Blogging and Google Bombing in 2004 trend

Euro RSCG Worldwide is a marketing communications agency that spots, analyzes and predicts trends. They have an interesting press release (Year in Prospect: 2004) that takes a look at several areas they predict will be trends for 2004. It looks like a common theme to many of the trends is "me." For example, the drop in married-couple families from around 80% in the fifties to around 50% today and the trend to give gifts to oneself rather than others.

Blogging is one of the trends they expect to continue:

"Blogging: 2003 was the year in which weblogging -- a.k.a. blogging -- really took hold, with an estimated 3 million sites worldwide. In 2004, we'll see more buzz marketing via blogs, as marketers figure out ways to use this new medium for their own means."

They also see Google bombing as a trend:

"Google Bombing and Further Politicization of the Internet: In 2004, we'll see greater politicization of the Internet as more people take advantage of its ability to apply concentrated "people power," whether by organizing volunteers for a political candidate, raising funds, or starting a boycott. One thing we'll be keeping our eye on: Google bombing. Popular search engine Google works by picking up on associations between websites and particular words and phrases. Earlier this month, anyone who typed in the words "miserable failure" on Google was directed to the official White House biography of President George W. Bush. The prank was the brainchild of a computer programmer who e-mailed blogs with an anti-Bush stance and urged them to link the phrase to the biography site. We can expect plenty more of this tactic during the upcoming election year-including a likely counter-offense from pro-Bush bloggers."