Comments on: Are High Fuel Costs Good for Web Workers?

By: Roger

Roger — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:01:44 +0000

Jan, i don’t really get the hint. Why it would be a good thing if the business model is helping people get online and set up? Do you mind to explain further?

By: Jan - queenofkaos

Jan - queenofkaos — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:59:56 +0000

If your business is helping people get online and set up, it could be a good thing, but I question the effect on the percentage of sales in almost any niche.

I know that I give my purchases much more thought these days – online and off.

By: Jim - ki work

Jim - ki work — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:00:36 +0000

just beginning to get a taste of what life without oil might be like (check out the fantastic WorldWithoutOil experiment) In the UK it now costs nearly $120 to fill up a small car with diesel. like it or not, anyone who can will be a web worker one day..

By: Jon Moss

Jon Moss — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:55:28 +0000

I’m with Tim here, zero sympathy with your prices, try $2.60 a litre!! So $10 / gallon ++!

I am starting to increase travel charges now, when I used to include these with some clients.

By: uniacid

uniacid — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:26:42 +0000

I think higher oil costs are a bad thing for web workers, remember it is not only our fuel costs that are soaring to new records but also the majority of our commodities (food) and also the cost of energy in general. The idea of working from home on the web sounds nice and while I believe it is possible there are still many employers who hate the idea and are just uncomfortable to rely on a remote position. If more and more employers finally do decide to switch to the web for work then it could help many, but it will still be an issue as it will cause an influx on people looking for work as I’ve already seen on many freelance job sites.

By: John Paul Mitchell

John Paul Mitchell — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:55:52 +0000

I have inside information that gas prices in the U.S. will hit $6 and a source at the NYMEX that it’ll hit $7 if bad enough weather hits the Gulf this year.

That’s so much more than on the day President Bush entered the White House. I heard it was somewhere around $1.36 the day he entered office.

I’m looking to switch totally to a web worker position and drop my most reliable day job.

By: Joel Falconer

Joel Falconer — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:44:41 +0000

Tim, I’m not sure if this is possible in your industry, but I don’t do on-site visits at all and that works fine for me and my clients. That may just be a benefit of freelance writing, though.

By: Tim Haughton

Tim Haughton — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:26:48 +0000

Obviously you’ll get no sympathy for your gas prices from us here in the UK. I think they’re at least double your prices :/ Over here, bio fuels are generally thought to be a bad idea, but one viable alternative is LPG. You guys have it over there?

I’m increasingly asking for contracts to be flexible in terms of working arrangements. I’ve just fired a client for (amongst other things) being too inflexible and requiring me to travel to their site too much.

By: Partners in Grime

Partners in Grime — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:28:41 +0000

Riding around on my bike. Trying to keep new clients within a hundred miles of home base.