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What is Hot and What is Not for 2009

Sharon Housley -- Here are the Top 10 Winners (and Losers) predicted for 2009!

Top 10 Winners for 2009

The following items are our predictions of what will be hot in 2009!

1. Personal responsibility

In 2009 people will began to realize that governments are not capable of doing everything. At some point individuals need to take personal responsibility for their situations, and have a plan should disaster strike.

2. Financial diversification

Lessons learned from the global economic crisis will shape how investors view their portfolio in the future. Not really a prediction, more a dose of common sense; intelligent investors and those at an age of retirement, will need to take a more cautious conservative approach to their investments.

3. Mobile malware

Malware tripled in 2008, and it is not a big leap to imagine that portable intelligent devices will become infected at an alarming rate in the near future.

4. Weight loss

Fitness and healthy living is fashionable, it is not a stretch to think that the rewards of a healthy lifestyle will impact waistlines in 2009.

5. Going green

Green is not going out anytime soon. Being green is in, and more businesses will go green in an effort to improve their bottom line in 2009. Green businesses not only often save money but they also appeal to environmentalists and environmentally conscious consumers.

6. Social

The online conversation has never been louder. In 2009 social media will become the new bar scene.

7. Cloud computing

The "cloud" is growing. Virtual computing and scalability all make the "cloud" an interesting prospect one that will continue to gain attention in 2009.

8. Virtual collaboration

Groove, Google Docs and other collaborative tools all indicate that Web applications and collaboration are the future. More and more soccer Moms and everyday users will adopt the collaborative platforms in 2009.

9. Video

Video is steadfast in its staying power. The growth and popularity of YouTube and video in online media is not going away anytime soon, expect to see more professional videos in 2009.

10. RSS

Google's common query list showed the query "What is RSS" at number 5. This clearly shows that the trends related to RSS adoption and syndication are reaching beyond the techie circles in the coming year.

Honorable Mentions:

1. Big Brother
2. DoFollow
3. Alternative Energy
4. Mobile Web
5. Software as a service
6. Subscription sites

Top 10 Losers for 2009

1. Global economy

The global economy is rapidly sinking, and its not likely to change anytime soon. Hunker down for a rough ride in 2009.

2. Republicans and Conservatives

The Republican party took a beating in 2008 and it does not appear that is going to change any time soon.

3. Hollywood

Stars and Hollywood that have used their star power to influence political issues may find their comeuppance, with consumers wanting stars to entertain, not push their political views in 2009.

4. China

China's tainted shipments have given consumers cause for concern. China's imports may find that the difficulties in the U.S. economy and lack of quality standards result in a downturn in purchases of Chinese imports in 2009.

5. Somali pirates

The developed world is tired of the Somali Pirates threatening the civilized world. There is likely going to be a push back against the piracy in the open seas in the coming year.

6. Financial services industry

It is going to take significant time to for investors to have faith in the financial services industry, with the Madoff scandal and the plummeting markets in the financial industry will likely pay dearly for their mismanagement in 2009.

7. Corrupted politicians

The world is tired of chronic corruption that is ever present in political circles, seats that are bought and paid for and political entitlement are a thing of the past. Perhaps this is only a wish and not a true loser, but I would really like to think that corruption in politics will no longer be acceptable to the civilized world.

8. Security or securities

Something has to give, with the economy is in shambles, money is not growing on trees. Something is going to take a hit in 2009. The money for security is directly tied to financial securities, and sadly the economy will likely result in cost cutting that impacts world security in 2009.

9. Outsourcing

olitical unrest, and terrorism have dampened the enthusiasm companies once felt for outsourcing. The world's unrest have shaken the U.S. and companies are rethinking their desire to outsource to India, Russia and China in 2009.

10. Gasoline

The unquenchable desire for gasoline is finally starting to dry up. I expect in 2009 with innovative alternative energy taking a forefront in many businesses, gasoline will have a rough year in 2009.

Take a look at what our 2008 predictions and how we fared! Readers can assess my ability to predict based on last year's collection of technology predictions at:

-- 2008 Predictions
-- 2007 Predictions

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll, software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds, and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll, audio recording and editing software for podcasts.

© 2008 Sharon Housley

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