Will 2007 be the Year of the Podcast?

As 2006 comes to a close, and with a little nudging from my buddy Ken Schafer over at One Degree, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on how the Internet marketing landscape might evolve in 2007.

Here's what I see when I peek into my crystal ball:

• The Internet marketing talent shortage (at the mid-to-senior level) is going to get worse, which will slow the growth of Internet marketing service companies that don't have their HR act together.
• So-called "mass media" marketing professionals are going to realize that Google is moving into their turf much faster than they realize ... if they even realize this at all.
• We're going to see a lot of movement in the podcasting space. I predict that podcasting will start to emerge from relative obscurity and begin to appear on the corporate radar screens as a potentially viable option.
• I expect several large media companies will try to acquire the leading independent podcast directories (like Podcast Pickle).
• Finally, if I were a large software company based in Redmond, Washington, I would be seriously considering buying one of the more popular podcast creation software programs (and/or the company that created it).

Whatever really happens, 2007 is already shaping up to be a doozy. Bring it on!

A note to readers: This will be my last blog post of 2006. I will return, with a few surprises, in early January, 2007. Have a safe and happy holiday!