Cloud computing is a term we have been hearing a great deal about over the last several years.  With the increase in Information Technology (IT) demands coming from across all industries, cloud computing is a dynamically scaleable and virtualized resource that enables data storage – software, information, etc., on shared servers with on-demand access.  The term “cloud” is a metaphor for the Internet, and cloud computing has come about as a result of needing to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without the heavy burdens of investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software.  In short, it has become an economically and environmentally viable solution for the continued growth of IT, in a shared, real-time environment.

Cloud computing provides us with a myriad of opportunities and as technology continues to evolves so rapidly we see this touching every aspect of our lives from financial transactions, health care, traffic control, power grid, water and energy, we see it in food, entertainment and retail, the list is endless.  Up until recently the conversation around cloud computing was driven by the IT industry and corporations such as IBM, Sun and Amazon.com, it wasn’t a conversation that the average person was engaged in.  All that has is quickly changing as Software as a Service (SaaS) –that is single applications accessed through a browser and available to thousands of people - has become widely embraced. 

The intention with SaaS is there are no upfront costs to the consumer for servers or software licenses and with just one app to maintain, costs are minimal on the provider side.   Web 2.0 “desk-top” applications like Google Apps or the ever popular Salesforce.com  are some examples.  CloudEnterprise.info reported that in 2008, there were over 15 million users of Google Apps. A report by paidContent.org explains how iTunes will now be offering a subscription service to users to access their own iTunes library – in other words for a monthly fee you will have unlimited streaming of content. This undertaking is being met with mixed reviews as even though you own the content you paid for, you will now be paying to access it vis a vis a monthly storage fee.

With new devices hitting the market such as smartphones, Netbooks and iPads, storage capacity is limited and we are opting to store and retrieve more of our data from the cloud so we can have cool new portable devices whose battery life is extended prolonging our connected experience in such a mobile world.  For those of us who have experienced hard drive crashes and data was irretrievable we are even more prone to look for cloud computing solutions.  On the other hand, paying to store our content aside, issues of privacy of information have also entered the discussion.  The Internet has the uncanny ability to remember EVERYTHING.  As we know, photos, Facebook status updates, Twitter posts, etc., are stored in the digital cloud.  In 2009, the World Privacy Forum released a report stating that as information stored locally on a computer could also be stored in the cloud, such as emails, word processing documents, videos, health records, financial information, sales forecasts, appointment calendars, etc, cloud computing has significant implications for the privacy of personal information as well for the confidentiality of business and government information.  In other words, as we take advantage of all sorts of Internet-based services we also leave ourselves vulnerable to Orwellian subterfuge. 

The explosion of social networking technologies, the proliferation of devices, the accessibility to overwhelming amounts of content and our ability to interact with our content, continues to put a new face on cloud computing. So although cloud computing addresses what to do with the masses amount of information data and our desire to have access to it all, we need to be careful not to keep our head in the clouds and forget that we also need to ensure the privacy, security and overall internet economics of our golden information.

A friend of mine told me not too long ago that she was “leaving Facebook and joining Twitter”, I asked her why and she replied “Twitter is where it’s at, Facebook is over!”  “But your community is on Facebook” I said, “your friends and family, all of your photos that you share with them are on your Facebook profile, you are just going to leave Facebook?” She responded “Twitter is supposed to be better”.

There are currently 400 million active users on Facebook, and the average user has about 130 friends.  According to Facebook, people spend over 500 billion minutes per month on their social network.  By comparison, Twitter has 75 million users and users post an average of 600 Tweets per second and there are 50 million Tweets churning through the “Twitterverse” on any given day.  The professional network LinkedIn reports 70 million members in over 200 countries and the site boasts a new member every second!  

As I am one of those contributing to Facebook’s massive monthly minute usage, I am permanently logged in keeping in the know on what my 270+ “friends” are up to.   I enjoy the nuggets of information posted about restaurants dined at, exotic destinations visited, camping trip adventures,  marathon time achievements; photos of babies, Bar Mitzvah’s and weddings; videos on NASA Space Shuttle launches, first goals scored at Little League soccer games, and of course re-posted Youtube videos!  The banter of comments, “likes” and shared moments make me feel as though I am part of a conversation.   And of course I enjoy filling my social calendar up with birthday party and house warming invites, fashion shows and community festivals.

My Twitter feeds keep me connected to current events – social, political, cultural and industry related.  In 140 characters or less, I am drawn to compelling articles, videos, photos of real-time, real world experiences across the globe.  I am a networker, a connector, so a collection of business cards generally translates into “following” interesting and inspiring individuals.  The “#”and “@” symbols have transcended the keyboard to optimizing the searchability of whatever and whomever you determine to be relevant. Businesses are building communities using Twitter as it has become a valuable tool for marketing products, ideas, as well as creating loyal fans and customers.

On LinkedIn, connecting with a professional network has redefined the rolodex; it will eventually make the “business card” a relic of the past.  I have recently branched out in search of new career opportunities and the value of a LinkedIn profile, along with references from colleagues, co-workers and business partners, has made my curriculum vittae a living document. I participate in discussion groups; learn about industry conferences, association activities and I enjoy finding like-minded people with similar backgrounds and professional interests.

The phenomenon of online interactions has reached epic proportions.  It is the human experience that we need to belong; we have always been community creatures.  Our need to be connected to others empowers us in our everyday lives. Social media has become a vehicle to more heterogeneous community relations. We can mobilize virtually to share experiences or create new opportunities.  We can engage our friends, family, colleagues and co-workers any day, anytime regardless of where we are located.  My virtual community connections span the globe, there is definitely cross-over from one social network community to the next.  I think I would feel isolated if I only belonged to one type of community.

For those of you reading this article on Techvibes, I hope I become part of your community!