Teachers and marketers face a host of challenges in reaching and connecting with teens. There are the budgetary challenges, and the challenges posed by all-too-smart smartphones. There is one reality, however, that poses a challenge bigger than both of those combined -- and it has marketers joining the "Pay attention!" chorus.

As marketers, we know that even small changes to any user experience can have a dramatic impact on how engaged consumers are in our social-digital ecosystems. Teens are the most sensitive, savvy and fickle to these changes -- and lack the years of entrenchment in any one social network to keep them from jumping ship and trying something new. So what do teens think about the most recent changes on Facebook?

Here are a few "best practices" marketers should keep in mind so they can get the most out of the "new" Facebook.

Teens want to unite to ignite. They want to change the world. Teens want brands they support to be a part of the solution to solving the world's problems. They want corporations to do more than give money to a cause; they want them to make 'doing good' a part of their daily business.

Just to be clear: although the title of this post may suggest that I am going to be talking about teens driving their moms to soccer practice in a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle, I'm not. (Although I've always loved creative writing and that visual gives me a good start -- maybe I'll expand on that in a later post!) Instead, let's talk about a very real shift in the way we as marketers look to influence this market now and in the years to come.

With Labor Day in our rear-view mirror, the reality of the new school year has now fully settled upon teens from coast-to-coast -- a reality that is best with significant challenges. As discussed in Part I of this series, the first challenge is that schools are facing increasingly difficult economic choices which, in turn, creates opportunities for marketers to assist schools and students in ways that benefit everyone.

The second-biggest selling season of the year is in full-swing, and families are rushing to their local malls and retail stores for the best deals, for their back-to-school (BTS) shopping.

I walked up to the stage at the United Nations on Aug. 11, looked out at the 193 delegates and my heart skipped a beat. Seated in the UN delegate seats were the people who are changing the world: 193 young women a/k/a Youth Delegates.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. No, not December -- but rather Back-to-School time. The time of year when kids lose freedom and parents gain it back. And the time of year when marketers gear up for the shopping frenzy that goes along with it all.

For marketers, the new, back-to-school realities present myriad challenges. In this three-part series, I'll explore a few of them in depth as well as the opportunities they may present to marketers seeking to reconnect with teens this fall.