There was a ray of hope for premises-seeking freelancers yesterday when David Cameron announced that the Government would be offering up its vast inventory of vacant office buildings to small businesses and entrepreneurs at subsidised rates, making a dedicated office space suddenly a more realistic proposition.
We’ve covered coworking plenty on Freelance Advisor. Be it at dedicated coworking spaces or weekly Jelly meetings, we think coworking is a fantastic way for freelancers and contractors to get out there, enjoy the company of like-minded individuals, get some work done, and do some no-pressure networking. It would seem out enthusiasm is shared by many coworkers, as evidenced by the results of a survey by Deskmag.
In my quest to find a work space outside the home office and where I can’t satisfy a strong desire to vacuum every three hours (classic procrastination, not mild OCD), I was invited to a ‘We Show, You Tell’ evening by brand new co-working space Central in Bloomsbury, London.
After suffering a short bout of cabin fever as a home-based PR consultant and writer, I’ve been keen to join a co-working space – those hip, buzzy, networking joints full of freelancers looking hip and buzzy but really just wanting to escape the cat stepping over their keyboard every five minutes.
SPACE is a co-working space with a difference. While most of the shared offices we’ve come across are utilitarian rows of desks with power outlets (albeit usually with some trendy flourishes thrown in), SPACE is just that…a space. It is geared towards artists more than developers, and has a thriving community of creative people who use their services every day.
Mel Dixon | News,Working From Home
Areas in which women are superior to men: they are better at reproducing, can carry out multiple tasks and have a greater understanding of the offside rule. Now, you can add coworking to that short list…
OpenSpace is co-operatively run co-working office facility in Manchester. It offers comparatively cheap, flexible office space in a creative, friendly atmosphere. The co-operative was formed in 2007 when a group of like-minded freelancers and small businesses discovered that they were all facing similar issues
Jon Norris | Events,Working From Home
If you’re a work-from-home freelancer, you may very well have heard of Jelly, the popular co-working group. Born in 1996 out of two New York freelancer’s loneliness, Jelly groups became more popular and finally came to the UK in late 2009, and now over 60 events per month are held across the country. The thinking behind these events is that although working from home is great, sometimes it can get a tad lonely.
Are you a freelancer? We’re guessing probably yes. Do you like live music, free alcohol and free food? Of course you do. Are you based in or around the Brighton area? We hope so. Because today we’re announcing the inaugural Brighton & Hove Freelancer’s Christmas Party!
A lot has been said about the Digital Economy Bill. But it looks like too little has been said too late. Last night’s final reading, and the resultant Twitter response, has a silver-lining, more and more people are aware of parliamentary procedure, have read the bill, and have voiced their dissent.
But this bill could have a real impact on digital creatives and anyone with a shared network. We’d love to hear from any freelancers or contractors who think their work and project will be affected by the new bill. As it stands it looks like Internet Cafes and Co-working places might be most affected by the proposed changes in law — effectively any wireless hotspot owner will be liable for all content accessed via their network… and your entire network can be shut down, or given limited business threatening access, for any one possible infringement.
How this will play out in practice remains to be seen, but we’d be very interested to hear from co-working spaces and cafe owners who think they might be affected… and what steps you might be taking to get around, or comply, with the proposed law.
The guys and girls at Cloud Engines are my new best friends! As a roaming freelancer (working on contracts in other people’s offices, working from home and, sometimes, working from bed) the problem of where to keep my data has always been a difficult one to solve. Not any more.
Pogoplug is a great solution. It’s got 4 USB slots and it connects to a home WiFi router and, yes it really is that simple, now I have access to my portable hard drives wherever I am in the world.
Michael Rose | Lifestyle & Time out
A great little video with a simple message.
“Sure you can speak to me… but if I’m wearing my headphones you should come back later”
Leif Kendall | Lifestyle & Time out
Copywriter Leif Kendall gives away his secret for happy and successful freelancing: coworking. If you haven’t tried coworking, you’re missing out on a wealth of potential. As a freelancer it’s an ideal way to get out of the house and be in an office, without all the extra baggage that comes with office life. Leif explains why co-working works for him…
Rosie Sherry | Getting a Job,Lifestyle & Time out
Think freelance. Think freedom. Think about the 1 minute commute from your bed. Think working in your pyjamas. Think it’s perfect? Freelancing is often related to an improved lifestyle and work-life balance. Though the opposite often occurs. In today’s 24/7, always-connected world it’s all too easy to lock yourself away and lose track of what [...]
