As part of a network-wide overhaul of all our sites, we’ve been hard at work for months creating a new design for WebWorkerDaily that’s easy to use, is more social, and showcases our best content while still retaining some of the signature look of the previous version.

The new design is also aimed at giving us more flexibility as to the type of content that we can offer — we should be able to use more video and publish more image-heavy posts, for example. However, it’s important to note that while we’ve updated the look of the site, our focus won’t change: We’ll continue to deliver content that helps you to be more productive, more connected and more successful.

What do you think of our new look?

Email me at tips@webworkerdaily.com with writing samples or links to existing work.

I’d like to thank Judi for the work that she’s done on WWD and also for making the transition between editors as simple and painless as it could possibly be. I’m thrilled that she’ll be staying on as Senior Writer: she has a great voice, plenty of valuable experience, and will make a fantastic lead for our team of writers here.

We have some exciting changes planned for the site that we’ll be introducing shortly, but in this post I’d like to briefly talk about WebWorkerDaily. Om Malik started the site back in September 2006 with a vision for a blog that would cover the new way of working for the increasing number of people no longer chained to their desks; those who work from home, a cafe, or wherever they could set their laptop and get an internet connection (the “neo-Bedouin”, to use a term coined by Greg Olsen). 2006 was only a couple of short years ago now, but the trend for flexible working means that, in that time, many more people have joined our tribe of nomadic workers. The proliferation of mobile devices with internet connectivity, increasingly available wi-fi, and coworking spaces blossoming in many cities means that the web working lifestyle is accessible to many more people than it was even a couple of years ago.

One of the things that I’ve been working on is a “manifesto”, a statement of what I think WebWorkerDaily is and should be. I’d like to share it with you.

A WebWorkerDaily Manifesto The modern workforce is increasingly moving out of the office. Using the Web and mobile technologies to connect to colleagues and customers, people can work wherever they set their laptop. WebWorkerDaily is a daily blog and community that empowers Web workers, connecting with them, inspiring them, and helping them to be more productive and successful. The team at WebWorkerDaily believes that people work better without being tied to a desk, and that companies which make effective use of web workers are leaner, more profitable and, ultimately, more successful.

• WebWorkerDaily is about putting the Web to work for you.
• We believe that everyone can use the Web to work more effectively.
• We publish content that helps our readers to get the job done. While we cover technology, the technology is not the story.
• WebWorkerDaily isn’t about the theory of web working, it’s about the reality. Our content is practical and relevant. It tells stories from the trenches.
• We are an integral part of the web working community. We publish content that builds ideas and conversation.
• WebWorkerDaily is written from experience: our team live and breathe the web working experience every day.

We’ll be working hard to make sure that our content achieves those goals to make WebWorkerDaily the best resource for you that it can be. I want us to be an integral part of the web working community: we thrive on your feedback. So, please, feel free to share your feedback and suggestions in the comments, or email me at tips@webworkerdaily.com.

Now, just about everyone who earns income is a “web worker” at least for some part of their day.

To keep up with this ever-changing working world, and so we may continue to be a go-to resource for those who work in the cloud, we’ve got some staff changes to announce. We’ll be saying goodbye to Mike Gunderloy as Senior Writer, and hello to Simon Mackie as the new Editor of WWD. I’ll be stepping down as Editor to concentrate on writing for the site.

Mike Gunderloy joined WWD a few weeks after I did in December 2006, and since then has contributed nearly 1000 posts. Mike is going off to concentrate on his development work, which has grown significantly for him over the last few months. While we’re thrilled for his success, we hope that we can convince him to drop back in for a post or two. Mike was able to cut through the hype and get right to why it mattered for web workers. His voice will be missed.

Who is taking Mike’s place as Senior Writer? Me! I am very, very lucky that I wake up every morning and I can’t wait to get to the computer to do two jobs that I love. In addition to editing WebWorkerDaily, I also work fulltime for C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition, telecommuting from my home office. I helped start the nonprofit in 2005 and have seen it grow to become the leading colorectal cancer patient advocacy organization in the United States.

Unfortunately, I can’t work fulltime for both wonderful companies. Therefore, I asked Om Malik to replace me as Editor of WWD. As anyone who has built a successful site knows it’s difficult, if not impossible, to do parttime. WWD deserves fulltime love and attention. I will stay with WWD as a writer, which suits me (and the site) well.

I’m pleased to introduce Simon Mackie as the new Editor of WebWorkerDaily. Simon has worked in technical publishing for nearly ten years, with a particular focus on content for web professionals, most recently at Vitamin and SitePoint. He lives in Bristol in the South West of England and has a passion for the Web “done right.”

Simon has great plans for WWD which you’ll see unfold over the coming months. Please give him a warm welcome, and feel free to send him your ideas: tips(at)webworkerdaily.com.