2012 Predictions: Richard MacManus of ReadWriteWeb.com

2012 Predictions

1. This year's Best BigCo, Amazon.com, will launch a media-focused social network. Kind of like what MySpace used to be. It will be to a place for you to socialize around your reading, listening and viewing activities.

2. Twitter's usage will begin to wane, due to squeezing from Facebook and Google . Maybe then Twitter will sell to Apple. Heck, predictions are no place for maybes. I predict Apple will buy Twitter!

3. Google's Chrome browser will make dramatic inroads into Microsoft's Internet Explorer, coming within 10-15% of it by the end of 2012. This will be due to mainstream people finally abandoning IE in droves. By the end of 2012, Chrome will have close to 30% of the market according to Net Applications (it currently has 17.6%) and IE will have just over 40% (it currently has 52.6%).

4. Facebook will have initial teething problems with its Timeline, but by end of 2012 it will be seen as a triumph - as millions of people begin to use Facebook over 2012 as their digital memory bank. I don't know if that's a brave (new world?) prediction or not, but right now there are a lot of skeptics about Timeline. So I'm firmly betting on Timeline being a big success for Facebook in 2012.

5. Music acts will start to truly tap into the power of the iTunes LP. Currently most iTunes LP releases are simply a PDF file with a bonus video if you're lucky. I predict that in 2012 many more bands and musicians will include multimedia in their digital albums and the braver ones will try to emulate Bjork and create stunning "app albums". This is a bit of a re-hash of my music prediction last year, but I really want to see widespread innovation in the digital album!

6. Bonus prediction: Bill Nguyen of Color fame will convince Silicon Valley VCs to part with $100 million, to fund an amazing new type of smart TV. It will have 4D, Internet telepathy and a revolutionary new sensing feature called Smell This®. RWW Editor-in-Chief Richard MacManus will thoughtfully blog that it "may be the next Google." The TV will flop before the ink is dry on the last VC cheque. A few months later, the futuristic telly will be re-branded as a way to consume Facebook frictionless sharing "on the big screen."

[p.s. I love Bill's spirit, I really do. I hope he does try for another New New Thing in 2012!]

Those are my predictions, now let me know yours :)

See Also

• 2012 Predictions, Mobile Edition: Dan Rowinski
• ReadWriteWeb's 2012 Staff Predictions (And What We Got Wrong in 2011)
• 2012 Predictions: Alicia Eler
• 2012 Predictions: Curt Hopkins

via readwriteweb.com

Predictions...what do you think of this list? Do you have some of your own to share?

Twitter Launches Major Redesign [VIDEO]

One main thrust of the redesign is making “Twitter more accessible for all 7 billion people on the planet,” Jack Dorsey, chairman of Twitter, said during a press conference at Twitter’s soon-to-be new headquarters in San Francisco on Thursday. Dorsey added that the company has made it “simpler not just for people already engaged but easier for new people to discover it and find value in it. It’s the best place to represent yourself on the Internet.”

via mashable.com

Twitter's recent changes are very interesting for those that make this their main social media portal. There is the opportunity for Brand pages like Google+ and Facebook offer. With YouTube's new layout, Facebook's Timeline launching, Twitter's redesign and Google+'s business pages launching are you feeling at a loss of where to begin?

Are you ready for Facebook's new Timeline? Mashable is sharing a good introduction.

via mashable.com

Facebook's new Timeline is being launched very soon so there will be lots of talk about the changes. Remember that they are equating this to a scrapbook of your life.

On your personal profile you will be able to literally see all the activity that you are allowing to be shared with Facebook and most likely the public.

We encourage you to check your privacy settings and use only one browser for Facebook. You private online activity should be performed in a different browser to ensure those items are not shared with Facebook.

From a professional perspective you'll want to share who you are and your value system to attract the clients that share the same.

It's going to be interesting to see the reactions to this via the Social Media sites on the Internet. Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Facebook vs. Google: The battle for the future of the Web

via money.cnn.com

Great article by Miguel Helft and Jessi Hempel of @FortuneMagazine. Definitely worth the read for anyone interested in social media and the Internet.

OfficialWire: Four Tips For Effective Social Media Use

There is no question about it- social media are changing our lives. Here are four tips on the effective use of social media for individuals and companies

Social media loosely defines all types of communications channels where the contents are created and shared by the people. There are so many types of social media- blogs, flickr and other photo-sharing media, YouTube, LinkedIn, Multiply, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, etc. They have become so ingrained in people’s daily lives and in our society that they really are changing the way people communicate and even how they live their lives.

There are so many uses for social media, and individuals and companies decide how they can really benefit from them. Here are some of the things people should consider doing to maximize the full potential of social media:

Read full article by Lawrence Perry

The Real-Time Web: A Primer, Part 1

This is part 1 of a three-part series on the fundamental characteristics of the real-time Web.

Like cloud computing less than a year ago and social networking two years ago, the real-time Web is the new black on the tech circuit. The trend has been publicly bandied about this summer, starting with a few industry get-togethers, followed by several enthusiastic testimonials from investors (notably angel investor Ron Conway's widely posted list of ways for Twitter to monetize). It was then capped by a glowing report in BusinessWeek in early August.

That a serious trend is on the rise would not be doubted by those watching Twitter's rise in usage and media popularity. In fact, the debate this summer has centered not on whether something is afoot but rather on what to call it. Ron Conway favors "now media" in the belief that it's a media phenomenon. But most commenters, led by several bloggers and lead investors, prefer to call it "real-time Web" ("real-time stream" is also popular).

Click to view the entire article by ReadWriteWeb

Using Twitter for Business

There is so much information out there on what is happening with social media/ especially twitter. Here is a resource as to what is happening with twitter and business. http://cli.gs/7r24JJ

Once you make the leap and start with twitter I highly recommend the most comprehensive Guide to Twitter I've found: http://cli.gs/MZyhLa

This link tells you who you are following that is not following you back and the opposite: http://friendorfollow.com/

Wishing you all the success you are willing to work for!

The Essential Guide to Social Media

This free ebook by Brian Solis, San Francisco, CA, United States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Solis contains a great explanation of how to start down the Socail Media path.