2012 Tech Predictions.

With the start of the new year, everyone's been coming out with lists, resolutions, "Best ofs", and 2012 predictions... so why not jump on that band wagon! I think 2012 is going to be another great year for social media, e-commerce, tablets, smart devices and... hopefully... mobile! Technology keeps evolving and it's only helping consumers experiences become better and better all the time. I honestly cannot wait for the day that I ENJOY watching commercials, reading e-mails from businesses and clicking ads on various websites I visit because they all take into account things I am genuinely interested in.


Obviously, popular social media channels will continue to stay on the rise, and any companies who have yet to jump on this band wagon will probably realize it's all here to stay. Something that I think people need to begin sorting out are the rules and laws that individuals, clients and companies need to follow and are supposed to be aware of. It seems like many people are running into issues with who owns which fans and things of that nature, and it doesn't seem like it's going to be easy to sort that out.

I am also one of the biggest fans of mobile advertising because it just makes sense to me. People are always ON their phone or NEAR their phone, you can't tell me that's not the perfect place to try and advertise to your customers.  Many people also use them for multitude of things, and use them while watching TV, while driving, while walking, etc. so why not try and reach them there as well? 


I know that tablet advertising is also something that's relatively new, especially because the percentage of tablet owners is very small... but still. The demographic is perfect for many large companies, and not too many are fully embracing it so why not jump on it when it's cheap and you can? I'd be willing to bet the click through ratios are higher on ads here than many other venues.


The last techy trend I'm hoping for this year is personalization... Companies seem to be obtaining various types of information about consumers, especially somebody such as Facebook and Google so please, if you're going to take and sell my information I've given you anyways, let's make it enjoyable for me and others. Personalize my ads and I will be more willing to watch and even click on something. 


Hopefully next year I will remember to look back on my yearly rantings and see what, if anything, came true in any sort of way. Happy New Year! 

2011 Tech Predictions and Trends...

It’s the start of a new year and the start of plenty of new, competing ideas and speculation about which social media sites will prevail and how customers and businesses will continue to embrace them.

There’ve already been plenty of predictions about which social media sites will prevail this year, what Facebook is going to be pressured to do, and how businesses are busy working on ways to include social feedback.

In my opinion, one of the industries that need to reevaluate the way they do business online is the travel industry. Some leaders have begun to realize that they need to listen to customers, engage with them, offer exotic deals that no one else can and give customers a unique experience as well as find a way to create loyalty and relationships. All travel agents and travel groups should be embracing all social media channels and updating the way they do business, because people aren’t interested in paying someone to just plan their trip. They want more, and know they can find it if they really want to. They want personalized and interactive trips, and the best way to show them is through youtube channels, Facebook pages for the hotels they’re interested in and Twittering with the hotels they’re interested. Travel agencies need to change the way they’re doing business, before they become obsolete.

The next big prediction/game-changer has to do with Facebook. Since Facebook introduced their Location Based Services- do you think it’s going to be a Foursquare killer, or work in parallel with it? It’s hard to tell which will prevail, or if either would find a way to integrate further with companies such as Groupon and LivingSocial.

I think either Facebook or brands with Facebook designers that decide to take it upon themselves need to find a way to exchange more information and recommendations on Facebook. Obviously, there are plenty of successful brands on Facebook who allow fans to comment and like various posts, as well as post their own opinion. But this can be cluttered and doesn’t always allow other customers to gather an opinion about a product… There needs to be a better way to do this.

What are your thoughts on social media in 2011? What is going to be the game-changers or next big thing?

Seasons Greetings...

The other day I was browsing through my social media and technology news websites trying to stay on top of the latest trends and whatnot when I came across an interesting article on Mashable talking about using Social Media to plan your Thanksgiving, which completely intrigued me. The article lists multiple websites that were ready to help plan the perfect menu, send out e-vites, let guests check off what they'd like to bring, craft ideas, TV listings and more. Without this article, I probably would never have found any of the links, suggestions or tips because I don't have time to search for ways to make my life easier... that would be too easy!

This also got me thinking (and hoping) about what types of suggestions tech and social media sites are going to have for the holidays since Hanukkah and Christmas are right around the corner. I know I want to use websites like Groupon, LivingSocial and even Twitter to find suggestions and ideas, but do you think there's going to be a how-to guide for finding cheap but fantastic holiday gifts? I'm hoping so, and because of that am definitely going to try to find the best deals and suggestions via social media and I hope you do to. From one-day deals to social media exclusive discounts, I'm on the lookout this winter to find the best gifts with the help of all these social media outlets... Will it work out? Find out soon.

Traveling Just Got Easier... And Trickier At The Same Time?

Have you gone on a vacation recently? Was it to a new, exotic location or was it the same cottage on a coast you’ve been visiting since you were young? Nowadays there is a plethora of methods to help decide on where you vacation should be, how much it could cost, what you should pack… but is it helpful?

With the increasing use of technology and social media in particular to advertise a vacation, what resources should you embrace and which should you forget about while planning for vacations?

One of the best ways to avoid vacation information overload is to pick a destination with friends or family and decide what kind of vacation you’re looking for before you head out there to search for a deal. Next, pick a few favorite travel agent/company twitters and facebooks and research what they are currently offering, what they’ve offered in the past, and if any of it is relevant to you and your family.

Try interacting with relevant facebooks, twitters, and websites to create a relationship with these agents, companies and hotels. You never know what type of deal you may score due to your social media participation, and interacting with your future vacation destinations will keep you informed about all upcoming events and other information you may need to know.