Coworking + Social Media = CoworkUtah

“Cubicle adverse”? Tired of working from home? The coworking concept appeals to many audiences for different reasons. There are entrepreneurs who like a non-traditional, community-style office space away from their homes—a place to meet similar-minded independents. Some people have been working from home but want to reclaim their basement or guest bedroom! Some people like working alone—but not all the time. Some people are drawn to the financial value—it’s much cheaper to share resources.

KSL TELEVISION FEATURE STORY

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Salt Lake Tribune Article, Tuesday December 9, 2008

SO, IS COWORK UTAH DIFFERENT THAN THE “COWORKING” DESCRIPTION BELOW? Good question. The short answer is, “no”. The longer answer is simple too. CoworkUtah provides a coworking environment that fosters and encourages collaboration on social media projects. Having said that, it’s important to note that we don’t have any agenda. If you love the concept of coworking, but you’re not affiliated with social media strategies, no problem! We have a number of people like that—fine artists, authors, etc. You’ll fit in great and love being here.

Coworking is NOT another “corporate-rent-a-desk” concept. The originators of coworking came up with the following philosophy—a philosophy we’ve wholly adopted (thanks, Citizen Space) at CoworkUtah:

COLLABORATION: One of the great benefits of working in a coworking space is that you will meet all sorts of people with all sorts of knowledge.

OPENNESS: We believe in transparency and openness. In a world where people are free, but ideas are not, only a few benefit. When ideas are free, everyone benefits. Therefore, we encourage open spaces and discussions.

COMMUNITY: We thrive on connections and mutual support here. It is important that everyone give into as well as benefit from the strong (international) community coworking has become.

ACCESSIBILITY: In order to be fully open, we must make the effort to be accessible to all. This means that we endeavor to create both a financially and a physically accessible space. We are committed to this principle and welcome feedback on how we can make it even more accessible.

SUSTAINABILITY: Shared spaces are also better for the planet, so we like to take that a little further and make certain our space is environmentally responsible.

For all of these reasons, coworking is a concept where efficiency, synergy, functionality, and value meet to meet the needs of “cubicle-adverse” people who are tired of working from home.

Coworking’s Brief History

WIKIPEDIA (SO IT MUST BE TRUE) DEFINES COWORKING AS, “…the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.”

Coworking started in San Francisco a couple of years ago. It has also been described as a cafe-like community and collaboration space for developers, writers and independents. One of coworking’s founders, Tara Hunt, now owns Citizen Space, one of the first coworking studios to open its doors (photo shown here of Tara and Citizen Space). In Tara’s words, “Coworking is about providing affordable, open, collaborative spaces for people as an alternative to working from home or from noisy coffee shops. It’s really tied to the nomadic worker who is part of a growing movement of people who don’t have traditional offices to go to, but want to work in an environment with other people. It’s like an artistic collective with a technology twist.”