[Noisebridge-discuss] [Noisebridge-announce] Noisebridge: Death and Taxes

Wed Dec 22 03:20:53 UTC 2010

I've only been to the Hacker Dojo three times, but interestingly enough,
each time I've gone I've overheard a conversation amongst members about
how they wish the Dojo could "be more like noisebridge."

What blows my mind is that people think noisebridge has a "high bar for
entry."  Is $100/month to even get in the door a lower bar for entry?

Jim and Adit, I'd be interested to hear what it is that you're waiting
for?  Noisebridge is a place where you can walk in at any hour and do
literally anything you want, without asking for permission, paying an
entrance fee, signing a waver, or taking any required classes.  Combine
that with introductory classes on a variety of subjects three or four
nights a week, where you can come in and someone will hold your hand
through a topic, and I seriously don't know how you can get any more
welcoming than that.  If what you really desire is to use noisebridge, I
think the only secret is to begin.

The reason that the Hacker Dojo has a ton of people paying a bunch of
cash to spend time there during the day is because it's primarily used
as a co-working space.  Most of the people there during the day are
"doing startups" and using the Dojo as their office.  There are a number
of places like that in SF, if that's what you want.  Even nicer ones,
really.

When I hear most people say that they have trouble "getting into"
noisebridge, I think what they're really having trouble with is making
friends.  That's totally fair, and I also don't find a lot of what some
people spend their time on at noisebridge to be totally inspiring, but
if you think that a high monetary cost of entry is going to be a good
selection mechanism for attracting people you'd be more likely to be
friends with, it'd probably be more appropriate to start a hackerspace
in a different neighborhood like the Marina or Hayes Valley or something.

- moxie

-- 
http://www.thoughtcrime.org

On 12/21/2010 08:56 PM, aditya bhargava wrote:
> I agree that Noisebridge has a high bar for entry, and I have heard of many
> people being put off by the exclusivity that we portray. It's unfortunate
> because AFAIK we want the exact opposite effect; Noisebridge is supposed to
> be friendly and open to newcomers. I think Hacker Dojo charges $100 per
> month. I would be willing to pay that to transform NB to a more cooperative,
> more orderly, lower-drama space. But I also think that would require a
> drastic change in how we operate, and the anarchy at NB would make that
> tough (ironically).
> 
> 
> Adit
> 
> 
> On Tue, Dec 21, 2010 at 4:58 PM, - <noisebridge at splattercast.com> wrote:
> 
>> Hi All,
>>
>> Please consider reading and re-reading Patrick Keys' apparently-prescient
>> note from Yesterday on the subject of Noisebridge (non)-management and money
>> matters generally.
>>
>> I've tried to belong. I want to. There is no entry vector other than sheer
>> force and willpower.
>>
>> This may work for some die-hards. I don't want to work that hard to fit in,
>> and i think many others do not, either.
>>
>> Anarchy is fun as long as someone else is paying the bills, but a little
>> bit of order and organization can be extremely useful, at least in reducing
>> the amount of thinking and re-thinking that seem to go on here.
>>
>> I've had some exposure to the Hacker Dojo in Mountain View. It costs money
>> to get in the door there. But it costs way less than most other comparable
>> "spaces" and it's not run by some nasty corporate thingy. In exchange for
>> that, the members seem to spend all or most of their time there, doing their
>> own projects, not fussing about "managing" the place.
>>
>> As an outsider (and now probably, outcast), it appears that noisebridge
>> spends a lot of time managing noisebridge...
>>
>> You want to kill that burn rate, make a few policies that stick, and create
>> a coherent and actually-operating means of joining. I think i wrote my name
>> on a piece of paper in a little binder three or more months ago... then
>> what? I have no clue.
>>
>> - jim
>>
>>
>> On Dec 20, 2010, at 5:39 PM, Shannon Lee wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> We have a problem.
>>
>> Actually, I think we have several problems, but we have one major
>> manifestation of our problem:  We are broke.  We are not going to be able to
>> pay February's rent at the current rate of input/output.  We're currently
>> taking in about $2500/month in dues & donations, and we're spending about
>> $5000 in rent and utilities and whatnot.  This is a dramatic drop-off from
>> this summer, when we were doing a little better than breaking even.
>>
>> So, no joke, Noisebridge may close its doors in February, unless we can
>> solve our problem.  This is way past the time for "let's have a party and
>> charge money!" -- the thing we need is for people who don't want Noisebridge
>> to close to reach into their wallets and shell out some cash.  Some of you
>> will have noticed the new donation box with a sign that says "It costs $165
>> per day to keep us open" -- this is true, $165 per day is our burn rate;
>> this means we need roughly two full members, or four "starving hacker"
>> members, to pay for every day we're open; this works out to 60 "full"
>> members or 120 "starving hacker" members, or some combination thereof.
>>
>> Ways to donate are spelled out on the wiki here:
>>
>> https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Donate_or_Pay_Dues
>>
>> They come down to: we take cash, checks, paypal and straight up
>> bank-transfer.
>>
>> If you are not sure about having a committed relationship with Noisebridge
>> (I know, commitment is scary) consider sponsoring a day:
>>
>> https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/SponsorADay
>>
>> For those of you who are confused about the membership process -- being a
>> member of Noisebridge costs $80 per month.  If you're a regular user of the
>> space, you should become a member.  Membership can be either formal (in
>> which case you have a voice in political processes) or informal (wherein you
>> simply donate money to the space, but don't participate in decision making);
>> if you are only interested in supporting the space, simply start donating
>> $80 per month; if you want to be a formal member, ask a member for details,
>> or attend a Tuesday meeting.
>>
>> Please support us or we will be gone, and soon.
>>
>> Thanks for your time,
>>
>> --S
>>
>> --
>> Shannon Lee
>> (503) 539-3700
>>
>> "Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."
>>
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>>
>>
>>
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> 
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