HOW COWORKING SPACES DIFFER
For Mike, the main difference between coworking spaces has been the large, active coworking membership he left behind in the US. He admitted that, while the spaces he has been to have been relatively new, he has not yet experienced the type of community he had become accustomed to. He is looking forward to exploring many more spaces over the next year. Mike made note that, "while certainly there is a critical mass of freelancers, entrepreneurs, and startups in Boston, that simply isn't the case here (as far as I've seen), but overall, the day to day processes are very similar.” Having just spent a month at WeCoworking in Alicante, Spain, he said the staff has been very accommodating and helpful and, although smaller in size, that the space was perfect for the heads down workspace he needed. He also added how much he enjoyed taking longer breaks to stroll the nearby 7km beach just a few steps from the door!
Jimmi and Larry also found the spaces they worked from to be much smaller, comparatively. But in Tokyo, even though they were small, Jimmi noticed they were much more abundant. “I think it may be due to less legal restrictions on opening up a shop. For example, the coworking spaces I found were run out of converted garages, above a restaurant, along side a recording studio space, under ground in a tucked away corridor and well as 7 floors up in a commercial space. It seems like the US makes it much more difficult to open physical spaces requiring lots of paperwork, permits, licenses, taxes, OSHA and more. However, this is all just speculation.”
COWORKING COMMUNITY NETWORKS
GOODCoworking understands the power of social proof and the benefits of reading others’ experiences when researching coworking spaces remotely. GOODCoworking was launched in October 2012 by founder Matthias Wiemann. Whether you’re already working in a space or looking for new one, GOODCoworking allows you to search for spaces around the globe and share short stories about why you love coworking wherever you are. The accumulated stories are then displayed on each space’s profile page, allowing onlookers to read the reviews and to message the contributors for an even deeper understanding of any workspace.
Copass, is working to create a global workspace platform by connecting thousands of coworking spaces and enabling people to easily travel around the world (or their own city) by working from various coworking spaces with a single Copass membership! Copass was started by Stefano Borghi, founder of cowo360 in Rome and by Eric van den Broek, cofounder of Mutinerie Coworking in Paris. They are currently working on a beta version of the platform. Eric and Stefano are both coworking enthusiasts who believe that the more value they create for people, the more collaborative spaces will thrive. They plan on offering an annual subscription and CoPass card, valid for memberships and discounts around the world at participating coworking spaces on the Copass network.
With a common goal to create a connected network of coworking spaces, LEXC, The League of Extraordinary Coworking Spaces, is the first ever coworking loyalty program in the US. The group currently has a collection of 14 participating coworking spaces around the US, a number that is continuing to grow. The six founding LEXC venues include Nextspace in San Francisco and Los Angeles; BLANKSPACES in Los Angeles; Link Coworking in Austin; Workbar in Boston; CoCo coworking and collaborative space in Minneapolis and St. Paul; and 654 Croswell in Grand Rapids.
Individuals with a membership to any of the participating spaces gain access to special member privileges and discounts across the entire LEXC coworking network. The focus is to create a best practices group of committed space owners looking to grow within the greater coworking community and share their experiences with other like-minded spaces.
