Monosasu site, the road to restart "Is the site a shared space for everyone?"

The site was written by internal members and was updated almost daily for about three years, before going on hiatus at the end of January 2019.

At the end of 2018, when they were thinking about renewing the site, the editorial department approached me to see if we could work together on something.

I, Nozomi Nakajima, discovered Monosas when I was doing an interview for a job-seeking website called Nihon Shigoto Hyakka. I had the opportunity to talk to the members at length and write an article for Monosas.

There are all kinds of people, with all kinds of tastes and ways of thinking. It's disjointed, but somehow it's interesting.

This atmosphere was also conveyed by the website, which is updated daily.

It's been six months since the Monosas website went on hiatus. I'd like to give you a brief overview of what has been happening at Monosas during this time, from an outsider's perspective.

The Monosasu site was like a daily calendar, with articles about various topics being introduced almost every day. Web technical topics, introductions to members, stories about where they live and their cats. Although the writing style was a bit jumbled, it conveyed the atmosphere of the people who wrote them.

The person who came up with the idea for the "Monosasu Site" was Yoshitetsu Nishimura.

Monosus members met Nishimura in Kamiyama Town, Tokushima Prefecture, and still work together on a regular basis.

Upon learning that the Monosas site was taking a break, he told us what he had in mind when he proposed the daily calendar format at the Monosas general meeting in May.

To give you a little insight, a company website where everyone writes something different every day leads to good job openings, good orders, and good circulation.

With this in mind, the idea for the site was born.

“When you think about what makes a good company, some people might say things like high salary or good benefits. But a “good company” is one that has a steady stream of work that is valuable to society and that the people who work there find rewarding.

I think that a good company can be found by thinking about what makes a "good individual." They have good circulation, high basal body temperature, good physical condition, and are easy to notice discomfort. They are sensitive to discomfort occurring in their own body and can deal with it as necessary.

In terms of the heart, I think it's very important to have a lot of curiosity and imagination, to be open and to change when necessary.

“I think that kind of company will survive, in a good way. As for how they will survive, I think it's because they create the right amount of work and activities that are needed at the time.

Society is constantly changing, so companies can't just keep doing the same things. They need to change according to the situation. If the right jobs and activities don't come about at the right time, they'll get worse and worse.

When I thought about what would be good for creating those conditions, I came up with the idea of a corporate website where everyone could write something on a daily basis.”

The conversation then turned to office space for various companies.

The examples we were introduced to included offices with few walls so that workers can easily see each other, and break spaces where it's easy to start a conversation.

Nishimura called these "rich shared areas."

"Everyone has a general idea of what kind of voyage the ship is currently on. There is an environment that allows for good combinations of people to form. If you compare a company like this with another one that isn't, it's obvious which one is more likely to give rise to new things and be able to change course when necessary."

“In order to create this situation, I think it is important to enrich the shared areas. There are various ways to do this. If we are renewing the Monosus corporate website, I thought it would be a good idea to try it there.

So, even though it may seem like a way to send out information to people outside, it was actually a proposal that would help people understand each other better.”

After the general meeting, each member was given a sheet to write down their thoughts and impressions as they listened to the talk.

Among the various impressions and opinions written on the sheet, such as learning about the company's circulation and the shared areas of the office, some people also provided their opinions about the Monosasu website.

People who joined Monosus because of the website. People who felt that the website was functioning as a shared space. People who felt that the website had received positive feedback from outside the company.

We also got to hear the opinions of people who had difficulties operating the site.

One of the reasons why the Monosas site went on hiatus is that it became difficult to continue operating it. Here are some of the things written on the sheet and some of the things members told us.

• It was difficult to manage my time with my regular work.
• There were a lot of mandatory rules, such as everyone having to write something.
• Even though I was spending time writing, it wasn’t helping me deepen my thoughts.
• This created a conflict between the editorial team, which was running the magazine, and the members who were being forced to write, which put a lot of strain on the editorial team.
• Even though I was asked to write in the first person, I didn't know how to write it.
• To be honest, I'm relieved to be on hiatus...

Monosus members don't normally do the work of writing. Trial and error was continued to make it easier for people who are not used to writing, but it seems that writing and running the site was a considerable burden.

As Manabe-san wrote before , the three years that he was running the site was also a time of great change for the company. I don't know if the changes in the company as a whole were the direct cause, but many people have left the company in the past two years, and the atmosphere has changed.

How should the Monosas site function amid these changes? What is the best way to operate it so that it can continue to operate healthily?

We asked for people who were interested in restarting the site, and we had about 10 members.

We currently meet with these members once every two weeks to continue discussing how to run the site.

• Is it possible to create a system where content is generated from within the company, rather than just being written?
• It would be nice if articles could be created naturally without an editorial department.
• Seeing reactions to articles makes writing worthwhile
• It is not necessary for all members to write
• Can we use it more effectively as a sales tool?

Although it is taking place slowly, we are exchanging various opinions and moving forward towards restarting.

Will the site become a shared part of the company and lead to good blood circulation? This is also a matter of strong interest to the members who are participating.

"Work with people you want to live with"

How can Monosus members, who are united by this sentiment, create a company atmosphere that allows them to naturally utilize each other's strengths to the fullest?

Meetings are continuing, including whether the Monosas site can serve as a common area.

Some people said, "It's fine, I have something I want to write and post right now!" In fact, they have started writing articles a little ahead of schedule.

We will continue to discuss the system and what the future holds, but only by starting to move will things become clearer.

So, it looks like we'll be posting some articles soon.

I would like to tell you more about the Monosas site at some point in the future.

(Published on August 1, 2019, partially revised on August 5)