Operation Desk Drive
From JR
Welcome to Operation Desk Drive, the initiative to rent out eight desk spaces.
This operation assumes
- there are people who have ideas for getting new desk renters
- there are people who don't have ideas but are willing to do some work
Mpark has volunteered to (try to) coordinate the two groups of people so that all reasonable ideas get implemented.
- If you have an idea, contact mpark
- If you are willing to work, contact mpark
- If you rent or have rented desk space at JR, tell mpark why (so he can collect some selling points). Also, how did you hear about JR in the first place?
Contents |
[edit] Motivation
If Jigsaw Renaissance is to move to Inscape, we have to have eight new people renting desk space. Otherwise we can't afford to move (Inscape rent recently went up).
[edit] What we need 8 people to do
Commit to $200/mo starting July 1. Commitments are in 3-month increments.
$200 gets desk and key.
To be precise, it gets 6'x6' space and key; actual desk not included.
[edit] What we've done
- 4/6 Joshua Moore took flyers to Stackoverflow meetup.
- 4/11 Willow posted to Dorkbot list.
- 4/12 Ben posted to Seattle film community
- 4/12 Robin emailed Folklife to see if any non-profit booths are still available.
- 4/19 Bob's 1st draft of ad copy.
- 4/20 Bob will work on trifold.
- 4/21 While we're waiting for promotional material I've asked Willow to ask Sam (Inscape) for a list of people interested in small spaces there (apparently he's had to turn people away because of lack of small spaces).
- 4/27 Updates: Bob was sick and unable to work on trifold; Ben had a few bites from video community but people want to see the new space first.
[edit] Ideas. Crazy, crazy ideas
- need promotional material
- e-version for email etc
- paper version for physical posting, takeaways at events.
- Willow says part of the upcoming trifold could be repurposed for O.D.D. (I wonder about the timing; i.e. when will trifold be done vs. we should start hitting up people ASAP.)
- may need to have multiple pitches: for tech workers, artsy-craftsy types, people looking for tools/workspace.
- or one comprehensive pitch
- floor plan or maybe artist's conception of the new space?
- Possible slogans
- "Bring Your Own Desk (Or Easel, Or Sewing Machine, Or Hammock)"
- "Desk Not Included"
- "Build Your Own Workspace"
[edit] Possible target audiences
Once we have marketing material, we can approach these groups:
- Post to relevant mailing lists for people likely to need desk spaces? eg. SeattleTechStartups, XCoders
- Maybe target a different audience than desk-based coworkers.
- Artists? Specifically, the artists in the bldg on Western about to be kicked out
- Talk to Sam (manager of Inscape and Western bldg)
- Artists? Specifically, the artists in the bldg on Western about to be kicked out
- Central Co-op. Store, but also a community; hub of creative people, many of whom work on their own. Newsletter. JR could offer reciprocal discount.
- Alley Cat Acres. Urban farming collective. DIY, hands-on education.
- Urban Craft Uprising. In may: spring craft sale. Looking for volunteers. Robin will bring JR information.
- Etsyrain: Seattle Etsy folks meet online and in person.
- Folklife: handmade music, crafts. Still time to get a booth? Robin will find out.
- Stitches fabric store on Pike. Flyers.
- Dad Watson's in Fremont. Quiz for a cause. Every Monday Night at 8. Lots of geeks.
- Girlgeekcon. This is their 1st year.
- Ravelry online knitting group
- Greenfest. Occurs around Earth Day.
- International District-specific advertising?
- craigslist (but may attract the wrong kind of people?)
On our own sources:
- Blog
[edit] Exploitable people
- Ben has volunteered to edit ad copy.
- Bob has expressed interest in writing ad copy.
- For art/illustrations: Jen, Chloe, Isa.
- [your name here] Yes, you.
[edit] Selling points
Information we can use to convince people to rent space at JR.
From Willow:
- coworking for people with dirty hands
- have your mail delivered and signed for by a Jigsaw member
- Inscape will have a 10'x10' conference room which can be rented out
- readily available street parking (after the move)
- we expect our members to be self-sufficient and take care of their own needs, but can provide minimal support upon request
- many classes and ways to become involved in the community
- connected to the existing Seattle entrepreneur and creatives ecosystem through awesome places like Office Nomads and Hazard Factory
It's ok to express differences between ourselves and ON, but we shouldn't be in competition with them. What we offer is very different, but not "better". They have been incredibly supportive of us, and Jigsaw should support them as well.
from Doug:
Compare us to office nomads, at $475/month.
in addition to the $275/month difference, we have many advantages that you won't find at a bourgeois joint like ON:
- ghetto-chic interior design, without the pretentious "chic" part,
- no stocked break room to distract you and make you fat,
- no nice conference rooms to waste your time having meetings in,
- no paid staff to remind you that you're keeping others in wage slavery,
- no cleaning service: we keep the space in a natural, carbon-neutral state,
- we encourage self-sufficiency by having you take care of everything yourself,
- our crowd is less professional and more those who've broken free of the chains of corporate oppression.
(unfortunately, INS is likely to have fewer drunk street people screaming on the sidewalk and wandering into the space.)
the jigsaw coworking scene is a very different experience than what many people might expect out of something so named. while what i've written above might be construed as thinly-veiled criticism, i don't actually think this is all bad. it results in a very different vibe, which itself is valuable over and above any monetary advantage.
[edit] Email dump
Floor plan?
James: I think there's a copy of the space plan on the wiki. Michael: It doesn't appear to have all desk space allocated so it might not be helpful right now. James: It's probably not helpful for letting people choose specific desks. The plan is still subject to revision. Also, I don't think think that we lease people a specific desk until the time they actually claim it.
Willow:
The pros/cons of regular open hours are as follows:
Pros:
- Accessible to the public
- Worthwhile to get a general membership
Cons:
- if staffed by volunteers, they have to show up for the org itself to be seen in a stable light
- if staffed by a staff member, we have to have enough members to pay them
people don't support jigsaw with a key membership they could afford if they know they can just come in
So... open to discussion? @JigTwitch mostly solved this, though we still have a monthly open house. It's mostly my unwillingness to manage people that has meant no set open hours - I had to chase down people to cover when people dropped or answer the phone when expectant civilians were at the door during hours which hadn't been covered.
Pricing is $100 for a key, $100 for a desk. So if they split a desk with someone, it's $150.
Strand: Not only does it sound like a large gap, from my experience as Treasurer I do not believe that the Jigsaw community will support a space with fourteen desk members in 2011, given the difficulty we encountered scaling to six in 2010.
Willow 23:23, 7 April 2011 (PDT) If able to fill it, desk members cover much more than their own square footage. Optimization points to either a 1200sqft space or over 2,000sqft so long as desks are appropriately implemented. The more space and desks the better, but this seems do-able. Will find graphs and upload them.
