mediaville Montreal

“Do you work from home but miss the office atmosphere? Then simply hire a group of people you don’t really like and would never otherwise spend time with, to mill around your living room for nine hours a day…”

From The Bugle, via Web Worker Daily

Cafes are great places for a spot of people watching. But if you’re like me you’re not there to people watch; you’re there to work. But it’s just so darned hard to concentrate with the guy next to you singing in an off key whisper, or the girl on her cell phone who’s every second word is ‘like’.

It drives me, like, really mad!

But we humble freelancer’s have to remember that café’s weren’t meant to be offices. We just use them that way because the reality for most of us is that they’re a convenient and affordable alternative to staying inside the house 24/7, clawing at the walls.

Working from home, alone, is a tricky business.

At first the loose dress codes and flexible schedule are a dream come true, but many remote workers come to miss the social interaction and structure of a workplace. Home is also full of distractions – from household chores to Wii fit there are just too many ways to not work and yet still feel like you are getting things done.

Working alone can be draining and not through being productive; feelings of isolation and loss of human interaction are common among workers who e-commute. Social interaction is a very important part of the creative process. For many, the best work they do is when they collaborate; could the absence of human contact be hurting your work?

But the expense of a workspace often puts the option beyond the reach of a small freelancing business. So what can be done to get out of the house, but not to the cafe?

Originally developed by nomadic web workers, co-working was a smart alternative to working in cafes as a means to end the isolation of home offices. And while ‘desk share’ spaces are certainly not a new idea – such spaces have long offered independent contractors a space to work and meet clients – co-working is new take on the deal!

As we lead up to the June 17^th Mediaville All Media Mixer, we’ll be taking a closer look at the ideas behind co-working, how it has changed the idea of ‘desk share’ spaces, and the ways that freelancers can best take advantage of co-working.

We’ll also be focusing on an idea that dovetails neatly with co-working; how cross-industry associations can open new collaborative freelancing opportunities for media workers.

There are only a handful of spaces left open for the All-Media Mixer – have you booked yet?

For more information: info@mediaville.ca