eBiz Tomorrow by Chris Salazar

Webware, from one of my tweets, just reported that Jonathan Swartz has declared an end to blogging!  Wait just one minute, its not near, and won’t be for a while.  But like anything else, it will come to an end.

However, the end of blogging just means we’ve all moved to something better…whatever that might be who knows.  It’ll be something more eye catching, more advanced, and most importantly MORE INTERACTIVE.

Instead of trying to predict blogging’s successor, we need to prepare ourselves, just like we do for earthquakes, for the coming of something new that will take us by storm.

How might we do this?  I’ll jot down some notes and ideas, but please add in your own input as well.  I want to be prepared…I dont want to fall off the web 2.0, web 3.0 radar!

1. Keep up with your blogging:  its not easy, and I’ve fallen off many times, yet its important to stay in the loop.  You’ll find it more easy to see signs of change…and you’ll know who to follow
2. Stay in tact with tools that either compliment blogging or are just as interactive like Twitter:  twitter is the most effective way to not only reach a large audience but to keep up with industry trends
3. Research, Analyze, and Predict the future: this will keep you on your toes and keep you mentally ready for the move
4. Have open discussions with peers about where the blogging industry is moving and how to get there:  wherever you go, you gotta bring your network with you.  Why not move together?
5. Keep your emergency pack ready for drastic changes:  computer, internet, research, and most importantly your willingness to take risks and stay interactive

Although this change might be easier for individuals, I’m skeptical of how corporations will adjust.  This process will be slower and more difficult, but is it worth it?  Or should corporations stay put and not panic, and wait for the kinks to pave out?

Ah!  This is exactly why web 2.0 is entertaining, it’ll never stay the same, it’ll never be easy.

Social Media has emerged in many cases as the new way to do business around the world.  Some make a living in this sphere and some just don’t get it.  From generation to generation, the definition of social media differs, but its implications on the Generation Y or the “Internet Generation” are a bit more subtle.

Let’s take a look at key technological characteristics of Generation Y:

• 97% own a computer
• 94% own a cell phone
• 76% use Instant Messaging.
• 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day/7 days a week
• 34% use websites as their primary source of news
• 28% own a blog and 44% read blogs
• 49% download music using peer-to-peer file sharing
• 75% of college students have a Facebook account ^[21]
• 60% own some type of portable music and/or video device such as an iPod.

Generation Y spends a majority of their time using technology and social media together to explore, learn, and communicate with others.  Technology is key, but social media adds the extra dimension that extends way beyond turning on a computer or an ipod standalone player.

Yet, has social media made things too easy for Generation Y?  Has social media negatively impacted society? 

Social Media has made things EASIER and READILY available, but some fear content and information will be taken for granted.  Easier to find and readily available information sure does make living in today’s world quite easy, but is this a good thing?

Below is a list of “negative” impacts Social Media has created.  Yet, don’t take this personally, these impacts are just another companies’ opportunities for success:

• With a surplus of information, the “valuables” will be lost
• Finding information is too easy, but finding factual and credible information is harder than ever
• Traditional mediums for finding info (searching through a library’s reserve or scholarly reports) is taken for granted.  What would happen if the internet was shut down? Does this generation have the know-how to find information?
• Desire/Ability/Benefits of creating unique content is hindered with the ease of plagiarism and/or the surplus of information on the web
• Frankly, the majority of today’s social media tools take up a lot of time that can be spent doing other things (homework, job searches, individual research, or extra curricular activities)

This is not a report to put down social media in any way.  By all means, its here to stay.  But, before matters get worse, technology and social media must work together to prevent Generation Y from being too dependent on online tools.