A magazine is not just something that you read while holding in your hands. Anyone who avoids paying for a subscription by reading stuff online knows this already, but the Magazine Publishers of America compiled a list of current initiatives that drives that point home.

The idea here is that publishers will find ways to sell advertising and subscriptions around these efforts because today’s children and tomorrow’s big spenders are far from keen about manipulating dead trees chopped up into small squares and stapled together.

Here is a partial list, ripped from the press release. The full list — and it’s a long one — is here.

Condé Nast: Online film festival, user-generated content on websites, interactive dating blogs, online video series, online radio station, bridal sites with virtual fitting rooms, PDA-enabled editions with mobile sites, and text shopping/buying from cell phones.

Guns & Ammo: Video library, online community.

Hachette Filipacchi: Launched magazine brands on free mobile sites, exclusive online content, daily blogs, virtual test drives of cars.

Hearst: Formed a digital applications and technology lab for its magazine brands, online contests, public awareness campaigns on MySpace, video content, podcasting, mobile content.

Martha Stewart Living: Branded online photo products, improved search functions, increased original content, and created a social community web network.

Meredith: Formed video creation unit for magazine brands.

National Geographic Magazine:  Posting short time-lapse film of four-hour heart replacement procedure that was a cover story package.

Newsweek: Online business degree program, launched a political blog, mobile editions.

The New Yorker: Collected 80 years of the magazine on a branded limited edition hard drive.

Time Inc. Online guru guides, acquired social networks, downloadable sports tickers, sports tracking applications, special swimsuit issue website, mobile content series, several new blogs, upgraded social networking functions on its websites.