There's Something New Afoot in Cyberspace! Surprised?

I have a clear memory from about 1995 when I asked a co-worker, "What's a search engine?" Looking back, it's easy to be all, Ha-ha, pretty funny how much has changed in almost 15 years.

I have another, similar memory -- one that happened just last year. I asked a friend, "What's cloud computing?" Less than a year later, the term is popping up all over the place, and this time I'm more pensive about the speed of tech change.

I usually have to read and re-read online definitions for cloud computing and still wind up somewhat confused. I'm sure some IT person out there will find an error in my personal translation, but here it is: The Internet itself, that vast invisible...system out in cyberspace is the "cloud" that holds your messages, documents and videos, making them easily accessible to anyone.

If you've been sending your e-mail through a webmail program like hotmail or gmail, instead of software that's installed on your computer, such as Microsoft Outlook, you're using cloud computing. The thinking is that very soon, people will find no reason to load their computers up with unwieldy software that requires updates and is at risk of viruses and hackers when all they really need is a browser that can link them to the Net and the cloud.

My new (and first-ever) MacBook Pro is loaded with Apple's cloud-driven MobileMe program. I haven't used it much yet because I am SO at the bottom of the PC-to-Mac learning curve with precious little time for self-teaching a lower-priority app. Luckily, one of my iFriends showed me how she uploads big docs like videos and photos to MobileMe to make them easily accessible to anyone, regardless what type of computer or software they have. She also hosts a mini-website in the MobileMe cloud, saving the cost of a "real" server.

With that shaky understanding of cloud computing in my head, I understood why the #4 spot on Newsweek's recent list of "Fifty Books for Our Times" is The Big Switch: Rewiring the World from Edison to Google by Nicholas Carr. The magazine summed it up this way:

"You've heard of 'cloud computing,' but let's be honest, you really don't know what it means. Or why it's going to change everything."

Yep - that sure describes me...maybe you, too. Ever optimistic, I plan to pick up a copy soon and see if I think I can understand it before I commit to reading it. FastCompany says The Big Switch is "compulsively readable for non-techies, too." I'll be the judge of that, thank you.

Now Google is announcing plans to launch a new operating system (OS) that will connect its users to the cloud. That small but enormous difference will separate Google Chrome from Microsoft Windows, Apple Leopard, and every other OS we've seen in the past. And with that, the big switch really begins.

So if my understanding of cloud computing is growing, why aren't I smiling?

I suppose it's because the cloud is just the latest sign that weblife is changing so quickly that even a Goddess finds it hard to keep up. It seems as though the number of people with higher levels of Web 2.0 knowledge than me is in the zillions, while the list of new Web 2.0 programs, terms and uses keeps on keeping on. The theme of my Pity Party is, who's gonna hire little old me for this stuff when I'm obviously clueless?

That's where my hubby and my BFF the LifeCoach step in.

Their role is to show me as many times as necessary that it's my broad-based love of communications and my expertise at helping people tell their stories and respond to others' misperceptions that will set me apart from the social media gurus out there.

That's believable to me because I've never claimed to be anybody's guru, or expert. I'm not a saint who never lies, but THAT big of a lie I'm not about to tell.

What I am is a person with mucho experience in communications for businesses and nonprofits who is simply fascinated by the many, many ways the Internet is changing how, when, where and why we communicate. I am a 50-something Boomer who wants to get her peers to get as excited about this stuff as she is. I am a former PR Lady trained in traditional media relations and marketing tactics who wants to help anyone with a story to tell how new media can get the job done as a supplement -- not a replacement -- to the traditional tools.

My True Loves (Hubby & BFF) have also made it clear that when I focus on the "gurus" ahead of me, I'm totally forgetting about those who are working to learn the stuff I already know. And those folks are feeling even more frustrated and overwhelmed than I do.

Dang. Seems like I've had my head in the clouds.