RSS: Forget trying to find out how newspapers can add advertisements to their RSS feeds; the advertisers have already got you beat! Frank Barnako's MarketWatch e-Newsletter describes some companies' efforts to bypass the middleman and peddle their wares directly to the public via product specific feeds. An idea originally proposed by the recognized founder of RSS, Dave Winer, companies such as Continental Airlines and American Express have launched their own RSS feeds, alerting consumers to special deals. This is a potential nightmare for any large media company. All advertising money could essentially fly right out the window if advertisers are able to successfully connect to consumers through RSS. And as newspapers, who provide static ads that are not even assured of influencing readers, continually raise their advertising fees, RSS will undoubtedly become an increasingly appealing publicity source.

Podcasting: Audio versions of newspaper articles?! What is this integrated media world coming too? Podcasting allows consumers to download audio files and listen to them on their MP3 Players as they go about their daily routine. A few American papers, including the Denver Post and Philadelphia Inquirer, have jumped on the wagon, essentially having a staff member read an article into a voice recorder that is easily transferred to the Net. Mr. Barnako reports that the well-known online news source Slate soon plans to release a few podcasted articles a day and is even looking to include podcasts from other publications. Newspapers may be wise to start investing in podcasting, especially noting the ubiquity of MP3 players among youth who, contrary to popular belief, are still interested in the what's going on in the world.

Cluttered media, cluttered minds?: So what are the implications of these digital innovations for print? Well, people actually seem to pay much more attention to dead-tree content than to their visual and audio counterparts. A 'Simultaneous Media Survey' conducted by BIGresearch showed that only about 40% of people multitask while reading a newspaper or magazine whereas up to 70% of people use multiple forms of media while watching TV, surfing the Net or listening to the radio. But that doesn't necessarily mean that print is about to make a comeback. Young people are especially prone to multitasking, habits that they will more than likely carry with them throughout their lives and we already know that. Seeing as youth have recently developed an aversion to print, newspapers should definitely find ways to distribute their quality content over various channels, expanding their brand name and catching the young while they're, well, young.

Think about teenagers. Today they're tapping their feet to the rap blaring on their MP3's while they text a friend with their mobile phone in one hand and play a video game on their PlaystationPortable in the other. In twenty years, they'll probably be listening to the news in one ear, chatting with a client in the other, texting their families to let them know they'll be late again for dinner, while simultaneously scanning the headlines and stock market activity, all on one portable device. So who's going to provide these services? Business opportunities anyone?

Sources: PaidContent, cnnb.com, The Guardian, Frank Barnako's MarketWatch e-Newsletter, Mediapost