More Irish companies going Bedouin

Northern Ireland based creatiV is...

"... an art shop for the 21st Century, paint, pencils & the usual stuff
mixed with new media, cameras, sound and Apple computers, providing an
Artist or Designer with everything they need... Each shop will have its own
social space, a coffeehouse with wireless internet, art exhibitions and
live music from top local talent."

Andrew also explains the origins of the idea...

"... you see when I planned to open a art shop and coffeehouse, the real
motive was to give me somewhere to base my Art & Technology
Consultancy, tVisted. Armed with a laptop, VOIP line and mobile phone I
had planned for tVisted to be a truely modern IT, or AT (Art Technolgy)
company, going where the wind (or work) took us."

Very cool. I've long been jealous of the nomadic Silicon Starbuckers and yearn for a similar string of virtual office cafes in Ireland. But the guys at Infurious aren't waiting around -

"We're a Bedouin company. We have registered offices but they're not offices. We have no telephone except mobiles and some seldom used VOIP lines. We have no fixed abode. Sometimes we're working from one place, sometimes another."

That's the mode of work I'm progressing towards too and of course there are some downsides -

"Being Bedouin is a lot more fun during an Irish summer than it would be at any other time of the year. We really do need to bring raincoats every day though. You can never be too sure."

Well I'm a culchie so I won't be walking to a Bedouin Cafe any time soon but I'd love to know the locations of suitable premises in Limerick, Cork, Dublin, Galway and so on for the next time I've a meeting there. And now that I've got my Vodafone Unlimited Mobile Connect card I won't even be requiring wi-fi !!

Technorati Tags: bedouin, ireland, irishblogs, coffee, cafes

Comments

[Eoghan McCabe]

I have to say, the idea really appeals to me too. Sounds like a very cool lifestyle. But how productive it can be? I wouldn't get a tap done in Starbucks! (I'd be back and forth to the jacks with their coffee (too much information, sorry)!) :)

Also, I'd love to continue just using my mobile, but it looks kind of unprofessional advertising it on my site. If only I could get a land line number for my mobile phone (without having to get a land line and setting up and paying for call forwarding).

James - How's the Vodafone card working out? Is the coverage as good as the traditional mobile networks?

[James Corbett]

Agreed, my productivity in a Starbucks would also be very low but a hybrid caffee-beingplace (Springwise had a great post about this recently - http://www.springwise.com/lifestyle%5Fleisure/being%5Fspaces%5Ffor%5Fmobile%5Fwarrio/) would do the trick.

I know what you mean in regard to the mobile phone number but we've actually only used our mobile number for years now on our site. Of course the fact that most of our customers are outside of Ireland helps to disguise the fact its a mobile number. However, I think its becoming less of an issue anway. Isn't there some way of forwarding a VOIP number to a mobile nowadays? I wonder if Blueface.ie facilitate that?

As regards the Vodafone Mobile Connect card, that's a whole other post..... coming soon! :)

[Eoghan McCabe]

Those "being-spaces" are really cool! They'd be a great way for lone workers to get a bit of regular social interaction, and fantastic for networking too, I'd imagine. I'll check out the NYC spaces when I'm there next month. I'd love to try set a little one up in Dublin, if I had the capital...

I think the mobile number problem is becoming less of an issue, but to conventional business-people, it's still a turn-off I think.

Looking forward to hearing about your Vodafone card. :)

[Andrew Gribben]

Lots of people are talking about going Bedouin at the moment, although to be honest a week ago, I hadn't heard the phrase, it was only through talking with Infurious that I found out other people had the same idea as me. And that makes me wonder; how many other people, especially in the North, have similar ideas but don't know where to start or even if its sustainable locally. I think once I'm up and running it wouldn't hurt for the likes of us, Infurious and Co, to run some sort of marketing/educational campaign to try and raise awareness. Think I might call InvestNI on Friday...

For VOIP I'm using vonage at the moment up here it gives me a normal professional looking landline looking number that I can forward to a bunch (5 or 10, i cant remember) of other phones. Its £7.99/month for residential customers or £18.99 for business, the only difference I can find is that the business package gives you a 'free' second line for a fax machine. Residential does the job for me.

[MJ]

Wooo, lookit!

For VOIP I use SIPGate. Reasonable calling rates. Free "local" humber so that when you call me or I call you, I have a Belfast number.

Tell me more about this Vodafone card? I'm looking for an all you can eat data package?

[Neville]

Hi there - fascinated by the "going Bedouin" I have been trying to get it up and running here in Fish Hoek at the Southern tip of Africa for the past few months. (Back of our regular Internet Cafe) Lots of interest but only a few takers - I have pitched it around the "you take care of business we take care of the office concept" maybe a bit too much for this sleepy seaside village. I would love to incorporate the electronic art concept. (LOts of designers in the area.
I will pop by your site regularly to see what civilisation is doing.
Greetings from the FAR South!
Neville

[James Corbett]

Thanks Neville, good to hear from you.