With another month paid for, can we consider [fs] a success?  I would like to argue yes, especially if [fs] has connected people and groups that otherwise would have never met. But how can we show that this is the case? The answer may be in the numbers.

Two weeks ago, I posted a blog entry asking [fs]ers to fill in a spreadsheet with information about their personal networks*. Specifically, a list of their organizational affiliations. I then used this information to run “social network analysis” [SNA] on both the network of people who responded (40) as well as the network of organizations that are represented by these respondents (109). SNA allows us to map the relationships and flows within a network, giving us both a graphical and mathematical understanding of its inner workings.

To evaluate the importance of [fs] in bridging organizations together, we can look at the location and groupings of ‘nodes’ (in this case organizations) to better understand which are the connectors, bridges, or core actors of the network. In SNA we call this measuring the ‘centrality.’ Below, we’ll look at three of the most popular individual measures of centrality: Degree, Betweenness, and Closeness.

Here is what the organizational network of the [fs] community looks like. In this case, colors represent local communities pulled out by the analysis.

Degree Centrality

SNA measures network activity by evaluating the number of direct connections for each node. Nodes with more direct connections have higher degree centrality and are the ‘connectors’ or ‘hubs’ in a network. In our case, by default, [fs] comes in with the highest possible degree measure of 1 (values go between 0 and 1) since ALL of the people on the spreadsheet belong to [fs]. Next is ReAllocate with 0.24, and then Camp Grounded and Singularity University tying with 0.21. Unfortunately, proving  [fs] connects us together isn’t as simple as showing we all took part. What really matters is how [fs] connects the otherwise unconnected! It could be the case that [fs] only connects those who are already connected together.

Betweenness Centrality

So enters ‘betweenness,’ a measure that allows us to see if the location of a node in a network brokers connections between disparate groups. A node with a high betweenness measure (again between 0 and 1) plays an extremely important role in a network, allowing information to flow between different clusters. In our case, [fs] again comes in on top with a score of  0.73. Next in place we have SF City Government with 0.26 and Freespace in Many Places (an organization built off the back of FS!) with 0.25. With such a high betweenness measure, the numbers definitely suggest [fs] is working as a connector.

Closeness Centrality

Lastly, we look at a measure of the shortest paths to all nodes in a network – closeness. A node with high closeness (values between 0 and 1) has the best visibility into what is happening in a network. In trying to make the argument that [fs] is bringing people together, closeness may be one of the most important measures, since a high value would suggest [fs] not only bridges groups but also allow us to transfer knowledge more easily between them. In our SNA, [fs] again has the top score, but this time, closeness scores are so low that it’s likely the network is too dispersed for information to flow efficiently in the first place. The top closeness values were [fs] with 0.007, Cosemble and The Culinary Institute of America tied with 0.005, and Ace Monster Toys with 0.004.

So, all in all, does SNA confirm that [fs] is a connector? The answer seems to be yes, but there are some caveats. For example, many of the organizations added to the spreadsheet had only 1 member and were therefore only connected via [fs]. What happens if we analyze  only the organizations that were previously connected? (In this case the 20 organizations that had at least 2 members). Does that change the analysis? Here is the new network diagram:

As you can see, things look very different. [fs] is still in the center with a degree centrality of 1, since all of the respondents  are members, but the structure is much less distributed. Now ReAllocate and The Hub also have high degree values (0.89 and 0.68 respectively). Because the network is more linked, [fs] no longer acts as a bridge. [fs]’s betweenness measure for this network clocks in at 0 with SF City Gov., ReAllocate, and MIT acting as the main hubs (0.15, 0.13, and 0.11). Closeness measures in this smaller network are larger, but again [fs] is not the main actor (0.021). Here, SF City Gov. wins out, with Food Hackathon and  U. of Mass. Amherst tying for second (0.034, 0.033, and 0.033).

In summary, it seems [fs] IS connecting us together, but in a very specific way. What [fs] seems to be doing is acting as a bridge between the outliers in our networks – the companies, nonprofits, and groups to which only a few of us belong. What [fs] is not doing is helping connect those organizations in which many [fs]ers already take part. Interestingly, this fact may be one of the best success measures we could have hoped for. By connecting the periphery [fs] should (over time) pull those outlying organizations into the main group, where it can be sustained once [fs] moves on.

