Can a novice and poor be able organize a HackSpace? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2015, 10:29:47 pm
content: Hello.I'm a novice electronics student at a vocational training school, I get bored and unmotivated because I was unable to have a proper study group. I also have learning issues too.Anyone got involved in organizing a successful HackSpace? I have no incomes and I need to contact with people interested in tecnology in my area, it may be a hard task but I can do some guerrilla marketing at some geek places and a local ham radio organization (it has a place borrowed by the city council and they meet at friday afternoon).What are the basics to make it successful? How to motivate people to meet and collaborate?I have no incomes to invest, that is a big problem.Regards.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2015, 10:42:22 pm
content: I'm trying to start one and when it comes to electronics I'm not even up to the novice level. We've been in the process of getting things together and just got enough people on the mailing list to go from just meeting up at a pub for informal get togethers to booking a room for official meetings once a month.My advice, make your first goal just trying to make a place for local like minded people to talk and share projects, knowledge etc, whether it's a mailing list or Facebook group or whatever. Don't go in saying "I'm starting a HackerSpace," say "I want to make a place for like minded people to talk, maybe leading to a HackerSpace."

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 30, 2015, 11:42:11 pm
content: Quote from: Mechanical Menace on May 30, 2015, 10:42:22 pmSo...Make a mailing list or Facebook group: I would prefer the first option, I often forget to read Facebook stuff, but the second option may be popular.Spread the word about a making place for like minded to talk, share projects, knowledge, etc.: It can be a pub or an university room, right?...Profit!

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 12:02:20 am
content: Take it one step at a time, and don't expect it to happen quickly. It's taken 8-9 months for us to get this far and we still don't really have enough members to look into incorporating, looking for premises, setting fees etc. But in the last month mailing list membership has almost doubled and there were lots of new faces at the last get together. Just concentrate on the group to begin with, and once you have a few members talking quite a bit activities around the group.Also don't limit your scope too much. You don't just want electronic and/or software people to feel welcome. You also want people into mechanics of all types, people who can machine and work various materials, maybe even biohackers...So many interesting projects are cross discipline, and you don't always need a dedicated place to work on them together.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 12:04:51 am
content: When I was on my teens I did join "Protección Civil" in Irún Gipuzkoa. There were a lot of Ham operators among the midst and also a lot of people interested in electronics in general, not sure why but that's was the case back then, but that was over 30 years ago.It's a voluntary thing, so no pay, but you'll find people interested in electronics in there.Downside is that it does require real commitment but it was a lot of fun for me, rappelling, climbing, first aid, etc.. and not a bad thing to have on your C.V.http://www.proteccioncivilmalaga.com/hazte-voluntario/Not fun when you are tasked to find someone lost in the woods which usually doesn't turn out as a good outcome.I think I still have my uniform back in my parent's house in Spain.Anyways, I did meet a lot of people interested in the same things I was, but as I said, this was decades ago so not sure if that's still the case.Also doing a simple search I did find this:https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/BitValleyLa Casa Invisible (Medialab)Calle Nosquera 9-1129008, Málaga

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 12:56:00 am
content: Quote from: miguelvp on May 31, 2015, 12:04:51 amLa Casa Invisible is another of those "ghost" places full of hipsters (in the sense of rich boys that want to look like rebels), the LEADER (known Nico Sguiglia) is a sociologist and seems to be a son of an important argentinian politician and also seems to know italian natively.They put their tentacles in everything that seem cool and fuck it up. They are into lefty politics (Podemos, Ganemos and derivatives... but previously IU) and everything that looks "cool" such as Free Software, veganism and alternative clothing.Our mayor, a right wing politician from Partido Popular gave the "key" of the building to them.And their Hacklab is dead. I tried to participate on them and they were quite closed, too much talking and finally ignored me. That's very common, they often get profits and ask for "volunteers" that I sometimes suspect are paid.They just prefer to put lots of ads about how cool their are and get subsidies or docrowdfunding that mysteriously surpassed goals very fastlyThey were quite rejected at 15M movement, but finally they entered in it when it got weak and finally added new members to their sect.They prefer style over substance.They are a dark organization that has a small group that controls everything, all is organized by "Fundación de los Comunes" (I think a correct translation may be "Commons Foundation").There are a lot of articles that give you some details about them, there's some conspiracy theory about these people and many dislike them.http://www.revistaelobservador.com/sociedad/9454-cuando-los-politicos-mezclan-su-vida-privada-con-la-publica-la-edila-ana-g-sempere-iu-reprocha-en-publico-a-el-observador-que-informe-sobre-el-activista-transfuga-nico-sguiglia-su-parejahttp://revistaelobservador.com/opinion/50-redaccion/9364-la-desvergueenza-de-un-activista-nicolas-sguiglia-lider-de-la-casa-invisible-y-promotor-de-ganemos-malaga-deja-iu-y-se-arrima-al-sol-que-mas-calienta-podemos-a-la-vez-su-banda-arremete-contra-su-expartidohttp://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/2014/02/10/52f8b29ce2704e0c318b4579.htmlhttp://www.diariosur.es/andalucia/elecciones-22m/201502/20/podemos-marca-reto-conseguir-20150220135744.htmlhttp://www.macba.cat/en/seminar-occupy-overflow-cooperate

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 01:00:26 am
content: Sounds like Anonymous to me, so you are probably better to stay clear of them.Still Civil Protection might get you better contacts, since radio is an important aspect of that, it seems to attract technical people, but as they say YMMV (your mileage may vary)

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 01:21:38 am
content: Quote from: miguelvp on May 31, 2015, 01:00:26 amAnonymous is another trendy fake flag, "La Casa Invisible" and "Fundación de los Comunes" are an organized shady group. This is a lot more serious and is a way to destroy every kind of counterculture and social movements, despite the idea can seem "conspiranoid". It's better to stay clear of them, but it's difficult to do it because they put their noses into everything that gets relevance.Protección Civil, universities,EA7RCTandUREMseems interesting to look at it.

author: magetoo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 03:15:12 am
content: Quote from: Circuiteromalaguito on May 30, 2015, 10:29:47 pmHow about bringing in the hams as part of it, or having the hackerspace be part of their organization? Meet at the same place, just on tuesdays instead. If you want to have something completely separate that can always happen later, once there are enough members to support it.

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2015, 07:18:31 am
content: I'd say the first step suggested is the best way to start: open a mailing list (beware with Facebook groups, some people may not want to use FB) and organize some meetup in pubs or other public places, and check how the interest evolves.Hackerspaces cover a wide range of activities, and as probably at beginning you won't get many subscribers/members, you have to see where it leads and concentrate the efforts there, perhaps you find mostly EE students who want to put their knowledge into practice, perhaps people are more into 'Maker' movement (Arduino & the likes), perhaps Hams & radios, who knows.