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Social Media Predictions For 2009

by Jason Falls · December 15, 200818 comments

I was honored to be asked to contribute to a collaborative post going live this morning on the blogs of several thought leaders in the social media space. Peter Kim, formerly of Forrester Research and now with a stealth startup in Austin, Texas, coordinated and compiled it all. What follows are snippets of thought from the likes of Charlene Li, Rohit Bhargava, Chris Brogan, David Armano, Jeremiah Owyang, Andy Sernovitz, Todd Defren, Ann Handley and more. The full set of predictions is available in the white paper/PDF (linked and embedded).
Give it a look see and share what you think 2009 might hold in the comments. Below is what Kim coordinated from all of us:
Community and collaboration are wonderful things.
Fourteen great minds on social media have shared thoughts on what 2009 may have in store for us. Here’s some of what they’re thinking:
  • “Although it is now cheaper to launch an initiative leveraging Web 2.0 technology – it requires qualified and passionate people to make them successful.” – David Armano
  • “You may not always start the year as a leader, but you can certainly finish it that way.” – Rohit Bhargava
  • “Intimacy touches emotion; emotion powers conversation.” – Pete Blackshaw
  • “Doors are going to close all over the social web. Why? Because the money didn’t come the way people thought it would.” – Chris Brogan
  • “The tipping point has not only *not* been reached, but could still tilt *away* from Social Media.” – Todd Defren
  • “There’s a lot of fixing that needs to be done.” – Jason Falls
  • “Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball.” – Ann Handley
  • “We’re going to develop a set of better metrics to help guide, direct and validate ‘commitment’.” – Joseph Jaffe
  • “The movement is rooted in a desire to have quality, not quantity, as people cocoon in the face of the economic crisis.” – Charlene Li
  • “After a pre-qualifying wrestling match…” – Ben McConnell
  • “These will be cumulative events and interactions that will build brand loyalty for the companies that pay attention to them.” – Scott Monty
  • “The recession will force revenue results out of social technologies.” – Jeremiah Owyang
  • “Companies that focus on earning love will thrive during hard times, and kick ass when good times return.” – Andy Sernovitz
  • “Suddenly, being Facebook friends with your mom will seem less ridiculous than following 4,000 strangers on Twitter.” – Greg Verdino

Everyone’s thoughts have been assembled in this PDF. You can also read the document in-line below.

Your feedback is appreciated and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

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About Jason Falls

Jason Falls

Jason Falls is the founder and editor of Social Media Explorer and its companion learning community Exploring Social Media. He is a leading thinker, educator, speaker and consultant in the world of social media marketing, public relations, digital marketing and communications. Please connect with him on Twitter (@JasonFalls).

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Tagged as: 2009 social media, predictions for 2009, Social Media Marketing, social media predictions

Comments & Reactions

Comments Policy

Comments on Social Media Explorer are open to anyone. However, I will remove any comment that is disrespectful and not in the spirit of intelligent discourse. You are welcome to leave links to content relevant to the conversation, but I reserve the right to remove it if I don't see the relevancy. Be nice, have fun. Fair?

  • http://friendfeed.com/loveurmindnsoul Thao Ly

    Interesting read.

  • http://kylelacy.com/social-media-of-2009-cash-is-king-not-content/ Social Media of 2009: Cash Is King Not Content | Kyle Lacy, Social Media – Indianapolis

    [...] as fascinating when they miss the target by a mile. Jason Falls wrote a post this morning called Social Media Predictions of 2009. Jason has been asked to be involved in a collaborative effort to try and predict what social media [...]

  • http://aplink.wordpress.com/2008/12/15/social-media-predictions-for-2009-social-media-explorer/ Social Media Predictions For 2009 | Social Media Explorer « APLINK – itsReal

    [...] via Social Media Predictions For 2009 | Social Media Explorer. [...]

  • Marshka

    Interesting perspectives, you all look all very optimistic despite the crisis (I'd be more pessimistic and just hope my netvibes won't have to be closed =/).
    There's nothing said about security which seems to become a bigger and bigger problem. I read two big articles here in France, one saying the web was almost imploding (old frames, no regulation of new 3G networks, countless flaws, but I suspect the paper being sponsored by Kaspersky or some “McAfee University”), the other telling the advance hackers were gaining over security professionals, which was really scary in terms of volume (some 15% of PCs being contaminated by malware) and value (losses estimated at 100 billion USD a year on credit card frauds and such things).
    Ok, this may not directly concern Social Media as a user or a conversation manager (until the letter “@” became a value by itself ?? “ow, i've been stolen my “@” !), but firms creating this tools, using servers, building networks and hardware used by Social Media Firms, may be harmed, and so our “conversation” ? That's a really open question in my mind. Could it harm our beloved social media ?

