If there is a core driver of the Maker Movement, it is the growing Maker community. This community is open and inclusive, vibrant and eclectic, self-organizing and widely distributed. It is the product of many people identifying as Makers, sharing their ideas and projects. Whether they embrace science and technology or arts and crafts, there is a Maker culture generating creative and economic opportunities.
This community first came together at Maker Faire 10 years ago. The idea I had for Maker Faire was simple: create the space for “show-and-tell” conversations with Makers. Meeting Makers and seeing what they do has proven not only compelling but also popular. Maker Faire has continued to grow around the world as a celebration of Makers. Inviting families to come and meet Makers has inspired people of all ages to participate in the Maker Movement. However, I have always wondered how we could solve a couple of problems — where could I find Makers and their projects after Maker Faire? How could I easily connect to them and get more details about their projects? I saw a similar problem in visiting Makerspaces. I thought the Maker community would be well-served if it were easier to connect to Makers.
Today, I’m pleased to announce we are unveiling the beta version of MakerSpace, an online community for Makers, including individuals aspiring to be Makers. MakerSpace gives the Maker community a home for the conversation to continue. Here, Makers of all types will be able to create profiles that describe their interests and background. They will be able to share projects and tell not only “how” they did a project but also “why.” These features will allow Makers to build their identity and create portfolios of what they do as Makers. In addition, as a community site, Makers will be able to follow each other and see new projects from Makers with shared interests. (Makers often tell me that their greatest resource is other Makers.)
Makerspaces, Maker Faire, and the Internet
Makerspaces have also played an important role in organizing resources for local Makers. Makerspaces provide a shared workshop for Makers to develop projects as well as serve as an on-ramp for anyone interested in becoming a Maker. They provide basic access to tools, materials and expertise, and have established the practices of making in our community. While there are other key elements of the Maker Movement such as technology, Maker Faire and Makerspaces stand out for me as catalysts. Finally, the internet itself has been a huge enabler for connecting Makers around their interests and making it possible for projects to be developed and shared.
This beta version is intended to enhance sharing, communication, and connection among Makers.
At the beta launch, MakerSpace will be initially inhabited by Makers who have created projects that have been shared at Maker Faire. We hope that this will encourage the Maker community in the months ahead to add their profiles and projects. In the near future, we plan to open MakerSpace to the wider Maker community, but for now this is in a limited beta as we build the platform and respond to the interests of you and other Makers.
MakerSpace was designed and built for you. We want your feedback, your ideas and thoughts about what we can do to make it your MakerSpace. MakerSpace will be accepting invite requests, allowing access to a limited number of users.
I personally invite you to join us at MakerSpace.
Update:
Some people have commented and contacted me personally about our intentions around the use of MakerSpace at MakerSpace.com. I have discussed this issue with our team, which recognizes the issue and respects the community’s use of the term. We hope that the following makes clear our intentions.
We acknowledge the issue that some people have raised about our protecting “MakerSpace” as the branding for Makerspace.com in our Terms of Use. Our steps to protect the use of “MakerSpace” in this limited way are not meant to discourage the use of the term to reference physical spaces where making and collaboration occur. Rather, what we are trying to protect is our provision of a website for an online community for makers as a natural extension of our Make: and Maker Faire brands, and only that. We are working to clarify this intention in the Terms of Use.
17 thoughts on “Welcome to MakerSpace”
Comments are closed.
ADVERTISEMENT
Join Make: Community Today
So it’s like Instructables or Hackaday.io? Why reinvent the wheel? This doesn’t seem progressive, it seems divisive. Try reinforcing and supporting the community rather than compartmentalizing it.
I agree Chuck! Instructables has been around for 10 years as well. All I can see is this diving the community of makers and not bringing them together.
also they’ve connected with 3dHubs lately and brought together 3dPrinting People with DIY Making people (not always the same group imho)
No, it probably not like either of those. It is probably more like social media for Makers. Like LinkedIn without the recruiters spamming you all day long. A space to share info about your projects and keep in touch after the Faire.
The last word of your reply is exactly why it’s divisive. Make has made no bones about owning ‘Maker Faire’. They rarely cover any maker event that doesn’t pay the fee to use the name. Meanwhile, other platforms are for the maker community at large, not just the ones willing to pony up money for the branding.
