Not a bad idea.  But speaking fees are driven largely by celebrity/publications status more than anything else.  If they don't fall into one of those two categories then compensation may need to be reconsidered.  I recently chaired a conference for IEEE and we had some high profile speakers, but paid no speaking fees at all and only compensated travel for a couple of them due to distance.  It is the policy of IEEE and many other organizations to NEVER pay speakers!  Adopt the same policy and you'll level the playing field pretty quick!  There's always someone else just as good - unless a certain speaker is needed for a strategic/marketing reason. 

One of the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) technical committees (ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 41) which serves the Power Utility industry, are working to incorporate blockchain technology into IoT solutions, which could serve as the backbone for Smart Cities projects and others.  This work is still relatively new however.

It is important to note that International Technical Standards take time to evolve, because they are developed by large groups of representatives worldwide who must all agree on the standard and support its adoption.  Indeed, such standards are often shaped by early adopters themselves who have the most experience. I would encourage anyone interested in such standards to get involved and become a part of the process - your input is needed!

Standards are also important because many highly regulated industries, such as Utilities, are very standards driven.  Contributing to such standards can help accelerate adoption of blockchain in these industries.

There are also standards organizations dedicated to Blockchain, one example is BiTA, Blockchain in Transport Alliance.  

Provenance (tracking of goods) and Regulatory compliance seem to be the most important use cases related to supply chain, and these can be broken down into several sub-segments.  

By documenting the provenance of goods as they move thru the supply chain, the breadth of recalls can be reduced and problems within the supply chain can be more readily isolated, diagnosed, and resolved.  Regulatory compliance can be verified as goods move thru the supply chain as well (inspections, quality controls, etc).  Tracking of goods can assist with inventory management and inventory tracking, especially when components are manufactured in several different countries and assembled in another.

As for change in practices, blockchain will demand more digitalization of the applications/processes at the various steps within the supply chain.  For example, there are often delays at import terminals/ports due to missing paperwork (bills of lading, etc.)  By going digital, this information can be transferred in real time so that terminals can plan and execute more efficiently without compromising privacy.  But this, as do other scenarios, will require shippers, receivers, etc. to digitalize their information, and/or export their information into the blockchain system via an API.

Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers are ALL heavily invested in the integration of blockchain into enterprise level organizations.  Regulatory uncertainty has been an issue for them all and most of their focus has been on POC's and not large scale implementations. 

However, Deloitte's recent global blockchain survey highlighted "Blockchain Gets Down to Business"!  The hope here is that their POC's will start to convert into widespread implementation of blockchain solutions that can show ROI.

EY has boldly stated that "Blockchain will do for networks of enterprises and business ecosystems what enterprise resource planning (ERP) did for the single company." (I did get a chuckle that ey.com also opined, "blockchain will.... increase protection against cybersecurity.") EY seems to be angling toward serving connective blockchain networks..

KPMG is leaning heavily on its relationship with Microsoft and focusing on blockchain services on the cloud.  It proves out that this is a fast-paced time even for multi billion dollar companies when they can't finish their sentences correctly...“Additionally, KPMG member firms offer collaborative services with Microsoft, combining Microsoft's blockchain and cloud technologies with our extensive offerings and expertise, know much.“  https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2017/02/digital-ledger-services-at-kpmg-fs.html 

PWC is still focused on whether blockchains are trustworthy and the reality that most executives are still struggling to understand implementation and justify cost... 

ALL 4 seem to still be in education and executive hand-holding mode and are really starting to highlight the power of network effect. 

Whose network will dominate globally?  That remains to be seen...

This is just a super rudimentary analysis and would benefit from multiple perspectives and reviews....

Looking forward to others adding to this and to the organizations mentioned fixing their websites.. ;)  It doesn't matter if you are an enterprise organization, one of the big four, the Fortune 500 or a bootstrapping startup, WE ARE ALL A WORK IN PROGRESS. ;) 

A node operator runs software that keeps a full copy of the blockchain and broadcasts transactions across the network. Nodes are needed in order to make blockchains work.

An operator ensures that nodes run with enough resources to keep nodes stable and performant. Nodes need to have enough RAM, disk space, bandwidth, etc. to stay operational and serve the network.

A masternode is a special type of collateralized and incentivized node that offers additional services to the network in exchange for a portion of block rewards and fees. (Examples are anonymous transactions, instant confirmations, file storage, encrypted messaging, etc.) Masternodes must stay operational at all times in order to earn rewards. A masternode therefore is typically deployed on a VPS (Virtual Private Server) with a static IP in a data center.

