Staying in touch with the news is important, especially in this day and age. The central problem, however, is deciding which source is worth your time. There are literally thousands of news sites on the web, each with their own point-of-view and spin. Luckily for us, there’s Mediascrape. Similar to social news sites such as Digg and Slashdot, Mediascrape is a hodgepodge of diverse news pieces from around the world. What sets Mediascrape is its format of choice — videos. Several of the world’s major news organizations are featured on the service, including the BBC, CBC, and the AP. Easy to use and interesting to watch, Mediascrape will let you see all sides of a developing situation in stunning detail.

Not everyone likes to get their news fix solely from news videos. Some of us still prefers getting our information the “new old-fashioned way” — a blog. As many longtime readers of the Free Line know, one of our favorite ways to access our favorite blogs is through Google Reader. Well it seems as if this venerable service has gone through a few upgrades in the last couple of days. New features include the ability to alphabetize your feeds, add a tag to a note, and improve support for the iPhone. The new and improved Google Reader is available now.

Elsewhere, we have TipJoy. TipJoy is a website designed to make microtransactions a breeze. What exactly is a “microtransaction,” you ask? A microtransaction is a quick and easy way to send and receive small amounts of money over the Internet. Microtransactions are used in situations where traditional money changing methods would be foolish, such as in online RPGs. With TipJoy, all you have to do is type the recipient’s website or email address into the text bar and press a button. Within seconds, the person will receive their small amount of money. While it isn’t exactly Western Union, TipJoy is perfect for those who want to throw their favorite blogger or guild member a few bucks.

Elsewhere, marketing expert Mark Widawer has created an interesting video showing you how to get more people to visit your blog. According to Widawer, the trick is to measure and track everything. By tracking everything, you can easily see what strategies work and which ones fall flat.  Enhance the good ones and jettison the bad ones. Do this, he says, and you’ll be ready for more advanced SEO and marketing techniques in no time.

Myspace Music launched last week to much fanfare, and a bigger music library than already planned. A lot of people are calling this an “iTunes killer,” but we here at the Free Line remain skeptical for now. It will undoubtedly be a huge hit at first, but without the power of a product like the iPhone to back it up, it might only be a flash in the pan. Like Hulu, Myspace Music is currently a “US residents only” release. Expect more countries to be added shortly.