Celebrate the New (and Old)

Back in October, I meant to comment on a story in The San Francisco Chronicle about the business side of blogging.  It reports that relevant and readable (by implication, well-written) sites are garnering enough advertising and ancillary revenue to become profitable publishing ventures.  It’s a great round-up.  One comment that rankled though was a statement that success stories like these would be more prevalent as “traditional media continue to contract” (Steve King, SNCR).  This is not a story about contracting old media, but just increasing maturity in new media.  And while reports out this month show the number of new magazines launched in 2007 declined from the previous year, continued proliferation of specialized titles ranging from Jewish Living and the uniquely American Garden & Gun, and business publications like Portfolio shows that PR pros must continue to watch all forms of media.  Both print and online, we will see more and more niche audiences reached by creative publishers/editors.  With ever more places for stories to be told, we will see an even greater need for clear and accurate communications.