A new blog, a new start

Jeff Gombala August 17, 2008 Plans

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There has been a lot of discussion lately about a co-working space in Atlanta and also a lot of people that are willing and wanting to help out. This is all good news, however we have to combine our efforts to ensure that we are duplicating them.

Where are we at?

That’s a good question. My personal opinion, which is different than others, is that we aren’t far. A lot of chatter on Twitter but that is about it. We need to organize, if only a little, to get this on the fast track.

Where are we going?

I think all we can all agree that we are looking for a permenant space. This space can be utilized for hot-desks and permenant desks as well as a meeting facility that could include a training room along with multiple conference rooms.

The location is a different story. There have been discussions of spaces both inside and outside the perimeter as well spaces located near marta, etc. If you do have a suggestions, please leave a comment.

Next steps?

From here we really need to get a solid idea of who is willing to pay and how much you would pay. Think of this as an informal survey. So if you like the idea we need you to leave a comment below. After the next week or so we’ll begin formalizing meet-ups to get feedback from the community and figure our who take the lead on all of this.

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8 Responses to “A new blog, a new start”

  1. Russell Jurney said:

    Aug 17, 08 at 3:51 pm

    I’ll pay up to $400 a month for a great space, but really $250 is probably more reasonable, for a desk with locking drawer and internets. Must be inside the perimeter and Marta + bicycle accessible.

    If anything needs to get built inside the space, I can help with that. I can put together IKEA furniture. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, as I love this idea and hate working at home.

  2. Loren Norman said:

    Aug 17, 08 at 4:58 pm

    We created something similar to this over here http://CoworkAtlanta.com just a few days ago. Funny how much buzz there is around coworking, but how disconnected we all are.

    We are actually opening up our space to coworking as an interim solution until a proper facility gets created. We are already paying for a space to work together in, and we’ve got about 3 times as much space as we need, so we figured we may as well open it up to anyone who is as crazy as we are.

    We are just splitting our expenses with coworkers, so it’s dirt cheap (<$200/month).

    Contact me on Twitter @lorennorman or email me lorennorman at gmail if you’re interested.

  3. Jeff Gombala said:

    Aug 17, 08 at 7:58 pm

    Couldn’t agree more that Atlanta in general is disconnected, a big reason why I have to drive everywhere and can’t take public transportation.

    In any case, I applaud your efforts and encourage you to use the Atlanta Workspace blog to get the word out about your space. Also, I think there is enough people in Atlanta for multiple spaces. There is also the idea that we can join efforts.

  4. Kevin Bachman said:

    Aug 18, 08 at 1:37 pm

    Hey, Jeff, long time! I couldn’t agree with you more about all of us supporting each others common interest! I love that you guys are attacking the intown market and the approach is going to be interesting to watch develop. As you probably know, our Northside group is utilizing some great free space and it is only 1 day a week but it’s gathering momentum and that is esciting! Between groups like ours, Open Coffee, etc. and people like yourself trying to establish more physical space, this could really reach its intended rewards.

    I would love to see you at one of our meet ups and check out the vibe. It’s a lot of fun. Definitely my favorite work day of the week and probably my most productive. I know it’s WAY OTP but might be worth checking out!

    Take care!

  5. Alan Pinstein said:

    Aug 19, 08 at 8:35 am

    Midtown near marta.

    I am also wondering if it should be priced by the day rather than month to encourage more mixing. After all it’s co working not long term office sharing!

  6. Jeff Gombala said:

    Aug 19, 08 at 9:05 am

    Alan, I agree I think it should be either free or a very small charge for “drop-ins” or day visitors. Right now I have it at $15 a day, maybe that’s too high? Dunno…

    In either case the drop-in visitor can be a way for the coworking community to “check-out” a prospective new member. See how they gel with the community.

  7. Susan Jewell said:

    Aug 20, 08 at 11:26 am

    We have a facility in Chattanooga, TN (way way OTP!) called The Concierge Level, LLC. Currently we have an executive office suite with virtual staff and virtual services, but we are looking into expanding into the coworking setup with hot desks and such. We would love some input from more experienced coworkers and space providers about how we can get setup and reach coworkers in our area. Please check us out at http://www.theconciergelevel.com or give us a call at 423.266.6388 for more information about us.

  8. Felix Chuang said:

    Sep 08, 08 at 1:51 pm

    I agree with the comment of per-day pricing. Or at least have something more flexible than a long-term arrangement. My needs are to have the occasional spot to park myself when I want to avoid commuting.

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