* In itself, creating the spreadsheet was a bit of an experiment in crowd-sourcing, and I am the first to admit that the results should be taken with a grain of salt. Feel free to check out the R code I used over here. It includes a few more bells and whistles I played with, but didn’t blog.

Just a few minutes ago, we hit our crowdfunding goal on Indiegogo.

In just 4 weeks, we have the following numbers for you :

$25k+ raised.
109,000 People reached through FB.
26000 Visitors to our website.
6000 Smiles, Laughs, and Individuals in the space in June.
2124 “Likes” on Facebook.
1500 Daily hits on our website.
659 Moments captured.
109 Events hosted.
30 Piece a capella Leonard Cohen chorus — all bearded.
27+ Blog Posts.
20 Kindergartners painting sunshines on the floor.
18 Murals.
16 Yoga classes.
12 Articles in the press.
7 Silent discos.
4 Civic Hacking Salons.
3 [ freespace ] spin off spaces sparked.
1 Visit by Gavin Newsom.
1 Invite to the White House to present our idea on a national stage.
1 Giant slide

NONE of it possible without you.

Thank you!

We’ve got lots of great events happening today.

Tonight, we’ll be hosting a very special screening of Style Wars – an iconic film about street art, graffiti, and counter-culture. We’ll be starting the screening around 8:30pm (Sundown) – please do come by before hand, check out all the art we’ve got at [freespace], and setup your picnic blanket before the sun goes down.

We’re looking forward to seeing you!

RSVP’s are available here but not necessary.

To celebrate the first day of Summer (the Summer Solstice), we took the Park Cycle out.

(watch on YouTube)

The Park Cycle was donated to [freespace] and is a project of Rebar – one of the main folks responsible for all the parklets in San Francisco. We hope you enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed giving out all those flowers!

Ilana gives out flowers

[ freespace ] is an experiment in civic hacking and bringing people together.

But, how do we know if it’s working?

It turns out that with a bit of crowd-sourcing and some social network analysis (a fancy word for not-too-fancy math) we can actually test goal #2: Bringing people together.

Social network analysis allows us to view the strength of connections in a network. With it, we can empirically test if [ freespace ] bridges groups that wouldn’t otherwise have connected.

Here’s how it works:
(1) We create a google spreadsheet with each column a person’s name, and each row an affiliation or group (workplaces, communities, societies, etc). An example row might be ReAllocate, a non-profit where a few freespacers work, or The Embassy Network, a co-living house were Jessy Kate and I live.

(2) Freespacers can add their name and affiliations the google spreadsheet found here: http://bit.ly/networkingfs Let’s try to keep things alphabetical (simply add a row or column in the right spot with a ‘right click’)

(3) After adding new rows, go down to your name’s column and place a 1 in all the group / affiliation rows to which you belong. For example, I have a 1 in the Embassy Network row, but I don’t have one in ReAllocate (since I don’t work there). Only put a 1 in 1st degree connections (ex. if you’ve been to our house for dinner -> that doesn’t count).

(4) After enough of us have populated the spreadsheet we’ll run some math to see if [ freespace ] is ACTUALLY a connector.

If it is, this analysis will help us confirm one of [ freespaces ] true successes!

When we started this initiative, we knew we were in for a magical ride. But we had no idea how magical it would be. Or what form it would take. The community that has emerged in the past 20 days has been nothing if not inspirational. Below are some photos of our SF community (click through for the full set).

Yes – we’ve had great press. Yesterday’s article in FastCo did a great job of describing our entire initiative. But it didn’t really capture the fact that other [freespace] type initiatives are already popping up. Miami, for example, is being led by Alexandra Saba. She’s got a crowdfunding campaign to get [freespace] in Miami going. We’ve also seen emails and blog posts from Delaware, Brazil, the Netherlands, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and – well – you get the point.

What we’re building is more than a space. When you’re contributing to the crowdfunding campaign, you’re contributing to more than just another month in our current space. You’re contributing to the [freespace] initiative : a new way of organizing and supporting local communities.

Take a moment and support the Indiegogo campaign. Spread the word, contribute, come and visit us, participate. You’ll help launch more initiatives like this. This is not just for “1 more month” – it’s for a new vision of getting things done.

