Gather.com Seeks Unpublished Authors–(Gather.com) This social networking site has made a partnership with Simon & Schuster in an effort to find new talent. The First Chapter competition allows members of Gather to vote chapter-by-chapter and choose the winner of a S&S publishing contract. Like American-Idol for the Lit-Heads. A great CIQ idea.

Big Media Partners with Web 2.0–(MarketWatch) CBS has announced partnerships with YouTube (select the best 15-second inspirational video) and with SecondLife (A new Star Trek environment for fans). We think there are hints here of the next internet trend– creating higher quality content within the (generally) low quality UGC areas.

Social Network Sites’ Data Valuable to Advertisers— (Knowledge@Warton.com) A Wharton School of Business study has found that consumers are more likely to buy a product or service when they are networked with existing customers. This means that social network data could be very valuable to advertisers. The problem is that social networks’ data belongs to the network. Does this mean that SN’s will become ad brokers or ad networks? These sorts of cats-marrying-dogs examples are CIQ phenomena: evidence of a new kind of order that is in the process of breaking through.

Web TV Redux–(Business Week) From CES, covering the various companies who are trying to launch a Web TV device. We think they’re getting it wrong. (See Wii-TV Article)

Perseus Buys Avalon— (WSJ, subscription required) How many times can we hear “The Troubled Book Business.” Publishing has been extremely slow to the digital party and, frankly, is risking the same fate as the music business. It’s one industry that could use a few CIQ hints.

Bloggers Earn Cash from Content Reviews— (Washington Post) This article gets the CIQ award for the day! Small content producers *can* earn money on the internet. And no, they’re not selling their souls. Hey, you people in the book business from the article above, you might wanna read this one.

One Device Determines the Futuer of Digital Rights–(Tech Crunch, free) Here’s an interesting twist on the issue of digital rights management: The iPod is so dominant that it has become the arbiter of digital rights. Labels must work with apple, or make a work DRM-free. Does this mean the iPod will kill all digital rights except at iTunes?

Big Budget Productions A Thing of the Past— (Marketwatch, free) This commentator sees the demise of big-budget Hollywood productions in favor of smaller “long tail” internet video. She predicts people will consume low-quality YouTube video. We see the potential for small, nimble creative production teams producing video content for the web.

Publisher’s Acquiring Ad Shops— (Media Post, free with registration) Cats marrying dogs? What’s next? Kidding aside, we see the unification of content and advertising a key CIQ trend. It makes us want to invent a new word, Covalence. See post on Covalence.