Comments on: Flickr Kills Trend Spotting

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

How does this kill trend spotting? You have no idea who this person is. You know nothing that could tie a trend to a group. This could be a powerful tool for product suggestion, much like xanga uses. But trend spotters still have their jobs.

Daniel

By: Guy Brighton

Guy Brighton — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Daniel,

I think by the tone of the piece, there's a little tongue in cheek there, no?

But there is a serious point here - and that's the power of these new tools on the web to reach into peoples lives in ways even trend spotters haven;t before.

Next week - you'll see us try to run an idea that takes advantage of Flickr - just for the hell of it. Keep an eye out.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I’ll keep my eyes open.

By: ally walker

ally walker — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Hey whats going on – i think trendspotters will be around for ever! although i think whats trendy these dasy is to spot your own trends i think everyone is slightly unique n chic!

Check out http://www.wooch.co.uk i love it

By: tiggle

tiggle — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

check out http://www.wooch.co.uk – if your trend spotting its the place to be i love there ceci tokyo tunics –

By: Claire Hyland

Claire Hyland — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Surely the job of the 'strategic trendspotter' is to not only 'spot' what is on the edge, but to interpret its revelence. There's a lot of interesting stuff out there for the novice to spot, but the trendspotter has the added skill of being able to make sense of the zeitgeist. Trendspotters work with brands and agencies to help translate their insights into meaningful recommendations that help move brands forward. Flickr is a fanstastic bank of visual knowledge, but it still requires filtering. Only those, (the true trendspotter), that can filter the good from the bad and make meaningful connections between ideas seemingly unconnected, reap the true benefits of Flickr.

Flickr or no Flickr, observant,clever thinkers will always be in demand.

By: Piers Fawkes

Piers Fawkes — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I agree with you that you need to “filter the good from the bad and make meaningful connections between ideas seemingly unconnected, reap the true benefits of Flickr.” However, what our digital world allows is the democratization of trend spotting – no longer can overpaid trend spotters keep their pseudo-art at arms lengths from agencies and brands – the information is out there for everyone to interpret. Professional Trend Spotters need to redfine themselves as the folk who dig harder and make the right strategic interpredation of the data available.

By: Claire Hyland

Claire Hyland — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Piers, I agree you. I am all pro the democratization of arts & culture. Flickr & Typepad, amongst others, are amazingly liberating tools that have given a voice to the masses. But like everything in life, only the best succeed, so, yes, professional trendspotters now have to try harder just to prove their worth. There’s nothing like a bit of competition is there?

By: PSFK

PSFK — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Become A Trend Spotter! Yes, You!

The December newsletter from TrendWatching provides a refreshing, frank and exhilarating guide to spotting trends. The newsletter follows TW’s tour of the world where they have been preaching the same message. TW says:Let’s face it, the art of trend wa…