Top 5 Trends We Will See In Social Media In 2011 - The Non-Social Strategist View

I was forwarded a posting by a not-to-be-named "Social Expert" about the Top 5 Trends for social media in 2011 and my reaction was that it sounded a lot like the top trends from last year. Perhaps he just copied and pasted the list and wanted to see if anyone noticed...

So, instead of just complaining, I came up with my own list. Here's my list of the Top 5 Trends That Will Shape Social Media in 2011.

#5 : Evolution Beyond Campaigns

Companies will  move more aggressively away from thinking of social media as a campaign and messaging platform towards thinking of it as an essential, external customer engagement space. Think Twelpforce on a broader level. And hard look will be made on how social media channels fit into overall customer support and loyalty efforts – not just customer awareness efforts.

#4 : Make Me An Offer We Can't Refuse

Social deal sharing and deal-making will grow enormously as Groupon and similar services gain major traction. The ability to "name your price" goes from just one person negotiating with Shatner for airline tickets to group negotiation on almost anything. Want to sell me that car today? How about 5 at $20K off each? For some products, instant group purchasing at point of sale will be possible – how many people want to buy this Burberry Pea Coat with me, right now, for the best price we can negotiate?

#3 : Curating for Love and Money

Social media is so much about curating – showing you have the pulse of the topics you care about, the latest trends, fashion, news, technologies, research, ideas… and you are the first to share them out to your friends and followers. This curation will get more explicit play and recognition systems supporting them – moving from just retweets, comments, and leaderboards to more structured credibility systems and credits-earning for real-world products/services. This curation will also drive the disruption of content publishers trying to drive audiences into their sites from the home page and around the site after viewing content – the deep link continues to win…

#2 : Microfinance Enters the Fray

Credit and micropayment services like Facebook Credits will become more ubiquitous and integral to the social media ecosystem. Consumers will also be able to earn credits through sharing and other social behaviors, not just by purchasing them. Social media platforms are going to look to this model to try and increase the monetization of the platform, and ways that brands can play in that microfinance space will evolve. I should be able to buy the hot new EA Xbox game through the EA Facebook Shopping tab using Facebook Credits, right? Additionally, currency exchange will need to be established so consumers can use points earned from tweeting to buy Facebook games, for example.

#1 : The Backlash Will Not Be Televised

The consumer backlash against the marketing and advertising being dumped into social networks will continue and gain serious steam. Social networking and communications feel more like "mine" than almost any digital information/communication, especially for the masses for whom social media is their primary digital communication platform. That feeling of ownership brings protectiveness. The continued increase in use of social networks by brands that are just broadcasting and talking at consumers will prompt a visceral rejection from consumers. We will see more controls given to users to control who can see and intrude on their social activities. Additionally, trust networks creation and management will be more explicitly built into the social media ecosystem to provide more levels of control to users.

Okay, so all you other experts and armchair social media mavens, where am I missing the boat and what do you see coming this year?