This week we continue our summary of Pollack Media Group’s yearly comprehensive look at media trends, The New Media Landscape: 2007. Over the next few weeks, we will publish a summary of the various sections of the report. If you are interested in a full copy of the report, you can request one by e-mailing hq@pollackmedia.com.
Search
One of the more interesting trends that will evolve in 2007 is the changing nature of Internet search. Powering this evolution will be the continued changes in how individuals use and find information on the Internet. This includes local search, mobile search, and reference sites.Things will get interesting in the area of searching for information. While Google has made significant strides in this area, 2007 will be a free-for-all as companies vie to be the place to find information about people and places, local businesses, reference material, and other specific searching goals.
While not publicized during 2006 as a rival for Google, Wikipedia quickly became one of the primary places that people went for information.
In 2007, the mindset of users looking for specific information will increasingly move from “I’ll Google it” to “Check Wikipedia.”
In 2007, we will also see the importance of specialized searches increase. A primary one will be mobile search. Less common but still having an impact on search usage will be searches for scholarly papers, government resources, and other very specialized things.
A good example is the recent announcement from Yahoo about their Go For Mobile 2.0, a comprehensive search solution aimed solely at mobile.
The company that can deliver targeted media search results will have an immediate impact on the search world.
Already launched is the groundbreaking media search being provided by Podzinger. Podzinger converts the audio components of YouTube videos to text and then makes it searchable. This allows users to search the actual content of YouTube videos in a revolutionary way.
