Working Anywhere

Co-Working In Unique Places: Libraries

As a child I would go to the library often with my dad. Back then, the library was like being in a house of worship. Silence was the golden rule. Sure there were a few places where people could talk but those were few and far between. That said, when I was in high school, the Northeast Regional Library was where high school class groups would usually meet up to work on projects together. Little did I realize I was co-working in the 70s in a co-working space.

Fast forward to today, the public library may be the lowest cost co-working place around.

Women's CoWorking Spaces Are Growing With Good Reason

I grew up in Philadelphia and was a regular guest of many friends who were members of The Union League, Racquet Club, Rittenhouse Club and The Locust Club back in the 70's and 80s. Back then, the Union League was THE power broker club and was "Men Only" until the mid 80's just like the famed New York Athletic Club that back in 1989 broke the sexism barrier and allowed women in.

When I read about "Women Only" co-working spaces in Time I first thought back to how hard women fought to gain entry to Men Only clubs like those. There was an outdated (and by then outdated) reasons why the "Clubs" kept women out at first, but times and women changed. As more women had entered the workforce and were in leadership positions their being denied entry, curtailed them from the opportunities and dealmaking that was going on the "clubs."  But the more I thought about it, the more I like the idea of women only clubs even if it walks back on what women wanted in the prior generations. With all the upsetting news about sexual harassment and gender bias in today's society (and it isn't going away), giving a woman a place to feel safe, work without the wandering eye or groping hands of men is really good for them. They need sanctuary, much like the men did in their clubs away from the women. The clubs are about business. Not the search for Mr. or Ms. Right Now.

At the same time, it won't be a surprise to me if we see a rise and return of the men only, so called power clubs, like I grew up having lunches at with friends who were members (I was never a member though was asked a few times to join them,) as there can't be a double standard.  That's because clubs and private membership groups can only be one of two things. Inclusive or Exclusive, but not both. 

When In Roam

Grind TV has a nice summary about the Roam Co-working and co-living operation that currently have three properties up and running in Madrid, Miami and Bali. The company, which is promising more locations in the near future, has raised over $3 million dollars to fuel property acquisition and growth around the globe. 

Far more than a hostel or hotel, Roam is creating workspace/livespace communities for the digital nomadic community at relatively modest prices. Given the locations, $500 a week or $1800 a month for a private room and all the co-working facilities is fairly reasonable, especially given the promise of blazing fast, business grade Wi-Fi and Internet connectivity, and a full-time on site manager.

The winds of change in work, travel and residential living are here now, and properties like Roam and WeLive from WeWork are going to become the next phase in work, life, reside. It's only a matter of time and place.

Wi-Fi-For Marriott It's All Hacking For Profit. This Is How You Hack Back

Marriott wants your business. Directly. And to get it they're offering free Wi-Fi to lure you, like a fish. The catch? You have to book via their website, using the mobile app, the call center or the property directly. But, if you're a business traveler, who has a corporate travel agency working on your behalf, you better have them negotiate the free Wi-Fi option or you'll find yourself paying.

This is in Marriott's mind, about loyalty programs, or in their case, Marriott Rewards. For the business traveler who has racked up thousand of miles, nights and bonuses, turning in a bill for Wi-Fi is sometimes aggravating, especially when the promotion about "free" Wi-Fi has attracted so much attention will cause grief.

This means that corporate travel buyer has choices. They can negotiate the rate directly with Marriott, or they can work with a Corporate Travel agency, but what's clear is Marriott is working to leverage their loyalty program, and put the power back into the hands of the traveler to let them do their own booking.

The way this can be done is with the business traveler using the rate code vs. booking it through the travel agency. The rate code insures the negotiated rate is applied, but there's no comission back to the agency. For agencies, they need to work on a fee basis, vs. the commission basis. That means negotiating for their clients vs. buying for their clients. They have to manage, not just sell.

For in house travel departments this isn't a problem. The travel manager can establish a direct relationship with Marriott vs. going through their agency. For the agencies, they see this as one more effort by the travel industry to catch up and flatten the business model, squeezing out more profits vs. paying commissions.

