Author: Sanford Dickert

Help Pratt Masters student understand coworking!

have put together a short survey to get information from people who co-work and was wondering if you would be able to post this on your blog or have any coworking email groups that I could send it to. I am also open to any suggestions you may have about how to get this out there. I am more than happy to share results.

Just got this email in the inbox this morning – and could use your help with this student’s survey. Please take a look and consider helping?

I am a candidate for a masters in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. I was interested in focusing my thesis on the home office when I stumbled across coworking. I think the concept is fascinating and was hoping to get more information on the topic. I have put together a short survey to get information from people who co-work and was wondering if you would be able to post this on your blog or have any coworking email groups that I could send it to. I am also open to any suggestions you may have about how to get this out there. I am more than happy to share results.

Coworking Survey

Thank you for your time. I truly appreciate it.

Diana Thomas

Coworking call for help: Need your programming support on the 24th!

In the past week, I have been working with a group of highly motivated programmers and designers and activists that are looking to solve some of the connecting issues that surround Election Day – to ensure that the Democratic Process is not “overturned”.  But, to make this happen – we need some programming help.  And for that, we have an announcement.

Join web developers, designers, and activists this Friday, October 24th for a nationwide day-long Jam Session to build out a groundbreaking new project called Twitter Vote Report. Inspired by a blog post by techPresident writers Allison Fine and Nancy Scola, volunteers across the country are moving quickly to build a decentralized election monitoring system that will allow voters to use text messages to report incidents of voter suppression, long lines, broken machines, and other disruptions on election day. The Twitter Vote Report site will aggregate the reporting data, represent it in real-time on a dynamic web map, and notify voters, election monitoring groups, and the media, facilitating rapid response by poll workers and activists.

 

We’re partnering with the Election Protection Coalition, Rock the Vote, League of Young Voters, NPR, and a host of other groups to make this happen. You can help!  Here’s how: 1. Host or attend a jam session on Friday – be sure to list it on the VoteReport wiki, or 2. Join us from the comfort of your home via IRC freenode channel #VoteReport, or 3. If you’re in NY, stop by The Change You Want To See Gallery from 11am to 6pm on Friday to work with the lead development team.

More info below!

Vote Report Project Uses Twitter to Monitor US Elections

Programmers, Designers, and Activists Team Up at Nationwide Parties Friday to Build System for Real-Time Reporting of Voter Suppression Incidents

WHAT: Volunteer programmers, designers and activists across the country will coordinate in online chat rooms and at real-world coding parties on Friday to build Twitter Vote Report, a groundbreaking web election monitoring system to fight voter suppression and disruption efforts. Anyone with a Twitter.com account will be able to use their cell phones or computers to send a message notifying voters, election monitors, and the media of problems around the country. A web map will display incidents in real-time. There are three ways to participate on Friday: 1. Join us at the coding jam session headquarters at The Change You Want To See Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, 2. Host your own coding jam session, 3. Join us in IRC freenode channel #VoteReport.

WHEN: Friday, November 24th, 11am – 6pm EST.

WHERE: Headquartered at “Brooklyn Coworking” in The Change You Want To See Gallery, 84 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn NY 11211. Additional locations across the country listed here: http://wiki.votereport.us/Votereport%20Jam%20Session

BACKGROUND INFO: On election day millions of Americans will go to over 200,000 distinct voting locations and using different systems and machinery to vote. Some voters will have a terrific experiences, and others will experience the same problems we have been hearing about for years – long lines, broken machines, inaccurate voting rolls, and some that we haven’t heard about before. Using Twitter.com and 1-866-Our-Vote Hotline, voters will have a new way to share these experiences with one another and ensure that the media and watchdog groups are aware of any problems.

From questions like “where do I vote” or “how do I make sure that my rights are being upheld,” Twitter Voter Report augments these efforts by providing a new way for voters to send text messages (aka tweets) via cellphones or computers which will be aggregated and mapped so that everyone can see the Nation’s voting problems in real-time.

A Nationwide web map will display pins identifying every zip code where Americans are waiting over 30 minutes to vote or indicating those election districts where the voting machines are not working. Collectively we will inform each other when the lines are too long and ensure that media and watchdog groups know when and where problems exist.

