Makerspaces.... the joys of starting one

[ThunderSqueak]

Well, I was just at the first anchorage makerspace meeting, was a huge turnout, all 5 of us.   We got to discuss the issues of getting one started and the joys of things like money, space, advertising, and liabilities.   

If anyone here has input on this type of topic, on getting a place started, please let me know    

Working solo is fun, but sometimes you just want others around to talk shop or to share skills with.   That and I think it would be great fun to get the locals involved in the great hobby of electronics. 

How would you get the word out on a limited budget ?
How would you attract people to build a membership ?
How would you fund something like this to begin with ?  Membership dues are great but when membership is low, that is difficult.

Anyway, that is what I have been up too lately...   if anyone has experience with this, lets talk

Thanks!
ThunderSqueak

[Precisiontools]

Start a blog, tweet, Youtube channel, Facebook - maybe...build a community and interact on forums. Make sure you give back to who you free-load off. If you put a link to anything on a forum give something back...what goes around, come around.

[ThunderSqueak]

Start a blog, tweet, Youtube channel, Facebook - maybe...build a community and interact on forums. Make sure you give back to who you free-load off. If you put a link to anything on a forum give something back...what goes around, come around.

?? 

free load off? was looking for genuine advice if anyone has ever started a group like this. 

We did talk about a local website and all that,   just a lot of work :>   It was funny in a way, everyone kept talking about things like "we could get a welder... or a cutter ... or a lathe" and no one ever wanted to talk about things like "how do we pay for it, whats the best way to advertise a group like this" etc.   

That and I felt like saying what I have been working on lately    Been a while since I posted on this forum and it is sort of my way of saying hi

[Precisiontools]

Start a blog, tweet, Youtube channel, Facebook - maybe...build a community and interact on forums. Make sure you give back to who you free-load off. If you put a link to anything on a forum give something back...what goes around, come around.

?? 

free load off? was looking for genuine advice if anyone has ever started a group like this. 

We did talk about a local website and all that,   just a lot of work :>   It was funny in a way, everyone kept talking about things like "we could get a welder... or a cutter ... or a lathe" and no one ever wanted to talk about things like "how do we pay for it, whats the best way to advertise a group like this" etc.   

That and I felt like saying what I have been working on lately    Been a while since I posted on this forum and it is sort of my way of saying hi

Maybe the Aussie slang thing got in the way here...it WAS genuine advice. Start a blog site up on Wordpress and get writing. What I meant buy free-loading is; if you get publicity or web traffic from someone, do something for them in return. Even if it is recognition or a link-back to their site...simple really.

[ThunderSqueak]

oh yeah, always   If I get publicity for a site yeah, I would link back and such

I was talking to the other members, I run several stores and shops, and know lots of other business owners.  I was going to talk to one of them and get space in the busy mall and see if I could borrow some of their display case (its a hobby shop that shows models in that case) and maybe put some projects in it with a poster advert to our site.  That was the best idea I could think of tonight during the meeting we had.

I just want to create a place where people can learn, experement, share ideas, and grow

The meeting basically turned into a chicken and the egg, you need a place to physically meet and do show and tell, but cannot do that without enough members to pay for said space; and without said space, I have this feeling it will be difficult to get people to join and actually pay dues

such a headache... haha   

[Precisiontools]

Maybe you could hook-up with a local Ham group? They nearly always have premises? Or local tech college? Scout group?

[EEVblog]

Advertising a local thing like that is always hard.
I was contemplating setting up some form of global "local forum" thing, much like this forum (or an extension of it) that lets local people chat (e.g. city based). Not just electronics, but more of the hacker/maker/startup/entrepreneur thing in general.

Dave.

[EEVblog]

The meeting basically turned into a chicken and the egg, you need a place to physically meet and do show and tell, but cannot do that without enough members to pay for said space; and without said space, I have this feeling it will be difficult to get people to join and actually pay dues

Unfortunately there isn't much other way to set up a fairdinkum site. The initial people have to input a lot.
IIRC NY Resistor for example, the half dozen that set that up put in 1K each at the start, for the love of it.

Dave.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Here's some advice from London hackspace :
http://hackspace.org.uk/view/Starting_a_Hackerspace

[ThunderSqueak]

Here's some advice from London hackspace :
http://hackspace.org.uk/view/Starting_a_Hackerspace

that is great! Thanks!

I read it as well as passed it along to the others

[Bored@Work]

I can't offer first hand experience, only an observation about a nearby hackerspace. They essentially bootstrap. They started with a monthly meeting in a bar where they planned stuff. Then they moved their meetings into some community center where they met after a senior citizens group.

As it happened, one of the senior citizens had some contacts to the local university. So they managed to find a professor who is acting as their patron. As it happens the guy's interest is in studying modern trends in small work groups, and they are basically his study objects. They now have some limited access to a university lab, a room where they can store stuff and they are holding their meetings in a room at the university. They use their university affiliation to recruit new members among the students and to find sponsors for equipment.

Maybe the summary is: Patience, one step after the other, and having some luck