They say that you can't see the future as it rushes past you, but there seem to be some seismic changes happening to our digital world, perhaps as considerable as the introduction of the web in the nineties.
First of all there's legislation. More and more of it is appearing as rights holders start to realise that they're losing the farm. In the US SOPA and it sister IP Protection Acts are a double whammy to the DMA and there are many other similar initiatives around the world.
Then, there is the move towards Apps. The era of the browser, as we know it, is gradually coming to an end. The Hidden Web is where we are headed, where all kinds of daily functions, tasks and activities will involve the internet, but not be as visible as navigating a web browser.
Perhaps most telling of all are the changes I'm seeing in attitudes to business models. There are a number of large content businesses who have, frankly, had enough of giving their businesses away to the new kids on the block and are now looking at very innovative approaches to monetising their assets.
As a reaction everyone from Netflix to Google and Amazon have started to commission original content from their own pockets.
Finally, there is the inexorable move to the growing nations. In discussing a project with my Chinese colleague last week I asked if we need to add our usual Facebook and Twitter video share buttons. 'Why ?' he asked. These services remain an irrelevance in some of the world's largest markets.
There will, no doubt, be much more on this in our usual end of year review in December.
First of all there's legislation. More and more of it is appearing as rights holders start to realise that they're losing the farm. In the US SOPA and it sister IP Protection Acts are a double whammy to the DMA and there are many other similar initiatives around the world.
Then, there is the move towards Apps. The era of the browser, as we know it, is gradually coming to an end. The Hidden Web is where we are headed, where all kinds of daily functions, tasks and activities will involve the internet, but not be as visible as navigating a web browser.
Perhaps most telling of all are the changes I'm seeing in attitudes to business models. There are a number of large content businesses who have, frankly, had enough of giving their businesses away to the new kids on the block and are now looking at very innovative approaches to monetising their assets.
As a reaction everyone from Netflix to Google and Amazon have started to commission original content from their own pockets.
Finally, there is the inexorable move to the growing nations. In discussing a project with my Chinese colleague last week I asked if we need to add our usual Facebook and Twitter video share buttons. 'Why ?' he asked. These services remain an irrelevance in some of the world's largest markets.
There will, no doubt, be much more on this in our usual end of year review in December.