What Marriott is doing is hacking the travel purchase model, doing pretty much what Uber is doing with transportation and Amazon is with shopping. They are breaking down the model to change what the middleman does and how they make their money.  At the end of the day, this all means the traveler needs to establish better relationships at the properties they stay at. Here are some tips on how to do that:

1. If you're a one time only guest, don't bother. Use your status and ask for as much as you can get in perks.

2. If you're a guest who will be regularly staying at a property, take the time to meet the hotel GM, Rooms Manager. When you know you're returning, given them a heads up as soon as you make your reservation, or better yet, let them book it directly.

3. When you are on property, ask to meet them for a coffee or a drink. Spend time, let them know what's going right, and wrong with your stay. Share other hotel experiences, both good and bad.

4. Become their favorite guest. As you visit other cities and if you stay in the same brand or family of brands properties ask them to give their peer a heads up for you, and let them share what you like, and don't like. The idea is to get you treated as well in the one time property the same way you do in your home away from home.

5. Be nice and be helpful. If you have some way of returning the favor do it. If you learn of someone's birthday, send them a note, or a small gift. By taking care of the people who take care of you, you'll win.

The key to all this is about what I call property loyalty. It goes well beyond brand loyalty because people in the hotel industry move around, and as they move around, you're reach and benefits of personal relationships will benefit you, and your business.

Silent No More-The Return of Working Anywhere

I realized over the weekend that I've been silent too long on the subject of working anywhere, something I pioneered pretty much at the age of 14 when I was pulled into the world of sports, sports marketing, public relations, game and event operations and more. So I guess, now 40 years later it's time to put all that I've been learning to practical use.

For starters, people work in more places today than ever before. Working from Home (WFH) isn't the abnormal for many. Working On the Road isn't just reserved for truckers and field force technicians. Being at the clients offices is no longer just for a meeting. Doctors, once those who made house calls but who became restricted to offices by draconian insurance industry regulations now use mobile devices, video and more to evaluate their patients and keep office time for those who need it. 

As someone who has closed deals in bed, worked from the beach, on snow covered mountain peaks, on planes, trains and automobiles, in restaurants, on ferry boats and yes, in the doctor's office too, I'm not shy about working wherever I may be.

As a frequent business traveler, one who logged on average more than 200 days a year on the road the past three or four years, the idea of working anywhere is as second nature as brushing one's teeth. Our world has changed, and as someone who has been using a cellular/mobile phone for what feels like 30 years, and who has had his own phone for 40 plus years, one can only look ahead at what being mobile has done for us.

For starters its created freedom for many. No longer bound to desks, offices and meeting rooms, we are now working in many more places. Once thought to be only for sweatshops, the idea of a giant communal workspace is being fueled by the fact that people talk less but use text more. This has given rise to IM, SMS, third party apps, services like HipChat, Slack and more. Connectivity via the Internet, both wired and wireless at speeds that are over 1000 times faster than my first 300 baud modem are just around the corner for many of us. 

Video conferencing, once only ready for the boardroom is now available to just about anyone using any number of services. Conference calling, once the bane of group participation is now sounding better as HD Voice is part of some services like GoToMeeting, ZipDX and Voxeet. VoIP, once taboo compared to circuit switched telephony is now so widely deployed it's begging for the major telephone providers to all work together to insure seamless, high quality audio, rapid connection times, and more services as part of you plan vs. third parties who provide just that.

The devices and "things" we take with us are also getting better. My keys are tracked by my iPhone as is my wallet and billfold. Leave my iPad in a cab or shopping cart? I'll find it and have it back in thirty minutes or less. Devices like TrackR and TILE are always telling me where my THINGS are so as I get older, forgetful (or is that mind too busy) I can locate them quickly, send a signal to them, or in the case of a lost smartphone or tablet, wipe them out and not worry about what's on them.

When it comes to travel, our boarding passes and reservations are now electronic. This makes changing flights and hotels faster. Why we can't pay less is because the yield management tools are geared to getting everything lined up as far in advance as possible, and hotels, trains and planes operators have not yet mastered just in time travel the way McDonalds has nailed down their supply and staffing systems. Toss in security and the layers of what's possible just isn't there yet.

