A mentor asked me to brainstorm all the things that new media is. I created a list of fifty. They didn’t all make sense to me, but that’s the way it is in brainstorms: You write it down first and judge later.

Here are the strangest things that appeared on my list. I don’t know why I thought this:

1. New media is clean.

2. New media plays nice.

3. New media isn’t infinite.

4. New media is democratic.

5. When we grow past new media, we’ll move onto something pure.

Here are the things I liked:

1. New media is a remote controller.

2. If new media were a president, it’d be Kennedy.

3. New media is a really bad phrase to describe what new media is.

4. A better phrase for new media is “our media.”

5. New media is a language.

Five pillars of new media:

1. Ross Mayfield
2. Tech Crunch
3. Mash Up Camp
4. Wikipedia
5. The Open API

Or is it?

1. Myspace / You Tube
2. Ipod
3. Text Messaging
4. Blogger
   
5. Web 2.0 (new media or no?)
   

This month, I’m going to explore the new media theme and ask some bloggers I respect for a hand. At the end of April, I’ll share my observations.

For the newest in Social Web, check out Rollyo. This site adds a social aspect to search. Here’s how it works. Create a list of web sites. Rollyo takes that list as the universe from which it searches.

Perhaps you like Starfish. Create a starfish search engine just for you and your starfish loving friends. Now invite people to search in your custom search box. It will only search the sites you’ve selected.

But wait, here’s the sexy part. You can find new web sites that web 2.0 rock stars have included in their search. Check out Steven Rubel or Seth Godin’s search box. This is a very del.iciou.us worthy site.

“Deep thoughts”
A. If search becomes socialized and about the individual lens, I wonder how long before individuals–who are creating these search lens–begin to accept payment for include web sites in their scope?

B. Another way to use this site is to discover cool web sites that web 2.0 hot shots have book marked.

Special thanks to Lorenz @ www.Sodaguru.com for sharing it.

For the newest in Social Web, check out Rollyo. This site adds a social aspect to search. Here’s how it works. Create a list of web sites. Rollyo takes that list as the universe from which it searches.

Perhaps you like Starfish. Create a starfish search engine just for you and your starfish loving friends. Now invite people to search in your custom search box. It will only search the sites you’ve selected.

But wait, here’s the sexy part. You can find new web sites that web 2.0 rock stars have included in their search. Check out Steven Rubel or Seth Godin’s search box. This is a very del.iciou.us worthy site.

“Deep thoughts”
A. If search becomes socialized and about the individual lens, I wonder how long before individuals–who are creating these search lens–begin to accept payment for include web sites in their scope?

B. Another way to use this site is to discover cool web sites that web 2.0 hot shots have book marked.

Special thanks to Lorenz @ www.Sodaguru.com for sharing it.

Headlines worth reading…

1. Mark Cuban calls for reality commercials.
2. Paypal launches new text to buy service.
3. Wall Street Journal reports on the future of ad measurement.
4. Micro Persuasion on blog, podcasting and RSS advertising stats.
5. Washington Post reports the top 50 web sites.
6. Forrester Research reports 700k households listen to podcasts.
7. Social Radio is born…

New media is not synonymous with young media. New media consists of blogs, pod, text, videos and web site innovations combined with a shift in how media is consumed and generated. This shift includes behavioral trends such as social networking, consumer generated media and on demand programming. It involves technological shifts like web 2.0, interactive web pages and the creation of a decentralized web. While web sites like Myspace, You Tube, and Heavy.com are most renowned for these innovations, many other sites web sites and demographics use them.

For instance, CNN.com exemplifies how traditional media can integrate new media into its web site. CNN offers an RSS feed, podcasting and online videos to which readers can subscribe. The CNN web site’s simple column design and user friendly interface remind me of many web 2.0 sites. It’s just missing a tag cloud!

Here’s another example. The AARP has four RSS feeds to which their readership (a 50+ demographic) subscribes. They provide podcasts for their members, which they conveniently call ‘portable programs.” Even the elderly web site Seniors for American has an RSS feed and links to blogs online.

On a personal note, I conducted end-user research for an online software company. I spoke with users in their seventies and eighties who go online daily. I gained an important insight from this. Seniors (who understood technology) linked their internet ability to a general sense of autonomy.

New media innovations will only strengthen their ability. By providing simple ways to benefit from technology, new media holds as much promise for 55+ demographic as it does for the 18-34 demo.

Want a different perspective? Ask Jupiter Research.