Wide Teams: Recent Episodes
Avdi Grimm
In this episode, Mark Greenway, talks about working for an insurance company based in Florida while living in Ohio with his wife. Mark talks about communication and the many benefits...
In this episode, Dave Denis of WGBH Boston, talks about how he is planning on going remote in the near future and some of the preparations he is making for...
In this episode, JoseLuis Torres, a remote worker from Mexico, talks about his experiences working for a NYC-based startup and the challenges behind that, why it is so important to over-communicate,...
In this episode, Warren Wright shares his story about how the game World of Warcraft helped him break into the world of remote working while taking with him some very...
In this episode, David Tate talks about his various blog posts that he’s written regarding remote work, offers more resources to learn about it, and is even coming out with...
In this episode, Dave Haeffner and Jason Fox of Arrgyle chat about they’re experiences working both together and remotely, and heartily agree that it’s important to avoid burnout by taking...
In this episode, Trip Levine talks working on the road. You don’t want to miss this episode  featuring a Jack of all trades and his tales of traveling and working...
In this episode, Ryan Wilcox talks about team setups, lessons learned, and coping with collocated colleagues. Show Notes: Ryan Wilcox (twitter github blog flavors.me) 00:58 – Ryan Wilcox Introduction [unordered_list...
In this episode, Rich Blumer talks about the many benefits of working remotely, working with teams as a sole developer, and constraining office hours. Show Notes: Rich Blumer (twitter linkedin)...
In this episode, Kevin Lamping talks about his battles to be granted permission to work remotely and his really cool home office setup. Show Notes: Kevin Lamping (twitter github blog)...
In this episode, Tute Costa of General Assembly talks about trotting around the globe while balancing remote work. Show Notes: Tute Costa (twitter githib blog) 00:39 – Tute Costa Introduction...
In this episode, Wade Foster of Zapier, talks about the qualities he looks for in hiring a person to work on a distributed team, several newly mentioned tools for remote...
In this episode, Robert Rouse of CrankApps, talks about managing a remote team, hiring processes, and communication lessons learned. Show Notes: Robert Rouse (twitter github) 00:35 – Robert Rouse Introduction...
In this episode, Andrew Culver, talks about how to handle working remotely while traveling and important aspects, such as equipment and a reliable Internet connection, to consider to make it...
In this episode, Mark Simoneau, talks about working remotely sometimes vs full-time, bringing past remote work experiences to present situations, his unique “cloffice” setup, and maintaining growth as a developer...
In this episode, Tomasz Stachewicz of Rebased.pl, talks about working remotely from Warsaw, Poland. He gives tips for handling client anxiety regarding hiring remote workers, taking advantage of timezone differences,...
In this episode, Mike Hostetler, Founder and CEO of appendTo, talks about establishing a successful and completely distributed company, the importance of presence and responsiveness, and building team dynamics. Mike...
In this episode, Dave Frey of Haiku LMS, talk about being the first remote worker on a distributed team, remote pair programming, and his own work/life balance. Show Notes: Dave...
In this episode, Allen Maxwell of EmpowerIT, talks about several remote tools and resources, collaborative drawing and design, and making remote working work. Show Notes: Allen Maxwell (twitter github amaxwell@empowerit.com)...
In this episode, Jay Hayes of Big Nerd Ranch, talks agile software development and overcoming isolation and communication issues while working remotely on a distributed team. Show Notes: Jay Hayes...
In this episode, cofounder Tom Moor, talks about Sqwiggle: an application that allows remote teams to work together throughout the day. Show Notes: Tom Moor (twitter github blog tom@sqwiggle.com) 00:41...
In this episode, Amos King, talks about his experiences working remotely and gives a pretty cool background noise resource for those lonely times. Show Notes: Amos King (twitter github blog)...
In this episode, J Sherwani and Vishal Kapur talk about Screenhero: a new and convenient collaborative screen sharing application. Show Notes: J Sherwani (twitter linkedin) Vishal Kapur (twitter github linkedin)...
In this episode, Ernie Miller of LivingSocial, talks about his transition into managing a dispersed team, “Optimizing for Happiness”, and dealing with distraction. Show Notes: Ernie Miller (twitter github blog)...
