Virtual Momentum

There is a theory in physics about physical mass gaining momentum and with each progression in the direction it is heading, it finds less and less resistance. Just such a thing is happening right now in the virtual world. Many things that have presented particular resistance to web development and useage and now dwindling. The impact is being felt worldwide.
Take for instance the news. I had the privilege of working for a print newspaper in the mid 90's in the interactive department. There was a lot of fear about this new medium, and funny as it may sound now, things weren't very hospitable for us in the interactive department. We were strategically located in a separate building across the street for good reasons. Many of those across the street feared for their jobs, and we were the physical representation of why they did. But the newspapers online have held their grip fairly well, until recently. With the revolution of Web 2.0 and user controlled content, blogs, and content mangement websites, more and more people are publishing information and content than ever before. From video casts on youtube.com to blogs like this, more and more people are having input on the content we all read.
And there is wikimedia with their wikinews solutions. Anyone can start a news site with their free software. And many already have. Things are gaining momentum, and AP is very rapidly loosing their marketshare.
In the book Wikinomics, the authors talk about the chaning revolution of user controlled content and mass collaberation. Where are we going next? It is local people controlling local content. People have had enough of reading about news across the world, but not being able to find out simple news items locally. Or being forced to read about things that they aren't interested in. On the Big Island here, the problem is very acute. Recently we had large fires in Puako and hundreds of people were evacuated. I watched the Honolulu news stations to hear about it, and the next morning my local paper had nothing to say about it. When I went online to the Honolulu Advertiser, the subject was covered in detail. Why is Honolulu covering our local content, but our 'local' paper owned by a company on the mainland inattentive? Those are just the sort of things that are making the web gain more and more momentum and user controlled content King.
If you want to be ahead of the next big internet bubble, think about how you can generate user controlled content that has local appeal. How can you provide rich, valuable content to your target audience? And how can you make it interactive, and let others collaborate? Give your users a way to have a voice, and you have just created loyalty in an entirely affordable and memorable way. Don't just think about what you have to communicate to your target audience, think about what they might want to communicate to you.