The Cloud Revolution
Yesterday I dicoverd a charming painting (by a totally unknown artist). How? I read an (unnamed) blog. He in turn pointed to a Flickr gallery. I left a comment on Flickr, saying “Can I buy this work?” I got an email back, telling me terms and conditions. We made a deal, my check is in the mail, and in a week or so I’ll have a delightful painting to display my office.
This small (but important to me and the artist) transaction did NOT involve Amazon or eBay. We just flat DISINTERMEDIATED THEM. Actually, they were never in this mix. Heck, we didn’t even use PayPal. (The artist doesn’t (yet) even have a payPal account.
This was P2P Commerce: Person-to-Person.
A weblog and Flickr enabled my discovery and purchase. My WONDERFUL Goggle Gmail was used to “transact” the purchase (plus whatever email client the artist uses). The US Postal Service gets props too. They will “transmit” my PAPER check to the artist, and (I assume) tranport the physical (arylic on canvas) painting to my residence.
I “met” a stranger, discovered a DELIGHTFUL piece of art, and concluded a financial transaction. My life is enhanced. I can’t wait to get this piece framed and displayed. The artist is (somehwat;) enriched. It’s all good.
Thank you Internet. Thank you Flickr. Thank you, USPS. Thank you, Goggle.
We are living the Cloud Revolution. How cool is that?