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.