The Christian Science Monitor recently reported on Amazon's efforts to file patents around advertising on the Kindle. Full story here.

Although most of this story is about the potential of having ads placed within the pages of books read on a Kindle device, newspapers and magazines should take note. This is big because if you believe (as I do) that any electronic delivery of content must be controlled by those who create it (as opposed to giving it away for free on website), the ability to further monetize that content through the selling of ads could cement personal readers, like the Kindle, as the best electronic hope for print publications.

Side note: Instead of telling their members about how to build better websites, newspaper and magazine associations, like the Newspaper Association of America, should be leading the charge on this, working with Amazon and Sony to define a revenue sharing agreement on ads in exchange for the content. But don't hold your breath on that one.