How ironic that I'm posting about this from outside the Starbucks inside the Chicago Merchandise Mart in advance of some morning meetings....

Steve Rubel linked to an interesting article in USA today about the "third place" worker. While I have a home office that I spend a significant amount of hours in, I have to admit that I'm a member of the "third place work club", the few of us that there are in Green Bay, WI.

At first, I thought that this was just a guilty pleasure. I've been working from coffee shops since my first sales job in 1999. I spent almost every evening at one of the two Starbucks on Second Street in Long Beach, well before there was Wi-Fi in every coffee shop. I was just happy to get a change of scenery.

Now, it appears that there's a whole workforce that not only takes a break for a change of pace, but calls their office home by the name of Starbucks, Peets, or some other independent coffee house or eatery. My habits have changed a bit. Being a home office worker, it's tough to get away from the luxury of a printer and speaker phone. I rarely venture out during "business hours", but early mornings and late afternoons are usually fair game, and they also happen to be the times when the cafes I frequent are least busy...w/ most folks not out of bed yet in the AM, and the college students out for dinner in the afternoons. Trying to get a table anywhere at high-noon is usually a futile and frustrating exercise anyway.

Even Om Malik, the esteemed journalist/entrepreur, is a regular third place worker. "Working out of cafes in San Francisco, or roaming Silicon Valley is by now second nature", says Om. It's good to see that we're among such smart company!

If you're among the "Kinko's Generation" and new to the "Third-Place Club", have a look at the "Cafe Ettiquette" sidebar items in the article, or my adapted list below.

CAFE ETIQUETTE (via USA Today)

* Tip big and eat often. Think of those hourly lattes or scones as rent for your table, payment of which is critical for the survival of any business welcoming busy squatters.
* Make friends with the staff. Get to know them, and they'll get to know you, and watch out for you. This is especially helpful in busy times, when you want a clean table.
* Take your cell phone outside. Keep cellphones and PDAs on vibrate, and when they do buzz, head straight for the door.
* Don't be a hog. It's fine to keep your things piled on a table when you step out for a breath of fresh air, but not if you plan to be away a while.
* Bring a computer lock, or make 'cafe buddies' who you trust to watch your stuff, and you theirs. This has worked for years for me...knock on wood! Careful who you trust.