Where Is Your Community?
December 22nd, 2008 (2:00pm) Dawn Foster 19 Comments
As a freelance consultant, I spend my days in front of a computer occasionally shifting around the house to the couch, kitchen table, or porch when I need a change of scenery from my home office. I have a kitchen instead of a lunch room, a phone instead of a conference room, and no water cooler in sight. While the solitary web worker life can get lonely occasionally, most of us have found ways to engage with communities of our peers in less traditional ways outside of an office.
There have been many posts about engaging with coworkers and clients via Twitter, IM, Facebook, and other social networking sites. Those are a great first step to keep in touch with real people throughout the day, but what about those times when you just need to get out of the house?
I’m lucky to live here in Portland where we have a large number of freelancers, consultants, telecommuters, and other remote workers. We frequently get together during the week for coworking sessions at coffee shops where we each work independently, but by meeting in groups, we have people to watch our computers when we go to the bathroom, share quick stories, or get feedback on a tough issue. There are a few coffee shops where my web worker friends regularly congregate, and I can almost guarantee that I’ll see someone I know wander in during my visit.
If you aren’t lucky enough to have something similar already, consider scheduling it. How about coffee shop Wednesday? Pick a few friends who are also busy and who know that the purpose of the day is work (not chatting), and then find a place with solid wireless and caffeinated beverages. I typically save up those tasks that don’t require extensive concentration (responding to email, proposals, contracts, etc.), since you might not do your best strategic recommendations with the distractions of a coffee shop.
Beer and Blog Geek Meetups
photo used with permission from Aaron Hockley.
I also rely on attending regular events where I can interact with people who have similar technology interests. In some cases, I attend events that already exist. Here in Portland, we have events like Beer and Blog, Portland Web Innovators, and many user groups. I also noticed a few gaps, which I filled by working with other people to help start new groups like the Online Community Manager Meetup and PDX GeekChix. Attending existing events and starting new ones is a great way to meet new people and increase your interactions with other human beings offline.
What do you do when you crave human interaction during the work day?
Tags: coffee shop, community, Coworking, Events, meetup, portland, user groups
19 Comments Post your own comment
Paul the Knight says: December 22nd, 2008 3:36pm
When I crave human interaction, I arrange to go out for a meal with friends, go down the pub (or bar) or go see a movie. I also think its good to have that balance between average people & freelance friends, so your not always thinking about work & freelance stuff.
sandra says: December 22nd, 2008 10:08pm
i’m not a consultant, but i do telecommute full time. i’m in Portland and am starting to build a great virtual community within Twitter. i’ve gone to one Portland event and ended up feeling like an outsider. i guess i’m just too shy or a little too introverted for these meetups, but i’m not giving up yet!
Dawn Foster says: December 23rd, 2008 4:42am
Paul – Great point. It’s always nice to get away from shop talk with a few non-work friends!
Sandra – Feel free to email me (dawn at fastwonder.com) if you want some suggestions for Portland meetups. Some make it easier than others to get involved.
Janet Clarey says: December 23rd, 2008 7:02am
I struggle with this. I live in a rural area so it’s not easy to meet physically with people who share my interests. I’ve been looking into setting up a space for nomadic workers to co-work. Just need to do some market research. Most of my interactions are via Twitter, blogs, social networks, Skype, etc.
Rich says: December 23rd, 2008 7:12am
I’m not a freelance worker but I’m the only technical person in the Communications Department. So I’m alone for the most part. (cry for webmaster)
We have a Refresh group here that meets every 2 months. Its fun and education.
http://www.refreshtallahassee.org/
Justin Kistner says: December 23rd, 2008 7:53am
Beer and Blog FTW! Thanks for the mention, Dawn.
I like the way our Portland community spans multiple services (Twitter, Upcoming, blogs, etc.) and intersects with meatspace. I also like that we have a range of events; some that work for the whole community, and some for the many niche interests too. It makes our connections to each other feel more resilient than if we were formed around a single social object or common interest.
