It's not often we get to take a moment to take stock of our industry. The fact is, online media and marketing is so vast and is changing so fast, the task of looking at the industry as a whole is a bit daunting. However, as I have been preparing to give the opening remarks and emcee the OMMA Global Expo in New York this week, I have had the opportunity to think about what I'd like to hear from various industry leaders. From venture capitalist to hot start-ups to marketers and agencies to leading social and traditional media …

Reportedly, Reuters will publish a piece today whose hand was tipped across the transom Thursday night, with vague mentions of pending announcements on the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE). This system, as you likely know, is a somewhat newly minted consortium effort to enable and standardize interoperability between digital content sites and devices. It essentially strives to release the confines of formats and DRM currently stifling true digital chi.

If you work in marketing, media or advertising, you can't escape Advertising Week! The glut of festivities -- taking place this year from Sept. 22 to 26 -- bills itself as "North America's largest and most prestigious gathering of industry decision-makers." I don't think it's the most prestigious, but the week's volume of events is certainly overwhelming. But there's one caveat: with so much going on, it's easy to get lost and squander opportunity. So how does one extract the greatest value from Advertising Week? Here are seven tips....

I'm back. I spent the past three months traveling, learning Spanish (not there yet, but much better), learning a bit about the tennis industry (what a great U.S. Open and Wimbledon this year), reading a lot of books (finally, time to read some fiction) and, most important, relaxing with my family. I am now rested, recharged and ready to jump back in with both feet.

This past Monday I had the pleasure of listening to a gentlemen named Jonathan Zittrain (author of a book called "The Future of the Internet: And How To Stop It") speak about his vision for the future. In listening to his conceptualizations, I focused on one component that was of interest to me in my marketing persona: that of the potential conflict facing marketers as they attempt to balance the two extremes of consumer behavior.

How open a social media platform is (e.g. MySpace and Facebook), is fast becoming extremely important. This is because what people who participate in social media are looking for in any social media tool is best of breed. People could use their Facebook status to keep their friends up to date on what's going on, but instead many use Twitter. People could host their videos on MySpace, but instead many still use YouTube. People like iLike or iMeem for music, or flickster for movies, or slide or rockyou for photo widgets, the list goes on and will continue to grow.

Most people agree that the recent, arguably sensational conveyance of Carat's planned layoffs spurs uncomfortable conversation. No matter your circle, the range of discomforts is remarkable: the fragility of email communications at every level; managing client-based growth within a public company, with the intense interplay of interests; journalistic responsibility vs. media sensationalism; schadenfreude. It's a lot. So, for me, even while the media at large whirred with sensation, it was interesting that many associate circles paused or were relatively quiet for a few days. People I know seemed very focused on taking an honest look and moving on.As …

Terminating relationships is hard -- especially when it's an employee. But termination-avoidance is one of the greatest risks that can hold a company back.

Tuesday was a fun day for mixing business with pleasure. Google's debut of the Chrome browser and Picasa Web's facial recognition were not only good fodder for the trades and blogs, but everyone could use these products and I could talk about them with friends and family members. It's like touring a winery and going from the fermentation tanks to the tasting room; here was something everyone could experience without intimate knowledge of what happens behind the scenes.