An office and being social do not necessarily go hand in hand. They often do, but far from always. But that’s not the point of the post even though I’ll get back to that in a moment.

The post challenges the notion that one “must” have an office. That is simply not the case for a very large number of people who would do just as well or better working in a less traditional setting. And your are correct, we live in a society where those who are less comfortable in social interactions can work in a way that fits them. I think that’s a great thing.

I don’t agree that social interaction only happens in an office. Co-working spaces, and yes coffee shops where freelancers meet, work and exchange ideas are at least equally social and thriving environments.

@Ryan – Very true. I have seen businesses struggle, hamper their growth and in some cases go under because their leaders poor money in to such “musts” as posh office space.

The suggestion that Skype and occasional meetings can take the place of a shared environment is simply wrong. Those who lack social skills may find working this way is practical. For the majority this is not the case. Increased isolation directly detracts those same social skills by reducing self-confidence, feelings of self-worth and tolerance.

My wife is in the process of setting up an independent studio in Soho with another 5 animators after working primarily at home for the last 18 months simply to be in an environment where creativity can spark and shared experiences can be had.

Presumably as a ‘web strategist’ your role in life is to sit in starbucks (or some web 2.0 analogue) drinking frappa-trendy-mocha-goatee-chinos, surfing the web and spouting rubbish such as this. Collaboration and communication tools aid and enhance the social fabric that helps form the core of a functional team, they don’t replace it.