When I wake up and look outside, I still can't believe it's already summer. With the barrage of innovation, both on the technology and media sides, time seems to move past us faster and faster.
One of the byproducts of this fast-paced environment of change is the excitement of uncertainty that each day brings. Just a couple of years ago, the speed of news was dependent on the rate at which someone could blog or a news outlet could publish a report online. Now, news is broadcast instantly via Twitter and the vast array of social networks. The only time I'm not inundated with the latest happenings is when I'm asleep.
With the current economic climate, the excitement of uncertainty brings new meaning. There is the uncertainty on the macro-economic scale that affects whether or not we have a job each day. While the interactive industry has felt the effect a bit less than many other industries, it has been impacted nonetheless.
Brands have been forced to sharpen their pencils, get more creative, and engage with their consumers to a greater degree than we've ever seen. These new engagement touch points have created new consumer expectations of brands. Some brands have done a stellar job, while others have not met the expectations of their audience. In both cases, the interactive landscape has become a constant learning opportunity.
There are many great stories from the first half of 2009. Here are a handful of the most important developments, and how they have affected the interactive industry.
Twitter hits the tipping point
When Twitter first launched in mid 2007, it was virtually unknown. The early adopters consisted of techies and a handful of us marketing technology geeks. As the service started to build, the light turned on for many of us. We started to see the potential for corporate and personal brands to leverage this powerful tool. Twitter brought the "always on" communication possibilities to a whole new level.
This year has seen Ashton Kutcher, Lance Armstrong, CNN, and others surpass the 1-million-followers milestone. Celebrities such as Oprah, the cast of "The View," and Britney Spears have found a new tool to more frequently update their fans on their thoughts and the details of their lives.
Publishers and media outlets have also embraced Twitter as a new mechanism to distribute their content and drive people to the stories contained in their digital properties. Besides CNN, we've seen the Twitter audiences for ESPN, The New York Times, "Good Morning America," and NPR climb at exponential levels over the course of the last six months.
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