Paul Armstrong (@munkyfonkey)

2011 will be all about controlled curation
- Aggregation = good. Curation? Better. The signs are all there – Flipboard, Pulse, tablet uptake, Facebook groups, aggregators getting editors. Whilst content remains key to success, the advent of product placement and ‘must-see’ ads (do they really exist?), content that is edgy or useful will remain popular. Ads that do not ‘add’ will remain irrelevant and unloved. ‘Know me’ or ‘no me’ remains in play but those that see success will have done it in an uncreepy way.

Understanding, not just having, data will be the key to success in 2011
– Either for content creation, target group understanding, platform choice or to drive strategy, making decisions based on hard data will keep you sane and clients happy. Arm yourself accordingly – look at the trends.

Bodies (or networks) of people will determine more corporate change than in the last 50 years combined. [Note: I have no idea how I’ll prove this but it feels right]
- Wikileaks will, if Assange remains alive, remain key to changing the media (and corporate) agenda.
- Make no mistake it’s about being better but it’s also about protecting what you’ve done if you’re not willing to be open about it. [PR has a big opportunity here].
News feed optimisation will become a new area for people to monetise
– This is common sense when +50% of people interact with you/your brand through one channel. What will be interesting is to see how Facebook combats this – groups can only take us so far. I’d look for someone creating a daily Qwiki-style update if I were a betting man…
Mobile trends will continue, tablets will become commonplace in the home and at work
– If the CES rundown is anything to go by!  It’s like a overdose waiting to happen!
- In addition, a greater, more refined application of the technologies associated with mobile (geolocation, AR, QR etc). Location will be the new black for many but smart applications will push/drive utility before data.   Privacy concerns will continue to be swept under the rug and ignored by the majority of users.

Online customer service will stay misused by the vast majority
– Using social data to provide value will be key to success. It’s not about stopping people voicing their opinions; it’s about using the data to be better tomorrow and the next day. Utopian? Sure. Imperative when you don’t control the search engines? Absolutely.

The Government will increase their use of social media…and fumble the ball
– In short, it has to.   Not just because Cameron says they do but because the numbers support it.   It’s going to have to be transparent, “real” and fast and those don’t fit well with the current system. Campaigns are great but when you are possibly going to get paid by results or behaviour change you have to tread carefully. My advice is to build your networks before you need them and start changing those internal structures.

Scaling social media will be a key consideration for most businesses
– It’s going to be more about doing something with the people than ever before.  Products like Conversocial, Buddy Media and Argyle will see an amazing year as they bring in the data, make it manageable and allow a person, agency whatever to add value and that is the future of the communications industry.

Photo apps will see large growth in Q1-2 and then diminish
- I, like everyone, see the value in a photo and the ability to change it in many ways from my phone is an amazing achievement. The bigger story here is, of course, the phone itself. The numbers who are using them, what they are using them for and the technology being pumped into them. Ignore the app fad and look for larger trends. Geolocation, cloud storage, information seeking, augmented reality etc.

The TV market is in for a very bumpy year
– This one’s a doozy but with product placement, 3D TV and internet-ready sets becoming adopted. All bets are off as to where things are going to end up. Some givens – we are going to look forward to a safe programming year. People aren’t willing to risk eyeballs. Look at the early 2011 slate if you need any reassurance. One thing for sure integration is a big trend this year – X% on twitter said, questions from Facebook, live streaming with comments. Using online will be larger this year as moderation and capabilities increase.