In this episode, Nick Adams of Hudl and remotejobs.co, talks about living and working in Rochester, New York, and starting a remote jobs board for companies dedicated to specifically hiring...
In this episode, Jonathan Mason, of VersaPay, talks about life living in Victoria, British Columbia, and the importance of documentation and visibility to others while working on a distributed team....
In this episode, Elliot Rodriguez talks about his experiences on a distributed team, overcoming isolation, and being able to work remotely for as long as possible. Show Notes: Elliot Rodriguez...
In this episode, Zee Spencer dives deeply into the remote pair programming aspect of working remotely, covering topics such as pairing pitfalls, remote work station setups, and ways that the...
In this episode, software engineer Javier Gonel, talks about living and working remotely from Greece and why he enjoys commuting and having the freedom to work from interesting places. Show...
In this episode, James Costa and Matt Herron of The Phuse, discuss task management, overlap meetings, and the concept of code audits. Show Notes: 01:04 – James Costa (twitter blog)...
In this episode, Eric Farkas of TalentSoup, talks dealing with timezone disparities, overcoming cultural differences, and sharing values with others for successful remote work. Show Notes: 00:37 – Eric Farkas...
In this episode, Matt Groves of Telligent talks about choosing to work remotely and prior hesitations, fantasy remote tools, and gives us a preview of his soon-to-be published book, Aspect-Oriented...
In this episode, CEO Tomasz Szymanski of SoftwareMill, talks about running a remote company from Warsaw, Poland and how he and his team interact using different methods of communication and...
In this episode, Sophia Le and Matthew Kirk of Modulus 7, talk about being a husband and wife consulting team, remote challenges and benefits, and the importance of separating your...
In this episode, Adam Ochonicki, James Welle and Rachel Donovan of Articulate, tell us what it’s like to work remotely from their perspectives, share some handy tools of the trade,...
In this episode, David Worth of Big Nerd Ranch (formerly Highgroove), talks about working as a dispersed company, overcoming lonliness, and the practical value of remote pairing. Show Notes: David...
In this episode, I talk to Joel Glovier. Joel is a user experience designer and front end developer currently working full time for appendTo, where he was recently part of the...
In this episode, Nick Gauthier, a freelance consultant, talks about transitioning into freelancing, his unique hardware and office setup, and demo screencasts being a useful tool in business. Show Notes:...
In this episode, Stephen Ball, Jon Druse, Eileen Carpenter, and Shaun Ambrose of PhishMe, talk about company growth, team gelling, and working flexibly. Show Notes: Stephen Ball (twitter github blog) Jon Druse...
In this episode, Ryan Bigg of Spree Commerce, talks about what it’s like to be a remote worker from Melbourne, Australia. Ryan Bigg (twitter github blog) Spree Commerce 00:55 –...
In this episode, Ryan King of Sharpsaw, talks about some cool tools and tricks of the trade for remote pairing, security measures to take, and overcoming resistance to the practice....
In this episode, Gary Benton, James Pellow, Dallas Reedy, and John Ash, of K3 Integrations, talk about experiences working outside the country, communication tools, and keys to getting hired if...
In this episode, Tom Santero and Reid Draper of Basho, talk about hiring where the talent is, doing what you think is best for the company, and the wonderful benefits of...
In this episode, Derek Haynes and Andre Lewis of Scout, talk about meeting and getting to know each other before working together, coworking spaces, and distributed teams unique to big...
In this episode, Daniel Yoon of Sleepy Giant, talks about his experience as being “the new guy” on a team located on the other side of the world, knowing whether you’re...
In this episode, Bob McWrirter of Red Hat, talks about communication as in artifacts created by tooling, remote workers as black sheep, and gaining notoriety via open-source. Show Notes: Bob...
In this episode, Ezekiel Templin, of Paper Cavalier, talks about schedule stretching to accomodate time zones, choosing where you work from, and the importance of hanging out and meeting with co-workers...
In this episode, Evan Light, a freelance software developer and mentor, talks about working with an apprentice, remote mentoring, and the power of reflection and education through suffering. Show Notes:...
In this episode, Troy Davis and Eric Lindvall, of Papertrail, talk about seeking out and choosing the right teammates, team overlap, and organic growth. Show Notes Troy Davis (twitter /...
