Over the weekend, I read the latest issue of one of my many trade publications, PR Week, which is the only one I get related to communications. Lots of blog coverage in this issue (November 7, 2005). One article is about the founding of a think tank focused on the new “media tools” – blogs, wikis, RSS, and podcasts. It’s called the Society for New Communications Research, and it has an impressive advisory board. It was founded by Jennifer McClure, who also runs the New Communications Blogzine. The former PR manager for Ziff Davis Events, Jennifer co-founded an event of her own earlier this year: the New Communications Forum, which has its second annual conference in March in Palo Alto.

In her blogzine, which I just subscribed to, look for Jennifer’s November 8 post on Walt Mossberg’s talk at the recent Dow Jones VentureWire Consumer Technology Ventures conference in Silicon Valley. Walt is perennially voted among the most respected technology journalists by PR and media folk, and is certainly the reigning king of consumer technology reporters.

It will be interesting to watch this new society and see what research they come up with – and, they promise, best practices and standards.