Albeit trite, I can’t help but say my how fast the year went by! As evidenced by the campaigns featured in my last blog and more recently Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO being named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year, 2010 was a great year for social media. With the new year just around the corner I have a few predictions of what’s in store for 2011.

Once you check in… With cell phones becoming more advanced and the debut of gadgets like the IPad and Galaxy tab, the average computer user has been unchained from their desk and is now able to surf the web on the go. As mobile technology becomes more advanced, location-based social networking sites like Foursquare and Gowalla are gaining popularity. Even the social media heavy hitters started noticing. Twitter added the option to send location information with your tweets and Facebook has a places check-in feature now as well. I suspect in 2011 a lot of brands will start offering more location-based incentives to consumers. Next time you’re at your favorite store be prepared to ‘check-in’ in order to receive a discount or gift with purchase.

All for one… It is no secret that online group purchasing is a hit. People all over the country are logging in to sites such as Groupon and Living Social to purchase discounts for local restaurants and services. For those not familiar (and living under a rock) the way these group purchasing websites work is that a business will list a discounted deal (usually up for 24-27 hours) for purchase. A certain amount of people must buy the deal in order for it to be valid. In August, Groupon launched their first national offer with the clothing retailer Gap. The sale was a huge success and it was reported that 10 Gap deals were being sold per second. Nordstrom Rack and American Apparel are two retailers that have recently jumped on board and had success as well. In 2011 I anticipate this to catch on even more and predict not only clothing retailers but big brands like Starbucks and Target will hop on board.

App shopping… Whether you prefer Android or Apple there is no doubt that people love their apps. There is virtually an app for everything you can think of. With mobile networks getting faster and stronger a lot of brands have already began popping up in the apps market. Beauty retailer Sephora has an Apple app that allows you to scan barcodes for product information and availability. Since these apps run on the mobile networks as well as wifi I think a lot of retailers will begin including shopping through apps as an option. Most mobile devices have social media integration so once you finish purchasing an item you should be able to let your social networks know about your great new purchase.

The return of the fallen… Expect to hear the word MySpace a lot in the new year (and possibly reactivate your account!) With a new logo and layout it seems MySpace is trying to creep back onto the social networking space. I don’t know if I am quite predicting a complete comeback per se, but I do expect to see a lot of efforts from the company in 2011 to bring the masses back on the site. Although Facebook is at the top of the game right now, some could argue that they have nowhere to go but downhill. A lot of Facebook users are already complaining about the constant changes the site seems to roll out.

There are a lot of opportunities to look forward in the new year and your business could easily follow suit and join in on the social media revolution. Be sure to stay informed on the trends that are popular throughout the year and see where your organization fits in the mix. Happy New Year!