Web Worker Daily

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Image via Wikipedia (LibSyn)

Before I fell asleep last night, I started thinking about what I’m spending on Web applications. I take advantage of the free levels of apps whenever I can, however, in some cases, I have to give in and pay for the services.

Don’t get me wrong - I don’t have buyer’s remorse, but I do think I need to get a firm grasp of what Web apps or SaaS’s I have on autopay on my business credit card because it is getting to be too easy to charge these things.

Here is the list of Web apps I’ve been paying for and why I pay for them:

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We’ve talked a lot about managing a social network strategy, maintaining a work-life balance, and living in a blur of social media. The fact is though, that with the sheer number of services available to us, and our ability to be connected to them virtually everywhere, we may be relying on them a bit too much.

So I had to laugh when I saw Unplug Your Friends, a site which lets you send an intervention email to those you know who may be suffering from what they call Screen Addiction.

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If you’re looking to connect with folks in your area or while traveling, MeetingWave wants to bring you together with the help of their online meeting planner. Post an invite to your meeting, either publicly or privately, and interested parties use the service to accept.

You can search by zip code or general location to find something interesting and RSS feeds can be created to match your specific event criteria. It has the obligatory reminders, recurring event creation, and I really appreciate their efforts to help ensure the privacy of users and event locations.

Formerly called Travelers Table, MeetingWave is re-branding to acknowledge that meetings occur everywhere and perhaps their old name was limiting interest in their service, but is it enough?

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