Wide Teams

Happy Holidays from Wide Teams

Dec 23, 10 • In Site News

Things are a little slow around here as I’m busy preparing for the holidays. I just wanted to take a minute to wish all the readers season’s greetings and a very happy holidays! I’ve got some great articles and podcasts lined up for the new year, but until then I’ve collected some links to guest articles you might have missed. With all the holiday hustle and bustle I haven’t had time to prepare any new articles or podcasts. In lieue of that, here are some links to guest posts I’ve done for other sites over the past months. The Seven Hats of a Successful Remote Worker: an article for WebWorkerDaily, talking about the extra responsibilities a remote worker needs to be mindful of in order to stay effective. Busting Down the Office Door about how

5, 6, 7, 8, who do we appreciate?

Dec 13, 10 • In Practices

In a dispersed team it is more important than ever to make a habit of showing appreciation for a job well done. A quick article today since I don’t have a lot of time. If you’re a regular reader you know I’m a big advocate of practicing regular retrospectives in distributed teams. In one of the the teams I work with right now, he first item on the retrospective template we use is “appreciations”. We take time at the beginning of the meeting to recognize the efforts of members of the team who have gone above & beyond. Anyone can pipe up, and the recognitions can be for anything from fixing a nasty bug over the weekend to being extra helpful on Campfire. When you don’t see each other every day, it’s easy to forget

Wide Links #17

Dec 10, 10 • In Links

Some of my favorite reading on dispersed teams from the last week. In this edition: investing in your home office; staying in touch with your team; agile software practices for distributed teams; giving a presentation over the internet, and much more. Where to Invest for the Biggest Productivity Gains You can save a lot of money by working remotely, but that doesn’t mean you should skimp on the tools that really matter. A few strategically chosen expenditures can dramatically increase your productivity and connectivity. tags: wideteams Remote workers can’t escape talking on the phone, or its modern day equivalents. I personally have a fairly expensive handset hooked up to my landline, which I use when it’s important to have great call quality and a connection I can depend upon. You might not consider a landline

Celebrating Six Months of Wide Teams!

Dec 8, 10 • In Site News

It’s our 6-month anniversary! Come join us for a look back over our first half-year of existence, and tell us what you want us to cover in the future. Six months ago (technically, six months ago yesterday) I published the first Wide Teams blog post. Since then I’ve interviewed dozens of remote workers, made a lot of awesome new friends, and confirmed that a lot of people are interested in the subject of geographically dispersed teams. We’ve even been featured in the Wall Street Journal! Some stats as of today, for the record: 82 posts, and 122 comments. 21 episodes of the Wide Teams podcast. 119 RSS feed subscribers. 227 people follow @wideteams on Twitter. 37 Facebook fans. Here are our five most popular posts over the last six months: Ironically, the most popular post

Wide Teams Podcast #21: Interview with Tony Amoyal

Dec 7, 10 • In Interviews, Podcast

Can you work remotely from a snowboarding vacation in Montana? Software developer Tony Amoyal says "why not?". In this episode, he and I discuss the tradeoffs involved in being part of a software team while staying mobile

Ask the experts: Adding a new member to a dispersed team

Dec 6, 10 • In Practices

Bringing a new member into a distributed team poses special problems. How do you introduce your team’s culture, rhythms, and practices to a new coworker when they can’t sit in the same room with you? I asked some seasoned remote-work pros for their advice. Here’s what they had to say. David Browning of Two Guys had this to say: Bring them into all methods of communication. If necessary, explain the differences between each and what they’re used for (Skype vs Campfire vs Basecamp vs whatever-tool). Preferably you have a standup, so having them talk and hear others talk is a good way for everyone to feel more comfortable speaking their mind and getting to know one another. Nudge them to speak more if they’re shy at first, once they open up you should be good

Wide Links #16: Meeting, Coaching, Bridging, Chatting

Dec 3, 10 • In Links

A heaping helping of links for remote workers today! In this edition, why work often doesn’t happen at work; an open thread on managing remote workers; advice for improving communication between the main office and remote workers – and much, much more. Making a long-distance relationship work: When feds go remote – Tom Fox tags: wideteams Don’t forget the small talk.When separated by distance, it’s even more important to make small talk about the little things in life to build rapport. Don’t forget to establish a sort of virtual water cooler for your folks by talking with them about their lives, the big game or whatever you can find to make a personal connection. Consider having your team virtually share their favorite recipes or books each week to help them stay connected while telecommuting. Jason

Screencast: Cardmeeting

Dec 1, 10 • In Toolkit

One of the simplest, most versatile tools for meetings is the good ole’ stack of index cards. Is it possible to recreate the experience of pushing 3×5 cards around on the table in a virtual meeting? In this video I demonstrate a free tool that does a pretty good job of it. Sometimes the simple tools are the most useful. Cardmeeting is a tool that enables members of a dispersed team to collaboratively move virtual index cards around on a virtual table top. Best of all, it’s completely free! Check out this video for a quick demonstration