In this episode, Steven R. Baker, shares his experiences facilitating a remote team in Canada, his philosophies that led to working remotely, Show Notes: Steven R. Baker (twitter / blog)...
In this episode, Josh Ballanco of ELC Technologies, talks about working remotely from Ankara, Turkey, the trials and tribulations of sorting through remote work job postings, pairing, and yak shaving...
In this episode, Gabe Hollombe, talks about his adventures traveling throughout Southeast Asia while working for a company based in Australia. He discusses staying connected to the Internet and home-based coworkers,...
In this episode, Aaron Brooks, Chris Houser, and Alan Dipert, of Lonocloud, share their distributed team’s hiring strategy, topic-oriented versus individual-oriented meetings, and yours/mine protocol while pairing. Show Notes: Lonocloud...
In this episode, Shaun Eutsey, of Terenine Technology Solutions, talks about kids being a big reason to transition into the work-from-home-community, cool remote tools distributed teams can use, and having...
Wade Minter and Andrew Berkowitz, of Teamsnap, chat about their company’s need for not so many formalized meetings, why all distributed workers and teams should dabble in improvisation, and being the...
Kevin Old, of DicomGrid, talks about the concept of “think time,” his theories on people solving problems subconsciously, and the importance of trusting other team members and talking things out as...
Will Farrington and Mike Skalnik, of Github, talk about being a part of one of the most widely distributed companies out there, coordinating work between teams, and give advice about...
Katie Cunningham, of Cox Media Group, talks about implementing the Pomodoro time management technique, silly, but effective ways of getting people’s attention in IRC channels, and making yourself attractive to prospective remote...
Mike Smith, of Blitz.io, talks about being a part of a distributed team while being based in Austin, TX, why notifications and knowing your app is being used are good for...
In this episode, Rob Park, an independent software consultant and Agile coach talks about all aspects of remote pair programming, different ways distributed teams choose to communicate, and the art...
In this episode, Greg Bell, of Reverb Software, talks about mistakes he made during the early stages of managing a distributed team and what he’s done to combat those mistakes,...
Chad Fowler, of LivingSocial, talks about his background working in and managing widely distributed teams, why people should be allowed to work from home, and the best ways for people...
Jonathan Wallace, of Highgroove Studios, talks about the team’s management philosophy, ROWE, and why it works, and how the concepts of overcommunication and summarization are extremely important practices when working within a...
In this episode, Mike Leone of Panoptic Development, talks about transitioning into remote work, working with people who are not local, and integrating someone new into a dispersed team. Show...
Luke Stokes and Brett Florio talk about what it’s like to be partners and co-founders of Foxycart, an eCommerce platform focusing on the cart and the checkout flow. They also...
Vassilis Rizopoulos, of Zühlke, talks about what it is like to handle equipment that can be remotely operated, working within a company’s IT limitations, and the importance of setting boundaries when working from...
In this episode, Justin Searls of Test Double, shares his experiences – both good and bad, in working with distributed teams, how to turn the tides when things are going noticably sour within a project, and...
In this episode, Ben Johnson of Merrill Corporation talks about evolving into remote work, why working in an office is bad for focus and productivity, and why putting your face...
Wide Teams field correspondent Keith Bennett interviews Harvey Losin, talking about outsourcing and the challenges that come with it; working with people in different time zones and cultures; and why...
In this episode, Ron Evans of The Hybrid Group talks about being a part of a consultancy and the importance of reputation, balancing family and distributed work, and a wonderful...
In this episode, Keith Casey of Blue Parabola talks about managing a successful PHP company with  a 100% distributed team, being a buffer zone between corporate and open-source worlds, and what...
In this episode I talk to Louis Font of Zyncro. We talk about his internationally distributed team and how they, as a company, seek to be available to customers 24/7...
In this episode I talk to Joseph Moore of Pivotal Labs. We talk about the challenges of moving from a collocated team to being a “satellite team member” thousands of...
A discussion with Dan Menard of Macadamian, covering the importance of taking the time to build personal relationships; the advantages of having a team that’s split across time zones, the...
In this episode, an interview with John Hawkins, one of the founders of 9Seeds, a company that specializes in custom WordPress development. The 9Seeds team is fully dispersed, with every...
