]

I’d love to get Argentina represented ASAP!

Cheers,
Oren

···

On Tuesday, September 30, 2014 7:29:24 AM UTC-5, Matias Calvo wrote:

Hi Oren,

I am the manager of a Coworking space in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and would love to help by taking care of curating the list of spaces in Argentina.

Let me know if this would be possible.

Cheers,

Matias
https://www.facebook.com/dorreguscoworking

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:40:22 AM UTC-3, [email protected] wrote:

Hey Xavier,

That’s precisely what I’m working on with Open Coworking through the Open Coworking Map: http://coworkingdotcom.herokuapp.com/ (The site will be moving to map.coworking.com very very shortly.)

The idea behind the Open Coworking Map is very simple. All “global coworking lists” have had the same problems in maintenance due to their data management policies. Either one person curates the whole list or alternatively they create an open platform allowing any space to list itself. The former is impossible since no one can be in 5,000 places at once keeping track of openings and closings. The latter runs into issues with opt-in as it’s nearly impossible to inform and convince 5,000 spaces to sign up. The latter approach also has issues of opt-out when a space closes. Most directories I’ve seen end up becoming more of a graveyard than an active list.

The Open Coworking Map addresses these issues by appointing a local curator in each city (or country if city level is too specific or coworking is too sparse in the country to support city listing). In this way, the individual keeps track of all the openings and closings without requiring opt-in or opt-out from the spaces themselves. This is the only way to ensure a fully inclusive list that doesn’t forget to include or remove spaces as required.

The project is ready for roll-out, but thus far I’ve been struggling a bit to find willing local curators in each locality worldwide.

Xaver, if you’re interested I can get you credentials to manage the Switzerland list. Same offer applies to locals of any other city/country that want to curate their city’s list of spaces!

Cheers,
Oren

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 7:48:18 AM UTC-5, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hey Xavier,

While I would encourage you to contribute to the Open Coworking Map (wink wink) as opposed to the directory on the Wiki, I’m a member of both efforts and so the discussions overlap quite a bit. It seems to be that you’re interested in working on something, so regardless if you team up with me, I’ll share my insights in the spirit of being open.

It is nearly impossible to create a platform that can fairly and consistently display all the “features” of a space since so many of them (“vibes” as you mentioned or “community”) are intangible or incredibly subjective. As such, any feature list comparison chart would invariably sell some spaces short on what they “offer” to members.

Also, members are a very finicky bunch and in almost every instance want to shop around (in person typically).

Even with all those considerations, the primary reason to steer clear of such a thing is the integrity of the data. The more features you pile up to document, the larger burden you’re placing on the maintainer of the data. If you think each space should manage their own listing, good luck with standardization and even better luck with convincing all the spaces in any area, let alone the whole world, to opt-in.

···

On Thursday, September 25, 2014 2:39:35 PM UTC-5, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi Jeannine

I just checked some examples on the wiki space directory: very different approaches for each city: It is hard to use since you have to learn how (different) each page “works”. I know this is a community project, but some structure/templates would help to make it easier to maintain and more fun to navigate. Did you already think about other taxonomy/attributes besides geography to describe the spaces? What services do they offer, what do they feel like (vibes) … the one thing that makes this space unique? May be it is better to have a single page for every space and then work with categories/tags to build overviews (… although I do not yet know the features/limitations of this wiki platform …)

I hope this does not feel to pushy … Just thinking out loud.

Cheers

Xaver

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:09:44 PM UTC+2, Jeannine wrote:

Hi, Xaver,

That was me who followed you on Quora today. And also me who sent you that email about the Wiki. :slight_smile:

I would love for you to put your directory on the Wiki, on the Front Page there is a listing for Directories and listings.

The Wiki Directory is fundamentally organized by city, because that’s how we find that people look for a coworking space. Knowing that there are coworking spaces in the Netherlands (where I am) is not especially helpful if they are all in Amsterdam and the Hague and you are working in Eindhoven or Maastricht. The city links are then inded organized by country or by region if there are a lot of them.

The pages are as detailed or as general as the peple in the area want to make them: I think Tabby did a beautiful job with Coworking Joh-burg, Coworking Paris is more understated but nevertheless gets the idea across, and I think Coworking New York also makes clear who is doing what. I think Coworking San Francisco intentionally chose to keep pictures and so on out, so as to cut down on placement competition.

But Open Coworking is an all volunteer army, whose population ebbs and flows over time. If you feel a need to work on the Worldwide Coworking Directory, then we would love to work with you. I happen to have a handy dandy little form for you to sign up right here.

