Questions to ask other communities

Written September 2018, and now mostly answered.

Guest Ops

  • Do you let housemates rent out their rooms on Airbnb when they're traveling?

Scaling

  • Would this actually be better if we were a village of 100-150? I imagine we'd be more stable, and I feel like we'd have super strong "social gravity", which would enable us to attract brilliant and fascinating people from around the globe.
  • How does intimacy scale?
  • How do we keep the house introvert-friendly?

Sustainability

  • How can we make a community that is supportive of big life transitions, like starting a family?

Recruiting

  • How do other houses manage recruiting?
  • How do we recruit well?
  • What proportion of short-term to long-term housemates is optimal?

Governance

  • What technologies can help keep logistical details low-friction at scale?

Space

  • How might we design spaces for both extremes of the introvert/extravert spectrum?
  • What communities have existed in unique spaces (e.g., an old cruise ship), and how has that affected their experience?
  • What legal structures enable or inhibit communal arrangements?

Culture shift

  • This lifestyle is fringe, but many would benefit from trying it - how can we normalize and evangelize it?
  • How might we increase the supply of communal houses?

Impact

  • What can/should we stand for and what difference can we make in this world?

Culture

  • Some communities have a culture that says: "you are enough"; the Archive's culture says "grow into your full potential". Both have advantages and disadvantages. Is it possible for both to exist in the same place?