This week ReadWriteWeb will run a series of posts detailing what we think are the 5 biggest, most cutting edge Web trends to come out of 2009.

The first major Web trend we’re looking at is Structured Data.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

I was in the middle of typing up my “25 Random Things About Me” list on Facebook when a funny thing happened. I hit clear and decided to abandon the whole time-wasting endeavor. I’d made it through what I intended to be my sole entry before coming to my senses:

1. I like certain books and films and things that taste good. Also, kittens. Thanks for including me in this important social experiment. Now, please stop tagging me.

Over the past two weeks, I’d found my steady purr of status updates on Facebook interrupted by the ever-growing, viral cacophony of the “25 Random Things About Me” chain letter. In case you haven’t been “tagged” yet (fear not, you will be) the concept is simple. Generate a list of 25 “things, facts, habits or goals” about yourself in the notes section of your profile and hit submit. Then, annoy 25 of your Facebook friends by encouraging them to do the same. “If I tagged you,” the instructions explain, “it’s because I want to know more about you.”

Read the rest of this post

I’m at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, Calif., tonight, for the Churchill Club’s annual Top 10 Tech Trends Dinner. This is the club’s 10th annual tech trend panel. Making the picks:

• Steve Jurvetson, Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
• Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures.
• Josh Kopelman, First Round Capital.
• Roger McNamee, Elevation Partners.
• Joe Schoendorf, Accel Partners.
• Tony Perkins, of Always On, is the moderator.

Perkins, McNamee, Jurvetson and Schoendorf have done this before. Kopelman and Khosla are the panel newbies.

Lots of mobile phone predictions. Green energy. Water. And more phones.

Here’s the pundits’ list of trends, with some responses from their fellow panelists.

Read the rest of this post

Throughout the course of the year, IBM’s Venture Capital Group meets with hundreds of VCs and portfolio companies here in the United States and around the world. Our ongoing conversations with all of these groups has given us quite a bit of insight into what the VCs see as attracting more attention in 2008. This time of year, there are as many predictions lists as there are VCs; nevertheless, here are the top technology trends (not in any particular order) we believe you’ll be hearing more about in 2008.

Read the rest of this post