Timing, as they say, is everything. This age-old saying appears to have been completely forgotten in today's digital world: If you ask online publishers and advertisers when is the best time to reach a reader with a promotional message, the answer seems to be "any time." And this, in my opinion, is the most egregious mistake that publishers are making in the way they treat their readers.

I don't watch "Game of Thrones," but I understand it's layered with pessimism. I am an optimist, but am having real trouble ignoring the cold realities of the digital publishing market.

Progressive publishers know that social video is a crucial part of any cross platform content strategy. That being said, all video is not created equal - especially when it comes to social consumption. A recent study by Trusted Media Brands found that 65% of marketers think social platforms are the most important platforms for video campaigns. So, just as one wouldn't shove a VHS tape into a Blu-Ray player, why are many marketers and publishers still trying to cram commercialized destination video into social?

For years we have blamed the banner (display) ad for all of our problems. The thing is, the ad banner didn't fail us. We failed it. We were handed a new medium with millions of consumers on day one. We were handed an exciting new ad to sell to advertisers that could instantly transfer a consumer to an advertiser's (online) store. We were selling time travel. Advertisers, while initially skeptical, quickly started writing big checks to buy these display ad banners. Then we screwed it all up. So what's the problem today? Just about everything. In my fantasy of being …