[hackerspaces] Failing/failed hackerspaces

[Torrie Fischer]

On Friday, April 04, 2014 12:35:57 matt wrote:
> > 1.  What are some well known failed spaces to the discussion group, and
> > what caused them to fail?
> 
> HHH ( all the things ), L0pht ( purchased by corporate interest ),
> Countless tiny unheard of spaces.
> 
> > 2.  Are there any spaces that are "too big to fail", i.e. too much money
> 
> is
> 
> > invested in the space - so much so that it has become a disservice to the
> > community instead of an asset?  What are some of the common mistakes
> > that spaces make that keep them from growing or succeeding?
> 
> Noisebridge.
> 
> I'd ask you this.  Is growth success?  Start with what your own metric for
> success is.  If you are just building a physical edifice to your own
> interest, you've probably already failed.  If you are trying to start a
> movement to support a crusade... again you've failed.  If you are just
> trying to find a group of people you want to hack with... then all you need
> is enough people to be happy and survive.  What keeps people from success
> generally, is failing to identify what their metric for success is.  Or
> trying to do too many things.  You can't be all things to all people.  The
> other big one is believing there is a community to support your goals when
> sometimes there just isn't.  And the last and worst... thinking you can
> turn running a hackerspace into a career.
> 
> > 3.  Has anyone taken failed models and used them as sort of a "this is
> 
> what
> 
> > not to do" list?  Where could I source that info?
> 
> http://hackerspaces.org/images/8/8e/Hacker-Space-Design-Patterns.pdf
> 
> > 4.  For people new to this industry, what are some of the common
> > newcomer mistakes in starting up a makerspace/hackerspace that you would
> > have liked to been made aware of so you could have avoided them and
> > saved yourself a massive headache?
> 
> Trust every member of your space as if they had keys to your home.  If you
> can't do that, you've already failed.

Any suggestions for recovering from such a situation?

> 
> On Fri, Apr 4, 2014 at 12:13 PM, Mark Henderson 
<mhenderson683 at live.com>wrote:
> >  I have some questions about failed or failing hackerspaces and
> > 
> > makerspaces.
> > 
> > 1.  What are some well known failed spaces to the discussion group, and
> > what caused them to fail?
> > 
> > 2.  Are there any spaces that are "too big to fail", i.e. too much money
> > is invested in the space - so much so that it has become a disservice to
> > the community instead of an asset?  What are some of the common mistakes
> > that spaces make that keep them from growing or succeeding?
> > 
> > 3.  Has anyone taken failed models and used them as sort of a "this is
> > what not to do" list?  Where could I source that info?
> > 
> > 4.  For people new to this industry, what are some of the common newcomer
> > mistakes in starting up a makerspace/hackerspace that you would have liked
> > to been made aware of so you could have avoided them and saved yourself a
> > massive headache?
> > 
> > Thanks!
> > 
> > Mark Henderson
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Discuss mailing list
> > Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> > http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
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