In last week's Spin Board, someone wrote a response to my article that brought up a very good point: Technology may be adopted in NYC and other large cities, but when will it be adopted in the smaller markets? When will the "everyday American" adopt technology to the same level as the early adopters, the influentials, and everyone else we live and spend time with? In order for this to happen, I think technology needs to get easy. I'm in the process of moving and one of the most daunting tasks that lay ahead are trying to disconnect and …

In many ways, buying behavior in paid search resembles the irrational exuberance of online ad buying in the mid- to late-1990s. Something is so frustrating about that. You remember the CEO who insisted, relevant to his business or not, that full-page ads run in The Wall Street Journal on the day of his dot-com product launch? You'll also remember the online marketing director who insisted on home page ads on all the portal sites, targeting be damned. While a good deal of this was driven by the desire for stratospheric stock prices, a good deal of it was contributed …

I ran out to a large supermarket chain the other day to get some last-minute necessities for company. As I was in line I realized I had a store affinity card. It hung next to several keys on my key chain alone. The woman in front of me began to fiddle, jingle, and clatter. I was shocked to find her feverishly going through a key ring of at least a dozen cards. I recognized at least three supermarket chains, a couple pet supply stores, and a whole host of others. Suddenly the express line wasn't so speedy. Instead of 10 …