[hackerspaces] [wiki] TechShop

[David Powell]

I have not problem with TechShop being called a hackerspace. There are a
lot of "Hackerspaces" on the list that could IMO be questionable but not
because of their profit status.I don't think profit status has anything to
do with it. Do they provide a space for like minded individuals to share
knowledge about whatever it is those people may be interested in?

One thing that people need to keep in mind is that most hackerspaces need
to make money in order to keep their doors open. It some communities it's
as simple as getting everyone to pitch in some money. In other communities
people are cheap and feel like they are entitled to everything for free and
they want the members of the hackerspace to also deliver service with a
smile. It really depends on what works for the area each space is in.

We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) but we have plans for selling our knowledge
in order to keep the doors open. It's a lot of work and most of our members
don't want to put in extra effort to make things run smoothly. So the few
of us who do feel we need to charge people coming through the door because
the freeloading is not paying the bills. Being a non-profit has a lot of
down sides including making sure we are not breaking laws when we sell
something. If I had to do it all over again I would not have setup our
space as a 501(c)(3). I would have started a for profit business and ran it
like I owned it.
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