AOL Instant Messenger started a social media chain reaction that continues to this day.

• Friendster was the new AIM

• Myspace was the new Friendster

• Facebook was the new Myspace

• Twitter was the new Facebook

• Friendfeed is the new Twitter

On the horizon is a new way of doing social media called Socialstream. Google is working on a new unified social network that will broadcast and collect information about you and your “friends” online. Google also has taken steps toward monetizing your actual web usage with behavioral advertising. Can your social network be far behind?

I recently watched a video clip on the Jon Stewart show where he and a guest discussed the future of newspapers. He suggested that we make the content incredibly addictive by printing newspapers with some sort of addictive ink. Now obviously, there is no such thing as addictive ink and even if it did exist, it would be illegal.

Then an idea popped into my head.

The legal equivalent to highly addictive drug is social media. Add in the possibility of making some money too and you’ve struck gold. Monetizing comments and interactive features could generate some heat for an industry that has suffered through a long cold winter.

Premium comments would appear at the top of the comments list above free comments. It would cost one cent to post premium comment, but the top spot would be open for competitive bidding. The pitch would be, “A penny for your thoughts?”

Users would also have the option of placing an AdSense text ad or their own AdWords text ad at the footer of a premium comment. This way we all have the potential to make some money.

Premium interactive content could be teased in the free version. There could also be a previewed during a free trial period. The optimal solution would be to offer a la carte purchasing slightly marked up for impulse buys and a membership or subscription for a flat fee of $3.65 per year. The pitch for this would be, “Your world for just a penny a day.”