The hotel concierge, once the expert on dinner, theatre, shopping and sights to see are having their roles changed to. Today they need to know as much about Uber, TaskRabbit, Fiverr, Washio and other on demand services. Local on demand services is where the hotel concierge used to excel, but as online has replaced the phone book, and as Uber has replaced the cab, you can order just about anything overnight, and now with GrubHub, Delivery.com, Doorstep Delivery and other "local" services, what the guest's needs from the concierge and doormen has changed.

So too has the technology in our rooms. Televisions of old never let you plug in, but now an Apple TV or Google Chromecast can make you in room TV an in room extension of your Mac, PC, smartphone or tablet. This means your room is now your office on the go, and instead of having to go hunt down a Starbucks in hopes of a "work place" or venture out to a Regus location, you can work in silence in your sweatsuit, getting things done. Technology now tells the hotel chambermaid if you're in, or out, so no more knocks on the door when you're in deep thought, or on that important call.    

We now can be working anywhere, and I should know, as I wrote this over breakfast at SNOOZE AM, in Del Mar Highlands on my MacBook Air, connected via a Verizon Mobile Broadband device running LTE.....

The Importance of Proper Audio Accessories in VoIP

Pal Alec Saunders has written a very complete review of the Yamaha Sound Gadget which is available on the Skype Store for $199.00 here in the USA and is available around the globe.

The reason I bring this up, is that now more than ever, the expression of GIGO-Garbage In, Garbage Out, could never be more apropos. Using inferior headsets, video cameras and speakerphones makes for a lousy sounding/viewing experience on the other end. This is no different than using one of the so called "free conference" calling services vs. client HiDefConferencing where after one call, you clearly hear the difference as fellow disruptor, Pat Phelan, pointed out some time ago.

For some time I've been a heavy user of the Polycom Comunicator, a device that is always in my travel bag and which allows my Mac to sound like it's a full size Polycom Starfish like speakerphone. Like the PolyCom, the Yamaha Soundgadget is a delight to carry, and I've turned it, along with any one of a series of my Mid and Netbooks, like the Viliv X70, Viliv S7 or my Asus EEE PC's such as the 1008 HA, into a complete traveling communications hub. The Viliv's give incredible video and when connected to the Verizon MiFi (or even the unlocked one I use that works on GSM) I can pretty much hold a conference call anywhere, even where WiFi isn't in full sound. The lightness of both devices, which pal Jim Courtney points out, is a key, so now, in a very small shoulder bag, I'm carrying all I need to be in business from virtually anywhere.

Personally, I've become a heavy user of two headsets. From client Freetalk, the Everyman headset may be the best value around. Priced at less than $23.00, the headset embeds inline a DSP (digital signal processor) that also has the Skype codec embedded inside. No other headset for the price sounds as good-it's so good it passes the Rutkowski Test when we record the World Technology Roundup together for KenRadio. That and the very stylish, and $200 dollar Bang & Olufsen Ear Set 3, a combination headset and microphone that works with Macs as well as the iPod Touch and iPhone are my voice input/output accessories of choice. I use the B&O Ear Set with my iPod touch and either client Truphone's iPod touch or iPhone app, as well as with Skype on both. Sound is clear and as others tell me, just like a mobile phone. For the untethered crowd the FreeTalk Wireless Stereo Headset is another headset that's great to use as it's range is far better than the usual Bluetooth headset.

So here's the net net on audio from where I sit:

Fast and Sleek-The Bang & Olufsen Ear Set is what you will want for XMas. The sacrifice for Skype users is the lack of SILK grade processing, but it works on the iPhone/iPod and your Mac (PC users, most PC's require separate input and outputs so the headset/mic combo is of less value)

Best Full Featured Headset for Windows and Mac Users Who Want to Be Alone is the FreeTalk Wireless Stereo Headset

Best Value for the computer calling type Skype, Gizmo and Counterpath XLite/Eyebeam or Bria softphone user is the Freetalk Everyman as dollar for dollar, nothing on the market comes close.

Best Speakerphone for The Road Warrior (Cross platform) is the PolyCom Communicator but the only reason it bests the Yamaha is the Yamaha lacks Mac Support under the Snow Leopard operating system as Jim Courtney pointed out.

By the way. These all make for great holiday gifts and by giving any of them to the people you love to talk with, you're giving yourself a better calling experience too.

