The Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital recently served me an unexpected banner across the top of the blog's entry page titled "A note about tracking cookies." It said: "Some of the advertisers and Web analytics firms used on this site may place 'tracking cookies' on your computer. We are telling you about them right upfront, and we want you to know how to get rid of these tracking cookies if you like." This is the first time I'm aware of a mainstream ad-supported publisher telling me "upfront" that it is placing tracking cookies on my computer. Considering cookies are …

Like many of you, I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about how media is transforming -- and trying to understand what this means for the future of the media industry. The Internet, the digitization of media and the explosion of electronic distribution channels are changing the economics of the media industry right before our eyes. At its simplest, media is changing from an industry driven by scarce distribution to one driven by scarce attention. Now that the consumer has so many choices, controlling distribution no longer means that you control audiences. The consumer (or viewer) is the …

Recently I read an interesting study that suggested U.S. Internet usage is going to start a sharp decline over the next two to three years, as a result primarily of the economic downturn and some additional factors. All of which does not bode well for digitally based businesses or internet advertisers.

For marketers and publishers of the social Web, design matters. Creative matters. Ideas matter. It is true that properly utilized data can drive better decision making, but it is also true that all the data in the world doesn't create innovation without interpretation, and data doesn't always lead to great design (especially when the data is about the wrong thing - clicks, anyone?).

A favorite ritual sparked this week's musing. Over the weekend, I joined my friend in San Diego to celebrate his new wedded bliss. This guy has always been like a little brother to me, so it was with particular anticipation of cuteness that I took in his father's toast. On Saturday, as my friend's dad raised his flute, he said, "I am so proud of my son, who I'll have you know is one of the top SEOs in the world." The lauded sprout muttered audibly, "Dad, no one here even knows what that is."

What happens to the business of digital media when emphasis shifts from targeting content to targeting audiences via scientific aggregation and optimization? The short answer is: it's complicated. To drive some clarity around this question, I moderated the "The New Science of Advertising" panel at the recent OMMA Global Hollywood conference. To understand the dynamics, we must first break down the major players...

When I first heard about the TV Everywhere concept being promoted by Time Warner's Jeff Bewkes, I was skeptical.I've spent some time over the past few weeks pondering the viability of TV Everywhere. After much thought, I have replaced my skepticism for its prospects with guarded optimism. Here is why....

Just about everyone agrees that the next stage of the Web is a transition towards a customizable, distributed Web that no longer relies on mass audience destinations as much as it will rely on technology to tailor the remote experience to the individual user. But is it possible that this next stage will also transition from a two-dimensional experience of flat Web pages to a three-dimensional experience more akin to virtual worlds?

The role of marketing has come a long way from the days of "Mad Men." Marketing has always been the subject of the classic "art vs. science" debate. While recent advances have given the idea of marketing as a science legs, marketing still is, and always will be, a bit of both art and science, because in the end it's about communicating with people. As technology increases the number of ways companies can communicate with people, the practice of marketing continues to grow in importance, along with the role of the CMO.

Given the turbulent times in progress, I find myself focusing again on what it takes to make a conference as valuable as can be. I have discussed programming before. It's a passion and pursuit of mine. But, when I really think about assuring the value exchange, I realize it comes down to a few key things. This is true as consumer, participant and periodic cast member. There are three general movements I have seen in conferences I frequent, that I immensely respect: