Are ad agencies and agency holding companies destined for some significant changes in 2008? I was part of panel discussion earlier this week at the Gridley Conference in New York that addressed that issue, among others facing the media and marketing services industries. The consensus of the panel was yes; structural changes are coming to the industry, and we may very well see some of them start playing out in 2008.

Among the hot topics from 2007, which are still hot in January 2008, are video and widgets; specifically, widgets in Facebook, since they're easy to use and easy to understand. I understand the business model because it's very simple -- create an application of some form that is viral in nature and monetize the eyeballs that are aggregated through the application. I get it. It's cool. But in all seriousness, why do I keep getting bitten by werewolves and zombies and vampires, and why do I keep getting thrown in an entourage, and why do I keep getting asked to …

Reading an article titled "So Much For Engagement; Buys Are Still Based on Eyes," I was not surprised, but still very much confused. In short, the survey cited in the article shows that a majority of participants expect their online budgets to... I hope you're sitting down... increase! OK, so that's not the confusing part. What is: the disparity in the most important criteria for choosing among television, print and online advertising.

When you think teens, you automatically think they are online, right? Can you guess what percentage of teens are using the Internet? A whopping 93%, according to a recent study by The Pew Internet & American Life Project. In fact, the Internet is said to be a part of a teen's social life where they can share creations, tell stories, and interact with others.

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer," the proverb goes. While that's sound advice, enemies are more than opponents to manage relative to your allies. Enemies are good for you. In fact, they can bring out the best in you. They are something to embrace and cultivate. Yes, I'm serious.

I read a study towards the end of last year from the Center for Media Research (Nov.15) that stated 80% of marketers plan to spend between 10-30% of their marketing dollars against new and/or emerging media formats in the next two years. I also read, in the same study, that 40% of marketers say they don't spend here yet because of "insufficient knowledge" about the category. What was also interesting to me was that 33% of marketers surveyed stated that they don't have enough time to learn about these formats. As Arsenio Hall would say, "Things that make you go …

The United States sits on the cusp of an election in which not only will the winner define the nation's course, but the election process itself has the potential to reverse a trend of disenfranchisement with the political process. It's a chance to truly allow those who would lead a nation, hear and speak with the people as never before. We may look back at 2008 and realize the implications of social media were far greater than we ever expected, as it raised political discourse and action. Of course we may look back at 2008 and remember only the sensationalized …

OK, I admit, the title sounds a bit aloof. However, consider this for a moment: Do you remember life without the Internet? True, some of you who are reading this may be younger; part of the Digital Generation. Of course you can't answer the question. So for those of you who can... do you remember? Sure, I admit I probably have at least one daily moment where I'm ready to throw my BlackBerry out the window. Sometimes there's just no escaping the raging herd of emails. I have an even bigger confession: I can't live without it.

With the explosive excitement and high valuations of Facebook and the like, it's time to take a step back and acknowledge the mother of all social networks: email. Yes, plain-vanilla email.

In a recent post on Searchblog, John Battelle characterized Google's launch of a Wikipedia-like service named Knol as Google's attempt to own the "second click" -- the click after the search click, which the company already owns. It's a wonderful characterization. I like it because it captures in a very simple way what is fundamentally different about how Google thinks and how most media companies think. Watch this space carefully. John marks the move as the unveiling of Google as an unambiguous media company. I think that he is right, and that is the first step in a new war …