Fourth Source

For people, the big social networks may become “too big” and “too open”. As a consequence, restricted areas such as Google+’s “circles” and Facebook’s “groups” will continue to gain traction, get perfected and translated into “social status”, which will also become critical for getting a job… Beyond LinkedIn and the like, we’re moving into an advanced version of social recommendations that will become a must for even getting into the interview room. New angles like “socialcheck.me” clearly reflect this. Terms like “social metadata” will progressively become common language.

Companies on the other hand will continue getting wiser, more transparent (and less “gimmicky”) in the way they attract and interact with users through social. They will fully integrate social into their customer services, eCRM programs and innovative ways of reaching users. The “pilot” phase will definitely be over and attention will continue to turn towards measuring ROI (worth keeping an eye on the evolution of “Data ownership Vs. Privacy” discussion). The most advanced companies will integrate their internal network into the big consumer networks by creating a “membrane” that allows people to connect directly to the relevant departments. Open innovation and collaboration will have even bigger impact. And governance and brand guardianship will also need to evolve to match the needs created by social.

Companies are clearly planning to engage their fan base, and it will become increasingly essential that they are able to scale those efforts. With a new LinkedIn partnership and the trial use of Facebook Insights, Wildfire’s Social Suite is enabling marketers to be even more creative, and efficient, in launching their online campaigns across multiple social platforms. And we are providing the analytic tools required to prove the return on investment of the effort

First up is the continued rise of mobile at the heart of social media. There are over 350million people accessing mobile Facebook, that’s going to grow. Phones will use social as the lens for all mobile activity, the default setting for how you interact.

Tools that help you curate, collate and discover information across platforms will be increasingly important. The growth in information is not slowing, the difficulty is finding the good stuff, from your friends and from other sources. You’re seeing platforms providing algorithms to bring you what they think is important, but users want to maintain their control, to define what they need.

Privacy will continue to be a battleground. Social companies walk a fine line between selling their product – which is the user – to their revenue sources (i.e. advertisers) and providing the environment for the user to maintain perceived control and privacy, a place they feel comfortable with sharing their lives.

One final prediction for growth is the increasing use of social tools for customer service; becoming as important as call centres as a way to connect with customers.

Increasingly, “experts” are social-network friends, and they influence what we buy through reviews and product recommendations. Marketers are eager to target these “high sharers” and their sway. Facebook has big pull when it comes to baby brands, YouTube is handy for music marketers and review sites pack a punch for electronics. Look for social media’s culture of influence to keep shaping the way we buy.

Social Goes Hyperlocal

There’s a mushrooming of social networks as they go micro, connecting us to communities in our own backyards. E.g., to join San Francisco startup Nextdoor you must live in the hood and use your real name. Plus, office watercooler conversations are rampant online through private, cloud-based social networking services such as Yammer, Chatter, Huddle and Jive (all taking cues from Facebook).