Over the last year, we’ve solicited feedback from spaces all over the country about a redesign of Desktime—which we’re confident is the simplest, most intuitive tool on the planet for finding and managing shared workspaces. Today we’re ready to announce that our redesign is live. 

Check out some of the changes: 

Full-on mobility 

The entire space management tool and directory works just as well on your phone as it does on your desktop. Add new members, update bookings and manage your space regardless of where you are. 

Streamlining the set-up process 

We’ve consolidated everything into a few basic steps, so the entire thing takes only a matter of minutes. 

A refreshed booking calendar 

See how many folks are using your space on any given day, but also see who’s coming and going so you can best prepare. 

Punch Card support 

Punch Cards give a renter access to a certain number of visits over a set time frame—a new way to book beyond daily and monthly packages.

Invitations are smarter 

Now, when an invitation expires, it doesn’t just disappear. Space Managers can view expired invitations and re-invite members. And an expired invitation is still accessible to a renter, so they now know what they can do to change that. 

Expect many, many more changes in the coming months, at an expedited rate. 

So there you have it! If you are interested in using the space management side of Desktime, head on over to hello.desktimeapp.com or send us an email to support@desktime.com and we’ll set up a time to demo the application and make sure Desktime is a good fit! 

As always, we can’t do it without you, so please take a look around at the site, send us your feedback and tell us how we can make Desktime even better. 

Thanks! 
Sam

Side note: Aside from excessive BBQ-eating and catching up with our favorite coworkers from across the globe, Sam Rosen (Co-Founder of Desktime) will also be moderating the discussion “Have Talent Will Cowork” on March 5th, from 11:10 - noon on the GCUC Stage.

We’re excited to officially announce an update that you may have already noticed: the ability to change a Member’s status between Active/Inactive.

This feature is simple and straight forward to use:

To change a Member’s status, go to that Member’s Page. On the right side of the screen you’ll see  a drop down menu allowing you to change that Member’s status.

Please note: only Members that do not have active Bookings can be set to inactive. Changing a Member’s status to Inactive will move them to the bottom of the Member’s page. It will also remove any payment errors or notifications from the dashboard and payments page.

It started as a little experiment. On a trip visiting prospective clients of our agency, we were in search of a better place to work. We all had experienced working out of countless bars, cafes and friends’ living rooms with less than optimal results. A teammate wondered if anyone had heard of “coworking.” None of us were familiar with the term and none of us had worked at a shared space before. We were led to a coworking site in Brooklyn called Change You Want to See. There were only two rules.

Rule 1: Be respectful.
Rule 2: Don’t download any porn.

From first sight, it was love. And thus our experiment began: to design a robust destination for anyone and everyone involved in the coworking movement, space owners and renters alike. We named it Desktime and started with a directory, because at the time there wasn’t a great way to view the burgeoning amount of spaces available. Since we’ve started Desktime has become one the best ways to help renters find exactly what it is they are looking for.

We were excited about becoming a part of something special, and today, many years later, I’m equally as excited to share the good news: Desktime is no longer an experiment. It’s our full-time passion.

For the first time since this trial run begun, we’re full-speed ahead, and we’ve been able to focus an incredibly passionate and experienced team exclusively on Desktime. We’ll be moving forward with increased pace and more urgency than ever before. We surpassed the limits of our own shared space, The Coop, and we will continue to soldier on, discovering more about coworking each and every day.

Next week we are going to launch some really big updates to Desktime. Our goal is simple;  to build the very best solution in the world to help folks share space. If you’re reading this then you’re on the ground floor and you understand the promise.

Coworking has always been greater than the sum of its parts—a passionate group of folks who thrive on human contact and connectivity. We’re excited to help make it simpler, easier and accessible to more people than ever.

But, mostly we’re thrilled to share the journey ahead with you.

Sam Rosen
Co-Founder

We’re excited to announce some major updates to Desktime. We’ve simplified the way Bookings work and improved the Invitation workflow to make it easier than ever to create Booking Packages, and bill Members.

Resources
We’ve consolidated Add-Ons and Workspaces into a new feature that we call Resources. Resources are a simple way to manage and track all reservable assets in your space. A Resource could be a type of workspace like a Desk or Conference Room, or any other item made available to your Members that you’d like to track such as a Locker, Monitor, Community Bike, etc.

To add a Resource:

1. Go to Settings > Packages & Pricing
2. Click “+ New Resource”

3. Add a Name (Required) and a Quantity (Not Required)

That’s it!

NOTE: Resources are not tied directly to a dollar amount. If you’d like to charge Members for a Resource you’ll need to create a Booking Package with that Resource associated.

To create a Booking Package with a Resource

1. Go to Settings > Packages & Pricing

2. Click “+ Add Another Package”

3. Add Booking Package details including Package Name, Description and Membership Pricing.

4. At the bottom of the page, you’ll see a list of all the Resources you’ve created so far. Select the Resource(s) that you’d like to include with the new Booking Package.

Q: “What happened to my old Add-Ons?”

A: Don’t worry! If you have existing Add-Ons we’ve automatically converted them to Resources for you. If your Add-Ons had a price associated to them, we have created new Booking Packages for you with the appropriate pricing.

