If you're a cloud computing startup, innovator, or just a developer who is tinkering with that pet cloud project in your "garage" and you're looking for some prime time exposure (including free exhibit space at Cloud Connect), then you should be thinking about putting yourself in the running for Launch Pad at Cloud Connect. I, along with fellow InformationWeek editors John Foley and Fritz Nelson, are among the 10 jury members and you only need know how to work Twitter to get started.Why not take your best shot? There are some rules to enter, but basically, you start by tweeting your pitch to the jury members (just direct your tweet pitch to the hashtag #cc_lp). There are a bunch of entries up there already. The deadline to do so is 5 pm PST today, January 25. Then, we the jury will narrow the field down to 8 quarter finalists.

What am I looking for? Really great and innovative ideas resonate with me. I'm not as interested in "me too" apps. Don't bring something that's already been tried in the cloud. Bring something that hasn't been done before, hits the ball out of the park when it comes to taking friction out of some seriously painful process, or that's a real game changer for a lot of companies when it comes to terms of convenience and improving their bottom line.

Sticking to some of my core cloud principles can't hurt either: customers end up using someone else's gear run by someone else's people, they pay only for what they use (no tie-ins to one year contracts), the costs are operating expenditures instead of capital ones (CapEx) and the system is both multi-tenant and secure.

No fudged multi-tenancy please. Why? Because multi-tenancy is what allows cloud providers to leverage the total customer base into lower cost service provision.

Once we narrow it down to 8 quarter-finalists, we'll want a 3 minute video next. It can be funny. It can be serious. It can be dramatic. But it better capture how well your cloud app solves a problem (and in the above context).

OK, that's enough for now. Looking forward to those Twitter pitches and hopefully, I'll see all you eavesdroppers at Cloud Connect itself!