We, you and I, live in the future. Not far in the future, but the future nonetheless.

If you’re reading this, you are way ahead of much of the population. Not because my blog is anything special, but because many ordinary people just don’t read blogs, or use services like Twitter and Google+.

Every day we are exposed to new and emerging technologies online. Even if the technologies are not that new, the way they’re used is often ground-breaking. We get in discussions over the value of Google+, when many users are happy to use Facebook as a way to chat with friends and family, and no more.

Does this mean what we are doing lacks business value? Certainly not; of those that are using these newer services, the early adopters, many have high disposable incomes. Some are key influencers in their own right, they are certainly valuable people to engage with.

What this does mean, is that we have the opportunity to be part of this future as it emerges into daily life. We can even influence it. More importantly we can be aware of it’s impact on business and the market before our competitors.

The future is the basis for this episode of Sean’s Week on Twitter. SWOT #21 has some of the best articles I’ve come across this week on this theme. If you have others please leave them in the comments below:

How Apple’s Siri Could Destroy Local SEO

Does anyone really use voice enabled search? Apparently Siri, the voice enabled technology in the new iPhone 4S, has been growing more intelligent by the week. It’s accuracy and usability are growing. To the point where discussion has now risen over it’s potential to disrupt the search market. If this article is right the way your business is found online could be severely affected.

iPad conversion rates twice as high as desktop: stats

If you have any kind of analytics available on your web site you are bound to have noticed the increased use of mobile devices by visitors to your web site. More significantly is the fact that people are using these devices to make purchases and more readily than other web users.

What Google+ Needs To Do

Is it or isn’t, will it of won’t? Be a significant player in the Social Networking sector. Well as those that are using it argue over the readiness of Google+ Pages, this article gives one possible future. As an added bonus two more Google+ related links: Google+ confirms Pages getting multi-admin and ownership transfer and Hootsuite to Test Google+ Page Management

More Than 8m Britons Have Never Been Online

I thought I would include this one so you could get an idea of how many people don’t use the Internet at all, let alone the concepts we discuss or read about everyday. This is 13% of the UK population!

Starcraft finals live streamed on YouTube

Korea’s most popular multi-player game Starcraft makes a YouTube’s new gaming channel. Part of their live TV venture, this shows how niche the web is able to get. Could you run an online TV Channel for your business sector?

Online video viewers watching longer on tablets

Not only are they starting to visit web sites and spend more when they get there; tablet users are now watching video on them too. They are not just watching though, they are watching for longer; they’re are more engaged. More engagement means more opportunity to gain trust, build loyalty and sell to them. Are you starting to see a pattern?

So there is a sneak peak at the future. I’ll be writing some more interesting stuff for my fellow time travellers soon. Do let me have your point of view, especially if your reading this on an iPad;)