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So, keeping in mind that we'll be checking up on you in a year...
Predictions for 2010
Here's mine, at least as far as the web goes:
This will be the year that cable TV really, really gets worried about television streaming over the web. YouTube is looking at pay-per-view:
[reuters.com...]
And anyone wanting to be called a webmaster will HAVE to get comfortable with video, creatively and technically. Video will show up on Amazon.
I predict Bing is going to grow faster than many expected.
I predict term "social media" will be heard less, but that social media will be used on more mainstream web sites.
At the end of 2010, Facebook will still be looking for a business model. So will Twitter.
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Regarding the real world:
In the US, the Republicans will gain a few seats in the House but none in the Senate. Most of the Republicans will be political moderates.
The overall stock market will be about where it is. (The S&P 500 closed at 1109 today.)
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Regarding my world:
I will go back to the gym.
I will get the house painted.
I will take a fun vacation somewhere.
Business-wise, I am clueless.
Edit: Added link
In 2010 I predict I will do the quarter mile in the low 12s. :)
@lawman are you planning on buying a used 600cc motorcycle?
Market share of Bing/Yahoo will increase to 30%.
Ebay will sell Paypal to Microsoft.
Microsoft will be forced to cut prices of Windows 7 by 40-50% and the all new MS Office 2010 will be priced at $50 for a 3 user license.
Youtube will start charging (pay per view, pay for upload and pay as per the length of the video) for showing the video of a publisher in top spots in the video search results.
Some major newspapers and magazines will close down. Others will reduce number of pages to survive.
Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook will start to fade into history and some new sites will emerge to take their place.
Stock markets across the world will drop 50% or more from their 2009 close levels. Real estate (both residential and commercial) will drop another 25% or more across the world. Inflation will badly hit the already down economy.
Gold will hit $2500 per ounce. Price of petrol (gas) at the pump will more than double.
The game formerly known by that name will now be called "interactive lottery".
The two big trends in 2010 for webmasters will be optimizing for speed and developing for mobile devices.
Obama will get a bounce in the polls early this year, but Democrats will lose seats in Congress. Republicans will be hampered by internal divisions.
The economy will grow modestly, but home prices will remain flat. Inflation will increase but not beyond historic norms, and the gold bubble will burst toward the end of the year.
Online advertising will be stronger than in 2009.
SSD drives will decline in price and gain market share. You'll start seeing them as upgrade options on hosting accounts.
Those will good ideas will be trumped by entrepreneurs looking to buy good ideas and make a mint.
More movies will be released about the end of the world and rake in a mint.
More vampire movies with vague and thin plots will dominate the movie screen and rake in a mint.
Uninteresting, non-unique and creatively dormant bands will continue to dominate the music charts in every genre and make a mint.
Youtube and Facebook will dominate. Google share will slide, and Bing will begin to take a larger foothold in the marketplace.
Even more frustrated webmasters, businesses and entrepreneurs will visit WebmasterWorld for ALL of their needs :)
Bing will take some market share away from Google as it continues to grow.
2) There will be a large increase in webmasters who have been long time Adsense publishers dropped from the program without any announced reason.
3) Google search will be more individually targeted via data mining techniques to the individual or specific computer.
4) Google will continue to try to change its primary business model of ads to other profit centers.
5) We will begin to see a decline in the number of actual websites as expenses increase to the point they outstrip meager ad earnings.
7) Facebook and Twitter will continue to be the first thing most humans will check multiple times during the day versus established websites.
8) We will see more integration with Facebook/Twitter API by webmasters to remain relevant.
Microsoft will finally figure out that only the people that can actually afford MS Office are the only ones spending money in the real world anyway, so they will save millions by limiting access just to Office owners and this draws a massive amount of advertisers sick of squandering money on Google's Content Network.
Android phones will band together using Google cloud computing and create the dreaded SkyNet known in the Terminator series.
A monolith will be discovered on the surface of the moon that when later uncovered by a future moon mission will shock the world with the single word engraved on it's otherwise seamless surface...
Apologies to Stanley Kubrick ;)
[edited by: lawman at 8:38 am (utc) on Jan. 4, 2010]
[edit reason] Politics [/edit]
2) Rivals to FB will emerge but will gain no mass traction.
3) Mobile App Optimisation companies gain prominence.
The number of Apps is growing exponentially. How will yours be found?
4) Google threatens mobile industry by giving away simple ad-supported handsets that allow calls, texts, browsing.
5) Google keeps >80% market share in most non-North American countries due to massive mind-share rather than market-share.
6) Gold will Yo-Yo all year.
The US$ will strengthen defying gravity & logic keeping Gold approx $1,500
Euro € to dive in value. Sterling £ to hold steady.
7) House repossessions in Ireland will sky-rocket.
8) No Irish bankers will be seen in handcuffs...
