Cloud Computing: The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

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Cloud Computing The Greatest Thing Since Sliced
Bread

• http//supergeeks.net/

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Its Monday evening and Im packing my bags for
the annual SXSW Conference (sxsw.com) in Austin,
Texas. By the time you read this column, I will
deep inside the Austin Convention Center,
listening to lectures, participating in panel
discussions, and socializing with some 20,000
software or computer geeks in Hawaii and from all
over the world. And thanks to the kindness and
goodwill of Pacific Business News, I will be
sporting a press pass! That means I will have
unfettered access to some pretty cool people. It
also means you can enjoy daily blog updates from
the field. Just go to bizjournals.com/pacific/
and search for me. I promise to keep the coverage
moderately tame This will be my 3rd year at
SXSW. The first year (2011) was super focused on
long term potential for gamification
(wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification). Last years
mantra (2012) was social, mobile, local. This
year? Well, the bloggers are predicting digital
health, space, 3D printing and robots/AI. But I
think the real boom is social ecommerce. Note I
have a neat idea for a related startup. Look for
my next column for details. For now, I want to
encourage you to follow my SXSW blog entries on
bizjournals.com/pacific/. One idea from SXSW
could generate hundreds of thousands of dollars
for you and your firm.
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I also want to use this column to underscore some
of the key points from last Fridays tech
seminar, hosted by PBN. The event was sold out.
Some 150 people attended. Daniel Leuck (CEO of
Ikaizo.com), Fred Camit (CIO of Polynesian
Cultural Center) and I were on the panel.
Discussions ranged from social media and cloud
computing to data analytics and mobile apps. Here
are some takeaways that event? Social media
should play an integral role in your business.?
People are more likely to purchase your product
or service if a friend has.? Use fans to
evangelize your products and services.? Focus on
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and
Pinterest. Go where your customers are.? Use
YouTube to boost sales conversions by 30. See
Zappos.com.? One Facebook like can drive 20
unique visitors to your website per year.?
LinkedIn is perfect for finding new hires.? You
must have a social media policy for employees.?
Zappos simple social media policy Use common
sense. Use common courtesy. If youre not sure,
seek permission. Be appropriate, polite, and
diplomatic. Respect confidentiality.? Cloud
computing is a no brainer. Time to toss your
servers and look at Google Apps for Business and
Microsoft Office 365.? Benefits of cloud
computing include reduced fixed costs, scale
flexibility, extended collaboration and faster
innovation to market. See supergeeks.net/cloudcomp
uting.
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? Cloud computing tends to offer stronger
security than inhouse solutions since cloud
vendors can afford teams of real security
experts.? Analytics are key to understanding
whats really going on in your business. For
example, you can look at call metrics to see when
your firm experiences highest call volumes and
then staff accordingly.? Install Google
Analytics on your website. Its free. Contact me
if you need help.? Be sure your workforhire
agreements for websites and apps include
stipulations that your firm retains ownership of
all materials and code. As the event wrapped up,
one attendee asked how to stay informed of market
trends and best practices. In addition to reading
PBN as a resource, the panel recommended
following Mashable.com, ReadWrite.com,
TechCrunch.com and my favorite, Robert
Scoble. Need help? Feel free to call my secret
cell (808) 7787117. Or email me at
kerr_at_supergeeks.net. JAMES KERR, Founder and
Chief Geek of SuperGeeks. Mr. Kerrs tech tips
help businesses improve efficiencies and boost
sales. Learn how your company can leverage search
engine marketing. Visit SuperGeeks Today!