I think I heard the simplest and best description of cloud computing in one of the stories … it’s where your computing happens out in the webisphere, instead of residing on your computer. To put it even more bluntly, it happens on somebody else’s computer (or server) instead of yours.

A great example is the ever-popular Gmail. You don’t have a big email program on your computer, it all happens in Google-land somewhere. The fact is, you can do just about anything on computers these days without downloading much software at all. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg-shaped cloud.

ITunes is another great example. If you’ve ever installed iTunes you know it’s a big hairy program that you download to your computer. And then you buy music and it downloads to your computer. And then you own the music on your computer. But you also know iTunes doesn’t like to share that music from one computer to another. It gets all “authorized” and stuff. So it’s kind of clunky.

Now imagine if you will a cloud floating out there called iTunes.com. It’s a place you can go to from ANY computer and access your music. It streams to you whenever you want, to your computer or your phone or basically any device that connects to the web. So it’s everywhere, all the time, and it doesn’t take up a byte of your hard drive space. (Gadget gossip has it that iTunes.com is just around the corner actually!)

Here’s another cloud that’s forming … the city of Los Angeles is just weeks away from converting their entire email system to a Google-based web system. If that’s not a tipping point, I don’t know what is.

So what does this mean for marketers? For one thing, it could be a big change in how consumers view information and entertainment. In the case of iTunes.com, you don’t really OWN the music anymore. You’re really just paying for ACCESS. And in the case of Gmail, you don’t ever have to get on YOUR computer to check your email, you can use ANY computer and you’re in business.

The cloud is going to be less centralized, more accessible, and more up-to-the-minute. It’s going to put more emphasis on the data, and less on the software. And it’s going to create challenges around privacy and security. In fact, if you squint your eyes just right, this cloud might even look like our long awaited Big Brother. I’m just sayin’.

It’s the decade of the cloud, mark my words, and it has implications for banking, healthcare, retail, entertainment … you name it. Break the bonds that hold you down and just float with it!

As you might know, most web developers and web2.0 companies hate IE. Google has started phasing out support for some of it’s services like Google Docs and YouTube. Even Microsoft (the company behind Internet Explorer), started encouraging users to upgrade from IE6 for a while now.

So why is IE6 bad?

- Lack of support for standards
- Doesn’t support PNG images
- Bugs
- Security issues
- Slow
- CSS3 support
- No tabs
among several other issues.

Of course it’s a browser designed for the browsing needs of the 90s and it has served more than it’s due share. Modern browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and IE8 offer all the above features. Based on the discussion I had, here is what I found:

- Enterprises do want to upgrade. They want better security, speed and improved user experience.
- Enterprise software and organization complexities are a big problem.

Maintaining IT infrastructure for big organizations is a tough task. So system administration teams typically try to solve this problem by having a consistent software stack and hardware. So if a core piece of software like the IE6 has to be upgraded, they prefer to do it for the whole organization.

Some of the enterprise software works only on IE6 and may not work if upgraded. For small organizations this could be the intranet and for large organization there could be several pieces of software which works only on IE6.

- Lack of knowledge
This is the most problematic of all and it takes efforts from the technology companies like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Developers, IT teams and several others to increase awareness on the problems with IE6.

Regardless of what the obstacle is, IE6 has slowed down the growth of internet and the adaption of new technology. Enterprises should have an IE upgrade strategy in place. We should see a lot of progress within the next 5 years.

Ok, I think to myself, I’m not going to check for new emails or look at my phone for eight minutes.

1:39 p.m. I brush my mouse past my inbox to see if the familiar “new message” tag pops up. I cringe at my lack of will power. Brush it off. Stay strong, I tell myself.

2 p.m. My phone vibrates and I hear a ‘ding’ in my headphones. I have an email. Another two vibrations. I have a text message.

2:01 p.m. Sweat breaks out on my forehead.

2:02 p.m. As if self-guided, my right hand glides across my mouse pad, clicking on my inbox, while my left hand picks up my phone and taps the necessary icons to open my texts. I read both messages simultaneously.

2:03 p.m. Fail.

I’ve always been easily distracted. But recently—ok, since I purchased an iPhone three weeks ago—it has become kind of a problem.

I thought constant access to information and contact with my colleagues would empower me to accomplish tasks with lightning speed.

