Where there is a challenge there is an opportunity. Take the complexity surrounding Real-Time web opportunities; if you think its clear cut, check out how confused Wall Street is
here this of course proves it’s still early enough to have opportunity, so dig in a little deeper:
There are many Real-Time examples none more overused than the update feature in Twitter or Facebook. Gone are the days when you had to check your email for messages from colleagues or friends, in the real-time web, as your buddy or client is writing an email, you can see it appearing while it is written, at least this is the Google Wave interpretation of real-time messaging. A more present time example: you’re watching TV at 11pm at night, and you get a text on your phone notifying you about a semi-important email from your boss or client. This is normal procedure today and it is an example of real-time notifications, Real-time is here, it kind of snuck up on us, and now it’s poised to become the elephant in the room, though Wall Street doesn’t really understand it yet.
There are billions of dollars in Real-Time productivity opportunity for 1st world economies and of course a couple of Real-Time startups will 2 years from now exit like gods from the rat race with millions of dollars in the glove box of their Tesla. But there are many more opportunities lurking, and below are a few examples where real-time is currently making an impact:
1. Disaster relieve organizations like the
Red Cross, can get the word out sooner and supply information and aid faster and in-turn save lives
2. Law Enforcement: It’s not long since we have seen Amber alerts deployed on California freeways, letting the public know a child has been taken by someone in a certain vehicle type with x number plate. Today, once a number plate is known, with a few phone calls an Amber alert can be produced. But now, pepper in multiple updates from the public, add data processing and law enforcement can react to public unfolding situations quicker. There must be a start-up working on this already?
3. Real-Time Search: The recent news about Twitter and Facebook allowing Bing and Google access to their real-time streams only proves how important this has become, now of course start-ups in this area will need to demonstrate more value than Bing and Google(or complementary value), look for acquisitions here by the end of 2010. There is more to real-time search than Facebook and Twitter, albeit they are a necessary catalyst right now.
4. Micro Payments: Is Real-Time consumption the tipping point for Micro Payments ? If the DSL providers added a few dollars per DSL bill, and then dispersed them to the most traveled websites, this would make it invisible to the user, but would allow real content producers to be rewarded for the best content. Making tiny automatic payments as you surf the web, seems like a very democratic way for the best sites to keep the lights on, without having to rely completely on an advertising model. Real-Time payments for Real-Time consumption, will Real-Time help Micro Payments be adopted, I would love some informed opinions here?
5. Real-time Analytics: Anyone close to the Social Media space knows monitoring is an important and first step for any individual or brand who wants to get their Social Media feet wet. While Social Media is a very broad term, Real-Time Analytics is today a much more specific emerging discipline. Right now, at this moment in time, what is happening in your social media world, and more importantly, how you can use that information to affect positive change in the subsequent minute? Real-time analytics is a brave new challenge, we have put line graphs on walls since the Stone Age, so we inherently understand two dimensional charting, real-time charting has never really been consumed by the public, and it most likely will have a profound impact on business and society. Real-Time Charting is like the difference between a Two Dimensional Chart and a 3D chart, except the 3rd dimension is time in motion. More on this later, but Real-Time data visualization is very intriguing. Di-Ann Eisnor has an active project as we speak, and I can’t wait to hear more from Di-Ann soon.
6. Real-Time Transportation Updates: Bus Stops are now giving the public real-time updates, and I am not just talking about us folks with data plans on our phones. This is truly a public service for the masses.
Waze is heading in an intelligent app direction where our smart-phones will tell us if we should, drive, walk or take the bus to work, and while we are on route to work, the app will re-route you based on real-time updates from multiple sources. Updating directions based on unfolding variables, is so much more compelling than checking the traffic on TV before you leave the house.
7. Real-Time Content Distribution: If you are in the business of creating content you’ll know that within the first few hours your content item will receive half of the total traffic for the life of that item (more from Post Rank on this later). With the growing importance of Real-Time Search and Real-Time consumption, it becomes increasingly critical to ensure your content is getting pushed to more delivery channels, and as quickly as possible. Think about monitoring the social web as a first step, distributing to the social web with a complete tool set, is a necessary next stage. While Radian6 has made a name for itself in monitoring, what is the result of that information, what are the possible action items; intelligent distribution is part of that answer?
I have only begun this list, please respond with feedback and more present and future examples…
