Value

Better yet, what do we value?

As I was reading a book, I was thinking about technology and what hardware, software, or data seems most important now. What holds the greatest value, now?

Close to a decade back, my most important data was my mailing list, my list of clients. Names and addresses. Anymore, it’s a list of names, addresses, e–mail, and other contact info. But that material is less useful now, less of an important factor. I’ve watched as some clients change e–mail addresses like that one girl changes her underwear: two, maybe three times in a single day.

So what is important? What data holds value, now?

As I get done with a piece of writing, I tend to spool it up on a website, someplace, then, that data gets backed up, and while it might not be in final form, the data is ensconced safely — elsewhere. At one time, the tens of thousands of astrology charts were important. Anymore, I can recite particular, salient details from individual charts, and, for that matter, I can cast an astrology chart on my phone, my tablet, and so forth.

So the data is far less important these days.

So the question is, what do we value the most?

Security and Value

At one time, imagine this is in a trailer park in South Austin, as an early adopter for credit card processing, I used to adhere to the standards, and I kept three years of signed receipts with card impressions, all the receipts were sorted by year and stored in plastic shoe–boxes, carefully labeled “Red Pumps.” At the end of the year, I would shred the older receipts, and, eventually, I got to the point where I was all digital.

More than a dozen years back, when I set up my paywall, I opted for a slightly higher processing rate — they keep a greater percentage — so I don’t have to keep records. For the last half–dozen years, I have no paper copies of any client credit card information. None at all.

Zero liability. Zero storage and less book–keeping. Fewer problems.

Zero confidential information is stored on–site or in situ. Big, fat zero.

Value and the Cloud

A little myth–busting, as there is no magical cloud someplace else. It’s just another computer, in another location — subject to the same laws of robotics as any other machine.

So, the data that I do store in the “cloud?” My current ideas for web–journal entries. A single horoscope column for August — one I’m still working on? Oh, my contact information is shared up there, but that contains only names and addresses, all of which are readily available from FaceBook and other online resources.

I can’t even be sure people give me their real names, not anymore. I don’t care, the data that is most important? In that interaction? Birthdate, time, place of birth? I can always ask the next time I sit down with a client.

Question of Value

The question, this was sparked by what holds intrinsic value to me, and more and more? It’s less and less.