I moved to netbook around 6 months ago (from a quadcore beast).
The biggest thing that you'll notice is the core speed. I upgraded mine to 4gig ram, but the core speed can still be annoying from time to time. To help with that though, just install Ubuntu
If your able to, then I would try and replicate my setup... Have an external monitor of 20"+ and have that as your main monitor, and then a bluetooth mouse (most netbooks have built in bluetooth which saves you from needing a usb doggle).
From there, your netbook just becomes a second monitor and a keyboard.
The main benefit that I get from the setup is the ease of taking it with me. I travel and love to work outside, so being able to have protability was a big factor.
In regards to scrapebox and those types of programs, those should run on a VPS. Safer and the connection speed will make a huge difference.
All in all though, it depends on your work environment. A netbook as a main computer isn't for everyone. If your only looking at buying one as it's less expensive, then I would advise you to just stay with your current setup until your able to purchase the setup you desire.