I was reading my copy of The Week and in a matter of a half-hour I was "caught up". I realized that this is a printed version of a RSS aggregator. Could this be how printed media survives in the next ten years? Taking the most relevant from many different sources and collecting them together in a summary of the days or weeks events? Yes, it could put a whole bunch of columnists and beat reporters out of work, but will it? I say that the cream will always rise to the top. These same writers will set up their blog and continue doing their work. The best writing and the most insightful will get paid to have their work syndicated. The caveat is that they can work for not just one but many different papers.

I understand that the top columnists can do this same thing now, but usually columnists have a very narrow focus of expertise. To get variety in their paper, these newspapers will acquire news from different writers to fill out the paper. The best part about it is that most blog posts are short. Most bloggers know that reading a long post on-line can be hard. Writers will be trained to get to the point faster and more concisely. This will give more opportunity for contrasting views on a story as space won't be as limited. The winner will be the reader and the papers will benefit as well.

The papers will be able to sell more targeted ads as Google takes over their advertising sales. A whole new way of selling ads will begin. I can already place ads in local newspapers through Google. The papers can eliminate staff which will increase profits immediately. Content will also get better which means more demand.

The idea of bringing a laptop on a train or in the bathroom, for that matter, and reading different blog posts can be cumbersome. The idea of holding a printed piece of paper has its benefits. Knowing that you can have delivered to your doorstep quality concise news will be appealing to most. I like the Wall Street Journal but I don't have time to read it. The articles tend to be long tomes on a topic. I usually only have about 30 minutes at most to read anything. If I can get the whole newspaper in 30 minutes of reading then I am good. If I can get the best of the the Journal, the Star Ledger, the New York Times and other local newspapers in an easily digestible, 30 minute read then you can have my money.

So my prediction is that the newspapers are the last to the party, but they will find a way to monetize all the content that we get for free. I know it seems ironic, but as much as we are becoming an on-line, always connected society, there will always be those times when we want to unplug but still stay informed. This is where the newspapers will always fit in. I love my laptop but I highly doubt that I will bring it to the beach to read the headlines. Sure I can get an iPhone or Blackberry but if I set it down to take a swim I will much more upset if it gets taken than my $1.00 newspaper. Besides, I can always pick up another copy for $1.00.