So what’s going to happen this year related to the Internet & Business? How well did I predict what was going to happen in 2010? First, let’s look back at my predictions for 2010:
- Mobile & Local explosion
- Blurring of lines when it comes to content
- Video continuing to be viewed more & more online
And how did I do with these predictions?…
Scorecard
Mobile and local certainly were huge in 2010. Not only due to Foursquare becoming almost mainstream (almost), but more so due to local coupon sites like Groupon. (UPDATE: Mashable has a nice infographic on the numbers behind Groupon’s success.) Coupon sites were all the rage in 2010 with tons of posts about whether or not they made sense for retail outlets and resturants to use. I think 2010 was the first time that many local businesses realized they could use Internet tools to reach local customers (which was always the case, but there certainly are better tools for reaching specific people these days).
When you ask a customer how they found your business, many may say online or “the Internet.” If you ask them for specifics they may not be able to give you more, since they view the Internet as a whole. If you ask specific questions like, was it on Facebook or on Google, they may be able to give you more clues. Content online is definitely blurring. People get content a lot of different ways and there certainly isn’t one place or method that works across the board. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, the Internet has recently surpassed TV as the main news source for young adults — definitely a blurring of content in 2010.
Video was huge in 2010. So much so that the FCC had to get involved to lay down some rules for how Internet providers can control bandwidth. Many people I know have also dropped their cable tv provider in favor of watching TV online. Hulu also released a paid model in 2010. The trend towards watching video online on-demand is likely to continue. It will be interesting to see how the large media outlets evolve.
Looks like I did pretty well with my 2010 predictions. Now on to 2011…
Looking into the Crystal Ball
The ipad has been much more successful than I think anyone (other than Steve Jobs) predicted. Tablet and mobile computing is going to be big in 2011 as companies try to compete with ipad or develop applications and content that make it easier for people to work & play wherever they want. The latest rules by the FCC are important since they would allow wireless (cell) providers to decide what bandwidth goes over their networks which will affect mobile computing. There’s likely to be some sort of battle between application, hardware and content providers like Apple & Google versus the wireless providers.
While the social web continues to evolve and develop every year, I think 2011 will be the year when many small businesses realize that they need to devote resources to being engaged socially online. I’m already seeing this happen as more and more small businesses are trying to figure out how they can use social media — and how they can find the resources to use it well.
We already know that people are more likely to trust the advice of their family, friends and colleagues over what’s said by a company. I think socializing search is going to be bigger in 2011. People will look for new ways to tap into the knowledge of their social networks for purchase decisions. It will be interesting to see how businesses tap into this need. Search engines have already started to show results from social networks, but I think there is an opportunity for more in-depth and personal connections for search.
What do you think? What’s going to be big in 2011?
(image by Jonathan H)