Web Worker Daily

I’m a compulsive digital fiddler.

Not often, but it happens. Sometimes I get so intimidated by work that I end up procrastinating online. I started my workday at 6 a.m. last Monday hoping to get the week off to a good start, but I found myself reading a Wikipedia entry on the many versions of “Blade Runner” three hours later.

While these incidents are few and far between, I’d rather avoid them altogether. Every time I catch myself returning to bad habits, I take the following steps to get right back on the wagon: Read the rest of this entry »

Last Wednesday I woke up to find that my Internet connection wasn’t working. While I have an alternative 3G connection, I get charged by the half-hour so a consistent connection that way wasn’t an option. Working with only occasional Internet access was extremely frustrating at first, and it made me realize how dependent I am on the web.

However, after the initial adjustment, I found that I was actually more productive when I wasn’t connected to the Internet. This happens every time my connection goes out, which is more often than I’d like. If this is the case, maybe I should consciously disconnect myself from time to time? Especially since many other bloggers have recommended it. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m currently staying at an upmarket European hotel. Internet is free, but only if you have an Ethernet cable and can plug in. If you want Wi-Fi, the cost is a hefty 17 euros ($24) per 24 hours. Fortunately, I read James Kendrick’s “What’s In Your Bag” post before leaving home, which prompted me to stash a network cable in my bag. This cable will save me $50 over the two days that I’m staying here.

It’s always worth taking a network cable if you’re staying in an unfamiliar hotel because it might have expensive Wi-Fi, poor Wi-Fi reception in your room, or no Wi-Fi at all. This cable took a little room in my bag, but I’m very glad I packed it.

Share your travel tips in the comments.

In Part 1 of this little series of posts, I talked about my move from Anchorage to Tok, Alaska. I went from acceptable Internet speeds at a fairly reasonable price ($60-ish/month) to barely 512K up and down, a 10 Gig monthly limit and $180/month plus $30 per Gig over the limit. As a web worker (read: Bandwidth Hog). I’m still reeling from the adjustment and keeping a careful eye on my bandwidth usage daily.

So how have these connectivity challenges and unexpected expenses affected my web work? And how am I compensating for these…developments?

Read the rest of this entry »

As a new contributor to WWD, I’ve been asked to pass on some of the practical knowledge I’ve manged to acquire from more than 25 years as a journalist writing primarily about airlines, airports and hotels.

A little about me: Last spring I left a fulltime position as a reporter, columnist and blogger for The Philadelphia Inquirer and joined your world as a home-based freelance writer — doing the same amount of work for half the money! I continue to write a Philly-focused column and blog for the newspaper. What I’ll offer for WWD readers will be more wide ranging, talking about ways to work efficiently wherever and whenever you’re traveling, along with throwing out ideas for stretching your travel budget to the max.

My first topic is a basic for the business traveler whose working life depends on web access, and is one that many of you probably have some experience with.

How do you avoid surprises when you check into a hotel, find your room and fire up the laptop to check e-mail or do other work online?

Read the rest of this entry »

As reported on our parent blog GigaOm, this is a good day for web workers who are forced to travel by air: American Airlines has become the first domestic carrier to offer full in-flight broadband internet access. This won’t necessarily make up for all the rising costs, security tightening, and general hassles of flying these days, but at least you’ll be able to be more easily productive in the air.

The service is launching on nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and LA, and New York and Miami. Like everything else about air travel, it’s not free – but the $12.95 per flight charge should be easier to swallow than $15 to check another bag.