For more information:

Twitter Vote Report Wiki – http://wiki.votereport.us

Friday Jam Session info – http://wiki.votereport.us/Votereport%20Jam%20Session

Partners:
866-OUR-VOTE (The Election Protection Coalition)
Common Cause
Credo Mobile
Demos
League of Young Voters
Mobilize.org
National Public Radio
Network Redux
Not An Alternative
Open Resource Group
Rock the Vote
techPresident/Personal Democracy Forum
Voter Suppression Wiki
Women Donors Network

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New Work City has a home!

Hey all! We’ve been very quiet for some time with a number of initiatives going on here and there – but one thing that I am happy to pass along has been the completion of a new coworking space for New York City.

NWC Signed Letter of Agreement

New Work City – a name created by the coworking community and efforts spearheaded by Tony – has finally signed for a space in New York at 200 Varick (right on top of the the Houston Street station on the 1 line).

Taking it straight from the horse’s mouth on the NWC tumblr blog:

That’s right! After a long year of figuring out the business model, building interest, and looking at space after space, we’ve finally arrived at 200 Varick Street!

We’ll be sharing the space with element^n, who have graciously given us a very flexible deal and a chance to get on our feet.

The building has lots of other young, creative companies in it, and will be a great environment. The entrance, hallways, and elevator have all been recently renovated and look great (there’s even an LCD screen in the elevator!).

The neighborhood is great, with tons of restaurants, cafes, bars, and little parks to explore. Adjacent to 200 Varick is SOB’s, a famous latin dance club. On the other side, Chipotle. The cafe downstairs, attached to the entrance, is Deb’s. It pumps in salsa music nonstop and has wifi.

We’ll be getting the first set of keys this week, and will be able to do tours in the next couple of days, but our official occupation date will be November 1st. There’s a whole lot to be done between now and then, including a trip to Ikea, signing up the first members, and, of course, a launch party.

Check out the rest of the post at the new blog: http://nwc.tumblr.com/

CooBric – New York Coworking finds another home!

Gramstand logoIn the past three months, we have seen a lot of great changes in the coworking community here in New York City – and CooBric is along for the ride. We have been fortunate to find another cafe-based home at Gramstand – where the tea is unique and the space is gorgeous.

With free wifi, a basement space that is nicely furnished with a conference table and lots of space for meetings and personal work space. You can learn all about the space on our blog – where Tony has put up a post with directions and other adjectives.

Come support coworking in New York by visiting Gramstand.

And, while cafe-surfing a great, the CooBric Comm team is working to find a permanent physical space for our team in the future – but we can use your help. Come and join our effort by signing up for the CooBric google group and send an email to one of the CooBric Comm team members with any leads. We thank you for your help!

Coworking in East Village (cooperBricolage)

Hey all – been working up a storm here in the East Village setting up the new coworking space in Manhattan at Cafe Fuego (located on 9 St Marks Place, between 2nd and 3rd Avenue).

Second dayIn the past three days, we’ve had a number of people stop by and sit – the staff at Fuego are incredibly nice – and have been incredibly giving to our endeavour.

We now have two DSL lines connected for our wiki – one for the back of the space and one for the front – so that people who need bandwidth can be supported. Power is readily available – and people in the past three days have really been helpful in terms of the concept and each other.

Traffic is growing – and Fuego is happy to support the effort that they are offering free coffee, tea and juice (limonade) for our community for the next two days. You can order off the full menu – and there are spaces for outside people to come in and work/eat/catch up with you – away from your workspace.

We are negotiating with a UPS Store to offer virtual mailboxes and waiting for one of our sponsors to provide a printer and wireless router (due next week). Aside from that, the space is gorgeous and things are moving forward. Please come by and tell us what you think.

First Day at cooperBricolageNext week, we are moving to a paid model – to offset the price for wifi and such. If you have any experience in creating effective pricing models, the team here at CB are always willing to listen. We originally thought somewhere around $20/day for drop-ins with a heavy discount for multiple day/advance purchases. Any thoughts?

If you wish to see our daily progress, we are on PBWiki at cooperBricolage.pbwiki.com. (thanks to Dave Weekly!) Come on by and tell us what you think.

UPDATE: the CooBric Committee has put up a blog at www.coobric.com (or www.cooperbricolage.com) – please come by and enjoy the conversation.