Three hundred years ago, craftsmen made their wares and sold them to those in their immediate vicinity. There was no need for any real marketing, because everyone knew where to find the cobbler. Since most of the population couldn’t read anyway, a simple wooden sign with the image of a shoe told would-be customers all they needed to know. The cobbler didn’t even have to be nice to his customers if he was the only shoemaker in town.
Then the Industrial Revolution arrived, and things began to change. Consumers had to be encouraged to buy one company’s products over another. Print ads promoted the product, but seldom the company.
Continue Reading: ‘Introduction to Marketing in the Internet Age’
Cloud computing is being touted as an ideal data storage and workflow application solution for all kinds of companies, from brand-new startups to established multinational corporations. Startups can use cloud computing’s scalability as a cost-effective way to bring their innovations to market without a prohibitive capital outlay. Large companies desire cloud computing services as a way to streamline their business costs. While startups select cloud computing services as a complete cost-effective solution, larger companies may be testing the waters with non-critical applications. As cloud computing services become more secure, more and more companies are recognizing the benefit of migrating towards this solution. 
As a rule, we humans are social beings. We like to communicate with others—to share experiences, opinions, advice and stories. In the old days, we wrote letters filled with news about our family, the community and whatever had occupied our time since the last missive. With email came the ability to send the same information more quickly and save the price of a postage stamp. The next technological advancement, instant messaging, meant that we could chat in real time, provided the other party was online at the same time.