My New Blog

[orion_joel]

Hi All,

While i don't want to make this a blatant advertisement, i would like to share my new blog i am getting going. I have launched today at No Fixed Office (http://www.nofixedoffice.com). I thought it may be of interest to some of the members here.

I have been really busy over the last week creating some content for it, so there will be some really interesting (at least i think so) posts coming up over the next few weeks discussing the potential of working without having a fixed office. The scope that i hope to cover in the long term is not just the potential, but also go over the range of products that is available and also move into discussing the ideal businesses for this model, plus anything else related to the topic.

I am working on a header and some other theme elements for the page, however i have been going through a few stock photography sites and even though i know what i want for the images have sort of been hit with to much choice and am now trying to work out which way i really want to go. Which by the way if there are any graphic designers here that would like to quote on a 760px x 200px header please PM me.

[vangogh]

Nice start. In a sense I'm one without a fixed office. Even though I tend to work out of my home most of the time, my office is really just my laptop. I have carried it to other locations and brought it with me to work. I've even though of making it part of my routine to get out and work from coffee shops every so often just to try a different location.

With the header image (and images in general) one thing I've done often is to grab a few images and then combine them into something new. You get the great photography while still ending up with a unique image.

[KristineS]

I kind of like the idea of no fixed office. It's intriguing. Since I currently work for a company, I haven't really tried working anywhere but my office here or at home. Guess I should take the laptop out to the coffee shop or something and see what happens.

Can't wait to see what sort of theme you come up with for the blog.

[orion_joel]

Vangogh you are a perfect example, of what i am really looking to discuss with the blog. While you say you only venture out sometimes, it is one of those things that there is as many differing degrees as there are people to look at.

Kristine, it would be interesting to see if venturing out helps stimulate your thoughts at all when you are writing or such...Also i have the perfect theme for it in my head i am just having trouble coaxing it out into the open realm of being.

[vangogh]

Yeah, my not venturing out isn't really because of any limitations in doing that, but that I'm just more comfortable working from home. But I have thought about it. My MacBookPro weighs a few pounds at most and even if I tossed in an external drive and other peripherals I could get by with 10-15 pounds of equipment. I have a laptop backback which can hold most things that constitute my office so it really isn't that difficult to not be tethered to any one place.

I think my printer is the only thing that would be tough to carry around at the moment and I'm pretty sure there are more mobile options if I wanted. I print sparingly though so it's not something I'd really need to carry to be productive and if for some reason I was out and needed something printed there are more than enough places I could go to that will print for me.

A topic you might want to include down the line is the idea of the virtual office where all employees work where they want and the office is mainly connected through the internet. There's no reason, for example, why I couldn't hire someone in another state to work for me. There are companies now where the employees may never meet each other or their employer in person.

[orion_joel]

That is one of the areas i want to take the blog Vangogh, because to be honest there is only a limited amount of topics you can talk about on the basic concept. Expanding to Discussion on the full Virtual office, and any other area's that i can delve into. Especially businesses that work well with the concept.

The other thing that i will be looking to talk about is some of the products that make this possible. I am actually in the middle of writing a post about portable printers. However as you mention i find that i have very little need for printing even when i have a printer right next to me. However i do think that having portable printing capability is going to be something many mobile office workers will want or need at some point. For example sending invoices to clients, can then be done from anywhere, or maybe you do meetings with clients often, and you are then able to print out a quote on the spot.

I mean how many businesses have a model where clients expect a written quote, but would be happy to sign off on the project right now, but need to wait for your to send them a quote and such. Would it not be a good idea if you could be sitting with a client preparing a quote in a coffee shop, be able to print off two copies, they take a copy and sign the other as acceptance of the quote and as they are leaving you are already organizing the fulfillment of the order. This area is really something that is beyond the portable office and something anyone could use.

[vangogh]

Product reviews can probably give you some posts. There are lots of different things someone might choose for their mobile office. You're looking at the printers now, but you could compare different computers for battery life, or sturdiness. You could compare different types and models of laptop bags, etc.

You could interview people who don't have an office and keep on the lookout for anything that makes it easier for people to go officeless.

How about building a list of places that offer free wireless service. That's the kind of thing linbait is made from. You might be able to get a good list started and then have readers contribute as they find them. The whole thing might be a mashup with Google Maps with indicators for wherever free wireless has been found.

[orion_joel]

Those are some really good idea's Vangogh, which i do believe i may try to integrate in the future. I also had the idea in the future i think i will try and incorporate how to operate a business with no office, no computer no nothing by using just internet cafes or such. Of course that would not be ideal for everyone, but it could be a potential sub topic for a few posts.

Just not long before visiting the site here today i was going through some other ideas, some of them are going to require a good deal of research, but could potentially lead to months worth of posts overall. I think the biggest thing i want to be sure about is that i don't get to a point where i am desperate to create anything to make a new post.

[Blessed]

Joel - your new blog is a good one, I looked at it a couple of days ago when you first posted and liked your first article! The little one and I have been sick this week so I've only been partly here but wanted to let you know I think you've got a good thing going! I'll have some ideas for you too - as soon as enough of the congestion clears out of my head that my brain can function properly again :rolleyes:

[orion_joel]

Actually Blessed that is not a bad idea, while i do have some content lined up for the next few weeks i am more then happy to take suggestions on what you may like to hear more about along the lines of having no fixed office. While i have some ideas i think that there is the potential that there is more to this then just what i am thinking so suggestions are welcome and even if they are things that may require a little research on my part i don't mind.

[vangogh]

Don't worry too much about running out of ideas a year from now. There's no way you can have the blog planned out for years down the road. If you can see enough topics to last a few months you should be ok and you'll find more topics during those months for the next few.

Your idea of showing how to work without a computer or anything and working through internet cafes only is an interesting one. You probably won't find too many people who would adopt that plan completely, but I think most people could still take something from it. I won't give up my laptop or home office, but it would interesting to know how I can run an OS from a flash drive I can carry around with me for those times when it's not practical to carry my laptop around.

[orion_joel]

Hmmm, i know there are a number of OS's that are bootable from a Cd mostly designed with testing suites of software built into them. However a OS off a flash drive with a majority of the things you need may be something that will work. Even that being side i know there is some programs that can be run this way.

The idea of the internet cafe i had been more thinking along the lines of online hosted applications, however the other way on carrying them with you could work, even things like External Solid State Disk Drives might make this easier for the capacity.

[orion_joel]

Just wanted to let everyone know that i have got a header image on the blog now, and would love any feedback on it. The original idea i had i was having a lot of trouble finding images that i liked that would blend together well, so end up settling for a single image.

[vangogh]

I like the header image, though I think you need a logo. I like the tagline for the site, "the freedom to work anywhere, anytime, anyhow."

With the USB drives, maybe it's not a full OS thing, but more a way to keep specific programs with profiles. You could have Firefox installed on a thumb drive along with all your bookmarks, or maybe an email client which already knows how to connect with your accounts.

You'd probably also want a way to make sure none of the above is left on the computer itself you're plugging into.