OpenSpace

The end of August marks the first full month of our new business hours. After doing a little research, we realized very few Occasional members were utilizing the space after 6pm. And with the introduction of 24×7 access for Unlimited Members, we decided it was time to change our hours: we are now open 8am to 6pm, Monday through Friday. Thanks everyone for helping to make it a smooth transition!

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Don’t get stuck in your office’s reject conference room … choose the hippest meeting space in town!

Though it may be hard to think about amidst the lazy days of summer, Fall IS coming. And with the change in season comes a fresh wave of group meetings and leadership retreats. Reserve time now at OpenSpace to make your group’s next gathering a success.

Get a jump start on fall planning to ensure you get your preferred meeting time and your favorite work studio.  Daytime availability in September, October & November tends to fill up quickly! Come see us at the Hello Bar, give us a call (434-566-0880), or email hello@getopenspace.com to reserve your space in one of our fantastic work studios. You know your colleagues will thank you.

OpenSpace will be closed on Monday, September 5th for Labor Day. But even with the three-day weekend, Unlimited Members with 24×7 Access are always free to work, even if we’re not here to greet you that morning!

Don’t forget, the OpenSpace ice cream social with FREE Arch’s is tomorrow afternoon! We’ll be meeting in the Conference Studio from 3-4pm; take a break and come celebrate summer (what’s left of it) with all your OpenSpace friends.

Marijean Jaggers

Owner, Jaggers Communications

The Who
Spend even just a minute with Marijean Jaggers, and it is obvious that she loves people. Which makes it convenient then, that her job has her working with all kinds of people and focusing on that newest of business trends, social marketing. A super social person herself, Marijean has a knack for the ins and outs of Twitter, Facebook, and the like.

She first got her start in public relations in St. Louis, MO, and then moved to Charlottesville five and half years ago. In January 2011, Marijean started Jaggers Communications, which specializes in public relations, crisis management, and social media consulting. She offers workshops on social media for businesses, explaining the importance of how social media can be used to promote businesses. Many of her clients are usually starting from scratch, or just dabbling, in the realm of social media, but Marijean sets them straight about using online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and blogging to effectively deliver their message.

One basic practice she teaches her clients is the importance of monitoring- getting companies to be aware of what people are saying about their business or their industry, good or bad. It’s all about paying attention and responding appropriately, she says, and it can really make or break a company. Marijean is a big fan of Twitter, but she is quick to point out that there is a right and wrong way to use Twitter as a business. The recent ‘Weinergate’ scandal provided her with the perfect teaching opportunity and a catchy workshop title (Don’t Be A Weiner: How to Use Twitter As a Professional) for one key social media principle: be careful what you post, once it’s out there, it’s out there!

But used intelligently, Twitter is a powerful resource, Marijean says, for everything from news updates to store reviews. One of her biggest success stories is Charlottesville Airport. Did you know, thanks to Marijean, you can now follow CHO for everything from weather alerts to fare updates?

Interested in improving your social media skills? Follow her on Twitter @Marijean for more information on upcoming workshops!

The Why OpenSpace

A long-time OpenSpace member, Marijean started out working from home, but found that she loves being around other people too much.  Knowing her, that doesn’t surprise us! Working alongside other hard-working folks helps her focus, she says, and landing here is better than coffee shops, because you won’t feel guilty for not buying anything (and the peppermint patties are free!). She especially appreciates the freedom of OpenSpace, where it is so easy to come in, sit down, and get started. We love Marijean too; she has been one of our biggest cheerleaders and is always sending new members our way!

What You Might Not Know

Three words: Key. Lime. Pie. Yes, Marijean bakes pies!! If you have been lucky enough to taste the deliciousness she occasionally has been known to share at OpenSpace, you know what I’m talking about. It all started when she set out to perfect the made from scratch pie crust, which, she says, is a lost art these days. She got so good, she now even offers in-home workshops on homemade pie crusts! Her specialties include her award-winning butterscotch-pecan pie, as well as a peaches-and-cream or other seasonal local fruits like cherries, and, of course, that key lime pie.

For the past three to four years, Marijean has participated in the annual Charlottesville PieFest, which will be downtown at the Haven later this fall. PieFest is a local pie tasting competition and auction that benefits PACEM. Check out their website CvillePieFest for all the gorgeous and (we think it is safe to assume) delicious entries!

Photo credit: Jen Fariello

We didn’t want it to come to this, but it has. To keep up the clean, sleek & sparkling OpenSpace image, we’re instituting “Clean Fridge Fridays.” That means that if you have anything (lunch boxes, dishes, cartons of milk, moldy items, etc.) in the fridge come Friday, it will be disposed of unless claimed prior to closing. Kristy has a tendency to “lose it” when she sees the refrigerator in disarray, so we want to prevent any “mishaps.” We’ll keep her out during the week, but she’ll have free reign to dig in on Friday evenings … beware!

Join us next Thursday, August 25th in the Conference Studio from 3-4pm for an Arch’s ice cream (well, okay, frozen yogurt) social! We’ll have a yogurt bar with all of Arch’s signature goodness and toppings. It will be a cool way (literately) to beat the heat, catch up with all your OpenSpace friends and trade summer vacation stories!