I'm unlikely to ever use something like this, but I think it's a cool idea and I'm really glad it exists.

Yeah, it's pretty great, and the iffiest aspect in the abstract--the "community"--is the most impressive part in reality. All my fears about "Community!" were patiently dispelled by a roomful of individuals with shit to do, who nevertheless come together momentarily throughout the day to make small talk or big talk or laugh at videos of cats running into sliding glass doors. From what I can tell, the natural ebb and flow of the socializing is just about perfect. (Meaning, not once did I ever have to remind someone I was there to work, not communitize.)

"Proof"? What kind of proof? Does wearing a barrel and suspenders count as proof?

i feel like that if i lost my office job, going and sitting in a different office with no real work to do would make me more depressed.

i guess i would look for work, which apparently is more or less impossible. or maybe call the benefits line over and over and over while watching youtube.

We'd all love it if you came in wearing a barrel and suspenders, @Monty. Hilarious!

What would be beautiful is if these creative, well-funded spaces could experiment with working environments. Such as by having a corner where you can work while on a treadmill, stationary bike or stairstepper. Or: How can you work outside on a deck without the natural light making it too hard to see your laptop screen? What are ways to work standing up? German Stehtisch tables, for example.

Jesus - $375 a month regularly? Wouldn't a cafe with free wifi work out to a better deal even if you bought a couple of cups of drip per day?

Charlie, you're fired.

Wow @Amelia, it's great we give the impression we are "well-funded"! Actually, we are boot-strapping this operation and we don't have a lot of extra funds to spend on stairsteppers. We would be happy to let you bring yours in if you want to sign up. I think the other nomads would get a kick out of that.

@burgin, coffee shops are not an ideal work environment for everyone. If they work for you, great. But to some of us, the distractions of people who come to the coffee shop not to work but to socialize, the noise of the grinders and espresso machine etc. Also, if your work involves any amount of actual talking on the phone, being in a coffee shop is terrible. Finally, at ON, we have our own desks, a reliable connection to the Internet through a fat pipe, free printing, faxing, and kitchen use. Plus, as David pointed out, we are a community of people who work together and also like each other and hang out. It's much more personal than working in a coffee shop.

For many of us, $375 is more than worth it.

For the record, yes, I work out of Office Nomads and I write on their blog.

@9: Mine squeaks. I found it in our building's laundry room of communism. That's why I was hoping to use yours.

How many people are you? $375/month seemed well-funded to me.

Don't get me wrong--this is a great idea! One I've been waiting for. Thanks for the mention and the links, David. I'd already met the guys in Pioneer Square (at a Neal Stephenson signing, believe it or not).

@10: Coffee shops didn't work for me because I was a problem. I was working and felt like a pain to the people who weren't. "Laptop zombie" is the truth; you're also much more intense than people there to socialize, who should have preference in a café. What else... You need to tag team or you have to pack up all your stuff every time you "take a break." Lots of cafés leave their doors open in the winter to attract customers. The music and lighting aren't always conducive.

@burgin99 - Have you ever tried working in a coffee shop as your only office all day every day??? When I had an office, working at a coffee shop was a great escape. When the coffee shop was it?? Save me. A few months of the living room to coffee shop to living room and back to coffee shop routine, and a mental breakdown was definitely in my future. Seriously, $375 is a steal for what I get from Office Nomads -- and it's dirt cheap compared to the cost of the psychotherapy it's saved me from.