At the end of each year, we look behind us at the year that was and ahead to the year that will be. Now, I am not a huge fan of predictions - they are statements bravely made and rarely revisited. But I am ALWAYS interested in connecting the dots - in the broader trends that help us understand our behaviour a little better.
Crowdsourcing is an excellent way doing this. By focusing on the opinions of people with knowledge and expertise in a particular topic, you effectively create a prediction market. And prediction markets can be surprisingly accurate.
Each year, Joe Pulizzi and the Content Marketing Institute crowdsource ideas for content marketing in the year ahead. As a prediction market of ideas it can be a very useful way of generating ideas for your 2012 planning. Just make sure you cross-check with your own knowledge and business expertise. After all, the Future is a notoriously unpredictable place.