Hey Everyone -

It’s been an exciting journey starting a co-working space.  Made a heckuva lot of new friends along the way — though I’d have to admit, it was much more challenging to gather a community around the idea of co-working than I had anticipated.  In hindsight, it’s consistent with many of the things I’ve seen develop in Wausau, slow adoption rate for new ideas around here.

Had I had more time to do it all over again, I would have first focussed on building up the local Web Community, like the idea of organizing the Jellys & a Web715 network (which should still move forward under someone else’s stewardship).  Getting a group of like-minded people together takes time - especially in a smaller market like Wausau.  My good friend Alex says all the time - community, community, community!  I suspect that’ll be the way I do it next time.

Which brings me to this - As of last Saturday, there will no longer be “physical” space called CitizenDesk.  We’ve shut down the office space.  For the time being, my wife and I are pursuing several new directions professionally, of which I’m not at liberty to post anything just yet.  But, if you’ve been following me on Twitter, then you’re bound to figure it out eventually.

So, with that in mind - this Evening, Emily & I will be gathering at Red Eye Brewing Company for casual

drinks and camaraderie.  You are also invited, so feel free to drop in and share some time together.  Brews begin pouring around 7pm.  Hope to see you there tonight - otherwise, maybe a more formal “going away party” may be in order some time soon.  We shall see.

Take care & we wish you well!

Hey all!!

Just posted our next Jelly Meet-Up information on the Jelly Wiki.  I’m looking at Thursday, April 17th as our time to meet.  As you can see from the schedule, we changed it up a bit - the co-working is during the day, and then a “Happy Hour” is from 6PM-10PM.  This is how other Jelly’s are being run, so we’ll give it a whirl.

Make sure to invite other web-related workers & designers - looking forward to another great meet-up!!!

marcus

Wausauians gain online/offline collaboration space
By Emily Thierfelder
reprinted with permission from VolumeOne.org

With today’s increasing pressure on personal and professional success, the benefits of networking – that crazy concept of socializing to exchange ideas and advice with others – are obvious. In the past year, two unique Wausau-based enterprises have been created to promote these benefits: CitizenWausau.com, a web site devoted to encouraging community conversation, and CitizenDesk, an office that provides work space for independent professionals. Both enterprises are based on the concept of “coworking,” a social process similar to networking that unites people who are interested in benefiting from teamwork-driven synergy.

“We all have goals, and we can all help each other achieve our goals.” With this as his mantra, Marcus Nelson, owner of the web-design company Superstarch, created CitizenWausau.com and CitizenDesk to provide hard-working individuals with co-working opportunities.

By redefining the traditional workplace into a more community-oriented space, co-working centers enable people to “establish a regular workspace, facilitate collaboration among the regulars, and enjoy the necessities that serious business professionals need,” says Neil Takemoto, the founding director of CoolTown Beta Communities, a company committed to developing these centers. For instance, if a freelance writer needs design advice and a freelance designer needs writing advice, they can work together in the same coworking center to collaborate on their individual projects. In the cases of CitizenWausau.com and CitizenDesk,
then, users are given opportunities to network both online and in person with like-minded individuals.
Den ganzen Beitrag lesen…

Thinking about having a make shift Holiday Party at Citizen Desk.  Nothing to fancy-shmancy, just an excuse to get “the gang” together.  Who’s in? 

Last week we hosted a Launch Party for Citizen Wausau at Citizen Desk. We had a great time and the event really got people talking - in fact, we were asked several times if it could become a monthy event - or at least one that happens more frequently. This got me thinking.

Why not create other opportunities to take this online community offline?

I imagine being able to host groups, clubs or individuals for organized (or unorganized) meet-ups. There was this non-profit meet-up I used to attend in San Francisco called Net Squared, where they partnered non-profs with technology. Pretty cool stuff.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a larger scale meet-up called Barcamp in Milwaukee. This was an “un-conference” where anyone could participate or present. It was an amazing chance to network with other geeks in the state, reconnect with old Wausau acquaintances and make many more new ones!

Back in the RockWater days we used to have LAN parties for online gaming and that sort of thing - it was a great time!

That said, we have this space at Citizen Desk that could be perfect for these sorts of activities.
Den ganzen Beitrag lesen…

So Emily and I had a very busy weekend.  On Saturday around 9 AM I got this bright idea to go to the Ikea in Minneapolis.  So . . . by noon we were on our way sans children.  We power-shopped our way through and came up with some really good bargains.  On Sunday, it was installation day.  Not an easy task as no one had keys to the storage closet where the flatbed was :-(  Instead we carried it all up by hand.  Other than that fiasco, everything went in really well. 

Click on the picture below to see more photos.

Announcing the opening of Citizen Desk - Wausau’s very own co-working space.

We’re in high gear preparing the workspace with new desks, fresh paint and all kinds of niceties — see for yourself at Washington Square, 300 Third Street suite 400, Wausau. Our space is on the fourth floor overlooking Downtown Wausau and Rib Mountain.

For more information, please contact us at (408) 888-2657 or info@citizendesk.com

Marcus Nelson has another idea. Perhaps best known for co-founding the all-ages RockWater CyberCafé in downtown (space that’s now a parking ramp), Nelson’s latest has more of a commerce flair about it, but still revolves around the internet — wireless, this time.

It’s an office space concept for independents, a shared community of creative types and a spot where people can drop in, log on and bug out. Occasional users of his CitizenDesk space on the breezy fourth floor of Washington Square downtown won’t need to pay, but those who want a permanent desk can have one with attendant storage space for $175 per month.

Washington Square has wireless access, so there’s no hassle or expense of hooking up. Ditto for phone service: no wiring concerns because Nelson expects everyone to have their own cell phone.
Den ganzen Beitrag lesen…