2009 Social Media Predictions

Last week I sent out a note to some friends asking them this question:

“Will 2009 be a down year for blogging and social media? Or a good year? And why?”

Ok, so you may say to me, “Jim, who would answer that it would be a down year?” And you’re right, nobody did. But I did get some good responses worth reading; a lot of them going with the predictions about what 2009 will be. So if you’re at all interested in some expert opinions on 2009 and social media, read below.

Also, feel free to add your thoughts in the comments.

I think 2009 will be an up year for blogging and social media, especially due to the current economic circumstances. As people lose their jobs and begin the search for new opportunities, they will inevitably turn to their network. Today, that network almost always includes some type of social media; Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on. If you’re not using social media to mine your network and find that next opportunity, you will be behind the curve big time in the current economy. Additionally, I believe people will take this opportunity to begin to blog and build sites that they’ve put off, because they’ve been too busy at work. For some, this may be an effort to develop a part-time or full-time income to replace the job they lost. You will see an expansion of bloggers throughout 2009 and like any business cycle, the growth will be followed by a “thinning of the herd,” whereby the weaker contenders will fall away, while the stronger blogs remain. Tim Jones

2009 will be a big year for Social Media, {The biggest} as more and more businesses find a way to not interrupt busy consumers with their marketing messages. It will become easier for these companies to figure the new media out. It will, however, become more of a challenge for the marketers, as new Social Media related websites, blogs, and tools, continue to crowd and confuse the market. Tools that can help marketers collect and distribute their marketing materials online will win out in 2009. Joel Libava http://www.TurnItUpMarketing.com

Hi Jim, I think 2009 will be a good year. More businesses are going online in the hopes of lowering expenses and broadening their audience. A blog is definitely cheaper than sending out a paper newsletter or even paying an email service like Aweber or Vertical Response to send out an email newsletter. Blogs, with the right work put into traffic and building an audience and community, have greater ROI potential, and in an economy where everyone is looking to get the biggest possible bang for the smallest possible buck, we’ll see a great influx to the “magic” of the web. Trish

In 2009, blogging and social media will experience what many would call a good year – although it will be different than what many of us might expect. There will be more businesses that begin, or continue, to develop a strategy that effectively utilizes the social media space. In addition, more individuals will begin to transition from a single personal blog toward building their own brand. Coupled with all of this, I believe we will continue to see emerging trends – 2008 seemed to include a big push on video posts, what will we have in 2009? My first thought is that we will see more initiatives focused on interaction within the community. Derek Semmler.

2009 will be great for bloggers that can find sponsors and commercialize their efforts. The rest will probably redirect their efforts away from blogging to the SM platforms. But new bloggers will continue to filter onto the web thru 09. As for social media I think it will grow in usage (many out of work people and pooped out bloggers) but many of the me too sites will fold up. It will be interesting to to if SM can leverage sponsors more effectively to capitalize on their reach. @dennysugar

2009 will be a challenging year. We will see lots of people jump on the “blogwagon” (pun intended), but few will really understand it’s true potential and power. Those who do will be richly rewarded. So says the fortune cookie. Shama, Click To Client (http://www.ClickToClient.com)

2009 will be HUGE for blogging and especially for social media. In this down economy with no end in sight for next year, 2009 will be the year of networking. Social media communities will continue to niche and grow. More and more people will leverage their social media networks to make connections both online and in person. Now more than ever is the time for authenticity online and to engage your online community. When the market picks up, those who made the effort and reached out, will be in a position to advance their careers or business. Michael Buechele