As it happens. :slight_smile:

Cheers!

Jeannine

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 2:48:18 PM UTC+2, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Sorry Xavier,

Rereading what I just posted, it appears that I forgot to spell out the conclusion: Documenting anything beyond physical and virtual locations (URL and address) would create a very uneven playing field for spaces to present themselves to members. Members will want to check out the website and location of a space anyways before making a selection, so the best we can hope for is to standardize a minimal presentation of those facts for them to make their own decision.

Any space should be able to demonstrate what they want to demonstrate on their own website.

Most members just want to know what’s out there and from there they can figure out on their own what’s offered at each stage.

This isn’t a restaurant or a hotel where a member would want all the information up front because a visit implies business. A first visit to a coworking space usually just implies a tour since the ongoing relationship (as opposed to first visit) is what the space is after.

As such, less is more here.

Hope that helps!
Oren

···

On Tuesday, September 30, 2014 2:16:25 PM UTC-5, [email protected] wrote:

Hey Xavier,

While I would encourage you to contribute to the Open Coworking Map (wink wink) as opposed to the directory on the Wiki, I’m a member of both efforts and so the discussions overlap quite a bit. It seems to be that you’re interested in working on something, so regardless if you team up with me, I’ll share my insights in the spirit of being open.

It is nearly impossible to create a platform that can fairly and consistently display all the “features” of a space since so many of them (“vibes” as you mentioned or “community”) are intangible or incredibly subjective. As such, any feature list comparison chart would invariably sell some spaces short on what they “offer” to members.

Also, members are a very finicky bunch and in almost every instance want to shop around (in person typically).

Even with all those considerations, the primary reason to steer clear of such a thing is the integrity of the data. The more features you pile up to document, the larger burden you’re placing on the maintainer of the data. If you think each space should manage their own listing, good luck with standardization and even better luck with convincing all the spaces in any area, let alone the whole world, to opt-in.

On Thursday, September 25, 2014 2:39:35 PM UTC-5, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi Jeannine

I just checked some examples on the wiki space directory: very different approaches for each city: It is hard to use since you have to learn how (different) each page “works”. I know this is a community project, but some structure/templates would help to make it easier to maintain and more fun to navigate. Did you already think about other taxonomy/attributes besides geography to describe the spaces? What services do they offer, what do they feel like (vibes) … the one thing that makes this space unique? May be it is better to have a single page for every space and then work with categories/tags to build overviews (… although I do not yet know the features/limitations of this wiki platform …)

I hope this does not feel to pushy … Just thinking out loud.

Cheers

Xaver

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:09:44 PM UTC+2, Jeannine wrote:

Hi, Xaver,

That was me who followed you on Quora today. And also me who sent you that email about the Wiki. :slight_smile:

I would love for you to put your directory on the Wiki, on the Front Page there is a listing for Directories and listings.

The Wiki Directory is fundamentally organized by city, because that’s how we find that people look for a coworking space. Knowing that there are coworking spaces in the Netherlands (where I am) is not especially helpful if they are all in Amsterdam and the Hague and you are working in Eindhoven or Maastricht. The city links are then inded organized by country or by region if there are a lot of them.

The pages are as detailed or as general as the peple in the area want to make them: I think Tabby did a beautiful job with Coworking Joh-burg, Coworking Paris is more understated but nevertheless gets the idea across, and I think Coworking New York also makes clear who is doing what. I think Coworking San Francisco intentionally chose to keep pictures and so on out, so as to cut down on placement competition.

But Open Coworking is an all volunteer army, whose population ebbs and flows over time. If you feel a need to work on the Worldwide Coworking Directory, then we would love to work with you. I happen to have a handy dandy little form for you to sign up right here.

As it happens. :slight_smile:

Cheers!

Jeannine

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 2:48:18 PM UTC+2, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hi Oren

I think I understand your point of view. Bu then we should make it even more simple:

No wiki pages - just a structured list with contact information of the spaces. All in one place. Easy to browse and filter.

To have a map is not essential - but nice for marketing purpose :wink:

I like the idea to have city/country admins to take care of the their list entries in order to keep a high level of quality - that’s what we try to achieve with our list of coworking spaces in Switzerland.

What do you think?

Cheers

Xaver

···

On Tuesday, September 30, 2014 9:28:03 PM UTC+2, [email protected] wrote:

Sorry Xavier,

Rereading what I just posted, it appears that I forgot to spell out the conclusion: Documenting anything beyond physical and virtual locations (URL and address) would create a very uneven playing field for spaces to present themselves to members. Members will want to check out the website and location of a space anyways before making a selection, so the best we can hope for is to standardize a minimal presentation of those facts for them to make their own decision.

