How To Overcome Blog Loneliness
Many bloggers dream of the day when they will achieve the status of professional blogger and do nothing but blog from home. However, professional blogging isn’t all its cut out to be. One of the biggest problems you deal with when working from home is isolation and loneliness. This has to be the biggest complaint from bloggers going full time. In the work-a-day world, you can look forward to the watercooler mingling with coworkers. With no more coworkers to mingle with, one can lose their mind with boredom and loneliness. Here’s how to overcome it.
Instant Messengers Are Your Friends
When I first discovered ICQ, I thought it was the greatest invention since sliced bread. An instant messenger allows me to communicate in real time with anyone in the world. It has also allowed me to meet and network with many liked minded people online and offline.
Using an instant messenger is a great way to maintain communications with ex-coworkers and far away friends. When you blog full time, you’ll start to depend on it more than ever. I used IM mostly for business these days. I very seldom use it for chitchat. IM is great for setting up face to face meetings and get together.
Attend Networking Events
As great as IM is, it’s no substitute for live face-to-face networking. Find an event in your area and join in the fun. You can use a service Meetup.com to find almost anything that interest you. For example, the Vancouver Blogger Meetup Group has 218 members. If you can’t find a meetup, set one up yourself. That is what I did with Dot Com Pho. Once in a while, we will mix it up and change it to Dot Com Dim Sum or Dot Com $60 Burgers but the whole purpose of the get together is for support and building relationships.
You can also try meeting up with ex-coworkers after work for drinks or dinner. However, you may find this doesn’t works as you would like it to. This is because the ex-coworkers will generally be talking about workplace gossip, which you are no longer part of. Then again, there’s also the chance that they’ll want to know how they can quit their job and be a full time blogger as well.
Hit The Starbucks
Sometimes, you just need a change of scenery. Pack up that notebook and blog from a remote location like Starbucks, the library, the mall or any place with a wireless Internet connection. The change of scenery will do you good and you’ll meet some very interesting people as well. Most of the time, it’s senior citizens because they’re the only other people who don’t have to work during the day.
Share an Office or Workspace
The Workspace concept is ideally suited for bloggers looking to project a professional image and do some quality networking as well. In a nutshell, Workspace provides a space for you to work. The space is managed more like a club than an office. You buy membership based on how often you want to use the space. Prices range from $95 a month for a evening & weekend membership to $545 per month for a full membership. Workspace provides a professional office environment that includes fiber optic internet, access to meeting rooms, and local calling from VOIP phones.
While having a professional look does have its appeal, the main reason people join Workspace is to network with other members who would normally be working from home if not for Workspace. Workspace maintains a community page for all their members. It would be cool if Workspace would open up a branch in Richmond. I can see myself using it. I’m sure you can find a similar service to Workspace where you are.
I am fortunate that I am never alone. My wife doesn’t work and my daughter is never more than 50 feet away. I also have friends who are also full time bloggers or Internet marketers and we get to hang out a lot. However, those friends were found using the above methods.
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I personaly don’t like that workspace Idea I like working from home. The best thing is I wake up any freaking time I want. Thegeekboys.com
Reply to this commentWell, you can wake up anytime you want and go to Workspace anytime you want.
Reply to this commentThat has to be one of my favorite parts of working from home. Some morning I just want to sleep. And If I can afford to take the morning off, I do!
I don’t have an issue with loneliness though…my wife is my best friend in the world and my brothers are both business owners, so we play golf when everyone is at work!!
Reply to this commentTouche!
Reply to this commentYa having somewhere to go make life alot funner thats forsure. I am hoping I can make enough in the years to come to build a art gallery/studio for my self and I will work from there.
Reply to this commentNice suggestions JC. Nothing beats family bonding to overcome blog loneliness.
Reply to this commentI don’t think just working from home will cause you to be lonely. You’ve got your family, friends and neighbours
Reply to this commentWhere is Shoemoney link? He has now 11123 reader!
Reply to this commentEveryone’s just got halved. See: http://www.techzi.net/articles/2007/11/04/rss-holy-smokes/
Reply to this commentJohn Chow is back to 8000
Reply to this commentRSS numbers go down every weekend and back up again on Monday.
Reply to this commentIs Workspace something in other countries? I’ve never heard of it.
I’m in Southern California and we have a LOT of office-space for rent on hourly or part time basis. I’m not sure how this would really work into a business plan though.
In this area, you’d spend more time on the road GETTING to the place and productivity would go down.
