Googling "What is a Co-op?"

Figuring out Co-ops. It's a fun dilemma. Well, first, let's talk about Googling.

A lesson in googling. If you have a question, ask the google. And don't be bashful about asking it. First ask it in the way that you originally phrased the question. Scan the first few hits. No luck, re-think the question.

I didn't have to go far when I was asked "Have you heard about other Creative Co-ops before and what they do? You should look at them, find out their business model, and see what works or doesn't work"

Naturally that led me to Google, to ask "Creative Co-op".

The responses were underwhelming. Why?
Because each thing was a branded name already. It was something that was clearly a business more than it was anything else. It wasn't an open invite to join in on whatever was creatively going on (with a few exceptions, and if I'm honest, I scanned only the first page of results). [Actually a notable exception is The Creative Coop, But they are only a think-tank more than they are an actual physical location]

Here I was thinking that a Co-op was short for cooperative. And in that, whatever the Co-op centered itself around, it involved a group of people, usually part of a community, pooling together their skills and resources, and providing something, either goods or services or both, that couldn't otherwise have been offered by just one person. [Sorry about the profusion of commas in that sentence. I could go back and change it, but I'm impressed that I actually wrote that much.]

And in the spirit of a co-op, it's all about responding to the needs or desired outlets of a community.
In fact, in my idealized mind, it should be open to people! It should be inviting. It should always be asking "What can you help with and what do you need help with?"

So this line of thinking led me to asking "What is a co-op?"

What is a Co-op?

Well now! Here we go. Welcome to the Information Age. Guess what the first hit on Google was for that question... If you guessed anything aside from this website than I think either you're way too used to dictionaries or perhaps you forgot that wikipedia existed as a website.

[Sure we could debate the efficacy of using Wikipedia as a reliable source of information, but I'll refer you to Google to track down the doubtless dozens if not hundreds of threads or articles (with varying degrees of scholarly research) that show you... wikipedia is not going away any time soon, and is a very good source for information, in particular as a jumping off point.]

Here's the top part of the wikipedia article, which probably has a reference name, but is typically the summary and definition of the term:

A cooperative ("coop"), co-operative ("co-op"), or coöperative ("coöp") is an autonomous association of persons who voluntarily cooperate for their mutual social, economic, and cultural benefit.^[1] Cooperatives include non-profit community organizations and businesses that are owned and managed by the people who use its services (a consumer cooperative) and/or by the people who work there (a worker cooperative).

Various aspects regarding cooperative enterprise are the focus of study in the field of cooperative economics.

That's something that intrigues me, because of what I've been discussing with folks recently (Bryan and Mike among others) in regards to co-ops. Furthermore, how I've been thinking about the Durham Creative Co-op that I want to get into.

Wait... that leads me to this...

Why are you Googling "What is a Co-op?" to begin with??

If you know me, you know that I'm a person of many many ideas. If I ever had the time or money to pursue all of those ideas (and then pay people to finish them), then I'd leave a wake of probably a dozen things, either finished projects or continuing organizations.

The next thing? The Durham Creative Co-op. That's really a discussion for another blog post. In fact I'll follow this one up in a few days with The Durham Creative Co-op intro. You'll get to know more about it as we grow and go.

I want this thing to be real. I want to be invested in something that will lift up the lives of those around me and help me also be lifted up. And the process of creating the Creative Co-op would give me invaluable life lessons when it comes to organizing a group of "everyday" people around a central vision, and seeing that vision come to fruition through dedicated hours and days of thought preparation research etc.

Last but not least... Unoriginal Thinking Resurrected, and how it ties into Googling "Co-op"...

Welcome back to this blog! I used to keep this one (as you can tell by "archives".) And then I transfered most of my thinking to a few other blogs and/or notebooks.

The reason I wanted to get back into this one is because it's where I can actively dump my thoughts that are relevant to conversation, but that are outside the thinking of "religion" or "Christianity". In other words, thoughts that come from the practical aspect of the world, not through the lens or lexicon of Christianity. (For that check out seansgod.blogspot.com)

And if you go to the wikipedia article, then click the link about cooperative economics...

Well, everything that is contained there-in is relevant to our conversations that we've been having in Fusion Community Church, and is relevant to the larger national conversation going on about economics and how we're spending our money as a government.

It is getting once again into this idea of "holding all things in common, no property, but using those things that we are gifted with together, as befits each others need." Well, that's how I imagine Co-ops to be. That they'll be there to sell items as well as USE items and places together to provide goods and services to the community at large. (In this particular case the Durham community which includes Students at UNH).

But look, these ideas have been thought of before! in other words... Our Thoughts are Not Original. And that is important to know.

Because that's the thing. This earth keeps rotating around its axis, and that around the sun, and the sun around the galaxy, and you get the idea. And this has been continuing for a long time.

And every time we think we have a thought or an idea that is divinely unique, well, we are very tempted to hold on tightly to it and breathe into it and push hard into it... and not be open to other people's ideas infecting it, shaping it, changing it. And not be responsible to looking back into the past and digging out the things that have been done before. And then, once we've had a dose of history and perspective thrown at our ideas, especially if others join in on the vision... pursue it! and keep open! And ask questions! And get your hands and elbows and knees dirty!

And then pull back and re-assess... should we do this? Is this okay? Is this worth it? How should we change? Are people joining us? Why or why not? Should we ask them to join us? How are we doing that?

Anywho, thought rant done. Enjoy. Hopefully. If you've made it all the way through this, congrats. I'm just excited about Co-ops.

Goodnight!

~Sean-a-potamus