Any space should be able to demonstrate what they want to demonstrate on their own website.

Most members just want to know what’s out there and from there they can figure out on their own what’s offered at each stage.

This isn’t a restaurant or a hotel where a member would want all the information up front because a visit implies business. A first visit to a coworking space usually just implies a tour since the ongoing relationship (as opposed to first visit) is what the space is after.

As such, less is more here.

Hope that helps!
Oren

On Tuesday, September 30, 2014 2:16:25 PM UTC-5, [email protected] wrote:

Hey Xavier,

While I would encourage you to contribute to the Open Coworking Map (wink wink) as opposed to the directory on the Wiki, I’m a member of both efforts and so the discussions overlap quite a bit. It seems to be that you’re interested in working on something, so regardless if you team up with me, I’ll share my insights in the spirit of being open.

It is nearly impossible to create a platform that can fairly and consistently display all the “features” of a space since so many of them (“vibes” as you mentioned or “community”) are intangible or incredibly subjective. As such, any feature list comparison chart would invariably sell some spaces short on what they “offer” to members.

Also, members are a very finicky bunch and in almost every instance want to shop around (in person typically).

Even with all those considerations, the primary reason to steer clear of such a thing is the integrity of the data. The more features you pile up to document, the larger burden you’re placing on the maintainer of the data. If you think each space should manage their own listing, good luck with standardization and even better luck with convincing all the spaces in any area, let alone the whole world, to opt-in.

On Thursday, September 25, 2014 2:39:35 PM UTC-5, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi Jeannine

I just checked some examples on the wiki space directory: very different approaches for each city: It is hard to use since you have to learn how (different) each page “works”. I know this is a community project, but some structure/templates would help to make it easier to maintain and more fun to navigate. Did you already think about other taxonomy/attributes besides geography to describe the spaces? What services do they offer, what do they feel like (vibes) … the one thing that makes this space unique? May be it is better to have a single page for every space and then work with categories/tags to build overviews (… although I do not yet know the features/limitations of this wiki platform …)

I hope this does not feel to pushy … Just thinking out loud.

Cheers

Xaver

On Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:09:44 PM UTC+2, Jeannine wrote:

Hi, Xaver,

That was me who followed you on Quora today. And also me who sent you that email about the Wiki. :slight_smile:

I would love for you to put your directory on the Wiki, on the Front Page there is a listing for Directories and listings.

The Wiki Directory is fundamentally organized by city, because that’s how we find that people look for a coworking space. Knowing that there are coworking spaces in the Netherlands (where I am) is not especially helpful if they are all in Amsterdam and the Hague and you are working in Eindhoven or Maastricht. The city links are then inded organized by country or by region if there are a lot of them.

The pages are as detailed or as general as the peple in the area want to make them: I think Tabby did a beautiful job with Coworking Joh-burg, Coworking Paris is more understated but nevertheless gets the idea across, and I think Coworking New York also makes clear who is doing what. I think Coworking San Francisco intentionally chose to keep pictures and so on out, so as to cut down on placement competition.

But Open Coworking is an all volunteer army, whose population ebbs and flows over time. If you feel a need to work on the Worldwide Coworking Directory, then we would love to work with you. I happen to have a handy dandy little form for you to sign up right here.

As it happens. :slight_smile:

Cheers!

Jeannine

On Thursday, September 18, 2014 2:48:18 PM UTC+2, Xaver Inglin wrote:

Hi everyone,

The coworking scene in Switzerland is growing - see our directory of spaces http://coworking-schweiz.ch/?page_id=54

It would make sense to publish this information on a world wide directory - but where?

Here is what I found so far:

Anyone else?

Hey guys, I work for a company that in a large part does just this; manage and list co-working spaces. We’d be pretty interested in seeing the completion of an integrated co working Database; as such I can happily contribute, I believe at the time being I have roughly 300 places listed, cataloged, and organized for U.S co working - with our European counterpart having several hundred more.

As it stands the only real “Database” is the co working wiki…which while sometimes useful, is really about 1-2 years out of date. You’d be shocked how deeply buried some of these great spaces are with no real resource to find them. Anyhow get back to me if I can contribute in a manner / so I can see what’s been accomplished.

Finally, my shameless plug - www.shareyouroffice.com - We’re essentially a free listing service for the entire U.S, with our European counterpart - bureauxapartager.com

The best,

Connor