I never put together predictions, but I thought I would offer my top 3 social media predictions because of a call I have coming up on January 13, 2009. Here’s where I believe the social media opportunities, threats and trends exist for business owners in 2009.

1. Soft skills will propel many entrepreneurs into celebrity experts without a huge list. I’m seeing a huge shift in how people market online and those who use soft skills to connect with prospects and customers using social media will surpass those who rely on old dog internet marketing tactics. Entrepreneurs who use social media to build rapport, empathize with their target market and give information in a powerful way will see their inc0ome skyrocket. Those who rely on guerilla tactics will stagnate or decline in influence.
2. The popularity of some social networks will decline as business owners insist on owning their community’s content. Tools such as Facebook, Ning and KickApps are great because you can form your own niche community. However, with Facebook banning people for unknown reasons and with intrusive ads on Ning and KickApps, more and more business owners will turn to social networking tools that they can host on their own server so they can avoid these problems. I see Buddypress rising in popularity and alternatively, I see Facebook, Ning and KickApps declining in terms of page views. Look for Buddypress to become the small business owner’s social networking tool of choice in 2009.
3. Community, conversations and collaboration will finally be measurable. A company will come out with a tool that will help small business owners measure all the time they spend on social media. This tool will help measure the ROI – return on influence – and give them a clear idea on how the time spend twittering, blogging and podcasting translate into dollars and cents.

If you want more, join me on Tuesday January 13, 2009 at 2pm EST as I ask 16 social media, communications and marketing experts their social media predictions for 2009. This event takes place entirely over the phone.

I need your help as I need to raise $1,500 to help kids afford to play sports. There are 5 contribution levels to choose from and the money will be donated in Brandon Crisp’s memory. To read more about Brandon, the charity I’m raising money for and the call, go to click here for more information.

What predictions do you have for social media in 2009? Leave your comments below.