The Rise of the Digital Nomad

krou writes "The Washington Post has a look at the rise of the digital nomad, workers who have shunned the idea of working in an office, or working from home. Instead, they've taken the next logical step in the evolution of teleworking, and work wherever there is a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, using tools such as Facebook, Skype, and Twitter, to gain both primitive ('If I'm working at home by myself, I am really hating life. I need people.') and practical ('There is no hope for the road system around here.') benefits from this nomadic lifestyle. The need for contact with other people has driven some nomads to start working with others in public places and at strangers' homes. Other benefits from nomadic working include changing the scenery, and starting the work day 'long after many of their colleagues out at the cubicle farm have spent hours preparing for and getting to their workstations.' Coffee shop owners love the trend, and so do some employers, one of whom (an AOL manager), says: 'It's a win-win' because the employee in question 'is happy doing what he loves and from a business perspective, we gain valuable industry knowledge, contacts, and insights.'"

Comments

Old fashioned attitudes

[BigHungryJoe]

Am I the only one with an employer that has the attitude "If I can't see you working, you aren't working"?

In fact, the last few companies I've worked at have been like that. Maybe I've just been unlucky, but "working from home" hasn't been an option at any point in my career.

Human Nature

[Colourspace]

I'm just about to go back to working from home. I did it for seven years, but left a job today where I'd been in the office 9-5 with the same people, and I got to say I was sad to leave primarily because the last year there has been so good from the point of view of having people to bounce things off and just as importantly have fun with. As a consequence I have been thinking about this very thing. It won't be practical (or even desirable) to work in a coffee shop all day everyday, but I will make some effort to get out there more often to some local Wifi hotspots. OK, so I'm not going to necessarily talk to anyone, but the hustle and bustle of a public location has got to be better than sitting around in my flat, eating cereal and scratching my nuts. (mental note don't scratch in public).

Steve Roberts ("Wordy")

[dpbsmith]

Way way back in the days before the Internet, CompuServe Information Services ($6 an hour plus phone bill, often referred to as CI$) important. At that time, there was a guy named Steve Roberts, aka "Wordy," who travelled around the country on a recumbent bicycle with a TRS-100, posting updates to CIS.

Googling suggests that he is still experimenting with a nomadic lifestyle... I think... Some posting suggest he has an email address at microship.com It's not clear to me whose website that is or what, exactly it is about... but perhaps it is his and perhaps he is still experimenting with a nomadic lifestyle.