How many social media experts does it take to make 2009 predictions?

The answer is not 15 contributors (David Armano, Rohit Bhargava, Pete Blackshaw, Chris Brogan, Todd Defren, Jason Falls, Ann Handley. Joseph Jaffe (Me), Peter Kim, Charlene Li, Ben McConnell, Scott Monty, Jeremiah Owyang, Andy Sernovitz and Greg Verdino), but rather 1 leader.

It was Pete who initiated this; organized this; chased this; compiled this; and finally, distributed it. So kudos to him for this fantastic undertaking, although clearly he has too much time on his hands :)

It's a pretty fascinating read and even if you don't agree with some of them (after all, surely they won't ALL come true - except for mine that is), if you subscribe to the "Wisdom of the crowds", then you will most likely have a pretty solid base upon which to experiment and build in 2009 (and beyond)

It's all available for download in this PDF which has the full text of the contributions or you just view it here:
Social Media 2009

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Management Business social media 2009

PS I'm enjoying the crayon showing in this (2 current; 1 ex) but that's just the competitor in me :)

Here are some highlights courtesy of Peter's post:           

• "Although it is now cheaper to launch an initiative leveraging Web 2.0 technology - it requires qualified and passionate people to make them successful." - David Armano
• "You may not always start the year as a leader, but you can certainly finish it that way." - Rohit Bhargava
• "Intimacy touches emotion; emotion powers conversation." - Pete Blackshaw
• "Doors are going to close all over the social web. Why? Because the money didn't come the way people thought it would." - Chris Brogan
  
• "The tipping point has not only *not* been reached, but could still tilt *away* from Social Media." - Todd Defren
• "There's a lot of fixing that needs to be done." - Jason Falls
• "Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball." - Ann Handley
• "We're going to develop a set of better metrics to help guide, direct and validate 'commitment'." - Joseph Jaffe
• "The movement is rooted in a desire to have quality, not quantity, as people cocoon in the face of the economic crisis." - Charlene Li
• "After a pre-qualifying wrestling match..." - Ben McConnell
• "These will be cumulative events and interactions that will build brand loyalty for the companies that pay attention to them." - Scott Monty
• "The recession will force revenue results out of social technologies." - Jeremiah Owyang
• "Companies that focus on earning love will thrive during hard times, and kick ass when good times return." - Andy Sernovitz
• "Suddenly, being Facebook friends with your mom will seem less ridiculous than following 4,000 strangers on Twitter." - Greg Verdino