Beer and Blog gets some WebWorkerDaily love at Beer and Blog Portland says: December 23rd, 2008 8:03am
[...] and founder of Legion of Tech, Dawn Foster, shares the love on WebWorkerDaily in an piece called Where Is Your Community? I also rely on attending regular events where I can interact with people who have similar [...]
Dawn Foster says: December 23rd, 2008 8:40am
Rich – Refresh seems like a popular event. A few people just started Refresh Portland recently. So far, I haven’t made it to our Refresh, since it conflicts with my monthly Portland Werewolf game. :)
Sunita says: December 26th, 2008 3:57am
true fears of netizens loosing social skills.
Sunita
Timmo says: December 29th, 2008 11:57am
Hi Portlanders,
I live and work in London UK. Recently started a small freelancers’ collective meeting on Thursdays in each other’s homes. We take turns to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s a real sense of balance as we work hard then enjoy eating together and sharing thanksgiving, hilarity, conversation, encouragement, and advice.
It’s been a rich experience of genuine community, interchange, support and challenge for all of us. As well as productivity and creative stimulation. Encourage you to try it
Timmo
Beer and Blog gets some WebWorkerDaily love at Beer and Blog says: December 30th, 2008 12:26am
[...] and founder of Legion of Tech, Dawn Foster, shares the love on WebWorkerDaily in an piece called Where Is Your Community? I also rely on attending regular events where I can interact with people who have similar [...]
Robert S. Robbins says: December 31st, 2008 10:21am
I “see people” online using YouTube and Vloggerheads. Video creates a better sense of community than text based communication through Twitter, blogs, or forums. I like to listen to some vlogger drone on and on about nothing much while I’m working.
WebWorkerDaily » Archive Caffeine As Fuel For Web Workers « says: January 6th, 2009 8:00am
[...] with diverse interests and different backgrounds. I have a couple of local coffee shops where other web workers tend to gather during the day, and I’ve found myself in interesting conversations with people who work in [...]
WebWorkerDaily » Archive Side Project Overload « says: January 19th, 2009 8:00am
[...] Portland had an event, user group, or other gathering that doesn’t currently exist, I feel compelled to start it. I also enjoy meeting with other people to talk about common interests, learn new things, or help [...]
WebWorkerDaily » Archive Web Work 101: Socializing « says: February 25th, 2009 9:16am
[...] your work out of the house. I like to spend some time working in coffee shops with other people to break up the time working in my home office. I usually save up some work that [...]
allison says: March 9th, 2009 12:24pm
Coworking is a great way to stay connected to other professionals. It’s a wonderful option for those that work from home, travel or are looking to cut traditional office costs. These spaces are creative & open, while also allowing you to network & share ideas. Look at sites such as twitter & wiki to learn more about coworking & to find a location near you. Chattanooga,TN has coworking space in the downtown business district. Jellies are held every other Friday 10-5 to introduce this concept. twitter.com/conciergelevel, wiki.coworking.ino/CoworkingChattanooga, info@theconciergelevel.com
WebWorkerDaily » Archive Community Organized Events, Unconferences and BarCamps « says: March 10th, 2009 9:01am
[...] previous posts, I’ve talked about attending local events and meetups or scheduling new ones if you can’t find any that meet your needs. In this post, I wanted to talk about something [...]
So SoMe: Social Media Awards launched to coincide with InnoTech » Silicon Florist says: April 1st, 2009 12:43pm
[...] So get all your social ducks in a row and fill out the form. Or get your clients to nominate you. I think you could use a new trophy on your desk. Or to haul around with you from coffee shop to coffee shop. [...]
So SoMe: Social Media Awards launched to coincide with InnoTech | Oregon Startup Blog says: April 2nd, 2009 1:05am
[...] So get all your social ducks in a row and fill out the form. Or get your clients to nominate you. I think you could use a new trophy on your desk. Or to haul around with you from coffee shop to coffee shop. [...]