If you’re still not sure what LinkedIn, Twitter, RSS, Digg and/or SMS mean, this is must-reading for journalists and non-journalists alike. Howard Owens, director of digital publishing at US publishing outlet Gatehouse Media, has put together an 11-step program for getting wired. While he encourages newsroom managers to offer an incentive to staff for completing the program, he’s also offering a $100 Amazon.com gift certificate to the first journalist who proves he or she has done so under his or her supervisor’s monitoring. As of January 3, the prize has yet to be claimed.

Here’s Owens’ tech checklist:
1. Become a blogger
2. Post your photos to a photo sharing site (i.e. Flickr)
3. Post your videos to a video sharing site (i.e. YouTube)
4. Spend two hours a week for six weeks on YouTube
5. Join a social networking site (i.e. Facebook)
6. Use social bookmarking (i.e. Digg)
7. Start using RSS
8. Start using SMS (text messaging on your mobile)
9. Learn to twitter
10. Create a Google map mashup
11. Write an essay about what you’ve learned