I initiated the Data Ownership in the Cloud™ (DOITCloud™) LinkedIn networking group in April 2009. Since that time it has grown to about 1,000 members. There have been some fantastic discussions, especially early on in 2009 and 2010. The membership has continued to grow since then but the long-threaded, multi-party discussions (see, e.g., Top Twelve Discussions: DOITCloud) have essentially ceased. Other comparatively similar forums have popped up in LinkedIn or elsewhere to provide a place for people to voice similar opinions and concerns. That's a good thing.
I come from a legal background with marketplace experiences regarding the sharing of "enterprise data" in fragmented supply chains. The Data Ownership in the Cloud group was generally begun by me to (a) learn more about the "personal data" space, and (b) find "birds of a feather". Both "data ownership" and "the Cloud" are amorphous terms by themselves. Even more so when stitched together. But I suspect that each DOITCloud member has at least a visceral feeling that the internet should be providing more choices to people and their "personal data". Or something like that. In any case, many of DOITCloud have become directly connected to me on LinkedIn. Thanks! I am so glad our paths crossed.
Again, the long-threaded discussions have ended though I almost every day post a discussion (almost always a link to blog posts or articles). I'm not posting those discussions with much of an expectation that a multi-party discussion will be sparked. I am using the group now mostly as a resource for cataloging relevant content. And that serves an important purpose for me that I am pleased to continue sharing with you.
However, I will soon be instituting a policy of a requiring a direct LinkedIn (LI) connection to me for membership in the DOITCloud group. If you are already directly connected to me then there's nothing else to do. If you are not yet directly connected to me on LI, and desire to remain a member of DOITCloud, then please send me an LI invitation to directly connect.
The content posted to the DOITCloud group will remain the same. I would characterize the content posted here at DOITCloud as mostly applicable to "personal data". I am also posting content relevant to "enterprise data" at another LI networking group I formed earlier this year called the @WholeChainCom™ networking group.
There is much rhetorical cross-over these days between "personal data" and "enterprise data" but enterprise data is - and in my opinion will long remain - different from personal data. Enterprise data is a proprietary asset that must be selectively shared to be efficiently shared. Greater trust and provenance in supply chains requires fixing (i.e., immutablizing) data elements at single locations with meta-data authorizations. (Want to know more?). So for the foreseeable future it makes sense that DOITCloud™ (addressing the sharing of personal data) and @WholeChainCom™ (addressing the sharing of enterprise data), remain separate "sister" groups.
I'll begin instituting the new membership policy on the 15th of December, 2012. If you do decide to not continue your DOITCloud membership I want to say this:
"Thank you for your time spent in the DOITCloud group. It's been fun. It's been informative. It's been relevant. I hope that we connect again later on down the road. Safe travels."
If you have any questions, comments or anything else on your mind that you think I should read, please post them here. Thanks, again.
MESSAGE: "Hi Steve, Thank you for your message. I certainly have no qualms about connecting with you and I find the info in your group valuable. However, Can you please elaborate a bit on your motivation for this policy change? What do you want to accomplish by being directly connected to all your group members? Thx, [name redacted]"
REPLY: Good question and one that more than a few have asked. The group has become a kind of "still pond" for me. First, requiring a direct connection is a means of throwing a pebble into the pond to break the glassy surface. Perhaps more discussions will again ensue. Second, I also have not been able to tell whether there is more than just a very small, core group of members who actually have an interest in the group beyond being able to add to their LI network or indirect relationships. LI doesn't provide the owner of a group (like me) with the effective administrative tools for monitoring the activity of an individual member. For instance, if you visit a group discussion but leave no comment or "Like" then I don't know that you have even visited. Conversely, if you visit my profile I will know that (unless your personal settings block that). Third, on the rare occasion when I want to broadcast two discussions inside of 7 days, I can't do that with the group members. Only one broadcast is allowed every 7 days. LI won't permit that. But I can do that with direct connections. Fourth, directly connecting with group members who find DOITCloud of some varying relevance will enrich my direct connections on LI. Some people only want to be directly connected with others whom they have personally met or for other reasons. As for me, I want to be more directly connected with "birds of a feather" whether or not I have personally met them.
Steve Holcombe