by Michelle Lentz
GoGrid has launched a viral campaign to inform and illustrate cloud computing. Now, I’m pretty sure I have my finger on the general concept of cloud computing, but really, how much do I need to know? Michael Sheehan, Technology Evangelist of GoGrid, explained it to me this way:
“The point about “the cloud” is that you shouldn’t have to worry about where the servers are (meaning where the provider of the cloud service is). You could have multiple data centers around the world, but to the buyer of the service, it is just that, a service. And to the end-user, it shouldn’t matter (much like you don’t really care where your Gmail account server is…you probably hit multiple data centers around the world depending on where you are accessing it).”
I found the GMail example really hit home. I think there are a lot of people out there who care a lot about where the data centers are located and such, but the average user? Not so much. So, back to that viral campaign. GoGrid has several rather funny videos out there, accessible via the fun nohardware.com or via YouTube. I’m just going to post one, as video and I are often at odds, but here are links to the others:
Cloud Computing in Plain English (an homage of sorts to Common Craft), which made me laugh several times
NoHardware.com – video 1, with guns a blazing.
NoHardware.com – video 2, equally as fun and, yes, REAL. That one is posted below.
The point being, of course, is to stop worrying about whether your server is bulletproof and just get comfy in the Cloud.
–
Contact Michelle with your news, apps, and events via email, Twitter, Pownce, or FriendFeed. Visit Michelle at Wine-Girl.net and Write Technology. You can also catch Michelle presenting on Twitter at the upcoming DevLearn ‘08 in San Jose.
I’m not a marketer, really, although I get the concepts. I do know that the space is changing, and changing rapidly. Traditional marketing isn’t going to cut it anymore, and to grab the new generation of audience, marketers need to look to the Web.