Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 212, Issue 5

[Jack & Carolyn Salmon (2salmon]

I’ve had the same experiences as Ann, when trying to contact some one, any one 
at a cohousing community.  You have to be a real sleuth to find someone to have 
a conversation with…by phone or on-line.  Even if a community has an email 
address or phone number listed in the Cohousing US directory, no one seems to 
be monitoring them.   

I live at Quimper Village…we do monitor our emails and phone answering machine 
AND we try to respond to all calls …well, not the robo-calls from the guy who 
designs webpages.    The person who monitors may respond or passes the message 
on to the member most likely to have a productive conversation with the caller. 
 

Let’s keep the conversations going. 

Carolyn 







> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2021 14:56:31 -0400
> From: Ann Zabaldo <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net>
> To: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_ National Cooperative Bank -- Community Contacts --
>       Connections
> Message-ID: <16D53A14-F707-4BF3-9A5A-8676B0353719 [at] earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;     charset=utf-8
> 
> I so agree w/ Sharon on this.
> 
> On an even smaller scale (or larger scale depending on your view) when Coho 
> communities are in formation they do a good job of keeping their website 
> and/or other social media up to date.  That tails off after move in.  If 
> there?s phone number that leads to a recording it?s not monitored.  If there 
> is a contact form to fill out ? goes unanswered.  It?s frustrating trying to 
> reach even one person in some communities.
> 
> Very recently I emailed a friend at a cohousing community asking for the best 
> contact for them. I?m often asked for contacts at coho communities by people 
> wanting to visit or stay.  My friend forwarded the email to three other 
> people in his community, cc?ing me, asking them to address my request.  So 
> far ? more than a week has lapsed ? not a peep.  Maybe expecting a reply in 
> one week is not feasible in our workaholic society.
> 
> Back in the early-ish  ?90s I remember Zev Paiss addressing this issue of 
> coho communities being out there in the world during development but once the 
> community moves in, they close the front gate.  Not too much on this front 
> has changed since then.The missing piece, I believe, is the lack of a larger, 
> articulated vision beyond one?s own community, that draws people out and into 
> a larger stream of connectedness.    But I could be out to lunch on this 
> whole topic.
> 
> As Rosabeth Moss Kanter is often quoted: ?The most radical thing we can do is 
> connect people to one another. That starts conversations toward a vision for 
> change.?
> 
> Cohousing does that connecting thing hands down.  Now, how do we get that 
> message out in the world?
> 
> Best ?
> 
> Ann Zabaldo
> Takoma Village Cohousing
> Washington, DC
> Ex. Dir. & Mbr. Board of Directors
> Mid Atlantic Cohousing
> Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
> Falls Church, VA
> 202.546.4654
> zabaldo [at] earthlink.net
> 
> Just once, I want a username and password prompt to say "close enough?,  I 
> agree.
> 
> NOTE:  I?m switching back to using zabaldo [at] earthlink.net.  Many 
> apologies!
> 
> 
>