Instead, I stop what I’m working on five or six times an hour to address less important matters (in the course of writing this blog post I wrote five emails and sent six text messages). Each time it takes me several minutes to get back up to speed. And several times a day, I find myself staring at my computer screen, wondering why I had opened my Internet browser.

In short, I can’t focus.

I did a little research and found I’m not the only one challenged by techno-sensory overload.

In December 2009, American Scientist published this article about a study, regarding undergraduates who thought themselves to be master multitaskers. The results were surprising: Prolonged stimulation actually makes you less able to filter out irrelevant information and focus on the task at hand. Heavy multitaskers also have greater difficulty switching between tasks.

Ok, I recognize I have a problem. Now what?

After a short search I found several blog posts with hints for reclaiming your efficiency. Tips like making a to-do list, starting your day with your most important task and even meditation can help.

However, I think the real answer is probably the most painful and obvious one: Power down.

So, in advance, I’d like to apologize to my co-workers, loved ones, and anyone else who has grown accustomed to receiving an instant response from me.

I’m going to turn off my phone. Close my email. And take two Tylenol to calm the withdrawal shakes. I’ve got work to do.

Until the Real Housewives of New York series began, I wasn’t fanatical about anything, except maybe Bruce Springsteen back in the 80’s. Judging by the thousands of new comments to the blogs every week, I’m not alone. Google reports over three million searches a month for “real housewives”. Bravo has filled satchels of gold from mining my demo (Women 18-49) with the precision of the plastic surgeon’s scalpel that enhanced Teresa Giudice’s bubbies.

Women tend to be the heaviest users of media. Bravo’s approach for promoting the series on screen, online through social media channels, entertainment news (print & web) and mobile has demonstrated genius in the ratings race.  The holistic approach also helped several of the reality stars build successful brands outside the series. Product placement featuring Bethenny Frankel’s Skinny Girl Margarita garnered immediate interest from viewers and the drink is now a successful bottled brand, http://skinnygirlcocktails.com/. The network is pacing for another record-setting year in 2010. For the first time in Bravo network history Bravo averaged one million total viewers for the week of June 14.

Bravo built a multi-media playground and it has enticed women to carve out more time in the day to interact with their reality TV stars. I’m fairly certain I’m not far off with the notion fans are stealing time from areas that should be devoted to more productive endeavors. Lucky for me analyzing target audiences and keeping abreast of media developments is part of my job description. At least my foray has helped  reaffirm  one of the actionable insights in my media tool kit…when the consumer is emotionally invested, they’re hooked. Once hooked, the consumer will increase the amount of time they’re willing to spend with your brand. Let me borrow a line from Ramona and label this, “Tuuurrtle Tiiime”, http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city/videos/turtle-time.

Time has value. Face time with your brand increases the likelihood of moving into top-of-mind when the consumer has decided to purchase. Analytics from recent campaigns where a multi-channel media strategy was executed indicates digital is driving new and returning visitors to our clients’ websites where consumers are engaging for longer periods of time. Radio and print campaigns are generating greater than anticipated response. Offer conversion rates, the critical next step in the path to utilization, have been positively impacted. The Real Housewives, albeit a guilty pleasure, is a case study of a brand successfully integrating new and emerging channels in an effective blend with traditional.

Today’s seniors are much healthier in appearance. They seem more physically fit, and much less dependent on wheelchairs or walkers. Maybe this is the result of better healthcare. Maybe they’re exercising more and taking better care of themselves. Or, maybe I’m just viewing them through older eyes myself.

A question we always ask these groups is about their personal priorities and interests. Healthcare is typically number two or three, and always ranked near the top is their grandchildren. Retailers have known for many years that grandparents are big spenders when it comes to their grandchildren and they target them effectively. But there is a huge emotional connection that I just discovered when my first grandchild was born. Lucas is seven months old now, and he is such a joy.

So is the healthcare industry taking full advantage of this emotional connection between the retiree and grandchildren? I don’t think so.

Grandchildren keep their grandparents active. They push them to pick up 30-pound toddlers, chase fast-crawling babies, play catch, spend the day hiking and communicate via email and text when they live far away or go away to college.

I’m coming to the conclusion that these high priority grandchildren are having a bigger impact on seniors staying healthy and active than we realize. They are changing the way we communicate, the way we interact and we love it. They’re keeping retirees active online, in the backyard and as traveling companions.

I think of Lucas as the cutest little bundle of fun and energy. Now I also see him as a powerful marketing tool.