Comments on: What do you like most about webworking?

By: deneb

deneb — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:11:47 +0000

To me, it’s the creative aspect involved with web development that got me addicted. I love having the feeling that we can change the world or rather, to be more modest, change the way others use their computers.

I love how the web is evolving. I love blogs since it allows remarkable indivudals to get hear and share their ideas. I love Ajax, simplicity, tagging and everything else that is web 2.0, although i pay attention to not say something is cool just because it’s 2.0.

I love the Web because it’s becoming pretty (like this blog). I love the Web because it is (still) neutral. I love Firefox, Google and del.icio.us. I enjoy reading AListAPart and the dilbert blog. I love RSS and podcast feeds. I love developing with Rails while learning Django. I love talking about accessibility, usability, design and good development practices. I love learning new stuff. I love fighting in order to help make the web more interesing and accessible for those who don’t care at all.

By: Willard

Willard — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 18:22:10 +0000

I like that I can surf porn all day and drink on the job. Thoughts?

By: Pam

Pam — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:18:07 +0000

Being a freelancer allows me to control what role work plays in my life. Being a web worker is just further refinement of that. I am lucky to really like the work I do, but there are a lot of other things I like to do with my time as well.

As an employee or someone with an office job, I’m beholden to forces that determine my availability to go camping for six weeks, eat lunch at home with my husband, make me get dressed in something other than my pajamas… but as a web worker? I get to decide.

And all the “other stuff” about working – beyond the deliverable – gets downgraded in priority to where I think it should it to be.

By: Alex Payne

Alex Payne — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:57:43 +0000

For me it’s about how web working transforms the problem-solving process. Without a meeting room to idle about in, endlessly debating, people actually get things done. Problem solving turns from “how about this idea?” to “how about this implementation?”, and that keeps work interesting.

The freedom of schedule and freedom from dreary offices is nothing to sneeze at, either.

By: Deirdré Straughan

Deirdré Straughan — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:01:54 +0000

I worked mostly remotely from Italy for a Silicon Valley company from 1994-2001. The upsides included a much bigger paycheck than I could have had working strictly locally (Italian salaries suck), a lot of flexibility during my daylight hours (but often I was in phone conferences from 6 pm on – the 9-hour time difference was a huge problem), and that I almost entirely managed myself (and, later, a world-wide team of remote workers).

Downsides included: staff turnover at HQ made me increasingly vulnerable – when no one knows you, and they don’t have a clear picture of what you do (online marketing/customer service was radical at that time), they don’t much care whether they keep you or not. Travelling to Milpitas four times a year, including long stays during the summer, assuaged that to some extent.

My own space?!? ROTFL. We lived in a three-room apartment in Milan. My workspace was a corner of our bedroom. Now we live in a much bigger place, on Lake Como, and I actually have a home office – but I have an office job and commute to Milan every day. Wouldn’t mind going back to web working…

By: cema

cema — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 01:34:02 +0000

The web and the people on it are dynamic. Everything else is static.

By: Self-interview: What do I like most about web working? « Vannevar Vision

Self-interview: What do I like most about web working? « Vannevar Vision — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 01:02:26 +0000

[...] The original article. [...]

By: Rhett

Rhett — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:58:04 +0000

Designing for web; what I like about the web most is the same as what irritates me the most too.

It’s continually changing

By: Jeb

Jeb — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:49:41 +0000

My reason isn’t nearly as complex. My wife and I are expecting our first child at the end of this month and I will get to be around to see her all day. That’s what I like the most. Oh yah, I also get to wear my pajamas all day.

By: dresramblings

dresramblings — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 23:22:22 +0000

I think the applications and benefits of having a better connected world makes doing some jobs easier than others. In my current job, the flexibility ended when my laptop decided to quit working properly. The result was a more powerful desktop, but a reduction in some of the things that made work enjoyable, like the ability to update the compnay website from wherever I was without having to worry about firewalls or the drive into the office.
If I could make a career change, I’d love to make a shift to more of a digital magazine type atmosphere. There would be more hours, but the results of enjoying the job more and the freedom to be extremely creative with it far outweighs the other stuff. Teleconferencing and meeting deadlines are much easier now thanks to some of the WYSIWYG editors for everything from blogs to work plans. I enjoy where I live and would hope that something would be available that would allow me to stay here and enjoy the benefits of Birmingham while enjoying the fun of working and doing something enjoyable. We’ll see if the web allows that to happen in ‘07.

By: radlad

radlad — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 21:57:15 +0000

By far, the coolest thing about being a web developer is reaching people far and wide and giving them something they value, usually for free. My job didn’t exist a few years back. I’ve been able to carve out my own niche, create new technology, and lay the foundation for legal automation – all from the comfort of my bedroom.