"150 Resources for Tech Startups"
Chris McConnell

"I’ve compiled a huge list of tools that I think could be useful to a tech startup, especially those just getting started...From getting inspired to hiring an awesome team to moving out of your garage into a more functional workspace"

"64 Co-working Spaces for Every Entrepreneur"
Matt Wilson

"Last summer, you voted on the Top 10 Cities for Young Entrepreneurs. Now, we’re listing all the innovative co-working workspaces in those cities"

Humans are a social bunch, which means they’re exchanging ideas. In a coworking space, people will collaborate with their neighbors and even hire them.

"An unexpected side effect of remote work: Denser communities"
Jessica Stillman

"We have developed our cities based on the old economy, with residential, commercial, and industrial areas kept separate and ‘pure’ through single-use zoning. That made sense in an economy that divided our work lives from our private lives...The next economy, though, may look more like the way in which people lived and worked prior to the industrial revolution, in which home, office, and shop co-exist in some combination of physical and digital space."

...there's growing interest in coworking spaces from larger companies as an alternative to the cube farm, as a way to lower real estate overhead, boost sustainability and stimulate workers who thrive on the spaces’ entrepreneurial energy.

"What coworking can teach corporate offices"
Jessica Stillman

GCUC is featuring a panel entitled “How to Design, Build and Grow your Space for Collaboration” and to get a sense of what answers it might offer for those providing corporate spaces to increasingly nomadic teams, we spoke to two panelists - architect Jerome Chang, who is also founder of BLANKSPACES coworking in Los Angeles, and Harvard-trained designer Sidi Gomes, who is the founder of ParallelCities.com - for a sneak preview. Both said those interested in the future of office design should pay plenty of attention to coworking.

"Network Provides Global Access To Coworking Spaces"
Beth Buczynski

The League of Extrordinary Coworking Spaces (LEXC), the world's first coworking loyalty program, officially launched today.

LEXC is a unique network of coworking spaces with a common standard of excellence. LEXC venues have come together to provide, for the first time, a seamless coworking experience in cities around the US.

There are currently six founding LEXC venues across the nation: Nextspace in San Francisco and Los Angeles; BLANKSPACES in Los Angeles; Link Coworking in Austin; Workbar in Boston; CoCo coworking and collaborative space in Minneapolis and St. Paul; and 654 Croswell in Grand Rapids.

"16 Cool Coworking Spaces"
Christina Desmarais

These coworking spaces are different because they were designed by architect Jerome Chang who intentionally created them to address how people actually work and collaborate. "People treat our 'architect-y' offices like a destination so they really want to come in and work and visit," he says, adding that 200 businesses work from his two locations. MySpace CEO Mike Jones used to work from the LA spot.

"Coworking at Blankspaces (Los Angeles)"
Steven Fisher

BLANKSPACES was supposed to be one of the premier coworking spaces in the country. I had high hopes that it would be a great space, and I was quite honestly blown away.

"Coworking, Swarming, and the Agile Workplace"

...coworking as “Web 2.5.” [Jerome] notes that while Web 2.0 was “about engagement,” it was purely online and virtual engagement: “There was never that level of face-to-face interaction that has been tried and true for thousands of years.” He says that Web 2.5—coworking space—“allows people to get that face-to-face interaction back into a social networking community. If LinkedIn had a store, this would be it.

"Architect Aims for 'Radical Shift in How People Work'"
Jenna Chandler

BLANKSPACES was supposed to be one of the premier coworking spaces in the country. I had high hopes that it would be a great space, and I was quite honestly blown away.

"Where You Do Your Work Doesn't Matter Anymore"
Marie Williams

After spending the last few months studying coworking, I can see that these spaces are everywhere - from Betahaus in Berlin to Affinity Lab in DC to BLANKSPACES in Los Angeles. It is a trend that simply can’t be ignored - and I think is here to stay.

"Where you do your work doesn’t matter anymore. It’s what you do at work that is important."

The flexible, spacious, skylight-filled design is the highlight at Blankspaces, the brainchild of architect Jerome Chang. Open desks can be folded up to reveal an event space for 100 seated guests or 200 standing, the high-end chairs are ergonomic, and the walls are punctuated with three shades of blue fabric and shelving (to boost creativity).

"Every time I bring in a candidate or a client, they're always impressed," says member Dylan Campbell, a recruiter. "It feels like you're at a cool startup."

The first Blankspaces opened in 2008 in LA's Miracle Mile area. Nestled between Beverly Hills and Hollywood -- and located a stone’s throw from E! Entertainment, Style Network and Variety magazine -- it unsurprisingly attracts a community of those in the fields of multimedia and entertainment. (A second, larger Santa Monica location opened in June.) Social media events feature prominently in Blankspaces' agenda, with famous bloggers giving talks on starting successful blogs, acquiring advertising, generating revenue and hiring staff.