In this episode I talk to Shane Pearlman of Shane & Peter, a fully dispersed software consultancy. We talked about recruiting the right kinds of people for a distributed team,...
This podcast is a departure from the dispersed software development teams I usually cover. I interviewed Susan Tenby and Jessica Dally of TechSoup, a nonprofit focused on providing other nonprofits...
In this episode I talked to Sahil Parikh of DeskAway.com, a web-based collaboration tool for distributed teams. This is another episode recovered from near-disastrous technical malfunction, and as a result...
The conventional wisdom says that while some distributed teams might work, it’s not possible to have a geographically dispersed software startup. With AwayFind.com, Jared Goralnick is challenging that wisdom. I...
In this episode, a conversation with Derek Wade, a collaboration expert and Team Coach at Kumido Adaptive Systems. We talk about building “high-gravity” distributed teams, work-scapes, and the benefits of...
Part two of a conversation between Rob Dempsey of LifeOfTheFreelancer.com and myself. In this part we dig into the intersection of freelancing and distributed teams: the phenomenon of ad-hoc teams...
Back in action after the holiday lull, and starting off the year right with part one of a mutual interview between Rob Dempsey and I. Rob runs LifeOfTheFreelancer.com, where he has interviewed over a hundred freelancers in order to find out what makes for a successful freelancing career. As someone who has worked with distributed software teams as well as spoken to numerous remote workers, Rob has some great insights into how to make dispersed teams work.
Can you work remotely from a snowboarding vacation in Montana? Software developer Tony Amoyal says "why not?". In this episode, he and I discuss the tradeoffs involved in being part of a software team while staying mobile.
In this episode, a discussion with software developer Thomaz Leite, who lives in Missouri and collaborate with team members in Michigan, Portugal, and Brazli. He introduced me to an new...
In this episode of the Wide Teams podcast, I interview Steven Willmott of 3Scale. We talk about supporting clients in multiple timezones, what you do when one of your developers...
The third and final part of a series. This is a recording of a round-table discussion on distributed software teams held at the Ruby DCamp 2010 unconference in northern Virginia....
Part 2 of a three-part series. This is a recording of a round-table discussion on distributed software teams held at the Ruby DCamp 2010 unconference in northern Virginia. Be sure...
This episode is part 1 in a three-part series capturing a roundtable discussion of dispersed team issues held at the Ruby DCamp 2010 unconference in northern Virginia. Show notes: The...
Intridea is one of the largest fully dispersed software companies that I’m aware of, and they are still growing fast. I’ve talked to them before – back in episode 9,...
In this episode I talk to Jim Weirich of EdgeCase. Jim is a prominent Ruby programmer and one of my programming heros. In this interview, he talks about using Skype...
Two final interviews from RailsConf 2010 this week. The first is with Jody Alkema, a web developer with Domain 7 who spoke to me about his experience augmenting his Agile...
In this episode I talk to Ruby on Rails software developer David Rogers of Beacon Interactive Systems about his experiences working collocated, fully remote, and as a part of a mixed collocated/remote team.
In this episode I talk to John McCaffrey, a software consultant who specializes in ironing out performance problems in Ruby on Rails applications. In the course of his consulting he...
This week’s podcast has been delayed. Another great interview is coming up, though, so stay tuned!
In this episode: an interview with Aslak Hellesøy, who talks about the contrasts between coordinating a large Open-Source project and a small dispersed team; the importance of constantly re-evaluating your...
In this episode: some thoughts on the Google Wave shutdown announcement, and talking to Michael Bleugh of Intridea about being part of a 50-person geographically distributed company. Show notes: Google...
Today’s interview is with Loren Johnson, a Ruby on Rails developer and a remote worker for most of his career. I talked to Loren at RailsConf 2010 about some of...
This episode features the conclusion of a roundtable about dispersed teams held at BohConf, an unconference held within RailsConf 2010. In this part, the participants talk about video conferencing, balancing...
Today on the podcast, a recording of a roundtable discussion held at the BohConf unconference inside of RailsConf 2010. Topcs covered include teleconferencing practices, why instant messaging can be an...
Two interviews in this episode. I talk to Jim Remsick and Paul Elliot of Hashrocket about why Hashrocket chooses to avoid remote work. And then, I talk to Brian Moore...