I suppose if you aren’t too disciplined, you’d want a motivator for getting up and getting going in the morning. Personally, I’m good for self-motivation and usually get up and get going - unless I’m sick, like today and I slept the day away. That too is productive since I worked on getting better.
I usually take part of Tuesday off as there are specials - like free popcorn at the movie! If you are in that region, get a Royal Crown card and get free popcorn when you go to a movie on Tuesdays. Gain points for everything you buy at the theater and get sodas, more popcorn and movie tickets by building up your points.
I personally don’t actually talk to people much when I’m out and about doing normal things. I really like other ways to meet people and get to know them. Things like taking a class at the local JV college. There is the whole idea of working toward a common goal and meeting week after week on a specific schedule.
I do much better in that environment. Seminars work sometimes too. The Affiliate Incubator is a perfect example. I guess it was specific enough and small enough that I didn’t feel ‘lost’ in the crowd.
Good to know about these other things too, John.
Pam Hoffman
http://seminarlist.blogspot.com
p.s. i see another great quote for my blog John! i may cache that for another day.
Reply to this commentWow! a very long comment. I haven’t read it yet and I am never going to. Sorry
Reply to this commentFor me I do blogs in Cafe or other junction. Eventhough I blog full time, I do blog in space where I can see others either in a plaza or in a cafe.
Reply to this commentnice suggestions
Reply to this commentPR6 for sale
Lolz.. how bout i blog beside you
that would be a wish come true!
john, i’m ur biggest fan.. ur the best :p
Reply to this commentI wished I had this problem… would be cool to be able to make enough money from my blog to do it full time!
Reply to this commentNetworking and sharing an office are the best tips.
Reply to this commenti would like to work form at home. in my job i have to drive all day long true the country and most of the time i don´t talk to anybody. if you do blogging full time you can go anywhere you want anytime you want to meet some people. so i keep on blogging and hope to get blessed by the blogging gods.
Reply to this commentI have an instant messenger installed in my laptop but it is not ICQ, it was Windows Live Messenger but only a small pinch of my contacts inside are bloggers or internet marketers. I can’t really get contacts of other bloggers and especially they are maintaining a huge blog or making tonnes of money online.
I have never gone to a blogger networking event before even though I know I need and I want to go. I am only 17 and I don’t have a driving license yet. Mobility has become a problem for me.
Talking about mobility, I do blog from different places but they are all within my college. Like right now, I am commenting from my college canteen which is closed for Sunday. Sometimes I just don’t like public places because I don’t quite like those who walked behind me peeking at what I am doing. Although I am not doing something like watching porn (I am underage!
) or what, it is just disturbing.
Reply to this commentNice Post, networking is truly important.
Reply to this commentWOW very good concept,workspace proves to be a future for all bloggers…hope they start something in India too
Reply to this commentBlog in Starbucks! This is my favorite! I love to sit there, look around, and blog! Fantastic!
Reply to this commentHaving worked from home for a number of years, I can fully attest to being lonely at time. When we work as an employee at an office, we often take for granted that time driving or walking to work, buying our morning coffee and seeing people in the office. It’s only when you leave that when you begin to realise how important it was.
My personal favourite is blogging from the bowling alley. I’ve done that once. My average suddenly slumped on that day. Too much blogging and not enough bowling!
Reply to this commentIs it taboo to mention Second Life? I’ve got two monitors so I blog on one while “hanging out” in a virtual bar on the other. I join in the conversation when I feel like it, and it has streaming radio, too.
Reply to this commentI know you are feeling lonely Nick, but fear not! I am here and am listening to your comment. Your comment does sound a bit loooserish though….
It reminds me of watching an episode of the “The Office.” In it Dwight explains that Second Life is not a game… he says something like “there are no points, scores, winners or losers.” To which Jim (another character in the office) dryly replies, “oh, there are losers…”
Reply to this commentwhat happen to your RSS reader mr. Chow?
Reply to this commentI also find that chow rss readers has been down.. What happened??
Reply to this commentSee here: http://www.caroline-middlebrook.com/blog/are-your-numbers-dropping-maybe-somebody-broke-the-counter/
Many RSS numbers dropped. It looks like a temporary glitch with FeedBurner.
Reply to this commentWith the benefits of being a professional blogger and all its perks, loneliness is a tiny side effect most bloggers wouldn’t mind trading for, given the circumstances.
Reply to this commentI like the idea of go to different places just to change the environment. That’s what I do.
I often go to restaurants with wi-fi connection and thare’ll be my workplace.
