If this doesn't say Happy New Year, coworking style, I don't know what does!

The New Year’s holiday always brings lots of predictions and lists: The top this, the best that and the coming trends. Personally, I think these kinds of lists are a little silly because, with a few exceptions (such as the one I helped put together for Sustainable Industries) they tend to be off the mark or i just don’t agree with them.

But, with the massive growth of coworking around the world (I just read about the first coworking space in Urugay today), and the economic downturn, I think it’s safe to say that 2009 is poised to be the year of the coworker. I’m not alone either.

For example, Thomas Fey, senior futurist (what a great title) at The Davinci Insititue thinks coworking is going to be a big part of 2009. He just doesn’t know what it’s called:

As I started pulling my notes together for 2009 trends, I instantly became overwhelmed by the sheer volume of changes currently in the works. The number of moving parts seems to exceed the number of stationary parts. All of our markets, systems, and technologies have become incredibly fluid, and much like a floating vessel, we are heading to parts unknown

Number three on his list of 2009 trends is “The Coming ‘Empire of One’” which he says will grow out of the staggering unemployment numbers we are likely to see thanks to the recession. All of it means, “we will see a strong entrepreneurial push and a realignment of the systems supporting entrepreneurs.” Combine that with trend number four on his list, “Business Colonies,” and I think you see what I am getting at. Someone who has one of the coolest sounding titles ever thinks coworking is where it’s at.

Others think so too. There’s the tech writer in Austin, freeNewsDelivery, and others. Shoot, just take a look at how many coworking spaces there are around the world now.

So, it’s shaping up to be an excitng 2009 in the coworking world and it’s also going to be an amazing one here at Office Nomads too. Jacob sent me a list of all our members for a project I am working on, and both Susan and I noticed how long it has grown. The sheer force of all that energy in this space will surely bring us some amazing happenings. But we’ve got a few in store for you too. So please stay tuned and have a happy and healthy 2009!
I found the picture on the Flickr page of FlyGuy92856. Thank you!

Happy Holidays from Office Nomads!  We hope you are all enjoying a relaxing holiday wherever it is you may be.  We could say it a thousand times and still not feel like we’ve said it enough - thank you all for your incredible support over the last year+!  We absolutely could not have come so far without each of our members, friends, family members, and neighbors supporting us along the way.  We are so proud of how much we’ve grown over the last year, and can’t wait to see what happens in the space next.

FYI, our space is currently closed to drop-in members until the holiday season is wrapped up - we’ll be open again in 2009! We hope that in your time away from the office you’re having plenty of fun!

(I sure am - here’s a little snapshot of the fun happening for me in Philadelphia with my family…)

Happy Holidays again - please be safe, have fun, and we’ll see you in the new year!

The view off the back porch where I'm stuck today.

Seattle rarely gets snow and when we do, it’s usually a dusting or a quick dump and then a just-as-quick melt. So when we get an actual, real live snowstorm–as we are right this very second–it’s a big deal. Because snow is rare here, even when there’s just a chance of it, the city shuts down. There’s 2-3 inches even in the low-lying parts of Seattle today, so going anywhere further than a walk is nigh on impossible.

In other words, snow in seattle is a capital-E Event. It’s one you really want to talk about because it is such an Event, so this morning, I naturally wanted to talk snow. But because it’s snowing and I do not live within walking distance of Office Nomads, so I’m working at home today, all alone. I’m left with no one to talk to about the snow, or call to the window when some crazy-ass driver in an “all-wheel drive” car skids down the hill. It made me realize again how lonely it is to work at home.

A sparsely populated ON waves hi to me. Not a replacement for live interaction, but cute.

When big Events happen in life, whether they are snow storms, weddings, new jobs or whatever, you want to share them with the people who make up your community. In this culture where we work as hard and as many hours as we do, the office is a prime source of community and the loss of it–even for a day–is visceral. I really miss Office Nomads and all the people there today so we could share this event together. Communicating online, while fun, just isn’t cutting it. I wish I could talk to them, stare out the window at the pretty snow with them, and slack off with hot buttered rum and watch Hulu with them.

Office Nomads is my community and I feel like I should be there for this. I miss you guys!

Awww. I miss you too desk.