  • http://www.socialmetricmarketing.com gorongo

    These predictions may be true for 2009, but beyond this timeframe is where this social media phenomena shows its real value. First, social networking and social media are global…and Americans aren't the only thought leaders in the field. Second, the utility of social media has only been expressed in chats, blogs, and discussions that are less than a week in length (gross exageration, but you get the point). The real value generates over time, and the discussions of value will evolve beyond temporal snippets. Third, when the tools for harvesting intelligence from the collective discussions and random tidbits gain sophistication, we are in for some exciting business and personal growth opportunities. This last one is merely my comparison with other mass communication tools that took a little time to evolve, like the written word, the printing press, radio and tv. So, let's look past the doom and gloom and imagine a world where we collectively solve greater problems faster and with greater energy than ever before in human history. Yup a few bumps in the road and a few abuses later we'll get there…but the crystal ball looks bright my friends.

  • http://www.marketersstudio.com David Berkowitz

    I hope you're wrong about Google and Twitter. Look how well Jaiku fared.

  • http://janetleejohnson.com Janet Johnson

    Well, the quotes are immensely compelling. I am interested in your POV that “There's a lot of fixing to be done.” for which I'll download the report. I agree that the nesting phenomenon will drive people to (re)connect with a smaller social graph, and am optimistic that quality will always (and finally, in some cases) win over quantity.

    It's a wonderful, wonderful time to be alive and sharing information. Whether it be with 20 or 200. Thank you for posting this report here. Cheers.

  • http://www.spaziodigitale.net/blog/i-social-media-nel-2009/434/ I Social Media nel 2009

    [...] “Ci sono un sacco di correzioni che bisognerebbe fare.” – Jason Falls [...]

  • http://www.gauravonomics.com/blog/social-media-predictions-for-2009-from-fourteen-thought-leaders/ Social Media Predictions for 2009 from Fourteen Thought Leaders | Gauravonomics Blog

    [...] media thought leaders: David Armano, Rohit Bhargava, Pete Brackshaw, Chris Brogan, Todd Defren, Jason Falls, Joseph Jaffe, Charlene Li, Scott Monty, Ann Handley, Jeremiah Owyang, , Ben McConnell, Andy [...]

  • http://2009.marketingsavant.com/list-of-2009-marketing-predictions-so-far/ 2009 Marketing Predictions & Trends » List of 2009 marketing predictions so far…

    [...] Social Media Explorer: Social Media Predictions For 2009 [...]

  • http://webismo.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/speedlinking-and-predictions-for-all/ Speedlinking: … And Predictions for All « Webismo

    [...] Social Media Predictions 2009 de Peter [...]

  • http://oldskoolmark.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/2009-predictions-and-resolutions-just-for-fun-tuesday/ 2009 Predictions and Resolutions (JUST FOR FUN TUESDAY!) « Oldskoolmark’s Weblog

    [...] So everyone’s been posting what their predictions are. You can see a collaborated post by Jason Falls on what the predictions are here. [...]

  • http://www.buzznetworker.com/will-social-media-change-in-2009/ Will Social Media Change in 2009?

    [...] a ton of posts out there that talk about how social media will change in the upcoming year, what will happen with [...]

  • http://websuccessdiva.com/10-new-years-resolutions-for-online-success-in-2009/ Social Media – Blog Marketing – Internet Marketing – Web Success Diva

    [...] Social Media Predictions for 2009 from Jason Falls [...]

  • http://www.salsaboy.net Clean Red Widgets

    Great stuff! I learned a lot.

  • http://www.salsaboy.net Clean Red Widgets

    Great stuff! I learned a lot.

  • http://www.mariareyesmcdavis.com/new-years-resolutions-for-online-success-in-2009/ 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Online Success in 2009

    [...] Social Media Predictions for 2009 from Jason Falls [...]

  • http://sergiobastos.net/2008/12/30/speedlinking-and-predictions-for-all/ Speedlinking: … And Predictions for All « Ipsis Verbis

    [...] Social Media Predictions 2009 de Peter [...]

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