Sometimes I’ll stay for 7-8 hours a day in the restaurant having my lunch and dinner there.
I am able to do that just simply because I’m still single. What a freedom!
Reply to this commentI also suggest that you have a couple of regularly scheduled meetings with friends or associates to break up the week and get new ideas.
I used to work out of my house and dreaded waking up at work! Of course, I had customers call so it would probably be better today. Still, I am a long way from quiting my day job.
notjohnchow.com
Reply to this commentCan you tell us where to get your template?(it’s realy cool and I wanna use it for my blogger blog
Reply to this commentThe template is custom made and not available for public use.
Reply to this commentI believe it was custom designed by unique blog designs
Reply to this commentI miss the water cooler talk from time to time. But that’s a small price to pay for my new found freedom
And besides - I have my cat to keep me company.
Reply to this commentyour post is very good john. I like this blog
Reply to this commentI like that Workspace idea. I can see that taking off in many other cities.
Reply to this commentI don’t think isolation from real world is an option. Blogging is great but what is the purpose if you can’t get into the real life outsides. So I think that it is best to push power button and go outside have a few drinks with friends.
I do my blog blogging way of like but haven’t forgot the real life yet..
Reply to this commentWhat you advise is good for all self employed persons. This advise combined with your earlier one on networking with people with similar interests is all that is needed to avoid loneliness.
Reply to this commentThis is really an excellent post. I dont think any blogger would have thought of posting such an article. Very Good!!!
Reply to this commentActually I’ve seen many bloggers write about this, but John did it better.
Reply to this commentI’d love to be able to use facilities like this but I’m in the UK, does anyone know of places like this in Manchester, UK?
Reply to this commentHey John… Strange… have you been reading problogger? I read an article very similar to this there…
Reply to this commentclickfornick.com - make some money…
Who doesn’t read Problogger?
Reply to this commenti love the starbucks idea, i just did it in my local mall. I had a productive time, nice coffee and there were hundreds of fit women to occupy the mind when not working !!
Reply to this commentIm still trying to get to the point of being able to blog for a living.
Reply to this commentHey John, great post!
I´ve a question. How can I contact you? Icq, Skype or something?
Reply to this commentPlease, write me an email. Thanks a lot!
This isn’t just useful advise for bloggers and other writers, but also for freelance illustrators and others (often in creative fields) who work from home. I want to be a freelance webdesigner and I like the idea of workspace sharing! I’ll definitely keep it in mind
Reply to this commentMaybe it’s just me, but I have never felt lonely in blogging. On the contrary I do get lots of contact and interaction with people during everyday activities, and I find the time with the family highly relaxing.
Suddenly something may come up on television or in the local newspaper that motivates other thoughts and then a few blog articles are written. It’s all a matter of priorities, and I think one does find a certain balance in things once you get a certain experience doing all of this.
Just like commenting on John Chow’s Blog…..
Reply to this commentHonestly, this is a problem I’d like to have (and then solve).
Reply to this commentYou forgot about forums, in fact I spend almost half of my day in various forums, of course the majority of time is spent at the forum I created.
Reply to this commentGiving some air to breath to the brain is good. The brain needs to be feed
Reply to this commentHaha, I agree. I am glad my girlfriend is around when I am working from home. Otherwise, I’d probably go nuts.
Reply to this commentSo true on this post. I believe its a hard transition from a day job to full-time blogger. Workspace is a great concept for high density cities. Sometimes going out of your current environment is refreshing and it gives you more human to human contact.
Reply to this commentJohn, you mentioned Richmond. Do you live in VA? I was born and raise on the southside (Chesterfield). Just wondering. I’m not a pro-blogger just yet, so you’ll pardon me for thinking that no one in Richmond has anything to do with tech. Shoot me an e-mail answer if you get the time (time, yeah right, huh?) Love the post, thanks!
Reply to this commentThis is really what I am facing, I am really bored in the evenings, when there is just no one around to chat ! I miss those gossips & tea machine at my office place.
Reply to this commentWhy not
I like also to work at home - but on the other side it is like a office and you can concentrate on your work and not on thinks like what to do at home….
Reply to this commentI can’t believe you have loneliness since there are so many responses to your posts etc.
Reply to this commentI love working at home! its the best workplace
Reply to this commentWow. I never thought of that. I’m not working at home, but want to desperately.
Reply to this commentWhen I’m not working, and am at home, I love it. I’m a loner I guess, I enjoy reading, learning, and eating as well.
Thanks for sharing the tips though