[hackerspaces] hackerspace demographics

[Edward L Platt]

Matt, it sounds like we mostly agree on things.  Yes, core values are
important.  Yes, outreach is important.  Cool.  There's just one point that
I want to reiterate and clarify.

Newcomers who perceive themselves as different are likely to self-select
out, even if they *do* share your core values, and even if no one is trying
to exclude them.  This has the effect of disproportionately pushing away
valuable members who don't match a group's demographics or other
superficial traits.

This is why I've always been a fan of Nate B's universal greeting to anyone
who comes in the door at i3: "Welcome to i3! What do you make?"  We greet
newcomers with an enthusiastic welcome, as well as an enthusiastic,
open-ended, and inclusive statement of our main core value.

-Ed
-- 
Edward L. Platt
http://elplatt.com
http://civic.mit.edu/users/elplatt
http://i3detroit.com
@EdwardLPlatt <http://twitter.com/EdwardLPlatt>
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