I spent the better part of Election Day in Washington D.C. I went down to make a presentation at the Federal Trade Commission's hearings on "Protecting Consumers in The Next Tech-ade" and to attend a dinner at the International Association of Privacy Professionals. There's nothing like spending a day in Washington with policy makers--particularly Election Day-- to heighten one's appreciation for the role that public policy plays in business, especially one with heavy consumer interaction like ours.

At the beginning of 2006 I was chatting with some industry analysts who felt 2006 would be a calm and quiet year of applying the knowledge and the ideas from 2005, while 2007 would be the year of breakthrough and new ideas. I guess they were off a little on that one! This year certainly saw much growth and evolution in the Internet landscape--but I think 2007 is going to be one of the most influential years we will ever see.

I am often asked how a brand should allocate its media dollars to achieve the best possible ROI. This is a topic that media planners constantly think about. But just how does interactive factor into the mix?

Last Wednesday two consumer groups filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. The groups want the FTC to investigate "invasive and deceptive" online advertising practices. This includes user tracking, Web analytics and behavioral targeting. They claim that users don't know we are tracking them.

As the social-media and Web 2.0 revolution continues, I've been convinced the traditional advertising and media establishment was alone in the debate over engagement. Well, I was dead wrong. Some major Web 2.0 and new-media insiders are facing similar challenges and stumbling into the same engagement conundrum.

Online advertising has been great at the intuitive stuff, such as finding and understanding the behaviors of "high handraisers"--people who are actively researching an imminent purchase. But what about low handraisers? What about folks who don't research via search and raise their hands that high before they buy? What about impulse buyers?

I think the acquisition of YouTube will actually signal the beginning of the end for financing in the user-generated content space. I've been a huge proponent of this category since it first gained steam about two years ago, but I think the investment in YouTube may signal to many people that the ship has sailed and it's time to focus on the next wave of companies: the ones who are producing quality original programming and delivering it to niche audiences.

Last week, Dave Morgan sent a warning shot across the noses of newspaper publishers everywhere with his piece called "Newspapers, Now or Never." What perplexes me is how newspapers could have given up the natural marketplace advantage they had in the first place--the fact that they're the focal point for how news affects a community.

know it's a cheesy headline. I myself cringe when I see the phrase in a presentation, etc. However, this is a bit different. I am really talking about being out of the box--the television, that is.

Q4 is upon us. I love Q4 because the NFL makes it perfectly acceptable to sit around every Sunday and enjoy the view from my couch with a few brewskis to help pass the time. When I get to work on Monday, though, a stack of discrepant invoices is there too, right where I left them on Friday afternoon.