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Not a cloud in the sky…

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At Xploration™14 in March we had several sessions on the cloud. Fortunately I was able to attend a couple of them and came back with more questions than answers as to how vulnerable Xplor would be if the cloud suddenly disappeared.

My conclusion to my brief sixty second assessment, we would be in deep trouble depending on the length of the outage and the ability of our provider to get us back up. Xplor’s email system is in the cloud as well as our event registration, website and members hub, which is just about all of Xplor.  We backup our database but if the rest goes down it is still a really big  problem.

Wozniak Agrees?

In further researching I read an interesting article the other day by Steve Wozniak regarding the cloud that made me think. In the article he stated “The more we transfer everything onto the web, onto the cloud, the less we’re going to have control over it. With the cloud, you don’t own anything. You already signed it away.” 

The term that really caught my attention was “You already signed it away.”  Yes, that is what we often do when we check that terms and conditions box in addition to absolving the provider of most if not all liability.

The Need to Ask Questions

What if your cloud provider goes out of business, is a victim of hackers or cyber terrorists. What are their safeguards? How do you get back up and running?  How do you recover? What is their liability?

Xplor as an organization is going to be asking the three vendors that control our “clouds” these questions.

So how does your organization handle the cloud and the people you entrust with your information?

What if there was not a cloud in the sky? I am curious to hear your views.

 

 

FACETIME IS NOT ALWAYS AN APP

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Tucson-skip-henk-xplorLast week I returned from the Imaging Network Conference in Tucson convinced once again there is no substitution for “face timing” with peers. Not FaceTime the app, I mean the original face time. Sitting down and meeting with your peers, bending an elbow together, sharing ideas and taking discussions where virtual is incapable of going..

With Xploration 14 three weeks away I did not have the time nor did I want to make the time to go. I decided to go anyway.

One Idea, One Contact and One Problem Solved

It would have not only been a personal mistake not going to Tucson but a loss for Xplor as well. My time in Tucson netted me one GREAT idea and a new contact for expanding one of our programs. I was also able to solve an ongoing problem and even had time for a bit of fun. Sounds like I was doing what I am paid to do. My job.

It is too early to tell but my $2000 “face timing” investment has great potential:

  • The idea I came away with will generate $20-40k a year in revenue for the association
  • The problem I solved should save $6-10k in direct expense per year
  • My new contact for expanding online programming could significantly change Xplor’s online model.

It Is All About Face-Time

The internet is great for doing research but it can only take you so far. Could I have been as successful online?  No, I would not. My success in Tucson was about showing up. Face time.

Let’s not forget the bit of fun I had. Some ING attendees simply did a nature walk in the desert. Others a short cattle drive. I elected to do a bit of four wheeling in the desert. Had fun, relaxed and returned to the conference the next morning all in one piece, rested and content.

The Moral of the Story

Getting out of the office and participating in industry events is something you should make time for in order to do your job. It is empowering.  When you do attend, have an objective. A problem to solve, someone you want to meet or just be intent on finding that one idea that will pay dividends.

If you want to empower yourself and enjoy some warm weather there is still time to register for Xploration 14, March 25-27 at the Wyndham Resort Hotel International Dr. Interested, email me at skip@xplor.org and I will give you a special discount code just for listening.

Hope to see you in Orlando.

Are We There Yet? We will see at #Print13

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One of the buzzwords or phrases that has made the rounds the last several years is “multi-channel marketing”.  I have watched dozens of  presentations on the subject, spoken about it and have debated it’s attributes.

What is Multi-Channel Marketing?

According to our friends at Wikipedia – Multichannel marketing is marketing using many different marketing channels to reach a customer.[1] In this sense, a channel might be a retail store, a web site, a mail order catalogue, or direct personal communications by letter, email or text message. The objective of the companies doing the marketing is to make it easy for a consumer to buy from them in whatever way is most appropriate.

Does Multi-Channel Marketing Equate To Effective Marketing?

My favorite definition of relevant communications is “the right message, to the right person at the right time …. using the right media.  Is multi-channel communications the same thing as effective marketing? Sometimes, maybe but not always. 

When I was looking at what type of programming Xplor was going to do at Print13 I decided it was time to address the issue. I wanted to have a forum where several companies who had implemented multi-channel communications speak openly about their successes and failures. I wanted someone to ask the tough questions, who knows the industry.

Are We There Yet: A 2013 Multi-Channel Communications Industry Perspective 

InfoTrends_A_Questex_Company_LogoPrint 13 is the perfect backdrop for Xplor’s breakfast keynote session moderated by industry expert Matt Swain of InfoTrends. Matt’s panel of leading print service providers will talk about their challenges, the things they would do different and the things that worked.

It is a don’t miss 90 minutes at Print13.

The breakfast panel is taking place September 10th from 8:30 am to 10:00 am. The cost, complimentary thanks to our sponsors Compart, Crawford Technologies and Solimar Systems.

Join us for breakfast, a great educational session and also receive a complimentary exhibit hall pass simply by registering to attend.

The session is going to be conveniently located at McCormick Place South in Room 101 a few short steps from the shuttle bus drop off area.

See you in Chicago …. Are We There Yet?

Merriments, Milestones and Motion for Xplor in 2012

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Happy New Year!

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and enjoyable New Years.

It would be understatement to say that 2011 was an interesting year and that most people hope 2012 will be more prosperous.

Like most organizations 2011 was a challenging but successful one for Xplor. Despite everything that is going on in the economy and our industry, we are still here, due solely to your support and participation. (Without you there would be no Xplor) I did want to a brief report of milestones in 2011:

  • A successful 2011 Conference and Vendor Forum with a 29% increase in attendance
  • Successful conference at Graph Expo with 20% growth
  • 2011 XDU On the Road program – 6 new cities
  • Growing webinar curriculum (over 3000 individual participants)
  • Monthly Lunch and Learn program
  • Implemented a new conference registration system
  • Launched new Industry Services division
  • Grew membership 2.5% (in a very tough economy)

The plan for 2012 is to expand programming, information and continuing to grow value to our members and the industry that will keep you on the leading edge of document technology. This is some of what we have planned for 2012: (if you have any other ideas please contact me me)

My thanks to you all for your support and participation. I extend my best wishes for a prosperous and healthy 2012.

Until next time …..