Since our name is The Colony Foundation, it makes sense to define the term colony. Like most words, there are multiple meanings, but what we mean is a group of people who leave their homeland to found a new settlement. It also needs to be a group. If you take off by yourself or with just your immediate family, you are not a colony. I think of it as a group large enough and independent enough to provide for most of their own needs. Not sure where the top end is. I suppose that is a matter of perspective.
The first space settlements are going to either have to have a constant stream of goods, or have to be somewhat self-sufficient. The space station is certainly in space, but it is not a settlement, in that there is no intent to permanently live there. I think being a settlement is required for a colony, but a colony also requires a bit more, in that the goal is to be the start of a new society, at least that is my take.
The “practice” colonies we are proposing are only practice in the sense that they are a tool that we can use to learn the skills we will need for space colonies, but they also serve the vision of The Colony Foundation, which is “Spreading Life Everywhere.” To that end, each one should be designed for permanency. Oh, we hope that some of the people who learn there will move on to other colonies, including ones off Earth, and in that sense, one of their ongoing purposes will be as training centers, but they should also have the goal of prospering and thriving in their own right. One of the goals is to prove that these are viable and successful, both from a financial and social perspective.