Make is a good site and I’ve met some great folks through it, but they are in the business of selling magazines, licenses and kits, not fostering the maker community at large beyond a potential market. There’s nothing wrong with making a buck, but it’s not inclusive.
If you think Maker Faire is divisive, we have very different definitions of the word. From the reports I’ve heard from Make people at the events, they don’t make money from them. The cost far outweighs any fees they get. Maker Faires are bringing people together all over the world and giving them a venue to meet other Makers. That’s amazing. Make has driven the growth of the maker community more than any other organization that I know of.
My experience having a booth at the Faire has been mind-blowingly good three years running. Every person I met there working for Make has been kind, inclusive and deeply generous. They’ve never charged me a fee, despite the fact that I sell merch, because they want to encourage Makers who contribute. It’s easy to be cynical about their motives, but a large part of what drives them is the community that they ARE building. Yes, they are trying to make money along the way, but this isn’t Coca Cola capitalism. These people really do care about what they are helping create.
Mh sorry to say but that’s highly unlikely that they don’t make Money from running a Maker Faire. Maybe not MUCH money but definitely money. I’ve organized Make Munich 2013 and helped with Make Munich 2014 – and there IS money to be made.
Have you been using Pay.Pal account *???in the event if you do you can generate an additional $530 a week to your paypal account just working from home three hours a day..READ MORE HERE===> Cash from home
I don’t think maker faire is divisive at all. The fact that Make rarely covers events that aren’t ‘Maker Faire branded’ is unfortunate, but it’s their sandbox. What I find divisive is the fact that there’s already an excellent, established community for makers to communicate and share their projects. Unless Make is radically changing the paradigm (I don’t know as it’s a closed beta) it’s just a force divider that will ultimately dilute the scene. Instructables is awesome, why try to make a new site that covers the same ground?
It’s off subject, but in response to your assertion that they don’t make money from events- I’ve been an organizer of Make branded events in the past. They make money, trust me. Our licensing fee got us some posters and buttons and an anouncement on the site the day before the event. No one from their organization even came to the event. Aside from some printing costs, our licensing fee was pure profit.
Again, no hate for Make, but they’re a business, not a social movement, and they will promote their interests to the exclusion of the ‘competition’. Time will tell how the new site works out, but I don’t have a lot of confidence in it.
As I’ve said before- one post from Colin Cunningham gave me my Aha! moment in electronics and everything started to make sense, so I’ll always be in debt to this site.
It was not my assertion that Male doesn’t make money off events, I was repeating what I was told by one of the senior people helping organize Maker Faire.
My hope for this site is that it focuses more on people than projects. On intractable and hackaday, it seems like the focus is the projects and I think those sites are great for that, I would like this to be a community for Makers that focuses on the makers at least as much as the projects themselves. I always leave MF wondering however to get in touch with people or how to see more about what they are doing. It sounds like this site will help solve at problem.
Well I for one am super excited about this. Sign me up!
I think there is room for all sites mentioned. If it’s a type of LinkedIn fro makers all the better. It would be a great way to connect and share. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Just a note that you might want to think twice before accepting the Terms and Conditions when signing up. As someone pointed out on IRC, by accepting that you acknowledge Make’s curious trademark claim on the term “makerspace” and promise not to use that word for anything else (like referring to actual makerspaces).
See? The emperor has no clothes. Community my butt. Business is in the business of staying in business. Thank you Petr.
6. Restrictions on Trademark Usage
6.1 The names and associated logos for MakerSpace, Maker Faire, Maker Shed, Make:, MakerCamp, MakerCon, and the Makey
robot images are trademarks owned by Maker Media. Unless you are licensed by Maker Media under a specific licensing
program or agreement, you may not use these names or logos to label, promote, or endorse any product or service,
although you may use these logos to refer to the associated websites and Service.
Alright Dale, are you going to chime in here? WTF?
Thanks for the comments on Makerspace.com. We recognize the issue that several of you have raised and we will be revising the Terms of Use. I updated the post above to clarify our intentions. We certainly do not wish to exclude anyone from using makerspace to define or describe a physical workshop.
I don’t see an issue with the concept, but the name bothers me. There are dozens if not hundreds of organisations round the world named XYZ Makerspace. Their individual identities now risk being overshadowed by the Make behemoth. Poor form.
Why not Makernet?(.com available!) Makerlink? Makergrid? (.com tumbleweed) – There’s plenty of alternatives.