Pros: Crisp writing; timely articles; witty; incisive; great website with additional materials
Cons: Too much information to grok in one sitting

The thing about this new information economy we're all hearing about and experiencing -- whether society likes it or not -- is the sheer volume of information generated in observation and analysis of it. We're glutted with information, and yet it's completely necessary to stay on top of trends and breaking news, especially if you're an Internet industry professional.

I used to subscribe to Red Herring, Business 2.0, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fast Company, and Wired. Primarily because I wanted and needed to keep my eye on what's happening in the business, technology, and creative spheres of the industry. Then one day, I found a complimentary copy of IS in my mailbox at work. I've been hooked ever since, so much to the point that I canceled all the other subscriptions, except for FC (but that's another e-pinion, and I have to do my part to save some trees.)

I like IS best simply because of all the magazines I read (or used to read) it does the best job of distilling industry trends, companies, and personalities down to digestible toplines that I can use to enhance my daily and long-term business activities. It offers the information from a generalist's point of view, whereas a magazine like Red Herring is clearly written for VCs and bankers. Since my reading goal is to get the big picture, IS is perfect for the task. The content is practical, timely, and attractively packaged. The writing is usually very sharp, sometimes witty and incisive, and always brief and to the point. Most importantly, the articles always seem to be written by people that "get it" and that don't fear what the network economy portends. It's not like Andy Rooney or some curmudgeon caught in a time warp is writing the articles found in IS .

IS also has a great website to supplement the content you find in the magazine , which is rare since magazines and their related websites usually seem to have a cannibalistic relationship to one another. The site offers useful items like statistical reports that you can download and use for research, and a half-dozen or so free E-mail newsletters. My advice: sign up for "Media Grok," the IS E-mail newsletter that offers a capsule summary of how the media covered the biggest Net happenings of the previous day. If you have to have one magazine that keeps you on top of the Internet industry, IS is the one you want.