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Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

bloomberg.com

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Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#31

Post by ht85 »

steve1977 wrote: post #5

The primary reason why I would want to be a freelancer is because I DON'T crave company.

I think there's an important distinction between company and interaction.

I hate interaction in the workplace, especially when it's spontaneous. Being remote allows me to be in the zone probably more than half of my week, which has a tremendous impact on productivity.

On the other hand, after a few hours of working alone I do crave another human presence.

What I've found works well for me is to have a chill twitch stream in the background. An interesting phenomenon is that some of the streamers I like sometimes stream without talking, so all I get is some background playlist, but it does has the desired effect whereas just playing the same music wouldn't.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#33

Post by dep_b »

Can't vouch for people that are single but I get plenty of human interaction around my family. Still I like to work out of the house one day per week and work with different people in an office. I guess what's also important is professionally mingling with people, what tools and frameworks people use and so on. A change of scenery.

Actually it was nicer when my wife was working mornings, that would gave me a solid quiet 5 hours to work in.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#34

Post by ivanhoe »

I thought that these type of arguments are stupid, like why would I need to hang out with people in an office, I've got my buddies for that after work. Later I moved to another country where I knew no one beside my wife, and then I realized that mingling with office crowd is actually the easiest way to expand your social circle when you're in a new environment. Yes, you can do that on conferences or in a gym or clubs, but it all takes more effort for introverts like me.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#35

Post by disiplus »

Noughmad wrote: post #29
CGamesPlay wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the FAANG companies set any precedent, this isn’t really true.

Partially, but for those there's another catch. They have the campuses with game rooms, food, daycare, etc. all in order for you to spend as much time there as possible. They are literally building company towns.

plus to switch market norms to social norms. they want you to feel like a family, not only because it benefits you, but because it benefits them. you would probably be willing to move furniture to your neighbor but would not do it if he offered you 10usd.

they know that we are more productive if we feel like a family and if our opinion maters. this is nothing i came up, it's something that the division inside google came up with when tasked to learn what increases productivity in teams and why are some teams more productive then others. there is a book on the subject that i cannot remember now.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#36

Post by dntbnmpls »

If this is what startups are working on and if this is startup news, then it just might mean the tech world is awash in too much money with too few ideas. Or the news has to sell ads and has publish something. I wonder where Brady will end up? Oh that's sports "news".

Also, I'm willing to bet more 9-5 workers crave privacy and alone time than freelancers want company.

Besides, if you crave company, isn't there something called family ( parents, siblings, spouse, children, etc ) or friends or even pets that a better suited for that role? Or why not take up a hobby like hiking, biking, etc for company? Isn't there something inherently sad and pathetic about trying to find company at work? Maybe it's modern society. I just don't get it.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#37

Post by gargs »

LeonM wrote: post #27

I'm in a co-working space, and the primary reason I took it was loneliness. But I think that, for me, a social app wouldn't be able to replace a physical work space. It's not just the interaction with co-workers, but also the separation of work and home. The routine of riding my bike to and from the office is like a mental barrier, helping me to switch between work and leisure. By going to my office, I effectively sw…

I have thought about starting a little website where people open up their living rooms every once in a while to create an ad-hoc coworking space. It could even be the kitchen or the dining table, as long as you're sharing ideas, learning, and getting to know what other people are working on. From a business perspective, I'd rather make use of the plentiful libraries in Amsterdam than pay for a coworking space.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#38

Post by lowercased »

gargs wrote: post #37
LeonM wrote: post #27

I'm in a co-working space, and the primary reason I took it was loneliness. But I think that, for me, a social app wouldn't be able to replace a physical work space. It's not just the interaction with co-workers, but also the separation of work and home. The routine of riding my bike to and from the office is like a mental barrier, helping me to switch between work and leisure. By going to my office, I effectively sw…

I have thought about starting a little website where people open up their living rooms every once in a while to create an ad-hoc coworking space. It could even be the kitchen or the dining table, as long as you're sharing ideas, learning, and getting to know what other people are working on. From a business perspective, I'd rather make use of the plentiful libraries in Amsterdam than pay for a coworking space.

I think that was the idea behind http://www.workatjelly.com

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#39

Post by coldpie »

Noughmad wrote: post #29
CGamesPlay wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the FAANG companies set any precedent, this isn’t really true.

Partially, but for those there's another catch. They have the campuses with game rooms, food, daycare, etc. all in order for you to spend as much time there as possible. They are literally building company towns.

I visited a major company once, a relatively large company you've all heard of. Went to the bathroom and oh, that's neat, they have toothbrushes and shaving kits and stuff for employees. A couple minutes later it clicked: oh they have those there for when you spend all-nighters. Oh no no no.

I'll stick to my small company 9-5 gig, thanks.

Re: Startups bet that lonely freelancers crave company

#40

Post by coldpie »

cerberusss wrote: post #6
anonsivalley652 wrote: post #2

Yes and no. Coworking spaces exist but there's nothing like not being interrupted to supposedly "watch someone's laptop"* when you're trying to get things done. * You should take a picture of it and list it for sale on Craiglist as part of a joke.

> "watch someone's laptop" I'm that guy. Whenever I need to work in a coffee shop, I ask this of a coworker. Do you really feel like it's too intrusive? I never thought it would be a problem.

Honestly, just go. No one's going to steal your stuff, and if they did, some stranger isn't going to stop them.
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