Changes
Featured content category added
This is a page for the planning of a [[w:Hackerspace|hackerspace]] in [[Blacksburg]].'''Everything has since been migrated to [http://hacksburg.org the Hacksburg wiki].'''
==Name==
* Blacksburg Lab for Objects ([[w:Binary Large Object|BLOb]])
* Blacksburg Object Fabrication Hackerspace ([[w:BOFH|BOFH]])
==Affiliation==
Many interested parties have expressed interest in *not* being affiliated with [[Virginia Tech]], as some planned activities may conflict with university policy. Many hackerspaces have become 501c3 non-profits, but this requires a significant amount of paperwork.
==Potential Funding Sources==
* Member dues - Ideally, we would be able to pay all monthly infrastructure expenses without external support
* [http://kickstarter.com Kickstarter] - Potentially useful for raising startup funds
* [[SEC|Student Engineers' Council]] - The SEC allocates a sizable budget, but accepting any VT funding may come with strings attached.
** Correction: The Student Engineers' Council earns its money from the career fair and the funds are disbursed through its student leadership (with a faculty advisor). The only strings attached are spelled out in Articles X and XI in the [http://www.sec.vt.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&Itemid=33 Bylaws]. Tapping into Virginia Tech student activities fee money is a different story, with different stipulations attached.
* Corporate sponsorship
One idea proposed was to have the hackerspace unaffiliated with Virginia Tech and sell both individual and group memberships. A separate, SEC-funded RSO could then buy group memberships for its members and/or engineering students.
==Desirable Infrastructure Features==
* Proximity to campus/[[Blacksburg Transit]] lines
* '''Low cost'''
* Fast (symmetric) internet connection, i.e. not NTC
** [http://bnt.com/services/bandwidthsolutions.cfm Biz Net Technologies]
* High-power service panels (220V? 20A?)
* Noise tolerance
* Ventilation
* Floor space
* Kitchen? (Some hackerspaces have found this useful)
==Links==
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/405322866198425/ Facebook group]
* [[vtluug:Internet Relay Chat|IRC]]: [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=#hacksburg #hacksburg ] on freenode* [http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Documentation Documentation on starting a hackerspace]* [http://alfheim.logomancy.net/wiki/ Hacksburg Wiki] [[Category:Community organizations]][[Category:Featured content]]