It's make-or-break time for newspapers. Over the last couple of months, I've spent a lot of time talking to newspaper companies about their digital futures, particularly when it comes to advertising. While I've had these kinds of discussions with them for many, many years, the current plight facing the industry has made these discussions take on an immediacy that I have never seen at any point in the past 15 years. They know that their future is now and that they had better figure it out fast.

Bundle, un-bundle. Bundle, un-bundle. The agency business is cyclical, and for many years we've witnessed clients shifting from the bundling of services to un-bundled services. However, some of the news I've read over the last few weeks appears to signal that this cycle may finally be coming to an end.

Last week, fellow Spin writer Cory Treffiletti explored the notion of what constitutes a "hit" in today's fragmented music landscape, where personalization and niche interests now rule over a marketplace that was once dominated by artists with mass appeal. Some of the forward-thinking folks on the fringes of the music business see a label-less future coming for music artists, in which the majority of revenues and profits are not derived from record sales, but from touring and merchandise sales. It's an interesting concept....

OK, user-generated content is hot. However, I just don't get the whole YouTube craze--and Google's buying it for $1.65 billion. Is it me, or does this seem like lawsuit after lawsuit waiting to happen?

I have the utmost respect for BusinessWeek and its editorial staff, but I'm disappointed we had to endure another round of sensational cynicism around Web metrics confusion, this time with a Web 2.0 spin.

I have written several times in the past about my good friend Tom Deierlein. Tom, as many of you know, is the COO of Dynamic Logic and was called unexpectedly to serve in the U.S. Army in Iraq. Tom was wounded by a sniper in East Baghdad on Saturday, Sept. 9.

A lot of people who know me well know I harbor a (not-so) secret desire to be a rock star. I'd love to be like Bono--to be on stage in front of thousands of people singing a song and having the crowd sing along with me. That feeling must be utterly amazing, but unfortunately I can't hold a tune with a backpack and my guitar prowess ain't so hot, either....

This past week, "20/20" ran a segment on how people are fighting back against poor customer service, heavily featuring the Gawker Media consumer advocate blog Consumerist. The piece included some of the customer service horror stories we've all come to know and loathe, such as the sleeping Comcast technician and the Herculean task of canceling an AOL account.

Let's face it, celebrities are not only influential, they have the cachet to become a brand. A celebrity endorsement could also make or break your brand.

A reality check. Are big advertisers ready to cede control to consumers? Instinctively, they know they have no choice. However, I'm not sure how prepared they are to start tackling key obstacles.