Cow Orking in Birmingham
Stef, Pete and Chris join the cow orking revolution
I dropped into the Custard Factory on the way home to see Pete Ashton and drop his copy of Chris Garrett and Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger book that I picked up for him in Chicago. He was making the most of the free wifi network at Rooty’s cafe - and he wasn’t alone.
Stef Lewandowski was there, as was Chris Unitt from Created in Birmingham. And I joined them.
Four around the table, all working on our own stuff, all on mac laptops, all doing what is commonly known in tech circles as ‘co-working’. Or coworking. Or, as it ended up - cow orking.
So there’s a new term that kept us entertained for several minutes, before we went back to our own respective beverages and tasks at hand. Until Chris googled the word orking. It’s a real thing.
And you can do it to cows.
6 Comments, Comment or Ping
Chris
For more etymological learnings see http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2007/04/look_whispers_a.html (lots of comments but head for 6.45am on 11 May 2007).
T’was good to meet you, Andrew.
May 8th, 2008
Julia Gilbert
While normally I indulge in the full-blown Twitter experience, checking on my feeds to see what I’ve missed, I’ve been busy for the past few days and my feeds got full about 2 days ago. So I missed the origin of today’s cow orking references, after enforced ambient-only Twitter but this seems to be it!
(Have been considering quitting Twitter feeds for a while, and limiting myself to purely ambient Twitter, but see what happens when you miss issues of vital importance!)
I am claiming ownership of the birth of the phrase ‘cow orking’, at least in relation to Brum cow orking, as that was all I saw when the prospect of coworking was first raised a few months ago. And if I knew how to find my original tweet, I’d prove it! I’m not normally precious about my ideas, but obviously cow orking is a biggie
I knew orking existed, but only because I’d seen orking kitten and puppy calendars on the stall in the Bullring!
Oh alright then, I suppose that someone (everyone!) _could_ have experienced the same misreading, so this one’s on me. After all it is for the good of human- and cow-kind.
Happy cow orking folks
May 8th, 2008
Pete Ashton
When we finally get our own space or building I think it should be call “The Orking Cow”.
May 9th, 2008
Tim Ellis
I first saw Cow Orking as far back as ‘97(!) in the Dilbert Newsletter - I didn’t know about “Orking” before readingthis though…
May 12th, 2008
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