Bird-watching in the Cloud: SaaS & Cloud Twitter Pros

The cloud is shrouded in enough mystery, here are some pros and experts to help you navigate through the fog. Have some of your own to share? Send them over, and I’ll add them to our list!

@eekygeeky: A fellow TechTarget-er, Carl Brooks is a powerhouse of knowledge over at SearchCloudComputing.com.

@jamesurquhart: He authors the blog The Wisdom of Clouds over at CNET, and he’s always down for an enlightening conversation on the cloud. Check out his feed to eavesdrop on some great conversations between him and his followers.

@Beaker: Christopher Hoff is the Director of Cloud & Virtualization Solutions of the Security Technology Business Unit (take a breath) at Cisco, but this feed is his own personal soundstage. He also writes a great blog over at Rational Survivability.

@Clouderati: From one of Clouderati’s recent tweets: “FYI clouderati is not a never ending list of anyone who’s ever tweeted about cloud.” Get an up-to-date picture of who’s active in the cloud, where you can get answers, solutions and insight.

@cloudpundit: Lydia Leong is a Gartner analyst on Internet infrastructure. Contact her through Twitter, you never know what you’ll learn in 140 characters!

@randybias: CEO of Cloudscaling, Randy is all over the latest in cloud and SaaS in an engaging and conversational way.

@wattersjames: He’s a “passionate cloud practitioner” and writer. He’s in the Bay Area, so check him out for local cloud meetups.

@kloudlabs: Described as “an online resource and educational lab…an initiative to spread awareness about cloud computing and SaaS world,” KloudLabs is all cloud all the time.

@jhodge88: He’s an IBM Cloud Network Manager, and he’s got your updates on what IBM’s doing in the cloud.

@cloudysaas: It’s like having your own personal cloud and SaaS newsfeed.

@workinthecloud: A great compilation feed for quick news bits involving the cloud and SaaS.

@_StuartLynn: He works for Sage UK, but this is his personal feed on the cloud and SaaS.

When in doubt, make (Twitter) lists.

Discover more cloud front-runners by finding out who the pros are listening to(after the jump):

• Check out James Urquhart’s cloud list
• Carl Brooks follows Clouderati’s cloud lists: Analysts, vendors, practitioners, and users.
• James Watters’ lists run the gamut from other writers to cloud users, cloud newsfeeds and “cloud rubyists” (for those who know how to “roll a sweet Ruby cloud app”).

Interested in conferencing about cloud?

Upcoming conferences on the cloud and where to get the details:

• Cloud Computing Expo is going down in Silicon Valley, November 1 – 4, 2010. Get updates and registration information by following @CloudExpo.
• Next week is Interop in New York (October 18 – 22, 2010), and cloud computing is at the top of their listed key topics for the conference. Follow @interop_events for chances at free expo passes and free sessions. If you follow them now, you’ll be all set for updates for next May’s big Las Vegas conference.
• Straight out of Alice in Wonderland, Cloud Camp’s “unconferences” are held all over the world for cloud computing’s early adopters. It’s a space to exchange ideas and experiences, to present challenges and share solutions. Follow @cloudcamp to connect with other CloudCampers and to get updates of when there’s going to be a campout near you. (If there isn’t one planned, you can organize one yourself!)
• Not able to travel for a conference? Catch the virtual days of the hybrid conference: Up 2010. Split between San Francisco, New York, and the Internet, this cloud computing conference delves into all aspects of the cloud: security, business models, trends, user experience, and the cloud’s effects on the industry and economy. Follow @UP_Con and stay up to speed on the conference’s developments.

Melanie Yarbrough is the assistant community editor at ITKnowledgeExchange.com. Follow her on Twitter or send her an email at Melanie@ITKnowledgeExchange.com.