Coworking From Afar

by The Hairpin

This post is sponsored by Skype. It’s time to say more and stay human. It’s time for Skype.

Jane and Edith don’t live on the same coast. But they work together. A lot. So they emailed back and forth about the different ways they communicate.

Edith: SO. We work on this website together, but you’re in LA and I’m in New York. What would we do without instant messaging, a.k.a. the greatest and most important thing ever invented? I wonder what our total chat word count would be. “[Big number].” “Wow that’s pretty high!” Okay maybe I scratched that brief itch. Do you like chatting with me all day every day???

Jane: Honestly, when I turn on my computer in the morning and you’re not logged in to iChat or Gchat or whateverchat, I kind of freak out? Liiiike, maybe you made yourself invisible because you’re sick of my nonsense about the latest Rick Ross video on WorldStarHipHop.com or something. I don’t HAVE to send you that stuff, but really it’s all I WANT to do. So I just feel better when you’re signed on and available even though your response to any of my news is “I know!” because you live in the future compared to me and you’ve also been up since 6 a.m.

This post is already not making any sense, just like our chats all day.

Edith: Hahaha. Jane!! 1) I’m never not logged in, always invisible and there FOR YOU (always the bridesmaid, never the not-logged-in person?). 2) I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LATEST RICK ROSS VIDEO!!! You know that!

Also we video chat about once a week-ish. I like doing that because I like to see your face! At first I tried to look nice in the videos so you wouldn’t think I was gross, but then I actually like that you see me in my natural state. You know all my secrets! Actually you, Jane, literally know all of my secrets.

[One minute later] Also our chatbox, which I leave open all day, obviously, is one of my life’s most important anchors.

[Two minutes later] Oh also right this is supposed to be about running a business!! I think? Or whatever! Haha. The hours when I’m awake and you’re not on the computer yet are lonely.

And I think it’s been pretty seamless working so far apart, although I do wish we could be in the same room more — is there anything you wished I did better? Now I’m inundating you with emails, I’m sorry!

Jane: That is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. You know all my secrets, too! I wish they were juicier lately, but now that I’m getting wifed they’re more like “Edith: I am buying wedding shoes right now. Here look at them.” Which is the boringest possible chat to send someone. Sorry. But I do try to keep our chats like half work-related and half personal so that you’ll stay my friend and also so that you’ll think I’m a hard worker and surfing the web — which is my job — rather than surfing the surf, which seems to be a lot of people’s jobs out here.

Video chatting is definitely the way to go, though. I feel like we just sit there giggling at each other. Like “What are you eating? Is that a hard-boiled egg? Hahahhahahaha…” That would never be funny over the phone (or right here in this paragraph for that matter) but somehow videochatting is just so base. “Let me see what you are doing.” “Now you do something.” “Now you do something.” If you were my dude, I’d show you my boobs the whole time, so thank goodness you’re not and we get some actual discussion and jokes in there among the giggles and eyebrow growing-out updates.

I’M NOT MAKING ANY SENSE TODAY. EDIT AS YOU SEE FIT.

Edith: AHHH I’M TRYING SO HARD TO KEEP THIS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY BUT ALL I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS EYEBROWS. Maybe someday I’ll make a list of all the ways you’ve changed my life.

Jane: Don’t do that, that would be weird. But also DO DO THAT, I would be so flattered.

Back to the tech though: I seriously love that videochatting is possible. Remember they had it on The Jetsons and also on every other show that came out of the ‘60s? And now it’s just REALLY everywhere? Doesn’t that just blow your mind, though? My little brother lives in Vietnam so we’re on opposite time and he’ll Facetime me from his iPhone — which I think might be illegal or something over there, whoops — at midnight my time when I’m all drunk and he’s just starting his day and it feels like magic every single time. Now we need that thing that picks out the perfect outfit for you and instantly cooks any meal you want.

Edith: Yes! And flying cars. Wait actually flying cars would be really scary. It’s much safer to just stay inside and instant message! Send me a link to the shoes!

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