Most Important Social Media Trends for 2010

With a nod to Malcolm Gladwell, social networking hit a Tipping Point this year. In Gladwell's words, "Ideas and behavior and messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics." By his definition, social networks and associated technologies have hit epidemic proportions. So David Armano's look at social media trends in 2010 comes at just the right moment. Armano is founder of Dachis Group, an Austin based consultancy delivering social business design services, and I thought his observations quite insightful.

Here's a summary of his six predictions:

1. Corporations look to scale. Big companies have experimented with social network marketing and support one-offs, but the prediction here is that corporate efforts will become much more programmatic and strategic in 2010.
2. Social business becomes serious play
. Social networking companies move much more heavily into entertainment.
3. Your company will have a social media policy (and it might actually be enforced. ) 
Expect your company to formalize its views on social media and rules of engagement for employees.
4. Mobile becomes a social media lifeline. Forget the cigarette break at work. In 2010 you will be taking social media breaks.
5. Sharing no longer means e-mail
. What we used to forward to friends and colleagues on e-mail we will now share across networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
6. Social media begins to look less social
. I discussed this in a recent post. The general idea: We will become much more exclusive in our social networking practices.

(Social media logos image by Ivan Walsh, CC 2.0)