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!

We had a good time at Thursday’s Jelly event -  I’m pretty sure everyone who attended would agree that these sorts of events should be happening more often.  I really want to thank all of you for coming out and chipping in to make it all the more special - especially Zina’s peanut butter Rice Crispie Bars - those were a huge hit!!!

For those of you who could not attend, here are some links that we all talked about - if I forgot any, please send them to me and I’ll add ‘em right away:

http://web414.com/
http://indyhall.com/
http://tv.winelibrary.com/
http://garyvaynerchuk.com/
http://twitter.com/
http://microformats.org/
http://factoryjoe.com/blog/
http://www.horsepigcow.com/
http://www.sxsw.com/
http://tastyblogsnack.com/
http://brian.shaler.name/

Also - we’ve all added Twitter to our list of tools to keep in touch.  If you haven’t already signed up for Twitter, please go sign up and then “friend” us up at CitizenDesk.

Looking at Thursday, April 17th as the next event - Does that work for everyone?

Let’s start out this entry with a confession.

I am a hypocrite.

In the spirit of wishing to unify the local Web community, I got sidetracked. With opportunities, work, etc. - I make no excuses - Should have stayed the course and built the community. In that respect, I’ve done little to perpetuate it’s momentum. So admitting that, it’s time to change and get back on track.

Earlier this month, I was hugely re-inspired by my good friends in Philidelphia & Milwaukee — Wouldn’t it be cool to see Central Wisconsin Web people getting together and making Sh_t happen like that? It’s exciting to see what people are doing around here - and I’m sure you agree — But in many ways, we’re not doing enough in supporting each other’s efforts.

It’s time to get people meeting, talking, and dreaming out loud. I know most of you - but you may not know each other — yet! Off the top of my head, I can think of several people who should be in the same room together:

Aaron Saray - PHP RockStar
Grant Dobbe - Drupal Expert
Melissa Sullivan - Blogger - Central Wisconsin Mommy
Zina Harrington - Marketing & Design - Data Dog Marketing
Eric Sorensen - Designer & Entrepreneur - PushMedia.info
Adrian Balfe - PHP Ninja
Dino Corvino - Writer, Podcaster - Citizen Wausau
Dave McMahon - Thinker, Tinkerer - Eastbay
Jim Carlson - Search Engine Guru - Eastbay
Patrick Hills - Designer
Nick Sweeney - ColdFusion & Entrepreneur - Big Fat Designs
Dan Guite - Code Monkey - Fiserv
Rob Mentzer - Writer & Blogger - Daily Herald
Peter Philleo - ColdFusion & Entrepreneur - Digital Dialogue

And there are sooo many more — All of these people should be talking and creating together — which is why I’d like to introducing something - it’s called “Jelly” - which will be the first of many bi-weekly meet-ups at Citizen Desk. Put people in a place and see what happens!

What is Jelly?

Jelly is casual co-working / social interaction. We invite people to work from Citizen Desk for the evening (or all day if you wish). We provide chairs, desks and sofas, wireless internet, and interesting people to talk to, collaborate with, and bounce ideas off of.

You bring a laptop (or whatever you think you need to work), a six-pack of beverage or some sort of chips - and a friendly disposition. Just don’t come empty handed!

Who can come to Jelly?

Anyone! We want to see designers, developers, and internet types, but we’d also like musicians, cooks, sound designers, tea sommeliers, product designers, photographers, writers, and more. Feel free to invite others!!

Some of us are entrepreneurs or freelancers. Others work in an office most of the time, but we’re hoping that by working at a Jelly, you’ll gain fresh ideas and experience a change of pace. No matter what you do or what you create, you’re welcome to come to Jelly and share your talent and learn from others.

When Is It?

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 – 6PM-10PM
300 N. Third Street - Fourth Floor (penthouse)
Washington Square, Wausau
715-203-4125

Tired of the home office? Shared office spaces, for rent by the day or the month, are popping up all over.
By Matthew Amster-Burton
December 26 2007: 11:24 AM EST  ___ reprinted from CNN Money

SEATTLE (FORTUNE Small Business) — As a sole proprietor who works primarily online, every day I face a painful decision: work from home or go to a coffeehouse?

Working from home is awesome. No boss hanging over your shoulder. No need to shower. No human contact. No incentive to stay on task.
Den ganzen Beitrag lesen…

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…

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…