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All telecommuters know the drill: the house has gotten too distracting, too noisy, or maybe just too dull. You need to get out. But you have work to do. Presto-Chango: You find yourself at the local Wi-Fi cafe! (Wi-Fi, [wye-fye], is the wireless technology that enables your laptop to pick up internet service without an archaic bulky cord [a.k.a. ethernet cord- I know, who still uses those?] hooked up to the modem. ) I worked in coffee shops through the years of cafe culture boom and Wi-Fi phenomenon. My first barista position was at a little cafe on Marco Island, FL called The Wild Plum. This place was one-of-a-kind, the real article, complete with a wooden wardrobe for little girl’s tea party outfits, a hippie couch, and antique chandeliers covering the ceiling. But that was in 1998: I saw plenty of wanna-be troubadour’s flipping open their guitar cases- but never the Wi-Fi worker and his trusty sleek laptop. I went on to barista at a couple more independent stores, two franchises, and lastly, the corporate kahuna- Starbucks herself. By that time it was 2005, and plugging in was as commonplace as a Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee - hold the whip. Coupling my knowledge of those behind the counter at the local cafe with the past 3 or 4 years I’ve experienced plugging in at hotspots, I’ve come up with some basic tips for the telecommuter hoping to spend the bulk of their day sippin’ the juice from their fav cafe’s modem:

First: Ask Yourself Some Questions:

1. Are you sure the location your at offers free Wi-Fi? Note that many cafe giants, Starbucks included, offer Wi-Fi only with a subscription ($) to a provider, such as T-Mobile.
2. What are their hours? (Boy, have I done this one before!) You go in with the plan to punch out about 4 hours only to find the hotspot location is only open another 2!
3. Okay, your in- now look around! Chances are you aren’t the only one with the same idea. Are there any free tables near an electrical outlet? If your battery isn’t plugged in, how long will you have to work? Be careful to scope out the scene BEFORE you order a coffee and scone and realize you have no where to sit while your coffee spills over its rim as you wonder what to do.

Second: Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You

1. Order something, and not just an ice water. Don’t be cheap, either. An 8 oz. coffee for here might be the cheapest thing on the menu, but please order a little more than that!
2. Order often. Sorry, but a coffee and a scone at 9 am will not buy you time until 5pm. (I don’t know how you could go that long without eating anyway, you animal!) It doesn’t have to be much, but I would say the polite thing to do is order something about every 2 hours, particularly if you aren’t ordering more than a couple dollar menu items. Okay, now you’re doing the math and realizing that an entire day at the hotspot might cost you up to $10 or so. But keep in mind- A. you HAVE to get out of the house here and there to break up the monotony, B. you HAVE to eat while you work anyway, C. you are getting FREE Wi-Fi, and finally and most importantly D. you are taking up a seat in the store!

Third: Play Well with Others

1. Don’t bother other worker’s. Okay, I broke this rule a lot in the beginning. “Um, do you know what VPN is?” I would ask the guy on his laptop next to me. “I can’t get online, are you getting online?” Because of that, I offer the same friendly troubleshooting now if any one asks me the same type of questions. But please remember that they are most likely trying to get work done too, and they can’t play Tech Support for your every hiccup. Also, if you are really into what you’re doing and some one asks you for help, it’s far more polite to tell them you don’t know than to say you’re too busy.
2. Bumping into Others: If you need to bump into a fellow worker or customer to, say, get to an electrical outlet, make some sort of inquiring gesture as a nonchalant “could you please excuse me?”. Always say your “please” and “thank you”’s. (If your feeling extra nice- you can offer your outlet to some one looking for one while your’s is powered up, and make a deal with them to switch when you run low!)

So there you go, some ideas to consider before venturing out to work via hot spot. Did I miss something? Comment with some tips of your own!

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