A coworking state of the union at GCUC
The Global Coworking Unconference Conference (really? Yes, GCUC, or “Juicy” for short) had its second annual meeting held in Austin before SXSW last week. In his article All Grow’d Up: Coworking State of the Union, Neal Gorenflo of Shareable blogged that organizations in Europe are turning to coworking to accelerate innovation. He mentioned a coworking space at Aalto University in Finland that creates an on campus neutral zone where faculty, students, and industry can mix as equals, and that the community-building...
read moreMarch 18: A personal story, and opportunity to help expand a beloved national park
Is there a U.S. National Park that you just love? I grew up spending most vacations in the back of a VW camper van going to national parks, particularly in the southwest where my dad felt most at peace. He told one of my brothers that Canyonlands in SE Utah was the “most beautiful place on earth.” A few years after he made that comment he disappeared into the desert surrounding the Canyonlands National Park when his car got stuck, and it was only last year when his remains were found about three miles from his car. I would like to invite...
read moreWhat is coworking?
From the coworking wiki: “Coworking is redefining the way we do work. The idea is simple: that independent professionals and those with workplace flexibility work better together than they do alone. Coworking answers the question that so many face when working from home: “Why isn’t this as fun as I thought it would be?” Beyond just creating better places to work, coworking spaces are built around the idea of community-building and sustainability. Coworking spaces agree to uphold the values set forth by those who developed the concept...
read moreOfficeXpats in the News
INSIDE BAINBRIDGE: “OfficeXPats: A Common House for Business” Julie Hall’s Inside Bainbridge article tells the story of a collaboration that happened because two OfficeXpats members “got to talkin’.” Ms. Hall also captured some bigger intentions: “Calling it “a common house for business,” Schneider says she sees it as a place not just for freelancers or small companies looking for more facilities than they can provide themselves. She also hopes brick and mortar businesses on the Island will use the...
read moreIgnite Bainbridge is Coming!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! www.ignitebainbridge.com You got 5 minutes and 20 slides to talk about your favorite topic…can you do it? Enlighten us, but make it quick! The first Ignite Bainbridge is scheduled for May 16, 2012 at the Pavilion in Bainbridge Island, WA. OfficeXpats is hosting a pre-show mixer in their offices on the 2nd floor of the Pavilion, and then we’ll all move downstairs to the cinema for the main event. Hope to see you all there! We need volunteers and sponsors, so if you’re interested in helping out, please...
read moreMy influencers, and my themes for 2012
In preparation for Think Week I’m reviewing some of the great ideas from bloggers I have learned to trust and enjoy. I’ve pulled some themes from each that will shape my goals to grow OfficeXpats in the coming year. I’d love to learn about who influences you! Futurist.com/Glen Hiemstra: The Future of Marketing 2012 and Beyond. I’m pulling what’s most meaningful to me from his favorites of experts’ predictions: (1) “Webinars as an educational and marketing platform will continue to grow in popularity in 2012.” (2)...
read moreWhat will you accomplish during “Think Week”?
I love taking some time on or around New Year’s to journal and work out my next year’s goals. I’m not fussy about the actual day, but if I don’t get around to it at all, I feel some sadness at the lost opportunity for reflection. So to honor this season of celebration, contemplation, and planning, OfficeXpats is establishing the week between Christmas and New Year’s as “Think Week.” We are offering free coworking Monday through Friday, 8:30 – 5:30, with some special events and treats thrown in for good measure. Please...
read moreSocial media marketing expert offers free book download
Last Thursday I attended a social media conference at Islandwood co-sponsored by the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce. The interim director of the Chamber, Frank Kenny, was a featured speaker and is an author and consultant focused on helping small businesses — and organizations like the chambers of commerce that serve them — to use social media. Both his session and the following session given by Constant Contact were excellent and well worth my morning. I’ve got more than a couple pages of notes that I think would be...
read moreOfficeXpats ferry ad goes live
When you are on the ferry next time, watch for our ad! The first person to post a good photo of it to our Facebook page gets a free 2-hr Flextime punch (a $10 value!). And the first to identify all the people shown in the 12-second video will also win (people walking far away in the background don’t count). Larry Tice, our digital marketing expert, captured some great ambience and hard workers in those few precious seconds. Using video to market your products and services is critical these days. Also referred to as ‘digital...
read more“The move to common work spaces is all about connections”
The Seattle Times has picked up a coworking story from the San Jose Mercury News, and it’s worth checking out. “In the next Silicon Valley boom — and let’s hope to God there is a next valley boom —the story is not going to be one of improbable startups that launched in someone’s garage. Instead, the story is going to be of improbable startups that launched in some semichaotic communal work space where free agents toiled side by side with other free agents they didn’t know from Adam.” Remember our post...
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