Since new software versions are often released (with new features, bug fixes, and security enhancements), node operators must maintain current versions of software. Additionally, if a node should fall out of sync with the network (through an inadvertent fork of the blockchain, for example), a node operator might have to resync the node and get it back on the proper chain at the correct block height. A node operator needs to stay up to date with developments (usually through social media channels) to understand the latest status and requirements of the blockchains they support.

Additionally, a node operator might run nodes on behalf of clients, so contract terms/commission rates must be negotiated and implemented.

As for blockchains without node operators, there are permissioned blockchains that don't allow public node operators, but have private node operators nonetheless. And in DPoS (Delegated Proof-of-Stake) networks, there are limits to the number of nodes allowed to append blocks to the blockchain, but still have node operators. In fact, these operators, known as delegates, have even more responsibility because they are chosen by the community to run nodes that secure the blockchain.

Like other stakeholders in the network (ie. miners, stakers, developers, and users), node operators are vital to the operation, security, and health of blockchains.

By "How does this work?" with no noun to connect "this" to for context, I'm going to make the leap of logic that you are referring to the Q and A.... You have anonymously asked the question so I have no way to connect with you directly and answer any other interpretations of your question unless you respond to my reply. I'm going to take a stab at a quick tutorial for you:

You can add cool flyers of great events... Or ask someone to click Here

...

The Q &A can be answered by any experienced contributor on the site and will not show up in the feed until it has been approved and received one answer.  Questions are searchable by key words and will remain available for future reference and comment over time.  If you would like more clarification, you can respond to this answer and the conversation can be continued...  

As you will be reminded, please proofread your response before you submit. You cannot edit your response after it has been submitted. You can save drafts of your answers to return to work on them. 

Feel free to ask questions that get the community thinking or that provide a value-add by educating about something that others might not yet be aware of...

You can answer your own questions if you are an experienced contributor, but your questions should be soliciting the community's feedback as well.

I hope this gave you additional perspective on how this works.

As a point of information, cryptocurrency wallets simply store your public and private keys, they store your access to the assets. The assets themselves never leave the blockchain.There are so many cryptocurrency wallets out there it is really important to research how to store your crypto assets before you investment. There are cold storage options like Trezor and Ledger, there are desktop wallets like Exodus, and there are mobile wallets. Some assets can only be stored off exchange on their own blockchain requiring you to download the entire blockchain. The Pillar Project is a mobile wallet. 

First and foremost, the Pillar Project is currently an ERC-20 and ERC-721 mobile cryptocurrency wallet. You won’t be storing those UTXO assets with them just yet. Some things that make Pillar different are customer support responds within five minutes, encrypted chatting with contacts, and blockchain explorers all built inside the app. You can make transfers contact to contact once you connect inside the wallet, visible addresses or QR codes aren’t necessary. There is an Offers Engine option that allows you to trade ETH for numerous other ERC-20 tokens using several swap engines to offer the user the best price. On boarding using fiat could be available as early as next week. It’s a multifunction wallet that aspires to be your person data locker.

That's no small question. I'm partial to projects bringing down the barriers and making blockchain technologies more accessible. As the supply chain continues to become more global, people will want to know if the inputs to the products they buy are made ethically, and following sound labor and environmental standards so I also like seeing solutions that bring more transparency to supply chain and logistics.

One company specializing in blockchain supply chain and logistics is Block Knowhow. Block Knowhow offer users unfamiliar with blockchain a working hyperledger blockchain that the visitors can participate in - in a non threatening way - by just responding with their interests and experience in blockchain to see their results graphed in real time.

Block Knowhow also offers HyperledgerHosting - a GUI tool that empowers developers with the controls of Hyperledger Fabric functions from the Command Line Interface to management Hyperledger Fabric Clusters of Servers that support the commercial development of blockchain solutions on a distributed ledger platforms.

Long term, another area where I think blockchain will have a profound impact is in the area of education and credentialing.

Hi Jason. Thank you for the question. I use content in the form of books, blogs, and videos to teach content I feel will serve people looking into crypto and blockchain tech. If you take a look at https://coingallant.com, I put everything I have on there as it is always a work in progress. If you could, please describe more of what you mean by the word "tools" so I can answer your question in greater detail.