2010 Web Predicitions in Black
I can’t believe we are going into 2010 already. It seems like just yesterday when we were making predictions for 2008 and 2009. This past year has been really exciting and there have been clear changes in how business on the web is being done. As we try to keep up with what’s going on in the space here are some things to look out for in 2010:
Real-time gets Real.
Real time data came in with a bang in 2009 and will will continue to go strong in 2010. You will start to see this type of information displayed in more places. There are always interesting things going on in the web space in general and real time will be the belle of the ball in the coming year. Expect to see (and seize opportunity) where real time data has context. In 2010 there will be less randomness and more real time data that actually makes sense to what you are doing, what you are looking for, and where you are at (location).
Opportunity: Think of ways to exploit real-time data that already exists via API’s contextually…and build it.
Live Video and Web Video Goes Strong
Video is yet another super exciting area to watch. Between web video converging with Broadcast and visa versa we should also see quality content being produced from independents. This includes scripted, documentary style, and live video. This past year we saw BET go out on a limb and launch Buppies, which has gotten great reviews, I expect to see more of that in the “Urban” space. More excitingly I expect to see Live Video come on the scene in respect to how broadcasters will use this type of content online.
Opportunity: Live video programming is something that has yet to be mastered in the “Urban” space. Carpe Diem.
The Rise of New Media as a Business.
New Media will start to get the respect they have been looking for and received at the tail end of 2009 in the “Urban” space. Many up and coming media moguls will be respected more as a business which should lead to greater activity in business development, distribution, and other forms of partnerships. This of course will put more pressure on those who are trying to enter new media to focus on what their business model is.
Opportunity: Be cleaver with how you structure your deals. Opportunity can be found in most places.
The Location Based Service…with Context.
I mentioned context above when I talked about real-time. Context will be no stranger to location based services in 2010 either. Just like “What are you doing?” got played out where you check-in at has already begun to get played out. In 2010 you won’t need to just check-in somewhere you’ll need to try and create experiences in real life with services like Foursquare and Gowalla.
Opportunity: If you’re a traditional brick and mortar business there is opportunity here to engage with your customers (or potential customers) in this way. Check out this post to see what I mean.
And the Band Blog Played On.
If you got sick of seeing Blog-like sites being mimicked on you favorite magazine site you may as well go ahead and grab your brown paper bag. It will continue in 2010. There will actually be a shift where Big Media wants to put on a New Media face, New Media will look less like blogs and more like Blogazines. Blogazine being much cooler than an e-zine 
but a mix between a blog and traditional magazine site. Both parties will likely meet in the middle and become The New Black Media.
Opportunity: Don’t focus on just building a great content site, focus on building a great brand and you will be a contender.
Tech is whats Hot.
Technology and Consumer Electronics will become less of a step-child in 2010. Where this type of information had been avoided in the years prior publishers big and small will jump on the band wagon. And with Broadband being a hot topic as well the excitement about technology will extend far past publishers and will move into everyday life.
Opportunity: See the opportunity that exists in becoming an application developer and not just a publisher. Reach people through web apps and mobile apps that will help them in their day to day life.
HAVE A HAPPY, SUCCESSFUL, & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
This should be everyone’s anthem for ’10
About the Author Angela Benton is the Founder and Publisher of BlackWeb20.com. Her experience spans a variety of industries including consultative relationships with companies such as UPS, Bizjournals.com, Realestate.com, and Lendingtree.com.
See all posts by Angela.
Those who care to follow get to see what others are thinking while they think it with several celebrities getting themselves into trouble with twitter-brained tweets.
In the spirit of the new year, I predict in 2010:
- Netbooks will become a hot consumer item
- Public and private investment in broadband infrastructure — accessibility & construction — will increase
- Webcentric media will discover value in traditional media
- New businesses in U.S. will arise involving mobile banking and MMS/SMS marketing
- U.S. telecom networks will fight to remain as 'closed', proprietary systems
- Licensing and copyright conflicts between content developers (esp. major commercial media corporations) and digital distribution networks will continue to intensify
- Independent ISPs, e.g.; AOL, will return to the market
- WiMAX and FWA systems will start to become economically viable alternatives to cable broadband and fiber optic systems.
In the spirit of the new year, I predict in 2010:
- Netbooks will become a hot consumer item
- Public and private investment in broadband infrastructure — accessibility & construction — will increase
- Webcentric media will discover value in traditional media
- New businesses in U.S. will arise involving mobile banking and MMS/SMS marketing
- U.S. telecom networks will fight to remain as 'closed', proprietary systems
- Licensing and copyright conflicts between content developers (esp. major commercial
media corporations) and digital distribution networks will continue to intensify
- Independent ISPs, e.g.; AOL, will return to the market
- WiMAX and FWA systems will start to become economically viable alternatives to cable broadband and fiber optic systems.
I really like the 2010 predictions. Working in the Server and Cloud Division at Microsoft I happen to think Cloud services with connection to any device really takes off in 2010. This applies to the consumer and large Corporations. On the consumer side ties into rich cloud services that expand user scenarios on the PC and smartphones. In corporations tieing into Cloud based services for corporate applications and running internal private clouds will expand the job growth for folks with those skills. Actually folks with those skills will be the new rock stars for the next 5-10 years.
It's interesting seeing the Big Guys trying to act like Little Guys as The Media traditionalists continue to struggle with what My Media individualism represents. Your thoughts about real-time updates are dead on with a prime example being celebrity tweets. Those who care to follow get to see what others are thinking while they think it with several celebrities getting themselves into trouble with twitter-brained tweets. Google and other real-time search integration are just the beginning.
You are right those suggestions are outside of the scope these days. BTW aren't you still a contributor…why dot you give your thoughts in a post?
The 2010 predictions are a good read. I like the focus for those who are entreprenurial, but I would love to see a bit of a slant on predictions for the corporate crowd as well. For instance will the employment outlook improve? Will technology spending increase in the Fortune 500 to foster greater innovation in order to better compete with the smaller, more lean and agile companies? Will there be more consolidation in the big media arena? Perhaps these insights are outside the scope of BW2.0 these days, but I am sure the team has some thoughts on how these topics might evolve in the new decade.