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].'''

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 of Physical Space==

* Fast (symmetric) internet connection, i.e. not NTC** [http://bnt.com/services/bandwidthsolutions.cfm Biz Net Technologies]