I’ve been terribly remiss in posting this and for that, I’m sorry, but it’s worth the wait, I promise.

Awhile back, the Not An MBA blog started working on a book about coworking. The fodder for that book is a series on the blog called Your Story where they are collecting and posting the stories of many coworking pioneers (and coworkers). The first installment on the site was Susan’s story about the start of Office Nomads. It’s a really nice read because Susan’s writing sounds just like she is: authentic, excited and ready for the next thing that comes at her.

The second installment was Jacob’s story about the start of Office Nomads. Like Susan, his telling of the tale gives you a taste of what it’s like to know Jacob. He is excited, willing to try new things and also ready for the next thing to come at him.

Since I am posting about Not An MBA (a great site, by the way), they have a newer post up there right now about the impact of coworking spaces on the design of in-house offices. According to the original article on Business Week:

As part of the project, between 25% and 50% of Intel’s 1,150 lawyers, marketers, and engineers working in these buildings will give up their assigned cubes. Instead, they will store their personal belongings in lockers and grab desks, whiteboards, and overstuffed armchairs in more colorful, Starbucks-like common areas on a first-come-first-gets-the-space basis.

It’s really interesting to think that these disparate, independent coworking spaces are infiltrating the minds designing spaces for corporate behemoths. Who wants to bet it’s because those designers are probably contractors who work in coworking spaces?

I’ve got a couple of Google Alerts running about coworking and Office Nomads. Usually when something comes through on the Office Nomads one, it’s under the “Blogs” heading as when Laura posted about us (sorry for just getting around to linking back Laura. No excuses.) and it always starts my day off well when see that because I’m not expecting it.

When the “Web” heading has something about Office Nomads though, it’s nice to see, but I know it’s coming because that means an article has been published somewhere and we know when that’s going to happen.

So imagine my surprise when I checked my email this morning and there was a Web alert for Office Nomads, in the New York Times!

Coworking sites are up and running from Argentina to Australia and many places in between, although a wiki site on coworking shows that most are in the United States. While some have grown-up-sounding names, most seem connected somewhere between the communalism of the 1960s and the whimsy of the dot-com days of the ’90s, like the Hive Cooperative in Denver, Office Nomads in Seattle, Nutopia Workspace in Lower Manhattan and Independents Hall in Philadelphia.

Sweet! This is the second time in 2008 that the Times has mentioned coworking. Obviously Jacob and Susan are onto something. (By the way, I think the name Office Nomads is great and has nothing to do with the communalism of the 60s or the “whimsy of the dot-com days.” I think it speaks to the new ethos in our professional work force. But that’s me.)

Yes, that’s a picture of Susan getting her picture taken. The photo shoot is actually for another article on Jacob and Susan coming out soon.

Every year The Stranger does what they call “one nice thing” when they hold an auction called Strangercrombie. During the month of December, they auction off all sorts of items from various retailers and service providers around Seattle and donate all the money raised to a local charitable organization. They also auction off various items in one issue of the paper. You can buy Savage Love, the cover, or a music review… that kind of thing.

Jacob and Susan, in their ever-present good-heartedness, bought Last Days this year, (which I think is the best part of The Stranger) and this is our week!

Today, Last Days made our inaugural visit to the Office Nomads office, where we were greeted by co-owners Jacob Sayles and Susan Evans, affable and attractive citizens with a shared passion for “individuality without isolation.” “The digital revolution gave people an incredible amount of independence in being able to get work done from home, or anywhere,” says Jacob. “But that independence can be isolating, and you see people starving for community. That’s what we offer here—full office amenities in a shared, communal setting.” “It’s about the work-life balance,” adds Susan. “Anyone who’s worked from home can tell you how blurry the boundaries can get. A coworking space can help you compartmentalize your life. Your home can be home again—someplace you go when you’re done working and ready to relax.” As someone who routinely works cross-legged on a bed until our lower extremities scream from the restricted blood flow, Last Days understands.

The rest of David Schmader’s coverage is great too. You should read the whole thing.

Thanks to The Stranger for the opportunity and for doing a good thing. (This year Strangercrombie brought in $60,000 for the good folks at Fare Start.)Thanks also to David for doing such a kick-ass job on the column this week (and always). We really appreciate you coming in, checking out the space and getting to know us and the people that work here. We hope you’ll come back.

Office Nomads hit the big time with a great story about us on CNNMoney.com that also discusses the coworking movement in general.

But of course, we’re especially happy that a lot of the piece is about us. Thanks especially to Nomad #1 Chris Haddad who summed up perfectly our raison d’etre for writer Matthew Amster-Burton:

“I’ve been self-employed for four years now,” Haddad said. “It’s a lot of fun, I like doing it, but the walls close in really fast. There were several times where I realized I hadn’t put on pants or left the house in 30 hours.”

“When I was first here, it was like, wow! It’s all the good things about having an office, which are coworkers, a separate place to go, more space,” Haddad said. “But there’s nobody standing over your shoulder making sure you’re not checking personal e-mail.”

The piece goes on from there with quotes from Nomad/Office Manager Erik Von Blon and a story from Susan about a day when we all went off on a late-afternoon tangent about Britney Spears (don’t ask).

Of course, Susan gave some more serious reasons for working at Office Nomads, including the article’s closing quote

When I ask Evans how to connect to the network printer, she hands me a USB drive and quips, “You can’t bring a printer to a coffeehouse.”

What a great way to start out 2008!

Office Nomads hit the big time with a great story about us on CNNMoney.com that also discusses the coworking movement in general.

But of course, we’re especially happy that a lot of the piece is about us. Thanks especially to Nomad #1 Chris Haddad who summed up perfectly our raison d’etre for writer Matthew Amster-Burton:

“I’ve been self-employed for four years now,” Haddad said. “It’s a lot of fun, I like doing it, but the walls close in really fast. There were several times where I realized I hadn’t put on pants or left the house in 30 hours.”

“When I was first here, it was like, wow! It’s all the good things about having an office, which are coworkers, a separate place to go, more space,” Haddad said. “But there’s nobody standing over your shoulder making sure you’re not checking personal e-mail.”

The piece goes on from there with quotes from Nomad/Office Manager Erik Von Blon and a story from Susan about a day when we all went off on a late-afternoon tangent about Britney Spears (don’t ask).

Of course, Susan gave some more serious reasons for working at Office Nomads, including the article’s closing quote

When I ask Evans how to connect to the network printer, she hands me a USB drive and quips, “You can’t bring a printer to a coffeehouse.”

What a great way to start out 2008!