The tech boom is back.  Sort of.  But instead of the powerhouse firms of old ruling the roost, it's up-starts and amateurs who are having their day in the sun.  Forbes.com takes a look at how things have changed between the last boom and this one.  In the late 90s, companies had to invent the revenue models from scratch, as the banner ad didn't exist and people were still struggling to find the optimal way to earn money off of a free website.  A few businesses that pioneered web ads rose to the top of the heap, and even managed to survive the bubble bursting.

Today, it's a different story.  Google is on the scene, dominating search and keyword advertising, and individuals on blogs are covering a wider array of news more in-depth than their traditional media counterparts.  If you're serious about keeping up on the latest goings on in the tech sector, chances are you read more blogs than actual media sites.  And the advertisers know this.  It also doesn't help that blogs are banding together and brokering advertising deals as a block through web ad agencies such as Federated Media Publishing.  The result is that blogs have become a much more effective (both in terms of cost and exposure).  And traditional tech media is floundering.

Read more at Forbes.com by clicking the link below.