2011 will see people choosing quality over quantity in social media

Everyone has an opinion on social media. Whether they're like my friend’s parents, who are on Facebook for the sole purpose of viewing their son’s photo albums, through to the Twitter evangelists, right up to the ever-growing group who are bored with the current offerings and are seeking the next shiny new thing.And like the passionate reformed smokers before them, the Facebook naysayers who loudly proclaim the damage Facebook causes.2011 will undoubtedly hail in the new and build on the old. I reckon it’ll be the year culling begins, and quality not quantity will win. So my money’s on these four trends:

1. Friendships and acquaintances will be strengthened
2. Private forums and stronger boundaries will emerge
3. Organisations will (be forced to) break through the online clutter
4. Traditional news media will be first with the news through Twitter

1. Making better friendsFor me, gone is the “How are you?” at summer BBQs. Instead my friends greet me with “I loved that red dress you had on the other day”, or, “Who was that you were with?”. Whether by Facebook, Twitter or internal tools like Yammer, friends, acquaintances and colleagues not only know what people are doing, they know how they think and feel.But I think we’re nearing saturation. In 2011, I expect a trend towards people being more selective in online activity, and friend/follower lists being the first to face the axe.And with commentators like author John Naughton applauding Twitter folk speaking less of their minds and sharing more content, we may see a shift in users of all channels becoming more savvy in what they stream.But despite these shifts, social media will continue to strengthen, deepen, change and enliven friendships, and enable acquaintances and colleagues to become friends.2. Privacy and closed forumsFacebook and online “stalking” has become the norm. Anyone with an online footprint is accessible by colleagues, old school mates, friends of friends and family. The doors are open to be contacted by any means, at any time of day or night. And with platforms like Foursquare, actual stalking can begin to manifest.In 2011, 24/7 accessibility may start to feel invasive. Posting of party videos may start to rub the wrong way. This might see the walls come up and people engaging behind new forum doors. Social media is not one size fits all. New tools will emerge to meet niche needs.3. BEWARE: businesses on boardAs more businesses create capacity in their organisations to get on board the social media train, we can likely expect more clutter. TopRank Marketing founder and CEO Lee Odden reckons blogging is the way forward for organisations to contribute online, but it comes with a warning:“My take is that if a business has something interesting to say and stories to tell, then a blogging platform can be one of the most productive channels/methods for publishing and engaging. If not, then there are other, more important problems to solve.” Doing it well, he says, is Ford because they’ve listened and prioritised fan stories and ideas. In 2011, best practice organisations will feed the curious minds, and their vision will encourage others to do better online.4. First with the newsIn 2011, newsrooms are likely to boost their social media activity to capture the real-time space. NYU Associate Professor Jay Rosen reluctantly agrees that social media is good for newsrooms.New Zealand’s Christchurch earthquake and the Pike River mine tragedy revealed Kiwis' hunger for as-it-happens news. To meet this need, traditional media hosted live press conferences online, promoted them on Twitter and Facebook, their journalists tweeted onsite, and the activity added to, rather than detracted from appointment television viewing. And the global online audience was supported in its need to rally and collectively grieve.But, no matter what changes online one thing won’t: everyone will still have an opinion.