Working from wherever – Our nomadic future

by Mark on April 30, 2008

economist_logo.pngI’m pretty sure this story has been covered quite a bit already by blogs of this ilk but I couldn’t pass up the chance to include it in our content.

The Economist wrote an excellent post about how technology is enabling a new type of nomad. A 21st century nomad. We’re not hauling around all our possessions like the nomads of long ago. (and actually, the nomads in the Sahara of today with the notable exception that a lot of them have cell phones) Instead we’re toting along our Blackberrys and our iPhones with our laptops hanging from our shoulders and seeking out the nearest cafe, beach, or resort with wifi connectivity.

[ad]I tend to get very excited about the acceptability of being able to be a nomad of this sort. But does the ideal not meet the reality of this?

SOMETIMES the biggest changes in society are the hardest to spot precisely because they are hiding in plain sight. It could well be that way with wireless communications. Something that people think of as just another technology is beginning to show signs of changing lives, culture, politics, cities, jobs, even marriages dramatically. In particular, it will usher in a new version of a very old idea: nomadism…

Of course, there’s still a huge responsibility to manage your down time with family and self. Just because you can conduct business from anywhere doesn’t mean you always should be!

Our nomadic future – Economist.com

Here’s some excellent further reading about how wireless communications are changing the way we work, live, love and relate to places – and each other…

Nomads at last – Economist.com

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  • http://www.getrocketship.com/ Stefan McIntosh

    The ability to work nomadically depends on being able to do the things you’d otherwise have to be in your office to do. Technology has really made this possible with things like VoIP, remote access to file servers, electronic documents, email to fax (and vice-versa), etc.

    The ability for multiple people to remotely manage centralized information, such as a website, is also critical in making the move to a nomadic workplace. This is where a web content management system can really help. It is basically software that allows you to remotely access and update your website–anytime, from anywhere.

    One option worth considering is called Rocketship. It is an all-in-one, hosted website solution designed specifically for small businesses. It comes bundled with a bunch of easy-to-use tools for creating and managing all sorts of web content. You can get started right away by using one of the professionally designed templates or create your own design. Probably the best thing about Rocketship is that you can have an actual website (not just a blog) up and running in a couple of hours with no prior experience (and it will look good too). Try doing that with something like Microsoft Frontpage! You can try Rocketship free here: http://www.getrocketship.com

  • http://www.getrocketship.com Stefan McIntosh

    The ability to work nomadically depends on being able to do the things you’d otherwise have to be in your office to do. Technology has really made this possible with things like VoIP, remote access to file servers, electronic documents, email to fax (and vice-versa), etc.

    The ability for multiple people to remotely manage centralized information, such as a website, is also critical in making the move to a nomadic workplace. This is where a web content management system can really help. It is basically software that allows you to remotely access and update your website–anytime, from anywhere.

    One option worth considering is called Rocketship. It is an all-in-one, hosted website solution designed specifically for small businesses. It comes bundled with a bunch of easy-to-use tools for creating and managing all sorts of web content. You can get started right away by using one of the professionally designed templates or create your own design. Probably the best thing about Rocketship is that you can have an actual website (not just a blog) up and running in a couple of hours with no prior experience (and it will look good too). Try doing that with something like Microsoft Frontpage! You can try Rocketship free here: http://www.getrocketship.com

  • Mark

    I’ve actually used the Rocketship system. It’s easy to use and customizable. (However, you need a designer who’s good at CSS to implement the design)

  • http://www.getrocketship.com/ Stefan McIntosh

    If you want a totally custom design, it’s true that you’ll need someone with a good working knowledge of CSS to implement it. However, this would be no different using a custom design with any other website solution.

    One advantage of Rocketship is that you can use one of the pre-built designs without any knowledge of CSS–they are already implemented and ready to go with Rocketship.

  • http://www.getrocketship.com Stefan McIntosh

    If you want a totally custom design, it’s true that you’ll need someone with a good working knowledge of CSS to implement it. However, this would be no different using a custom design with any other website solution.

    One advantage of Rocketship is that you can use one of the pre-built designs without any knowledge of CSS–they are already implemented and ready to go with Rocketship.

  • Mark

    I've actually used the Rocketship system. It's easy to use and customizable. (However, you need a designer who's good at CSS to implement the design)

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