Way of the Technomad

He looked at me as if I had swallowed a cat whole when I told him my Facebook vanity URL was www.facebook.com/technomad. And, of course, the long moment of silence ended abruptly with the most logical next question: what's a technomad? Yet another benefit of working out of coffeeshops: you get excellent opportunities to evangelize your brand that you just don't get while cranking out spreadsheets in the home office. It starts with a definition.

From Wikipedia:

A technomad is an itinerant person who remains connected to the Internet. Originally coined by Steven Roberts to describe a nomadic person who remains connected through communications media such as the Internet during travel, exploration, and online nomadic living.

But defining the lexicon really doesn't capture the spirit of the concept. Truth be told, I've broken many a night owl web developer and nomadic blogger in to the idea, only to hear them exclaim in a Eureka moment, "that's me!" after a lengthy explanation. It's times like these that teach us why the Japanese were persistent in -jitsu (art) or -do (way) terms for martial arts. The spirit of the concept is captured in a word. And, yes, these are survival skills of sorts to to people like myself. I've made an art out of being constantly connected to the global grid, and can Skype/IM/email/text/call/retweet you at a moments notice from anywhere in the world. In fact, my Bluetooth earpiece would seem surgically grafted to my ear as I dare not waste an opportunity to turn my car into a mobile office. The creators of Google Maps would be amazed by my ability to maintain a constant mental map of WiFi hotspots within a mile radius of my position. Seriously, if you disable the security on the wireless access point of your home network tonight, you'll wake up tomorrow morning to me sitting in your driveway - eating a baegle and surfing the web. I have a Bushido-like collection of adapters, connectors and mobile, removeable storage media for the electronic weaponry I wield - still managing to keep my footprint small enough to come and go like a whisper... like ninja.

And, yet, there's something deeper to what it means to be a technomad. It is, first and foremost, a state of mind. I often tell people that my most prized lesson from military experience and having traveled overseas is that I can learn to live anywhere. Likewise, a technomads prowess first comes from the understanding that he can work or play anywhere. Long gone are the days of brick and mortar for many business models, and each generation since the invention of the Internet expands in its understanding that to be tied down to the paradigm of being tied down is a dinosaur's tale. Agility is the new paradigm. Judging by the fact that nearly 95% of America's workforce is employed by small businesses, often self-employed out of coffeeshops and cars (and saving lots of money in the process), this paradigm is here to stay. This, above all, is the Way of the Technomad. This is the reason I named the new company Technomad Media.

A sideways smile forms on Devin's face by the end of my rant. "Yeah, I hear, ya. That's what I am. I'm a technomad", he says. And another one was added to the tribe that night. If I don't watch out, this could turn into something far bigger than myself. This could turn into a movement.