I believe working from home is the way of the day, age and future. With the world so well connected through wireless, laptops, phones, iPhones, BlackBerrys, BlackBerry Messenger, Instant Messaging, GChat, video chat, Skype and Internet cafes, connecting with a colleague or client has never been more convenient.

Additionally, with the closing of larger corporations, we are now entering an era of the niche service. People are slowly starting to realize how to customize their services to a specific niche. It is less costly, the relationships are stronger and there is less red tape and digging through large company directories to try to find the right human to speak with.

Of course, there are some downsides to not working in an office. Passing Joe by the coffee machines might remind you to follow up with that client you both met with last week. Seeing Amy at reception might remind you to put up an auto-reply on your email while you are in meetings all afternoon.

Here are some useful home office tips I have found very helpful in keeping myself organized in Brooklyn:

• Have a landline in addition to your cell phone. BlackBerrys and iPhones make life pretty easy, but a call through a landline will never drop on you or create static. I am used to using a BlackBerry for work and personal, but I also like having a landline, with a light that blinks for voicemails and a speakerphone. A landline can even change your presence over the phone.
• Have a large calendar over your desk. In addition to keeping track of things on your computer’s calendar and your phone’s calendar and, maybe even, a small planner you carry with you, have something large and visible over your desk as well. It’s an extra thing to write on, but writing something down three times will also keep you from forgetting.
• Keep a dry erase board for weekly and monthly goals. Dry erase boards save paper and they are a great way to keep your goals organized and color-coordinated.
• Purchase cabinets and shelves with closing doors. In a home office, it’s easy to get trapped between being home and being in the office. Having closing cabinets will help you close down on nights and weekends.
• Pick a spot in your home with good natural light. Plants and sunlight will also keep your mood chipper and your oxygen flow higher.

These tips can also apply to your workspace in your away-from-home office as well. I wonder how many global travelers work from home offices?

– Courtney Centeno, account executive

We have a lot to look forward to tonight at the Andaz Wall Street. The GT Tested Awards are always a great way to wrap up another year with friends and colleagues. It’s great to hear that just after its grand opening last week, the Andaz is booked through Feb. 1.

The GT staff enjoyed reuniting over dinner and cocktails last night. Alex Young returned from a safe and prosperous trip to the Middle East — hopefully a good sign of what’s to come in 2010. It’s great to have the team together again, and as part of the sales team, I especially enjoy reconnecting with the editorial staff. We have a lot of new ideas to add value for our readers and clients this year. I look forward to continuing business with a lot of the partners we will see tonight.

I hope to see plenty of familiar faces, and I look forward to welcoming all new friends, colleagues and clients to the GT  family.

– Courtney Centeno, account executive

Earlier this week, my favorite publisher, Fran Gallagher, discussed Hawaii’s questionable marketing strategies. It is a bit surprising that marketing for something as important and big as Hawaii would be so misguided, but I have seen many inept plans on a smaller scale.

When I worked at (the now defunct) Lerner Newspapers, one of my responsibilities was the distribution of Visitor Guides for certain areas. These guides were jointly produced by Lerner and various Chambers of Commerce or Tourism/Visitors Bureaus.

I would think these guides were meant to attract others to these areas. Instead, most times, The Powers That Be felt the guides should be distributed only in the areas covered. This certainly made distribution easier and quicker, but I doubt it did anything for the economy of the area. Ironically, The Powers That Be would often complain afterward that they didn’t receive any response from the guides, nor did they see any spike in tourism.

Another failed project involved a shopper publication. The newspaper consisted entirely of ads for local stores, many including coupons. I was shocked to learn that The Powers That Be wanted the entire run of the publication to be delivered to local businesses. After a few minutes of this pointless exercise, the project was abandoned based on the lack of consumer response.

How does this happen? I understand there are knuckleheads in every walk of life, but why didn’t someone see the silliness in these two examples?

Of course, on their resumes and in their minds, these projects were probably classified as successes. They probably bragged about their brilliance in promotion and marketing. They might even have parlayed these experiences into better jobs, like maybe at the Hawaiian Visitors Bureau.

– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

Global Traveler is currently running a “Female Global Traveler of the Year” contest. To enter the contest, click here. Personally, I think this is an important issue for us to address, as females still do face challenges, not only in the business world, but also in the travel industry.

During my travels, I have noticed there are certain precautions I must take as a female that males would not even have to consider. A trip abroad for me would be very different from a trip abroad for Fran. When traveling alone, I must consider my safety when planning where I am going, how I will get there and what time of the day or night I will be traveling. I am sure these are factors Fran considers when traveling, but they do not limit him in the same way they would limit me, simply because I am a 5-foot, 3-inch female and Fran is a male over 6 feet tall.

Although the height differences between men and women are not always this drastic, the dichotomy between males and females in business and travel still remains, and is more complicated than height and physical strength. Business originated as a “man’s world.” A man behind a CEO desk is rarely questioned. Even in my own experiences meeting women in upper management, I think to myself, “Hmmm, I wonder how she got here?”. When I encounter a male in the same position, maybe a male undeserving of his status, I think to myself, “I know exactly how you got here!”

This issue of questioning a female’s status, while conceding to the male role, arises because it is more difficult for women to reach higher management positions. We have to prove ourselves more, and I think this stems from the underlying, basic, back-to-nature fact that women have babies. A pregnant woman means maternity leave.

It is easy to sit and complain that this is a man’s world, but I think a more appropriate and accurate standpoint is to understand that life is unfair. Women have always faced challenges and we always will. What is important is the fact that we will continue to succeed. A woman in an upper management position will get paid less than a male, but she will probably receive more recognition because she had a harder climb to the top. In a fair world, we would get both the paycheck and the respect. I am just glad shoulder pads are no longer in style!

–Courtney Centeno, account executive

Last week, I wrote about the University of Memphis and their decision not to wear FedEx colors on FedEx Appreciation Night. Maybe the NCAA will hold off such commercialism, but I have long predicted that professional sports will eventually completely cave to commercialism.

One of my favorite stories involves the Busch brewing family. They originally wanted to rename Sportsman’s Park (in St. Louis, MO.) Budweiser Stadium. The commissioner of baseball, Ford Frick, ruled against that name, citing a fear of linking a baseball park to beer. The Busch family then decided to rename it after themselves, therefore, Busch Stadium was born. Coincidentally (?), Busch beer made its debut about a year later.

Advertising is everywhere in pro sports. Logos occupy every conceivable part of the sports venues, most of which have a corporate name. Every part of the game has a sponsor. The Chicago White Sox moved their night games slightly, to 7:11, to gain a sponsorship from the convenience store of the same name.

Commercialism isn’t stopping or even slowing down. When the Sox have a one-run lead, the announcers shill some insurance company by hoping for some extra insurance runs, like insurance from whatever company. Where there is anything even remotely capable of being sponsored, teams will reach out for advertisers.

My prediction is that this will lead to corporate-named teams. Forget the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals. We will see the Boeing Cubs, the TBS Braves and the Sprint Nextel Royals. Why not?

Long gone are the days of the teams being local. Last year, the Chicago Cubs and the White Sox had less than five players from the Chicago area. So these aren’t the “Chicago” Cubs or the “Chicago” White Sox.

Major League Soccer already has the New York Red Bulls, named after the quick energy drink. Would it really matter to anyone if the teams adopted corporate names instead of geographic ones? Chicago could have the Boeing Cubs and the Playboy White Sox. Maybe go one step further and have the Boeing Jets and the Playboy Playmates (okay, that one might be a bit too much).

My point is that sports are already headed down this road. What is the difference? At least corporate-named teams would be accurate.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist