I prefer to be global with peers and local with customers.
In person, I rarely meet like minded souls with whom I can have intimate technical discussions, but on-line it's easy (thank you Hacker News friends).
But with customers, I've never found a good substitute for being there with them. I want to see everything they're doing, listen to them bitch, and feel their pain. I want to suffer with them during the day and celebrate with them over beers at night. You just can't do that the same way on-line.
I've found in the past, for on-premise consulting, that I'm being paid to consult/develop, but being used as a psychiatric sounding board. I don't give advice I'm not qualified for, but being there under the guise of development and just listening seems to be a worthy use of my time (and their money) for some clients.
I can get more work done remote, but there's a greater personal connection locally. It's interesting what a consulting gig can turn into.
In person, I rarely meet like minded souls with whom I can have intimate technical discussions, but on-line it's easy (thank you Hacker News friends).
But with customers, I've never found a good substitute for being there with them. I want to see everything they're doing, listen to them bitch, and feel their pain. I want to suffer with them during the day and celebrate with them over beers at night. You just can't do that the same way on-line.