Much is being written about the "computing cloud" and the vast array of implications the "cloud" will have on our lives in the near future, like now.
The computing cloud represents the convergence of technology and the connectivity to both personal and professional processes that we perform on a daily basis. The "cloud" is getting bigger by the day and more powerful as people and businesses learn new ways to leverage the "cloud" for specific purposes.
Is it a Cloud or a Clowd?
Seth Godin always provides some unique perspectives and recently discussed his idea of "The Clowd". Seth writes: And the clowd also knows where you are, camera or no camera. So it can tell you when your old friend is just two gates away from you, also wasting time at the airport waiting for her flight. Or it can do Zagats to the ten thousandth power by not only suggesting the best nearby restaurant (based on your food circle of friends) but can also integrate with Open Table and only recommend restaurants that actually have room for you. Or it can let restaurant owners do yield management and find you a table at a good enough restaurant at the best possible price...
This is going to happen. The only question is whether you are one of the people who will make it happen. I guess there's an even bigger question: will we do it right?
Seth has coined a new word which represents the power of social computing integrated with crowds of people using the social web for multiple purposes.
Have You Considered the Implications of The Clowd?
There are over 700 million people using the social web and learning on a daily basis. A significant disconnects between people and businesses have and still exist. The people are learning, creating and adjusting to the daily implications but the business world is lagging behind.
Most businesses that are engaging in the "social movements of the web" consider the power of the current "clowd" to be centric to marketing and public relations. While fundamentally true the disconnect comes in not understanding the "systemic nature and subsequent implications of the clowd".
People drive everything in business. Internal and external interactions set the tone for outcomes. Whether it is marketing, sales, customer support, production or recruitment without the people the processes simply won't work. Seth's depiction of the not too distant future provides a peak into the intersection of technology and human behavior. The intersection itself re-engineers everything but to comprehend the outcomes one must first re-engineer their own thinking.
Technology in of itself is no longer a proprietary competitive advantage. What you do with it is. The "clowd" is a collaborative space of free ideas enabled by free technology. This is a major paradigm shift for traditional thinking and a significant competitive differential for businesses that get it.
Start thinking of what to do with the "clowd" but don't make the mistake of thinking alone. Your strategic advantages lie within the Socialutions "clowd" and not within silos of thoughts, Get it?
What say you?