few AR applications have been rolled out by progressive marketers and other organizations this year, but 2010 will be the year AR explodes. Some of the most interesting applications will be outside of marketing and promotion. Geekspeak marketing and lack of public awareness will hold AR back. Oracle has Beehive , Microsoft has added social capabilities to SharePoint , SocialText is in the enterprise, as is IBM’s Lotus Connections , but no category killer has emerged. Here are my five social media predictions for 2010. space. PowerPoint is ubiquitous. The Web 2.0 MORE >>

These men and women live to gush about Apple products and bash Microsoft and others in the process. So it was remarkable to observe the tech influencers this week in their near unanimous approval of Microsoft’s new operating system. In case you missed it, Microsoft used its developer-focused BUILD conference to provide a detailed preview of the next major release of Windows, code-named “Windows 8.&#. new interface that Microsoft says embodies simplicity and gives you control. Rothman gives kudos to Microsoft for making tough, but necessary decisions. MORE >>

There are a few major reasons for why companies end up going with Sharepoint: they get it a very low cost (oftentimes free) because they are Microsoft partners. they are already so dependent on Microsoft products that Sharepoint seems to be the logical choice. companies know that Microsoft isn’t going anywhere whereas some of the other collaboration vendors in the space might not be around the long. they focus on what Microsoft says it can do and is good vs what it can really do and is good at (marketing vs reality). MORE >>

Microsoft: Xbox Project Natal. On Mindjumpers’ blog, we have written about how to create a viral success a couple of times, such as in the guest post called “ Tips for Viral Marketing Success: Channels, Stories and People ” and our post “ Viral Campaigns: Do’s & Dont’s ”. Make it easy and possible to share the video: To encourage your tribe/viewers to forward the video, it should be very easy for them to share your marketing message exactly where they want to share it, such as Facebook, Twitter, their blog etc. The top 10 list. Evian: Live Young. Old Spice: Responses. MORE >>

For anyone in marketing or PR being asked to make “data-driven&# decisions “based on the numbers&# (and doesn’t that include pretty much everyone in marketing and PR these days?), How do social media marketing strategies in small businesses differ from those in larger enterprises? Although social media has been the hottest topic in marketing this year, what other tactics are critical to adopt, maintain or expand? Social Marketing Lifts Organic Conversions by MarketingSherpa. ** 5 Stars. B2B Marketing and Social Media. And much more. MORE >>