5 Futuristic Applications that Are Here NOW

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Colleagues,

Interesting blog post from Open Forum ... See excerpts below. To find the full post click here ...

ENJOY!

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5 Futuristic Applications that Are Here NOW

How do you feel about new software applications or new ways of doing business? Are you eager to try something new or do you prefer the
tried and true? Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person in the
world who hasn’t complained about Vista or the new user interface of
Office 2007. I love to see how art and engineering come together to
make computing fun and easy.

This is why I’ve decided to examine 5 up-and-coming applications – and how to turn them into a daily tool.

1. Augmented Reality and Reality Browsers. You may not be familiar with this phrase, but you’ve already seen this in action on TV and the movies. When you see actors interacting with a
virtual computer screen that’s actually an overlay on the space around
them; moving files with the swipe of their hand, opening documents in
mid air – that’s augmented reality. Augmented reality applications can
already be found on mobile phones. The new Android has an application
called Layar.
Layar is a “reality browser. Users will simply use their phone’s
camera feature to point at scenes or objects and the technology will overlay additional information
or data on the screen about those objects. For example, say you’re in
a new city or town and are looking for a Chinese restaurant, you would
point your phone at the street or neighborhood where you are and Layar
will tell you what businesses are around you. Think of this
application as on-demand Yellow Pages.

• How to take advantage: You’ll want to make sure that your business appears accurately on Google Maps. Bryce Sady, a Boston-based healthcare marketer recommended the following: “Enter in the address (not the business name) on maps.google.com and see if it shows up. You can advertise your business for free on Google Maps .When adding the category of business you are in, think about search terms that someone would enter in on their phone or GPS to find a
  business like yours. Also, be sure and upload an updated photo of the
  storefront. Prices, hours, credit cards taken are all helpful
  information for users. If you are listed, you will want to verify the
  listing, so that it shows up as "owner-verified" in results.”

2. Location-Based Applications: With the widespread incorporation of GPS devices and applications, it’s easier than ever to get real-time information on where your friends are
and what’s around you. This trend is related to augmented reality
applications because it’s “location-based” technology that is one of
the first consumer-accessible ways that we use it. Twitter was a
pre-curser to this trend when people were using it to tell their
friends where they were and connect in real time. BrightKite
was another location-based application that was a little before its
time in giving you updates as to where your friends are. The latest in
the mix is Foursquare:
A location-based service based on your Twitter network with an added
layer of social gameplay. Currently Foursquare is gaining traction in
big cities.

• How to take advantage: You have to be visible, listed and tagged in all the right places, Google Maps and Yelp. Another important way to take advantage of these applications and trends is to build an active community that sincerely promotes your
  product and talks about it online. If you’re a small business, you
  must start a customer community program this year. Make it a point to
  build an accurate customer list that includes e-mails. Create a
  Facebook Fan page, Twitter, Foursquare, BrightKite and any other
  location-based application account and offer specials and promotions
  through those channels to your customers. Also check out: Google Latitude to Loopt and FireEagle,

3. Interactivity and Crowd Sourcing –Wikipedia is a great example of crowd sourcing. But as the trend has become more commonplace, people have come up with increasingly more
creative ways to use it. Take Dahlia Lithwick, for example. By day,
unassuming Supreme Court reporter, but for her special project, she
decided to write her novel (Saving Face)
using input from her Facebook Fans. From the other end of the
spectrum, budding inventors can use the power of crowds to think up,
develop, manufacture and market new products on Quirky.
Say that you have a great idea, but don’t have the engineering skill to
design it. Submit it to Quirky and engineers will help. The community
serves as the market test site and the proceeds from products that
actually sell are divided among the community according to their level
of input.

• How to take advantage: Make it a point to add “interactivity” to your products and services. If you’re thinking about writing a book, involve your audience in the
  process. If you’re planning on a new product, create a space where
  customers and users can put their two cents in. Put a crowd sourcing
  button on your web site from IdeaScale
  and let your customers tell you what new features to add. Create a
  Facebook Fan Page or a blog-style web site dedicated to your next new
  venture and engage your readers in the conversation. Use social media
  tools like Search.Twitter.com to search on your company name or
  industry terms to see what people are saying about it in real time in
  their own words.

4. Real time collaboration –Google Wave is an innovative new way for people to communicate and collaborate. Wave is already being used for projects and collaboration among many small groups and organizations around the world, in large part because of its strength in combining familiar
communication platforms. But it’s really no fun or no good if everyone
you work with isn’t on the system. Maybe that’s why it’s been so slow
to build steam. Because I run so many virtual teams, I think that
Google Wave is an amazing way to stay connected, work collaboratively
and efficiently with people from all over the world as if they were
right next to you.

• How to take advantage: Get yourself on Google Wave and get everyone you work with to sign up too. Connect with associates and customers and collaborate on projects in real time.

5. Digital Branding/Real Time Branding: The internet revolution has made it hip to be small. Small businesses can increase their brand equity by becoming ubiquitous participants on
social media sites. But there are more opportunities for small
businesses who want to build their brand in a more subtle, more cost
effective way. Ex-Yahoo Real Estate executive, Arjun Dev Arora used his expertise in real estate to create ReTargeter,
a brilliant way to get past visitors BACK to your site. The technology
places a little “burr” of code onto your web site – much like the
little burrs you might collect on your pants while your hiking. Then
once visitors that have been to your site, they collect these digital
“burrs” as they wander off to bigger sites like CNN.com, for example.
As they wander the web they see a subtle ad for your site on the sites
they are visiting (such as CNN.com, that have ad spaces) thereby
increasing the perception of your brand and enticing them to return to
you.

• How to take advantage: Look at digital advertising opportunities. Do your customers have a favorite site in your industry? Offer to sponsor a page or become a
  regular contributor.

* * * * *

Ivana Taylor is CEO of Third Force, a strategic firm that helps small businesses get and keep their ideal customer. She’s the co-author of
the book “Excel for Marketing Managers” and proprietor of DIYMarketers a site for in-house marketers. Her blog is Stretegy Stew.