Why does my neighbor walk a different dog lately, is this a side hustle?

[JosephR]

Managing a distributed team has become the norm for many of us, and the software landscape keeps evolving. I'm looking for the best apps for remote teams that actually make collaboration seamless.

We need tools for video calls, project management, document collaboration, and async communication. What are the top apps 2025 is offering for remote work? I'm particularly interested in software that reduces meeting fatigue and improves productivity.

I've been reading various software reviews 2025 editions, but nothing beats real user experiences. What are your team's favorite software apps for staying connected and productive while working remotely?

[Samuel32]

Managing remote teams requires a different toolkit. Here are my top picks:

For async communication: Slack is still the standard, but I'm seeing teams switch to Discord for its better voice channels and community features. For more organized async, Twist by Doist is interesting.

For project management: Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com. Each has strengths - Asana for simplicity, ClickUp for features, Monday for visual people.

For documentation: Notion or Confluence. Notion is more flexible, Confluence is more structured. Both work well for remote teams.

For video calls: Whereby or Around for simpler meetings, Zoom for larger groups. Google Meet is getting much better too.

What's really important for remote teams are the water cooler" tools - things like Donut for random coffee chats or Gather for virtual offices. These help maintain team culture when you're not in the same physical space.

[LunaL]

Even as a student, I work on remote teams for group projects. Here's what works for us:

For quick coordination: Telegram or WhatsApp groups are actually great for student teams. Everyone already has them installed.

For file sharing: Google Drive is perfect because it's free and everyone knows how to use it. We create shared folders for each project.

For meeting scheduling: When2Meet is a simple free tool that doesn't require accounts. For more formal scheduling, Calendly has a free plan.

For collaborative writing: Google Docs with comments and suggestion mode. Sometimes we use Etherpad for really simple text collaboration.

For presentations: Canva allows multiple people to work on slides simultaneously. The templates also make everything look more professional.

The challenge with student teams is that everyone has different devices and software preferences, so we stick to web-based tools that work on anything.

[Nicholas35]

For creative remote teams, the tools are slightly different:

For design collaboration: Figma is absolutely essential. Multiple designers can work on the same file in real time. Miro or Mural for brainstorming sessions.

For code collaboration: GitHub with Codespaces allows developers to work in the same development environment. GitLab is also a strong alternative.

For video production: Frame.io for video review and approval. Clients can leave timestamped comments right on the video.

For asset management: Dropbox or Google Drive for sharing large files. We use Dropbox because the file request feature is great for collecting assets from clients.

For time tracking: Harvest or Toggl Track. Important for agencies billing by the hour.

What's changed recently is how well these tools integrate with each other. You can have a Figma design update automatically create a task in Asana, for example.

[AuroraS]

After doing app comparisons 2025 for remote work tools, here are my findings:

Communication:
- Slack: Best for most teams, great integrations
- Microsoft Teams: Best if you're already in Microsoft ecosystem
- Discord: Best for gaming/community teams, free voice channels

Project Management:
- ClickUp: Most features, steep learning curve
- Asana: Most intuitive, good for non-technical teams
- Trello: Simplest, good for small teams
- Jira: Best for software development teams

Documentation:
- Notion: Most flexible, can replace multiple tools
- Confluence: More structured, better for large organizations
- Google Workspace: Everyone already knows how to use it

The trend I'm seeing is toward all-in-one platforms rather than best-of-breed individual tools. Teams want fewer apps to manage.

[IvyN]

From an IT security perspective for remote teams:

VPN: Absolutely essential. WireGuard is modern and fast, OpenVPN is more established. Many companies use Zero Trust networks instead now.

Password management: LastPass or 1Password for teams. Everyone should use unique passwords.

Endpoint protection: CrowdStrike or SentinelOne for advanced threat protection on employee devices.

Backup: Backblaze or CrashPlan for automatic backup of work computers.

Monitoring: Tools like Teramind or ActivTrak for productivity monitoring (controversial but some companies use them).

The biggest challenge with remote teams is securing personal devices. Many companies are moving toward Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) where employees access a virtual machine instead of working directly on their personal computers.

[MasonRJ]

Okay, I need to ask about something that’s been bugging me. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for years, but lately I keep noticing this one neighbor who always seems to be walking a different dog—like, a completely new breed or size every few weeks. I’m just curious if anyone else has seen this or knows what’s up. It’s not a big deal, but it’s got me wondering if they’re running some kind of dog walking side hustle or maybe fostering. I don’t want to be nosy and ask them directly.

[Jerry4]

I get why this catches your eye the dog keeps changing every few weeks. It feels small and curious and a little playful in a quiet street.

[Richard_L]

Could be a legit dog walking service or someone swapping dogs as part of fostering or a rotating care setup. If you want a clue without being nosy you could keep an eye out for small signs like a schedule or a note on a gate.

[Zachary.J]

Maybe they are testing a training drill and bring different dogs to see how they react in the neighborhood.

[Richard.L]

I doubt there is a real dog walking side hustle hiding in plain sight. A lot of this could come from misremembering or a small mix up about which dog belongs to whom.

[Scarlett_T]

What if the point is not the person behind the dogs but how the street scene shapes your own sense of boundaries and curiosity.

[GeorgeW]

From a writing standpoint this is a neat thread to watch in a scene the dog becomes a kind of motif that keeps shifting and your reader wonders who is really in charge.