"LA technically has a higher percentage of independent professionals than San Francisco, New York, etc.," says Jerome Chang, founder of Blank Spaces, which offers virtual offices and coworking facilities in the Miracle Mile area (and in a subsequently opened Santa Monica space). "There are probably more due to the entertainment industry," he says, "Technically Spielberg is a freelancer."

Knowing the independent orientation of LA's workplace, and armed with a personal needs, Chang set out to spearhead his business which launched in 2008. He dreamed of opening his own architecture firm. "I noticed many people were working out of Starbucks, libraries, etc. so I expanded my concept to accommodate some 30-40 people." And so Blank Spaces was born.

"BLANKSPACES, the coworking space run by Jerome Chang, is getting set to open up a second location in Santa Monica in the next week, along 2nd street. The coworking operator said it will have over 20 offices and 65 workstations in its new location near the 3rd Street Promenade, located in an area populated by a number of early stage startups, venture capitalists, and others in the high tech business."

"Jerome Chang, who runs Blankspaces, says the shared space is the modern answer to cybercafes, which came and left when Starbucks and other places began offering free Wi-Fi. Operating from a cafe, however, has proved to have downsides."

[Chang] "Comaraderie. I think you have to share similar ideologies with the people in your company or office. Fortunately here, most people are like-minded individuals. They’re usually some kind of freelancer or entrepreneur, and their goal is simply to do better."

"BLANKSPACES' soon-to-be second location will occupy a ground-floor storefront on a busy retail street...The weak commercial real estate market gave his company 'a good window of opportunity' to secure a good deal."

"At the very least, I expected to hear some kvetching [about not having corporate protections and resources] among the regulars at BLANKSPACES. But I never did. The independents I’ve met are independent through and through. Most are deeply passionate about their work and grateful for the autonomy and flexibility their independent status affords them. If they have to make some sacrifices, like pay for their own health care or live with uncertainty, so be it. As an education consultant at BLANKSPACES once told me, “there are bigger problems in the world.”

"BLANKSPACES is $15 for 5 off peak hours (math: about $3/hour), which may be a bit pricey for everyday use, but great for occasionally tapping into great energy of a room full of working people. If you want to check it out, get a week’s free trial (we bums love free stuff). Now get to work!"

"If you need to have a professional meeting room, or just need to get out of the house to work. BLANKSPACES is a great option. It is a shared office space for rental for entrepreneurs, freelancers, writers and producers, etc."

"Right when you walk in, you quickly realize this isn’t your run of the mill, grassroots coworking space. Their beautiful 4800 square foot space offers the top of the line office amenities for all their coworking members."

"…this place is basically a 5 star coworking space."

"Co-working in LA is normally done at your typical Starbucks or for the pickier worker, a boutique hotel. However Blankspaces LA changes things up a bit with the way their offices are setup."

"Quieter than working at Starbucks since no one is making mocha lattes right next to your table, and more comfortable than being hunched over on a hotel couch."

"With more laid-off and independent workers seeking an alternative to doing business at home, the number of co-working offices has increased by 60% in the past year to more than 200 nationwide...Although not as cheap as a coffee shop, the fees are reasonable, the surroundings more professional, and you're in like-minded company, King said. And Wi-Fi is free."

"Coworking has proven to be the one of the hottest buzzwords in the world of office space in the past year or so."

"...some success stories for digital nomads...Work from home - but outside the house: If you are already working at home, it can be a challenge to stay focused. I find that leaving the house to work can be helpful for increasing focus, creativity and getting out of a rut.

"Let’s get one thing clear right up front: I’m an introverted, Type-A, control-freak hermit who was never happier than when I got to kiss the office world goodbye."

"This is Laid Off Camp [at BLANKSPACES], a gathering organized by unemployed workers who strategize with one another and get tips on survival...Job-seekers were being told that printed resumes and polite letters of inquiry are passe; instead, they were instructed to use social networking Web sites and blogs."

"Welcome to the office circa 2009, where work is done everywhere. There are office co-ops and shared spaces, work from home lofts and other arrangements. Companies like BLANKSPACES offer space for businesses to rent and share expenses, including reception service."

"BLANKSPACES is a pretty innovative idea for today's entrepreneurs...To be a good entrepreneur you must have an office at some point in your work week."

"In tough times, BLANKSPACES is a rarity both the office-space market and the start-up sector. Many office-spaces on Wilshire Blvd sit empty but BLANKSPACES regularly rents out its private offices and workstations."

"It's open, bright, clean, and highly caffeinated, but the best part is, it's not your house. 'Time and time again, people realize that community is the most important thing.' That's what members say it's all about you pay your membership fee, you get peace of mind, coffee, conversation, and a taste of productivity."

MODERN, CREATIVE WORKSPACES BY THE DAY: BLANKSPACES LA