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Inviting a Member
Given the changes to Booking Packages described above, we’ve made a couple minor changes to improve the Invitations workflow.

First, we’ve separated types of Bookings on the Invite a New Member page. When sending an Invitation you’ll select the type of Booking that you’d like to invite a Member to.

Second, we’ve added the ability to invite a Member to multiple Booking Packages at the same time. To do so, just select one or more Booking packages and Desktime will take care of the rest.

The topmost section of the Members Page now displays a summary of that Member’s status and upcoming billings (if any). 

Adding Multiple Bookings

One of our most highly requested features- A Member can now have multiple active Booking Packages at the same time. These plans can have separate start and end dates and can be managed independent of one another.

To Add a Booking to an existing Member:

1. Go to Members > Pick any existing Member

2. Click “Add a Booking”

3. Fill out the details for the new plan.

   4. Click “Confirm New Booking”

Using the stored payment information on file, the member will automatically be billed the applicable charge for the new Booking. They will also get an email notification of the new Booking along with a receipt. 

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We’re hoping these changes will make running your space a lot easier. As always, the best way to get familiar with new functionality is to login and check it out. If you have any questions, feedback, concerns, or if you just want somebody to talk to, please shoot us a message at: support@desktimeapp.com

Two months ago, news leaked that IBM’s German wing—the most efficient of its wings, clearly—has decided to get with the year 2012. They will be eliminating 8,000 of its 20,000 jobs, handing off those responsibilities to freelancers, some of whom might be the original employees they started with. They call this movement “Liquid,” and it stands to make this behemoth of a company far more flexible in handling the seismic business climate. For why have people sitting around on a payroll when you can customize a solution using fewer, more efficient workers?

This is the essence of the way we are all starting to work. We have a specialty, and it’s far more manageable, both from a financial and time-management perspective, to utilize that specialty when called upon. Nobody is capable of being “on” from 9-to-5 every single day, nor should they be expected to. Instead, this new model empowers the employee to work in whatever manner he or she pleases, and empowers the employer to remain ahead of the curve.

It’s also terrifying. Essentially, IBM is cutting the safety net of 8,000 people to make way for what they believe is the future of working. I’m sure some of those people are more than ready, and very capable of being self-motivated enough to land on their feet—probably at a higher point than where they started. (Plus, IBM will be offering some additional training.) But for those unaware they’re part of a grand corporate experiment: Good luck!

The sad truth is that companies are realizing that the mobile workforce makes things more affordable. So they’re cutting people down to “consultant” capacity, eliminating benefits and asking them to ebb and flow along with them. For those of us who are already at this place, we know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. The work will keep coming in, and we’ll become the kinds of bosses to ourselves we always wish we had. But for those who haven’t yet taken the plunge, and have been metaphorically shoved off the cliff, know this might just be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.—Steve Heisler

This is a bit old, but Mavenlink posted a really interesting infographic a few months ago, detailing the reasons why people work from home—or as they have so dramatically christened it, become part of “The New Independent Workforce.” It’s worth checking out not only because it’s laid out well, but because it’s chock-full of interesting factoids. Not surprisingly, most of the people who join the freelance ranks are writers. Surprisingly, though, the vast majority of these folks, regardless of profession, are employed full-time.

I quit the editorial grind a few years ago. I worked as a magazine and blog editor in Chicago, and realized that I was getting my kicks from writing moreso than pure editorships, which is what most of the jobs were. So, I quit, worried that the ends would not be met, that I had grossly overestimated how much freelance writing work was up for grabs. Mostly, I assumed I’d work part-time if I was lucky, full-time only if I got some other part-time job.

This is the fear that keeps people from pursuing the joy of a flexible work schedule—nay, career—of an independent workforcer. I was pleased to learn, upon my leap of faith, that there were networks set up for freelancers such as myself. There were rubrics I could follow that would ensure me steady work as long as I remained self-motivated. But above all, it was a gamble on my future that seemed like a better bet, especially given the fact that I work in publishing. To me, a good roster of freelance clients is like building a robust mutual fund. You want a few stocks that pay off steadily and surely, some that dip and fall with a lot of regularity, and some that are erratic, but have the potential to pay off big. When one client is down, another is usually up, and the general trend is upward.

This was something no infographic or article could teach me. But if there’s one thing to take away from this article (and again, it’s a great one), it’s that there’s an infrastructure in place—a hobo code, so to speak, of others who have joined this workforce of independents. So take the leap. We’ve got your back.—Steve Heisler

Office spaces are often cookie-cutter prospects: Four walls (sometimes three); a chair; a flat, elevated surface upon which to place your laptop, Moleskin or government-mandated productivity tool.

But some employers are taking things a step further. Inc. has rounded up 21 of the coolest work spaces around the world, each inspiring its workers to uniquely keep cranking out interesting ideas. Writers block? Nothing being inserted into an industrial crate can’t fix. Or, you know, maybe you could slide. Down the office slide. Which exists.

We are a product of our environment, and the article serves as a reminder that our surroundings are some of the greatest influencers, and that collaboration trumps all. Especially if it happens around a conference table in a plant room.