Boingo Goes Blackberry-A Huge Boon For Voice

My agency has represented Boingo for 18 months or so now, and long before that I was a Boingo customer, a happy customer, who found that using it on my Nokia N & E Series devices and my laptops was always something that allowed for easy connectivity.

One of the missing pieces, more due to RIM's SDK, was Boingo on the Blackberry. As a Blackberry user with T-Mobile I've always enjoyed logging on to WiFi at home (via Hotspot @ HOME) or at a T-Mobile Hotspot, and having my mobile number from the USA anywhere in the world accessible to me.

That worked great in the past at places like Starbucks, some airport lounges like those from American Airlines and at some airports. But as T-Mobile has been exiting the WiFi world in dribs and drabs, the most reliable and broadest reaching aggregator has been Boingo. Now, with Boingo on the Blackberry, UMA Voice will work as well on the Blackberry as client Truphone does on my iPhone, iPod Touch and Nokia E71 virtually anywhere Boingo connects.

This is a huge step forward as the business market end user which needs connectivity now can get connectivity in more places, where T-Mobile's footprint doesn't go. With Boingo, as with WiFi of your own or within the enterprise or campus, means you can get connectivity for voice coverage higher up or farther away. Currently, AT&T in the USA doesn't have a VoIP client for their users, nor is there one with Verizon or Sprint on the Blackberry's that has any traction, as access to the SIP and WiFi stacks on the RIM devices has never been really offered.

Blackberry users though should not just take my word for it, or the insight above that I've linked to. They should also read some of the insider's viewpoints as well.

BerryReview

BlackBerry Insight

CrackBerry

Blackberry Sites

PocketBerry

BerryReporter

Meraki Sponsors WiFi Access At San Francisco City Hall Chambers

In what should NOT be considered "Free" WiFi, Meraki, the makers of a lightweight mesh networking platform, have sponsored the deployment of WiFi inside San Francisco's City Hall, reports MuniWireless.com

To me there is a huge difference between "free" and "sponsored" even if the general public perceives it to be "free." The rationales are quite simple as the sponsored model in this case is the same as a park's beautification being underwritten by a benefactor. If the benefactor says no more, the ongoing beautification of the park stops until a new one can be found.

In the case of San Francisco, the city won't be subsidizing the WiFi anytime soon, so Meraki stepped in and in a very self serving (in a good way) developed a plan to bring greater attention to the merits and benefits of WiFi.

Well done by all, and hat tip to Esme Vos for drawing attention to this.

Why Wi-Fi Is The Real 4G

Martin Suter of Bel-Air Networks has penned a very strong case for why Wi-Fi is really in my view the baseline that 4G should be measured with.

One point that Martin left out of his well written and very factual account as to why WiFi is so important and a better performer than Mobile 3G data was the need for backhaul.

Backhaul is what gets the data back onto the Internet, it's the upstream tributary that the bits and bytes ride on to reach the Net to be offloaded onto the main Internet. Over the next few years we'll start seeing backhaul backlog and in my view is when you'll start to see things like first class, second class and third class mail rates being applied.

Get ready for tiered pricing, both for speed and for size. Those reasons are why we need more WiFi access, more local loop fiber rings. More local municipal fiber routes and great capacity.

Tales of Hotels and Bandwidth

As a regular road warrior I can’t stress enough the importance of having really solid bandwidth and decent access when you’re traveling. It may seem like a broken record, but for those of us who actually work on the road and consider hotels, coffee shops, remote work sites and friends’ houses an extension of our own office, try in this day and age of living without it.

First, you have to get past the idea that Internet access should be free. It isn’t. So get over it. And, like most things that cost real money, the better the grade of service you get may not always be at the highest price. Much of what I’ve learned about solid, dependable and reliable comes from two things. Trial and error and the willingness to spend money to be well connected.

Let me first blow through some myths that may help others save their hard earned money:

1.       All hotels with the same brand name will deliver the same experience consistently

FALSE—I’ve stayed in Marriotts, Courtyard By Marriotts, Spring Hill Suites, J.W. Marriotts and even with the same provider delivering the so called “same” experience, after the sign-on screen it remains a guessing game as to what the experience will be like once you hit the Net. I’ve stayed at Hilton’s family of properties, even two owned side by side by the same management company and no two experiences have been the same.

