Maybe it's the economy, or restlessness, or some combination of the two, but there has been a ton of turnover among technology journalists and bloggers lately. The latest word is that Owen Thomas, the gossip-monger behind Gawker's Valleywag, is leaving the site to join NBC. He'll be replaced by Gawker night editor Ryan Tate.

Appropriately, that news comes via MG Siegler, who recently left VentureBeat to join TechCrunch.

Thursday, Joe Wilcox announced his departure from Microsoft Watch, which he took over in 2006 following Mary Jo Foley's departure. He doesn't go into detail but writes that he's joining "the swelling ranks of journalists smitten by the economic crisis and by changes the Internet is forcing on my profession." I'll miss Joe's reporting on the site, and it will be interesting to see what eWeek does with it.

Another recently departed Microsoft beat reporter is Ben Romano, who left the Seattle Times to become U.S. correspondent for Recharge, a trade journal covering renewable energy. He has been replaced by Sharon Chan, a veteran of the Seattle newspaper.

Ben's departure came shortly after Joe Tartakoff left the Seattle P-I's Microsoft beat as part of newspaper's closure. Joe is still covering Microsoft, and other topics, on the digital media beat at PaidContent.org. Reporter Andrea James is now covering Microsoft, and other business and technology subjects, for the surviving SeattlePI.com.

As a footnote, the changes aren't just happening among technology reporters. On the public-relations side, AdAge.com reports that Microsoft this week switched its Windows Mobile account from Weber Shandwick to Waggener Edstrom, the agency that handles much of the Redmond company's PR business, including the Windows account.

Seattle-based marketing and communications firm Wexley School for Girls will also work on the account. The change comes as Microsoft gears up for the release of Windows Mobile 6.5, trying to mount a stronger challenge to the iPhone and other rivals in the market for mobile phones and software.