From Telecommuting to Coworking

Great article in Carrboro Commons today - I know because I'm in it! The concepts of 'work' and 'office' are changing and those in the information economy are starting to adapt to the new world:

Creative Coworking offers a new dynamic:

"People left the office and cubicle and they say, 'OK, I'm going to break out.' ... So you start doing that. You work at home. You want to get something better than the couch, so you get a table. ... You start creating an office in a spare bedroom. That works great for a while," Russell said.

"Then you get a little bored, and your spouse is like, 'Why haven't you gotten out of your pajamas in the past five days?' And so they go and get dressed and take their laptop and bag and go to a coffee shop."

"They do that for a while, but then the music starts to bug you. There aren't enough electrical outlets. ... You get frustrated, so you go back home. ..."

Ultimately, all those public places with social potential don't have all the things you need, Russell said.
"There's a big gap between working at a coffee shop and owning your own office."

Then, a little further down the page, you can see a familiar name .... ;-) Doing this interview was actually tons of fun!

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That ... is either insane, or brilliant. Maybe a bit of both.

By Scott Simmons (not verified) on 02 Oct 2008 #permalink