Festive mood and Xmas holydays are left behind. It’s high time to ponder over 2008 year. What will be popular and profitable the next year? What predictions and prognostication will come true?! I gathered some interesting posts and researches on the future of web apps, sites, blogs, online video and web TV, including my own 2008 predictions.

I’m deeply interested in trends that could cause one or another event developing on the web. Folks exchange and express their opinions all time, that’s why we see so many essentially different views on likewise events. What apps will survive, and why the others won’t? What should we make use of the next year? What technologies will take off this year? What new technologies will appear?

Richard MacManus made up a list of Top Web Apps & Sites of 2007, the most used and preferred this year, which are at his top. Among them are Google brand, last.fm, YouTube, Flickr, MyBlogLog. Surely, I occasionally opt for these apps taking into consideration its character. The author wants to emphasize a substantial contribution these websites do. Read also ReadWriteWeb’s 2008 Web Predictions

Drama20show made quite a reasonable assumption regarding internet development and consumption. Among naked truths in the list an author suggests that:

- People will continue to consume online porn regularly. Hopefully they will do so on one more of the properties in my extensive network of niche adult entertainment websites. If you’re looking for classy nude photographs and videos of some of Silicon Valley’s finest, get in touch and I’ll give you 10% off a subscription to Sand Hill Snatches, Palo Alto Pussy, Techie Tits or Google Girls Gone Wild.

- Organized online crime will continue to be more profitable than starting a Web 2.0 company by the tune of at least several billion dollars, but all the Mark Zuckerburgs will continue to think that they’re money.

Meanwhile, following drama 2.0, Mashable made up their own list of WON’Ts:

- The majority of web 2.0 startups won’t develop long-term business models. Web 2.0 services such as social networks face substantial challenges in delivering for advertisers.

- Most of the Hottest Web 2.0 Startups Won’t Get Acquired for Big Bucks. Many of the startups that have raised money at $100+ million valuations may leave shit out of luck.

- Silicon Valley Won’t Take Over Hollywood. Silicon Valley is not likely to take over Hollywood and it certainly isn’t going to happen in 2008. As I’ve discussed before, Silicon Valley is capable of finding new ways to distribute content but is ill-equipped to create content.

Adam Ostrow also made a list of predictions offering his own guesses on “how trends we saw in ‘07 will translate into big deals, new technologies, and emerging themes we will see in the new year.” Should we believe that News Corp will monetize MySpace, Email won’t die and Blogs Become Hot Acquisition Targets? They are partially possible to be realized, and too optimistic.

Net-Security offers Web security predictions for 2008

I singled out some relevant Jeff Pulver’s Internet Communications and Social Media Predictions for 2008:

- If the writer’s strike is not resolved by February, look for the major networks to start importing successful TV series from abroad and presenting them as “new” for the remainder of the 2008 television season.

- Broadband penetration will continue to snowball in the US, but not at a pace fast enough to raise America’s mediocre global standing in broadband penetration.

- Users will also recognize the value of the Internet as a better means to access content than traditional broadcast and cable delivery systems, thereby greatly reducing the impact of the 2009 DTV mandate.

Top Five Technology Predictions for 2008 by Jamie.

- Ultra Cheap Laptops

- Offline Mode for Online Applications

- Social networks will see an increase adoption

- A better year for Microsoft

- Apple Marches On

Among VideoNuze’s Predictions for 2008 I found interesting ‘Beijing Summer Olympics is a broadband blowout’ and ‘2008 is the “Year of the broadband presidential election.”

Online Video Insider offers its own Online Video Predictions for 2008 (some of them are getting arising these days):

- Video goes vertical. Video content will find well-branded homes for vertical video.

- Professionally produced content online surpasses amateur content

- TV is a box–one of many

- More political advertising online than TV

- Video search will make sense

- Video blogging will cross the chasm. The differences between video blogs and video communities will blur, as social networking sites like MySpace will be increasingly dominated by video versions of teen-angst rants and boyfriend bashing

- Video communities. Communities will be redefined, and hopefully, bring the “personal” back into personal computing.

And my own predictions:

• Speaking about blogs in general, vlogs are getting more and more popular on the web
• The web will become densely populated with Asian people (e.g. Chinese are everywhere, including the .asia domain appearing)
• Email on a par with traditional mail has its own pros and cons, therefore neither will die
• Vlogs, video startups are highly popular, they’re springing up all over the web
• In spite of the fact that advertisers don’t use online ads in full, InVideo and InGame advertising start to become extensible
• Virtual worlds will become a part of our lives… immoderately. We play video games online, we play our lives on the web in real time spending too much time online
• User-generated content won’t disappear, but high quality videos are gaining rotation
• Social communities will turn into social video communities

To sum up, it should be said that all of these predictions have a right to be well-grounded and sound. It’s up to you to adhere or disclaim one or another prognosis. The only thing you should pay attention is think over them.

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