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The latest stories from across the GigaOM Network

Avoiding Conflicts Within a Teleworking TeamNovember 28

It’s hard work to set up and supervise a teleworking team for some projects.  In the web content service I run, I need to gather work-from-home writers together and help them work as a team.  This is especially important for projects that require group cooperation and interaction, such as an ebook or a multi-authored blog.

One of the advantages of teleworking is that there’s less opportunities for workplace gossip and personality clashes.  Most teams approach their communications very matter-of-factly.  But I find that this isn’t always the case, especially when members each have very different working styles.

When managing a team of very different people all over the globe, what can you do to keep the team, and the work, from imploding?

All expectations should be out on the table. Most conflict comes from someone’s expectations not being met.  When someone new joins the team, the project manager or the person in charge should ask them what their expectations are.  The new members should also be told what’s expected of them.  Doing this may seem corny, but it’s the only way to assure that everyone is signing up to be on the same team, working through the same processes.

Documented accountability. If the team is unclear about the deliverables that are due  and who is responsible for them, that’s a recipe for disaster.  Each person on the team should have a very defined role from the beginning - and this should be writt

5 Applications and Services For Which I Am ThankfulNovember 27

Last week Mike shared some thoughts on some of the reasons he is thankful he is a Web Worker. With the announcement that popular apps I Want Sandy and Stikkit are to close, I thought I would take a moment to list the acknowledge the tools or services that I am most thankful for.

These aren’t the only ones I use, but they are the ones that make my Web Working experience the best it can be.

Gmail - It is the lifeblood of my daily communication. I use a single inbox to aggregate a number of different accounts and it seems that the bulk of my information passes through Gmail at some point in my process. I am addicted to the ability to search and find all of my correspondence so quickly and easily. I’d love better contact capability, but my next application handles that well.

BatchBook - While Gmail is the conduit for the bulk of my communication, BatchBook helps me keep track of who I need to communicate with. A small business CRM product that is remarkably simple to use, but with a bunch of super powerful options th

Top Resources for Finding Web WorkNovember 26

With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us and an economic mania going on, it’s a good time for all of us who have gainful employment to be thankful. For those who don’t,  there are some good resources to tap in order to rectify the situation. In this post, I’ll round up some ideas for web workers who need work.

Whether you’re looking for something full time or part time, oDesk is a good place to start. It’s a staffing marketplace and management platform that provides a simple way to get hired for tech jobs available all around the world. We recently did an interview with the CEO, where he explains how the service works.

Many oDesk workers find sideline jobs that they do in conjunction with other work. You can showcase your skills there, whether they’re programming, design or other types of strengths.

Over on Webware, they’ve been using spreadsheets to post very regularly updated lists of which tech companies are hiring, and which ones are laying people off. You’ll find the latest spreadsheet of sunshine representing companies that are hiring here.

And here, you’ll find Web

I Want Sandy and Stikkit to Close on December 8November 26

This is the risk of falling in love with free services. We’ve written positively about I Want Sandy and Stikkit in the past, two simple but effective productivity web apps. The company behind the apps, Values of n, has announced that both services will go offline for good on December 8.

This isn’t your typical “startup ran out of money” story. Rael Dornfest, the brains behind Values of n, accepted a fulltime job with Twitter. Rather than pass the web apps on to someone else or keep them going under Twitter’s roof, the services will just go away, leaving their user base high and dry.

While I’m happy for Mr. Dornfest and I’m looking forward to seeing how Twitter improves with the infusion of his technology and expertise, this should serve as another wake-up call to all who rely on free services by small companies. Often labors of love built during off hours, there’s nothing to stop developers from

Black Friday Sales Starting EarlyNovember 24

Black Friday is almost upon us and could be one of the best days in recent memory for web workers to buy new technology at fair prices. Not only will there be discounts on new computers, displays, and more, but some of the discounts are already arriving.

Many WebWorkerDaily readers are Mac users, and, as jkOnTheRun notes, Best Buy is already slashing prices on almost all MacBook models that they sell. “Most models are a cool $100 off but a few others are noteworthy,” they report. “The 13-inch new MacBook is discounted $150 making it just $1449.” Here are some more ideas on where to look, and where not to look, for bargains.

The deals on Macs noted by JKOnTheRun are particularly notable because Apple tends to strictly control how Macs–especially new models–are priced. Right now, though, you can get a nicely stocked MacBook Air at Best Buy for $1,299. This notebook is number one on my tech wish list right now, really a marvel of design.

As good as the MacBook Air is, though, Lenovo and Toshiba have some very competitive notebooks available on the PC side now. As noted here, some of the PC notebooks are going to be very cheap on Black Friday as well. Best Buy will have a Toshiba 15.4-inch