I am an collaborative worker. I have always worked in office environments where there is a free flow of conversation: work and personal. In a normal office environment you talk about your day, discuss work issues, joke about what’s happening in the world.
Sitting in my home office with nothing but the sound of Pandora and the air conditioner compressor kicking in every once in a while, here are some of my “office”-like interactions so far:
- asked a colleague for help on a technical issue
- gossiped about celebrities
- talked about the value of ANY entry level tech job in this economy with a colleague
- showed everyone (a picture of) what I had for lunch
- talked about the hall of fame worthiness of some MLB All-Stars
- interacted with customers
Also, when in the office you are limited to the knowledge and expertise of your co-workers. Now, I have access to some really smart people who believe in knowledge abundance and are very willing to help.
Today I had a problem with WordPress. Within minutes of tweeting about it with a #wordpress hashtag I had a response from someone in Bulgaria (thank you @svil4ok_en) who was not even a follower.
All while never leaving the comfort of my home office. Most of these people I have never met in person. In fact, I don’t even know their real names. But through social media interaction I get to know and work with many people I wouldn’t otherwise, and make my day a little more interesting.