While mentoring can be formalized and institutionalized, mentoring also is an act that can happen informally, spontaneously and independent of an institution. You're lucky if you can benefit from a formal mentoring program, yet modern work and personal lives tend to be more transient, diverse and fluid. That complexity poses a huge challenge to mentoring, so ambitious people seeking mentorship opportunities must take matters into their own hands. They must embark on disciplined and self-directed mentoring paths that transcend time and change.

Most of the news out of NCTA's The Cable Show in Los Angeles this week has focused on topics like broadband regulation, TV Everywhere, the Comcast/NBC Universal merger and the future of Hulu. However, the biggest story for those in digital marketing -- though only reported by Multichannel News as of this morning -- happened when Federal Trade Commission chairman Jon Leibowitz told operators and networks attending the cable industry's most important annual event that the FTC was not interested in regulating behavioral targeting as long as the industry is making progress toward self-regulation.

I was doing a conference call Sunday on a sunny, warm, happy afternoon in San Francisco from beautiful Land's End, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. As I stood there, I realized what my business partner (John Durham) says all the time: our worlds are always connected. Of course that constant connection can be a burden and make it even harder to get things done, as well! In an effort to help spread some sanity, I thought I'd share some of the tools and tricks that I've recently learned to help get through the day.

As marketers continue to search for the best path to engage with consumers in social media, there will be wrong turns taken. Various tactics will be tested to achieve any number of metrics. What marketers need to remember is that their tactics matter as much, if not more, than the metrics. Because even the right metrics can be bastardized if the tactics used to achieve them are wrong.

"How much better would we all be if we read for information, not simply validation?" This thought caught my attention recently, spouted randomly by a friend. There are nuances to it -- as we all have subtly different standards for what counts as information or validation -- but it rings true in this era of constant cross-media and cross-platform consumption. Honestly, what percentage of our collective activity is about gathering fresh information or perspective -- and how much is about finding confirmation of what we already believe?

Marketers have long known the power of narratives, and have been backing up the idea with hard science. And long before mass marketers existed, cavemen relied on narratives to share and pass along to generations critical information for survival. Which begs the question: If storytelling is so fundamental to humanity's performance, then why isn't the art, science and practical application of storytelling stressed more in child-rearing, education and work?

A lot of folks in the media business are feeling pretty good right now -- from TV ad sellers and buyers to social media companies. We've seen this movie before, and it didn't end well for many. Over the past 15 years, there's been a few booms and busts in both the digital and legacy media sectors. I personally believe that 2010 and 2011 are not going to be a repeat of 1999 and 2000, or even 2007, but it's quite likely that some companies and executives will let market momentum go to their heads and make some dumb moves. …

Remember the good old days of TV, when the world was dominated by three big networks: CBS, NBC and ABC? Remember what it was like when you could spend the majority of your ad budget with just three power players, who could provide you with as much as 75% of your target audience? Well, get ready to revisit those days, because we might just be getting ready to see them again. This time the world of media is quickly becoming dominated by three "primarily" digital players: Google, Apple and Facebook.

Having raised millions in venture capital and worked with major brand advertisers to deliver millions in digital media, I have noticed that the two worlds both intersect and parallel each other more than one might think. And going forward I think there is a lot more the two worlds can learn from each other, even just by avoiding the other's mistakes.

When "casual Fridays" were becoming a popular concept, I was starting my career at Sunset magazine in the Bay Area, where editorial, creative, production, ad sales, custom publishing, gardening and cooking folk all rubbed elbows under one roof. Our first trip down the path of casual Fridays went awry. But our brilliant publisher was a diplomat who hosted a fashion show during lunch one Friday, showcasing dos and don'ts. It became very clear what not to wear. If only the fashion show could extend to guidance on all the other stuff we "wear" to business settings of all kinds...