If you’re going to be entrepreneur, you’re better off preparing yourself for the new frontiers of online innovation. The best way to approach this is to think of the Internet as just the first phase in a telecommunication revolution that will change human interaction as we know it. The successful entrepreneur of tomorrow will be not only well versed in the innovations of today, but the innovations of tomorrow and the next. This involves preparing for the next phase of the Internet—the Web 3.0, which will include real time communications embedded in every nook and cranny of society, virtual reality interfaces taking over the workplace, and location-based messaging taking over the commercial landscape. This sea change will affect a wide variety of industries and professions, from healthcare contract management to online marketing.
Real time communication. It’s not just social media, chatting or texting. It’s all of these combined and layered on top of powerful new networks. Skype and Voip services are just the beginning. In the coming decade, we will be embedding real time communication applications in the simplest of every appliances, making ubiquitous real time video an everyday staple. Feel free to talk to your boss through a window on your microwave while you’re making toast. If you think this is overblown simply look at the rise of cloud services as a significant profitable and trusted industry, adopted by tech startups and Fortune 500 companies alike. Real time communication is just hitting its stride, but you can expect to see its muscle truly flexed during the upcoming Olympics.
Virtual reality communities. The future is going to see an exponential rise in virtual reality communities that will assist in everything from remotely held boardroom meetings to literal online dating, as in dating via avatars. Expect the trend toward virtual reality communities to mix business and pleasure and become the next great battleground for marketers and advertisers. It’s going to be Second City, except streamlined for everyday use. While it will be a while until we’re talking about the real Avatar, as in actually inhabiting someone else’s body, virtual reality will grow by bursts and fits in the coming decade and will slowly become as widely used as social media is now. The next big virtual reality communities will be like Second City, except streamlined for everyday use.
Location-based messaging. This trend is already in full motion but will become even more prevalent with the rise of the previous two trends. Place-based messaging services like Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook will grow to involve more real time video chatting. Expect to also begin seeing location-based messaging being used for ‘online’ places, like virtual reality communities. Services like Loopt are already pushing the envelope with ping-enabled “location-based text messaging”. Expect further experimentation in this industry, as demonstrated by ChatSq, a Foursquare extension that involves creating chatrooms that are attached to locations. Each venue will have the potential to become its own mobile social network. Marketers take note!
All three of these technologies already exist and have been widely adopted. But they are set to evolve qualitatively and quantitatively in the coming years. A wide variety of small business opportunies and venture capital streams are primed to result from these innovations. Entrepreneurs looking for leverage should be familiarizing themselves with these trends and the industries related to them. Don’t get left in the e-dust.
This Guest Post is written by Samantha Peters, an active blogger who enjoys writing about anything of interest to entrepreneurs and business start-ups.
