The latest social networking traffic and market share list from HitWise maps out the emerging media landscape:

- MySpace has the lion’s share of this market and continues to be a significant referrer to other social networking sites.
- Facebook holds its own in the second spot.
- The rest of the social networking space is pretty fragmented, with iMeem, Bebo and Hoverspot showing remarkable growth since January 2007.

Another factoid we need to take note of in Hitwise’s analysis is that ethnic community sites Black Planet and Mi Gente also make it to the top 20. They are not just offering story, video or music exchange. They are tapping into a common cultural thread among their members, without forgoing diversity of views and backgrounds.

It would be too simplistic and incorrect to say that a given ethnic community site would do well because its members share similar demographic characteristics. Thriving social networking sites allow members to find like-minded people within their sub-cultures, share and shape experiences. The leading ethnic community sites are standing proof of this basic concept.

It's hard to miss the explosive growth of online video these days. YouTube has made it easier and more popular than ever to watch and share video content with a global audience.

And as more Americans get connected with higher speed broadband connections, you can bet the appetite for interactive video on the Internet -- "Web TV" if you like -- will continue to grow. So, too, will its importance for public relations as another potential channel for reaching audiences.

This week I finally got my invitation to beta test Joost -- a peer to peer video software suite from some of the folks behind file sharing software Kazaa (don't worry, Joost is legal) and internet telephony pioneer Skype. Joost relies on p2p file sharing technology to deliver large video files rapidly to users around the world, permitting full-screen video, social networking functionality and interactive TV widgets. It's the cable TV we all wish we had at home.

And while I found it just a tad buggy on my Mac (it IS a beta, after all), Joost is very slick. Loads of program options on demand, a clean interface, and the ability for content publishers to enhance their programs and audiences to customize their viewing experience with "widgets" including more information, special features, games, trivia, etc.

As with every new media technology, the availability of good content is paramount to consumer adoption. To that end, Joost announced this week new content deals with CNN and Time Warner, promising shows like "Larry King Live" on the video network. Other content providers who have signed on include CBS, Sony TV, Warner Music, the NHL, Sports Illustrated and the Cartoon Network, according to MarketingVOX . All of this content is ad supported and available free -- the only cost of entry is a fairly speedy PC or Mac and a swift Internet connection.

From a PR perspective, there are terrific opportunities for brands creating their own engaging content and making it available through distribution channels like Joost. Imagine a dedicated Toyota Web TV channel which let you check out video reviews of their cars and trucks, go behind the scenes with Totota's NASCAR teams, see their production facilities and more. All Toyota, all the time. (disclosure: Toyota is a GolinHarris client) In the future, we may well see more brands (with the help of their marketing agencies) becoming video content providers themselves, taking their messages directly to consumers through Internet TV.

I'm hooked.

P.S. Want to try Joost yourself? As of this morning, it's still only open by invitation from existing beta testers. Pop me an e-mail with your contact details or post a comment here with your name and e-mail address and I'll try to shoot you an invite to give it a look.

UPDATE: Since I first posted this, Joost announced it has raised $45 million from investors including CBS and Viacom. Clearly, the company will remain a major player in the exploding online video space.

Also, I have to retract the offer to send out beta invitations -- so many folks emailed requests that it's turning into a full-time job! But do some digging around the Blogosphere and you'll easily find others who can send you an invite. Thanks.

The BlogLog tool shows the community of readers around a blog and connects the readers to one another. With the BlogLog, readers can sign up to be part of that particular blog’s community, share their photo, background information, and links with other readers.

BlogLog communities are essentially social capital on display. They extend solitary posts and ad-hoc comments into networking opportunities. Readers can see who else is or has been visiting that Web area, venture into like-minded readers’ blogs and leave them comments.

According to Techcrunch today, the MyBlogLog widget will now allow its users to label their blogs and communities with tags (i.e., labels). Here is an example of a blogger who is already a member of 67 communities and has close to 3,000 friends through BlogLog. His tags will trickle in as his extended online community labels and classifies his content.

What does this mean for PR professionals? With BlogLog tags, we can get a quick review of the bloggers’ and its readers’ focus areas. We can also get a qualitative sense of the blogger’s reach and navigate through his social map to reach other influencers, aficionados, ambassadors and spectators. Tags are the footprints of decentralized, social media.

Have you come to the point where you wish you could find something you misplaced in your house or office through Google? When we use certain technologies often enough, our minds mimic the way these tools work. (Hence, the references to the type-writer generation and the digital natives.) While Google is yet to come up with a way to help us sort and organize objects in the real world, it has revealed plans to help people find information even when they are offline.

As the Reuters news story indicates, the new Google technology -- called Google Gears -- will let users search on their computers, phones and other handheld devices. Gooogle Gears users will be able to work through email, calenders and sift through items on their news readers without needing to connect to the Web, on the go or on the fly.

With other big players (e.g., Microsoft) in the desktop application space, the competition is on. Considering that search is becoming synonymous with Google, the Gear product may have a branding and familiarity advantage. This development certainly underscores the central role search results play in managing online reputation, visibility and ever-shortening news cycles.

As we look to the future of media, the online channel carries significant weight. As search moves offline, stories from Web sites, e-zines and blogs will have even more impact on public discussions.