Building a Community as a Work-At-Home Mom

I am an extrovert. I love people and I love interacting with many people. This may come as a surprise to other bloggers and others who work from home. Don’t I get lonely? Don’t I miss interacting with coworkers?

No, not really. I still have a community within my industry, both local and global, and I interact with them daily. Sometimes I get to see them in person and love it. But on most days, I connect online, and that’s good enough for me.

I’ve read advice to teleworkers about avoiding social media. I defy that advice. Interacting with my industry via social media, especially Twitter, is my connection to the outside world. Twitter is how I read most of my industry news through micro-blogging and posted articles. Twitter is how I communicate with people in my industry around the world, no matter where I am. Twitter along with LinkedIn, my industry-related blog, my industry-related vlog, email, and my consulting firm’s website are how I communicate and stay relevant in my industry.

Almost daily I initiate some kind of conversation with colleagues via Twitter, either throwing out open-ended questions or talking points to my general audience or by engaging with colleagues directly based on what they post. This is my coffee break conversation. They are my sounding board. They are often a source of knowledge not easily found via Googling.

Just because I’m a WAHM doesn’t mean I’m a shut-in. I get out to in-person meetings and events as well. Most of the time, my husband watches the baby while I’m out at professional functions. But I think I’m about to become more open to taking the baby with me now that I have so many events lined up. I have nine semi-professional or professional events to attend in person in the next few weeks. I’m also attending a conference or two in the next few months. I also have a very active social life that died down a little during my first month postpartum but has recovered now. I don’t lack adult conversation.

Generalizations aren’t true for everyone. I work from home but I’m not lonely or alone. I prefer the company of my online colleagues to many of the office coworkers I’ve had in past jobs. I love the balance I’ve found in connecting with people online and in person. It works for me!