Coworking is an emerging trend and alternative way to work for work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, telecommuters, and people who travel frequently and are tired of working in relative isolation. Coworking is a casual, social gathering of a group of people who are still working independently, but are interested in the synergy that happens when talented workers gather in a shared space. 

The video above is about Jelly, which was started in New York City back in February of 2006. Many Jelly groups are based out of other people’s homes and some meet in local coffee shops with free Wi-Fi. There are also more formal coworking spaces which have desks you can reserve, printers and fax machines, meeting room access, kitchens, and more—basically everything you’d expect to have if you worked at a “real office.”

Coworking IS NOT:

• Structured
• A business incubator
• An executive suite
• Sitting in Starbucks working on your laptop

Coworking IS:

• Flexible and adaptive
• Social
• Collaborative
• Informal
• Community-minded

If you’re tired of working at home alone—or even tired of working in your cubicle every day—find a coworking group near you and check it out. You may not want to do it everyday, but you might just find it to be a refreshing alternative. To find a location near you check out wiki.workatjelly.com and http://coworking.pbwiki.com. And let me know what you think!