Cloud Computing Association Review

The association that I choose to review that is in my niche industry is the Cloud Computing Association. Even though the association name sounds generic, it is one of the leading associations in the infant cloud computing industry.  The association provides a number of benefits and trainings to their members including an upcoming event in Las Vegas in October. Posted proudly on their homepage is their mission statement which states, “Our goal is to promote the adoption and use of cloud-based technologies by large-cap and small-to-middle-market enterprises (SMEs) across all industry sectors.” Therefore, the Cloud Computing Association is committed to fostering the technology and furthering the it through events, meetings, and education.

The most valuable resource that the Cloud Computing Association provides is their annual event where they cover, in detail, how specific industries will be affected and grow with the use of cloud computing technologies. In 2012, they held their annual event in Boston and spotlighted three industries: healthcare, government, and finance. Each of which are all currently influenced by Health Care Reform and, during the event, each industry got reviewed by a panel who provided a case study for each industry. Furthermore, by adapting cloud-based services, the panel was able to show how each industry will see an increase in their efficiency and a decrease in their waste.

There are other great resources that the Cloud Computing Association provides including a monthly newsletter that goes over major events and/or news happening within cloud computing. They also offer daily news, similar to a twitter feed, on their website and member access to white papers, webinars, and tutorials. Furthermore, they offer assistance in setting up breakfast meetings, luncheons, and outings for members to get to know each other and network together. The Cloud Computing Association will be a great asset to my cloud computing company and I will take full advantage by becoming a member and attending their functions.

Inspiration through Amanda Palmer's Ted Talk

Not being a fan of Amanda Palmer's music made this a much more inspiring video. It made me feel that the role of a music producer needs to change. Too often are the big music producers driven by money and not by fans, artists, or the music...

Therefore, what is music? Why do we enjoy it? Why does it make us feel a certain way? Well, according to the Oxford Dictionary, music is defined as, “vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.” Music is designed to transport us to a moment or a feeling, nostalgia if you will. Think back to a time when you were very young and when that curious day came where people would gather around and place a burning cake in front of you. Somewhat harmoniously, everyone began to sing a song that, at first, seemed like it came from church, but then you realized they were singing to you. Your eyes immediately lit up with curiosity and excitement as people continued to sing, “Happy birthday to you.” 

Lets fast-forward to your first school dance where girls stood on one side of the gym and the boys on the other. Several flirting glances were sent your way, which you returned with a smile or a giggle. Immediately your immature friends think you have fallen in love and hatch a scheme to bring that person across the boy/girl threshold into no mans land. Nervously, you both stood an arm length away from each other slowly shuffling in a circle together to a slow song. That song, years later, is played on the radio and immediately you’re taken back to embarrassment and a slight smile is brought to your face. Music. It pulls at our emotional strings, teaches us how to dance, and provides a colorful soundtrack to our mundane lives. Without it, humans would be quite boring.

Lets now fast-forward a few more years later to your first concert. Your friend calls you up and tells you they have tickets to your favorite band. However, they’re performing way past your bedtime and your parents would never allow such a thing. So, what do you do? You wait. You wait until it's dark and you hear the loud bellow of snores coming from your parent’s bedroom. Cautiously you slide your window up, shimmy down the tree outside your window, tiptoe down the driveway and meet your friend who has turned the car lights off and is in neutral outside your house. You both arrive at the concert venue; you’re immediately energized by the large crowd gathering outside to get in. You whip out your fake ID, make your way to the front row, and then it happens. The lights go down, the crowd roars, and that first note sails across the crowd like a signal flare lighting up the night above at sea. Forever that experience is burned into your brain and from then on you have a deep connection with the band.

So, should there be a price on these experiences? Should the band reap the benefits of your well-planned escape? According Amanda Palmer, lead singer of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra, in a recent Ted Talk, “Don’t make people pay for music. Let them.” As a music producer, the main goal is to endorse, get a record deal, and make lots of money. What about the fans? Amanda connects to her fans in a very unique way, more so than most other artists out there do. Amanda doesn’t stay at hotels or on fancy tour buses, she stays with her fans. Wherever she goes, with use of social media, she finds a fan’s place to stay at. Amanda explains that she has stayed with thousands of people from both sides of the financial spectrum. For example, she once stayed with a very wealthy couple in the Lower East Side that offered her red wine and a warm bath. Conversely, she has also stayed with a family who were all undocumented immigrants from Honduras. That night, the entire family stayed on the couch so she could have the bed. Amanda began to realize that her fans are dedicated to her and she to them. Why? Because her fans trust her, and she trusts her fans.

Amanda goes on to explain that when she signed with a new label and she had a new album that was about to come out, there was a lot of hype surrounding the release of the album, but when it came out the record label was disappointed. It only sold 25,000 copies and the label considered it a failure. Shortly after that, after a performance, a guy came up to Amanda and handed her a ten-dollar bill and apologized because he burned her CD from a friend. From then on Amanda decided she would give her music away for free and, according to Amanda, “encourage torrenting, downloading, sharing.” She dropped her label and put her band on Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects. Her goal was to get $100,000 and, unexpectedly, her fans pledged more than she thought. Check out for yourself what she raised on her Kickstarter page.

So should we have to pay for music? Well, I guess the big celebrities like Beyoncé and that bratty girl with the weird haircut, Justin Bieber, need to be able to pay for their absurdly lavish lifestyle. But besides the pop culture anomalies, who are sponsored by big wallets, we should want to pay for our music and not be afraid of repercussions hanging over us if we don't. Amanda would probably agree that we should be free explore our musical world and create nostalgia at will without worrying if the debit account will be overdrawn.