2.       The more expensive the chain the better the connectivity will be.
FALSE-I’ve stayed in some places like Accor’s Sofitel a hotel I love and used both their own wired and the T-Mobile Wireless network in the property. T-Mobile blows away the wired network. On the other hand in the same chain’s Pullman Bercy property in Paris, the connectivity is always better wired. Now let’s step it up to Fairmont in San Jose. In the original and older building the connectivity is never as good as the newer, all fiber tower. Why? The way the network was installed. The older network is similar to DSL, while the new fiber network literally moves things faster than any network around. Difference in download speeds can be as much as 20 megs a second. In San Francisco both the new St. Regis and Intercontinental properties have done it right, dropping in 20-50 megs of available bandwidth. However, get in the wrong end of the hall and use the hotel’s Wi-Fi network and your upload speeds will suffer. Instead pack a travel router of your own (know how to change your IP address to avoid conflicts) and make your own wireless cloud with blazing speeds and your own PUBLIC IP address that lets you use VoIP via Skype or any SIP provider (I use three including OnSip, CallCentric and a private Truphone test account) as well as Vidtel’s video with either Counterpath’s Eyebeam on the Mac or Bria on my Netbooks.

3.       Hotels don’t snoop on you.
FALSE- I was staying in the Hilton Santa Clara within the past few years and my connectivity was detected as to doing something wrong. I was on a Mac running both Mail and Entourage, each checking various email accounts using a combination of Exchange, IMAP and POP. I was also running Skype (P2P), Gizmo (SIP), SightSpeed (SIP Video) and a few other IM sessions. Then there was Flash video and audio, plus some uploading to my blog. The monitoring software kicked in and I was kicked off. A call to the provider yielded some insight, but it was obvious the folks on the other end of the line couldn’t tell what caused it. I went up a few levels and found out that it was what is best called, a false flag alert. Still it slowed me down, and cut into the work time I had before an appointment. Note to hotel operators. If you want business travelers, you better know what business travel technology is today.

4.       Consumer grade access points work just as good as the expensive ones from Cisco.
FALSE-All you have to do is go to the beach front hotel offering free Wi-Fi and compare what their D-Link or Netgear consumer grade router does when the hotel fills up vs. the high end Cisco gear found inside the Hotel 1000 in Seattle or the Intercontinental in Boston. Both properties were built the right way from the ground up and the experience proves it. In the case of hotel infrastructure, you get what you pay for too.

Here are some hotels I like that have given me a great business grade experience over the past few years:

Seattle WA- Hotel 1000-without a doubt the smartest of the smart hotels.

Scottsdale, AZ – Courtyard By Marriott– Mayo Clinic

San Jose, CA – Fairmont San Jose

San Francisco-Intercontinental on Howard Street, as well as he St. Regis and W San Francisco.

Philadelphia, PA – Sofitel Philadelphia, Courtyard By Marriott on 13^th Street, Marriott Airport, Embassy Suites on the Parkway

New York City- Sofitel New York and The London

Miami FL – Hyatt’s Hotel Victor and the Renaissance Eden Roc

Las Vegas, NV – Palazzo Hotel and Casino, Renaissance Hotel, L’Hotel at Mandalay Bay

Chicago, IL – Fairmont Chicago

London England-The Andaz and the Metropolitan Hotels

London Heathrow Airport-The Yotel in terminal 4. For the money, best deal going.

Paris France Sofitel (now Pullman) Bercy

Valence France – Novatel Valence Sud

Montpellier France – Sofitel Montpellier (may now be Pullman brand)

Lyon France – Sofitel Place Bellecour

Beaune France – Novatel Beaune

Munich Germany – Hotel Kempenski Munich Airport and Sofitel Munich Bayerpost

Lisbon Portugal - Hotel Heritage Av Liberdade

Madrid Spain-The Urban Hotel

Barcelona Spain Hesperia Presidente and Hotel Prestige Paseo de Gracia

Valencia Spain-Palau de la Mar

 Bottom line. Be selective. You wouldn’t accept poor water pressure from your shower and stay at the hotel again if you like to take long, hot, and rejuvenating showers when on the road. You wouldn’t accept slow delivery of lousy tasting food from room service, so why accept anything less with your hotel broadband.