i'm right there with you on group classes, and the importance of having people in the space. things like classes and open-to-the-public hackathons are great for getting the word out and getting new people into the space.<br>
<br>co-working is something i've always been a little wary about at a hackerspace, though. people deciding on their own to work on some job stuff at the space, fine. having a desk for people to set out any kind of projects that need a desk, fine. where it may get dicey to invite co-working is if, during the day, someone wants to co-work and someone else wants to do something fairly loud. even though that may not usually happen, there's a potential for conflict there...and the idea of someone being able to play the "this is for my job, knock it off with that project of yours" card at a hackerspace might be dangerous for people's likelihood of continuing to see the space as a safe and open haven for project work.<br>
<br>and one thing...just because there are people at your space who aren't into infosec doesn't mean you're any less of a "hackerspace". infosec is just another skill, just like lockpicking or knife sharpening or anything else. different people at a hackerspace are interested in different things, and have different skill levels at them. the key to a hackerspace is that it's a place that people are comfortable and excited to bring themselves and their projects, and willing to share their skills with people who are interested in learning them. it's a place of project progress and knowledge exchange, not limited to any particular subject--and only limited by the interests of the people who come in.<br>
<br>nicolle<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Feb 8, 2011 at 10:46 PM, Nate Bezanson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:myself@telcodata.us">myself@telcodata.us</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
> If anyone else has been through this 'how active should we be'<br>
> discussion, and has some good advice, please email me off-list. I'll<br>
> give the details there.<br>
<br>
Nah, I'm not gonna get into the meta discussion here, I'd rather talk<br>
about activity directly. And I think that's appropriate on the public<br>
list.<br>
<br>
Activity breeds activity. When you come into the space and nobody's there,<br>
you do your thing and leave again. But overlapping activities become<br>
hangout time, and when the space is a fun place to hang out, people bring<br>
their friends along.<br>
<br>
Some of this means more members. If the space isn't fully utilized yet,<br>
then it can/should accommodate more members! At some point, you'll hit a<br>
critical mass where activity becomes self-reinforcing and the space<br>
transforms into a vibrant community. Reaching that point is hard.<br>
<br>
One thing that's worked for us at i3Detroit is entry-level classes.<br>
Lockpicking seems particularly interesting to newbies who read the blog of<br>
a "hackerspace". Blade sharpening and welding have also been very well<br>
attended. Find the entry-level stuff that fits your facilities, and teach,<br>
teach, teach! We typically pick up one or two new members from a class of<br>
20. Many of them don't renew after the first month, but plenty do, and<br>
there you have more activity. And someone who's new to lockpicking might<br>
be a lvl 9 mage at woodworking...<br>
<br>
Another thing that's brought people into the space regularly is supporting<br>
a FIRST robotics team. The high-schoolers don't pay dues (providing them<br>
with workspace is one of the community-enriching activities we brag to the<br>
IRS about), but they bring ideas and noise and dust and all the other<br>
byproducts of learning and doing.<br>
<br>
And if you're thinking "Welding and knife sharpening? That doesn't sound<br>
like the hackers I know!", you're right. I'm resigned to the notion that<br>
we're a makerspace. When a member asked what an infosec con was, it popped<br>
into sharp relief for me, and I walked around in a daze for a day or two.<br>
But I've realized I'm totally okay with the idea, because we share the<br>
same ethic, and the more the space is filled with people with *different*<br>
skills, the more interesting the community becomes.<br>
<br>
One other thing: Group projects to rally behind. When we entered that<br>
Instructables laser contest, we all went on a<br>
call-grandma-and-have-her-vote blitz, which was a bit silly at times but<br>
really energized the group. Finishing up our individual (and each other's)<br>
projects for Maker Faire was a great last-minute push, which really<br>
brought people together. And every few months, we organize a<br>
potluck/lock-in/all-night work party to chew down the spacewide to-do<br>
list. One or two members will do a bunch of planning and purchasing to<br>
make sure that when the hands are available, the work is doable. Turnout<br>
for these work parties has been astonishing, and as long as they're kept<br>
fairly infrequent, interest seems to grow each time.<br>
<br>
There's been some talk of dedicating a few desks to "co-working" space to<br>
attract some daytime activity, since most members are only around during<br>
evenings and weekends, but that hasn't really materialized yet. Personally<br>
I love the idea, as I believe the group can only benefit from higher<br>
utilization.<br>
<br>
-Nate-<br>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>"despite these imperfections<br>despite all i say<br>inside in recollections<br>i'm done with yesterday"<br>"Planets"<br>by Adema<br>