On the heels of Cynthia’s recent post: If you’re looking for proof that Internet TV is gaining major momentum, read up on Joost getting a $45 million boost from media titans including CBS, Viacom, Turner Broadcasting, Sony, National Geographic, and Warner Bros.

Instead of throwing up lawsuits to block emerging technology (which never works), the old guard is buying in to the new game. Interesting.

In the realm of tech media, there is one undisputed king maker: The Wall Street Journal’s Walter S. Mossberg. For the past 16 years, his endorsement of a product or service has established the very landscape of technology with which we are all so familiar. Key Mossberg columns, for example, set AOL apart from the early ISP pack, and helped the Palm Pilot hit the tipping point.

Along with straightforward assessment of performance, Mossberg brings the practical perspective of a 60-year-old who will not be distracted by flash. Functionality is paramount. As he says in this recent New Yorker profile:

…“I write my column for the average person.” He adds, “That’s one of the reasons I write about it as a class war”—techies vs. consumers.

At a time when the techies are throwing innovation at us consumers at a dizzying rate, Mossberg’s remains a voice of common sense—something any tech player would do well to tune in to.

Just four years ago, Howard Dean rattled campaigning cages with his Web-fueled presidential push. Yes, his run faded like a late 90s startup, but it had indelible influence. Candidates of every stripe are now taking their outreach online—and it’s a necessity, not a novelty. Today’s Washington Post spells it out. Money quote:

…the Internet isn’t just a tool. It’s a strategy, a whole new way of campaigning, a form of communication, from blogs to MySpace to YouTube, with far more potential than the old media of print and television.

The handshake sessions are losing their significance. If you want to reach voters (like any audience), you have to meet them on their turf. Increasingly, that turf is virtual.

Rolling Stone is gearing up to launch its social network—an ambitious proposition considering they represent the old guard in music journalism. Crazy kids today (who get their music info from Pitchfork anyway) are likely content in their Facebook and MySpace camps. But those forty- and fifty-something R.S. mainstays—are they ready for this newfangled interactivity?

TechCrunch wonders:

The Rolling Stone audience may be too old to get into the social networking scene. [One j-school student] says only one person in her class actually admitted that they ever read the magazine.

Similarly, this June, NBC plans to battle the summer slump by launching a social network of its own. The placeholder site proclaims that it will allow “…all of our fans to connect with each other and interact with our shows in exciting new ways.”

Fans of NBC shows can already interact on designated show message boards. The Peacock is obviously preparing to take that to a whole new level.

Traditional and new media continue to cross-pollinate.

The last print issue of InfoWorld hit my doorstep this week. After 29 years, this technology business magazine is totally migrating to the Web. According to Editor-in-Chief Steve Fox, this is a move the mag’s been working toward for some time.

InfoWorld is not dead. We’re not going anywhere. We are merely embracing a more efficient delivery mechanism….

And it’s not alone. In March, the New York Post reported that Premiere magazine would publish its last print issue in April, also going to an all-online format.

The breakneck pace of today’s media is becoming too much for traditional weeklies and monthlies. Even daily newspapers are having a tough time keeping up. With both readership and advertising down, savvy papers know they need to live online. Newspapers taking that leap include the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune (via Metromix), and USA Today.

High cost and permanency, along with with difficult-to-reach audiences, have pushed the ROI on print publications further and further down—and not just in the media industry. These days, a document is out of date almost as soon as it is printed.

Organizations that need to keep up with quicksilver audience attention spans can take a lesson from newspapers and magazines. A strategy that embraces online content could be what keeps you conspicuous and influential in the midst of this evolution.

Marketing companies used to avoid ultra-specific niche marketing because throwing big-budget resources at small audiences wasn’t that cost effective. Cable television changed that game. With a channel for every interest, it was smart to tailor messages accordingly. And of course the Web is one giant niche machine.

Now, it looks like traditional media is ready to play. Chris Ammon and I were discussing this ad the other day, and he made a great point:

If this showed up on “webcoder.com,” it would be ignored. Even if it only resonates with a small percentage of viewers in the subway station, though, those few will be more likely to respond. It’s sort of like that MINI ad campaign Sara wrote about. Out here in the big world, we’re talking just to you, Code Person, and only you get this message. You’re special.

Companies can go after very specialized audiences using tactics once reserved for big-league consumer goods and services. These “inside info” messages are on the main stage for all to see. Some get it, but most of us scratch our heads in confusion. Either way, however, we’re involved.

I’m not sure if big-time marketing of small messages will pay off in traditional media, but I’m certainly paying attention to the experiment.

Who likes their info by the handful? Turns out we all do. Instead of sitting down to elaborate meals full of facts, opinions, and perspectives on a single subject, today’s data diet consists of quick factoids, vid clips, and sound bites on any and every interest. Basically, we scarf down news and entertainment like a busload of sumo wrestlers at an Old Country Buffet.

The trend’s called info snacking, and like it says on the potato chip bag, bet you can’t eat just one.

I have to wonder, however, if trying to follow a hundred blogs, casts, and bookmarks so that we stay in the know won’t get overwhelming. As a friend of mine wisely points out when someone is spread too thin: Jack of all trades, master of none.

For now, it’s a lot of fun trying to keep up. Snacking is certainly the right metaphor. Polish off a bag of munchies and the filled-up feeling only lasts a little while before you’re hungry again. Fortunately, there are still plenty of places to get a proverbial porterhouse (think books, newspapers, quarterlies, feature-length documentaries). As much as I love my RSS feeds, I still try to read the Washington Post front to back every morning.

When it comes to information, do you sit down to three squares, or would you rather nibble the day away?

It wasn’t in time for Valentine’s day, but the New York Times did give its renowned wedding announcements a new high-tech wrinkle at the end of February.

Enamored couples can still submit a nuptials rundown for the print edition. They can also send in a self produced three-minute video for the NYTimes.com “How We Met” feature.

Another print paragon realizes that pointing people to a web presence is nothing compared to giving people a way to play online.

Earlier this week, Aldo praised the Washington Post for boldly expanding its web presence.

Print media is certainly trying to redefine itself, and good ol’ WaPo deserves credit for wrapping its arms around the concept of online content. Turns out it’s not the only news outlet thinking along interactive lines.

Let’s hear it for USA Today!

That’s right, USA Today, long considered the journalistic equivalent of “processed cheese food” (not the most flavorful, not the highest quality, but satisfying if you’re that hungry).

It now allows readers to comment on, rank, and come together to discuss stories. Users have avatars that represent them as they customize their news-gathering experience and interact with other readers. The most-read comments are promoted and actively become part of the coverage. There are personal spaces, dynamic tags, vastly improved searches, and a website that is designed with broadband and visual appeal in mind.

If you had asked me which source would usher in the new age, I would have probably picked USA Today a close 87^th behind MAD magazine.

Perhaps the most significant addition is not new technology, but a new mission. The paper has acknowledged what many news outlets are still struggling with: that news and the people who want it are not the same as they once were. As the statement from their editors concludes, “. . .we remain committed to respecting and reflecting the nation we serve.”

What a novel concept.