You’ve got to hand it to the mice in the ATX promotion machine…they are eating their multi-vitamins these days and spinning the wheels of Austin goodness extra fast in the major media. Take Time magazine’s recent coverage of Austin.

First, there is this week’s cover story about “Jobs” which should really have been entitled “Why Austin is Awesome.” Second, there is this week’s online coverage of SxSWi, with their editor’s Top Ten list of Interactive trends. Speaking of interactive, they even give readers the opportunity to do their own ranking of the trends, by dragging and dropping Time’s list into your own (re-)ordered list.

For my money, there are three tech trends that are missing from the list that I’d like to add: Lifestyle content, Measurement, and Skill building. And, for this episode’s installment of FreshTech Friday, I’ll mention a different Austin company that exemplifies each.

First, lifestyle content. Take a look at the new launch, Endless Beauty (http://endlessbeauty.com/). It’s a great women’s community with a strong motto: “look better, live longer.” I like the unified color scheme and clean organization, the nice categories for moms, middle-age’rs, or new brides, and the early availability of a content-oriented iPhone app.

Clearly an advertising/sponsorship play, nonetheless, content offerings like EB still have a very strong opportunity to speak to a dedicated niche community on lifestyle related subjects with the potential to build a very loyal following over time. The question is how capital efficient they can be to get to (and beyond) break-even. Good luck ladies (and Matt!).

Second, measurement. Lots going on here, from established players (like Comscore) to new entrants. In the new entrants category is a company from Austin’s Star Nine Ventures named WhoLinkstoMe (http://wholinkstome.com/).

The name of the company says it all, which is predicated on the highly focused value proposition that in-bound links are an especially critical (and frequently an “Achilles Heel”) component of search engine ranking and, thus, SEO efforts. In addition to their free version, you may consider checking out their newly launched pro version.

Third, skill building. If my walk-about on the tradeshow floor at Southby was any on-the-ground indicator, Time magazine was right about one thing: Austin is hiring. In particular, Austin-based companies – including divisions and local offices of firms from AT&T to GSD&M to Sapient, among many, many others – are hiring interactive producers, creative directors, and artist designers.

But, the rub is that there is a shortage in supply. That’s where Jon Kolko and his Austin Center for Design come in (http://www.austincenterfordesign.com/). Jon is by day a designer in the Austin office at Frog, one of the top global design firms. But at night (and weekends, and every other free cognitive moment), he is the chief evangelist and founder of this start-up design school.

A former professor for the Savannah College of Art and Design and a lecturer at UT-Austin’s Information School, Jon has created a one-year certificate program that is focused, affordable, and packed with a world-class faculty. His mission is to launch the school this Fall, with an ideal cohort of 14-18 students. If this sounds like something you are interested in, contact Jon through the school website. He’s angling to have a launch event to “officially” announce open enrollment (it’s already underway in stealth mode) in the next couple of months. Keep an eye open!