I just post my 2009 predictions this week -7 Social Media & Web Analytics Predictions for 2009 and Financial Predictions 2009.  Meanwhile – my 2008 predictions were posted at 2008 Final Web Predictions and Economic Predictions and now it’s the end of 2008 I’ll examine my predictions – how many of them did I get right are mostly right?

1st PREDICTION . As a result of content sharing between different Google Reader accounts AND the  ever increasing amount of RSS Feeds that we’re reading – we’ll find ourselves looking, again, to content aggregated or specialists, to take all of that data and make meaning out of it.

RESULT:  I think this has happened, but not quite in the way I envisioned.  FriendFeed and Facebook News Feeds have enabled us to “aggregate” information from friends in our network and annotate it – others, like Robert Scoble, read Friendfeed almost exclusively now – and he’s been taking that information and sharing it in Google Reader – as shared items.

Therefore – I’ll give myself partial credit for this one – say, 3/4 of a prediction is correct – it just didn’t happen quite as I envisioned it – but it did happen.

2nd PREDICTION – Virtual World Platforms such as Second Life will continue to become more popular in Europe and Asia, as opposed to the United States – where the growth has bottomed out for the time being.

2nd RESULT – this prediction didn’t pan out – I can’t say Second Life and other Virtual Worlds aren’t more popular in Asia – but focus, in general, moved away from Virtual Worlds in 2008, though it may return there in 2009-2010.  No credit for this prediction.

3rd PREDICTION – The world of Search, in general, will continue to stagnate, with Google increasing it’s Market Share while Yahoo and MSN continue to either shrink or Stand Still.   Ask, as number 4, will continue to innovate, but it won’t make much difference.

3rd RESULT – I was right, though Google did come out with the SearchWiki near the end of the year and I would not call that stagnation – still – I was right but this was an easy prediction to be right on.   I get full credit for this prediction.

4th PREDICTION – Mobile Platforms will continue to become more powerful and more pervasive, and it will be possible, in late 2008, to entirely replace a laptop, with a mobile hybrid phone, PDA device – not clear who will be producing it – but my guess in Nokia – since they seem, overall, to produce the most powerful mobile phones.

4th RESULT – this has happened with the iPhone – I can use it and it almost entirely replaces a laptop, if I really wanted to.   Other mobile devices are rumored to be coming out, and did just come out, like the Google Phone (Android) that promise to make this a full reality in 2009 – but I think I can get full credit on this prediction, as well.

5th PREDICTION – More and more areas of cities will have free wireless Internet – the trend has been moving along for the last three years and will accelerate in 2008.

5th RESULT – Wrong – I haven’t heard much of anything about free wireless in any major city this year – maybe I missed the news – but I can’t honestly see this as correct prediction of mine – No Credit.

6th PREDICTION – The Writer’s strike that has paralyzed a lot of network Television will be settled by April 2008, but there will be permanent damage due to the strike.

6th RESULT – I don’t recall, any longer when the Writer’s strike was settled – I think before April – but I am not in a position to say that any permanent damage was done by the strike – or not – I simply don’t know – there for I will not count this prediction or lose any credit on it.

7th PREDICTION – Web Analytics will continue to grow as force in online advertising – as more businesses want metrics – 2008 might be the year where Web Analysts are given a SEAT AT THE TABLE.

7th RESULT – again, I can’t say this has/hasn’t happened.  Eric Peterson has certainly predicted it – and I ran for seat on the WAA Board to get Web Analysts a seat at the table – but at the end of the day – i don’t perceive any change that has actually happened.  I won’t give myself credit for this prediction or penalize myself because of it, either.

8th PREDICTION – The Democrats will take the White House in 2008

8th RESULT – Barack Obama got elected – full credit for this prediction even though it was the most likely result that could have happened.

9th PREDICTION – 2008 is going to be a tough year, financially, for businesses, due to the Credit Crunch caused by Sub-Prime Mortgage Meltdown.  I can continue to see a weak dollar, going even lower in value – in fact, it maybe necessary for the dollar to be weak for a while – not only because of the way United States is viewed by the World, but the imports are what is keeping the country from sinking into a recession – and so, by that reasoning, the dollar must stay weak.

9TH RESULT – Correct – 100%.

HOW I DID:

Of 9 Predictions, 2 are discounted (Predictions 6 & 7) leaving 7 predictions each worth 14.3% of a score.

Of the 7 predictions – I earned 68% (including partial credit) – I was right well more than half the time – but also wrong part of the time.

I think 68% correct is not bad, considering we’re talking about a year into the future – the year that just happened – 2008.