[hackerspaces] [wiki] TechShop

[Matt Joyce]

maybe the correct answer here is not "exclusion" but a better view of
the data we have?

if we could sort based on key values, such as the tax structure of the
group, ownership, rental, or squat.  business?  club?  hardware vs
software?  genetic? burners or other creatives?  academic institution?
 research oriented lab?

there are many different groups in the world and many ways to apply
ones self to their community.  Maybe the right answer is to take this
wealth of data and provide a better visualization of that data.

-Matt

On Wed, Jan 2, 2013 at 10:50 AM, David Powell <davepow16 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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