Creating community comes in countless forms.

Clothing swaps rank high with budget- and fashion-conscious moms, grad students and early-stage professionals. Yesterday’s clothing swap at [freespace] was the first I’ve seen, where men and women appeared in equal numbers to collaborate on funky, freebie finds.

It’s also the first clothing swap, where I learned about innovation in homelessness, Matterport 3D cameras, which are still in beta, and the challenges of commercializing robotics technology.

“Enginerds have a hard time explaining the benefits of the robots they build,” said clothing swap hostess Erin Rapacki, who is originally from the Boston area. “Clear communication is important in any industry. It’s essential for selling the capabilities of robots.”

A product manager with a graduate degree in mechanical engineering, Rapacki moved to San Francisco four years ago. Over beers at the bar, Rapacki’s friends discovered her aptitude for communicating the business applications of robots.  Now she gets paid to talk on the topic, and will soon venture to Sweden to do so. Rapacki currently works at Industrial Perception on a product that gives 3D computer vision to massive robot arms.

In contrast, Hand Up seeks to solve a more human problem: How to donate to the homeless without harming them. The Hand Up approach will arm panhandlers with business cards and Internet profiles. Would-be donors can give via text message, and ensure that their contribution goes to goods and services such as food, shelter, hygiene and job training.

“We will all do better in a society where people have enough to eat, a place to sleep, and a chance to learn,” explained Hand Up founder, Rose Broome. “The government can’t solve these problems. The system is already broken. So we have to re-engineer the system.”

Hand Up’s new mobile platform is still being tested. The fledgling organization will partner with Project Homeless Connect, as its service provider. Anyone in San Francisco interested in the issue can join the Homeless Innovation Meetup started by Broome.

As Broome wrapped up her impassioned explanation of the problem, her friend, Matt Bell decided against a vintage button-up shirt in Navy blue. (Too baggy.) Then, he gave me a virtual tour of the spaces his Matterport camera transforms for online visitors.

In a corner by a window pouring natural light, a photo shoot took place. Yellow rose petals and golden hair blew in the wind, captured in a frame suspended from the ceiling. Three friends having fun.

Ten feet away, a mother and son played foosball.

These are just a few of the people you might meet, and a few of the topics you might discuss, when you stop by [freespace] on a Saturday afternoon. What is your community doing to bring people together to share talents and ideas?

Where’s your [freespace]?

Spending the day at freespace on a Saturday… 11am and I roll upstairs pretty much by myself. I meet a lone wanderer and we chat for a bit about github post-commit hooks, but then he takes off and I set up shop for my main task of the day, to get some time lapse video cameras and ninja block sensors wired up for some social science analysis we are running in the space. This is a task that might take me an hour or two at home – unboxing, initial configuration, and some duct tape here and there. At [freespace], I was setting up from 11-8pm!

At first I was frustrated – distracted by all these people… people who want to talk! Who wanted to share ideas, ask questions, be inquisitive… . and then I stepped back and realized that this IS [freespace]. Freespace isn’t about efficiency, it’s about emergence. Here I was generating relationships, collaborations, and new ideas… and yet some part of me was doing it kicking and screaming.  We are taught that “progress” and “success” have predefined outcomes, brought about by assembly lines of hipster co-workers listening to pandora and avoiding eye contact, then socializing in prescribed boxes called happy hours.

By contrast, [Freespace] holds space for cultivating wonder and surprise, for efficiency distributed over time, peppered with play and curiosity in ways that by definition we cannot control. It challenges us to be present while also manifesting our dreams. And if I couldn’t hack that, I shouldn’t be there.

Over those many hours, I talked to people about the project and added them to the [freespace/science] facebook group. I painted my nails black while sitting in a chair that sonified my heartbeat. I got distracted by the clothing swap and emerged with 5 new ([free!]) pieces of clothing that I look pretty damn awesome in. I had a conversation about love, and a conversation about the meaning of [free] and new economic systems. And ultimately with some help from people less afraid of heights than me, they climbed high onto ladders and we installed the time lapse cameras that represent the first step taken on one of my own long-time dreams: to study the dynamics of social interactions in build environments.

This is the gift of [freespace].