We all know that the holiday season is the most important time of year for online merchants. And this recessionary year will be especially competitive as more merchants duke it out for every prospective shopper. With close to 46% of total sales influenced by online media and marketing, according to Forrester Research, having a smart online marketing strategy is critical for survival and success. Search engine marketing continues as the most effective way to connect with customers, with over 57% of customers starting with a search engine to start looking for a product they desire, according to Power Reviews' 2010 …

If you work around the media industry, you certainly hear the term ARPU a lot. ARPU stands for Average Revenue Per User. Media businesses are always talking about how they are going to increase that number every year. As companies create more and more digital media, entertainment and communication services for mainstream Americans, from gaming to movie streaming to smart phone apps, these developers and their digital distributors have visions of even more ARPU. More stuff; more user fees; more ARPU. However, as WPP's Group M chief Irwin Gotlieb warned attendees today at the OnScreen Media Summit, "There's no more …

It was an early morning last week, and my 17-month-old son was sitting next to me in bed as I reviewed my email and got ready for the day. Since it was a Wednesday, I knew that somewhere in my inbox would be my Online Spin, since I write the Wednesday edition. As I scrolled through the clutter that is my inbox, I looked away while the Spin loaded. Much to my personal joy, my son pointed at the image of me smiling in the preview panel and said "Dadda," then pointed at me and said "Dadda" again with a …

It seems like only yesterday Google was constantly reminding everyone who would listen that Google was NOT a media company. My guess is that Google wouldn't be so adamant now, given the release of GoogleTV. But even GoogleTV doesn't automatically bucket Google with media companies, at least not as people have known media companies to date.

Any story that involves disguises -- wigs, dyed hair, knit caps -- will capture my attention, every time. But, add journalistic themes and digital, and I am riveted. I spent most of last week and the weekend entranced by the story of Wikileaks.org founder Julian Assange, who is somewhat on the run for his establishment of this massive, digitally supported whistle-blowing operation.

Direct mail has become so deceptive -- and increasingly ignored by prospects -- that some marketers are taking the opposite tack: blatantly labeling their mail as "Advertisement."

The Web is learning privacy lessons the hard way: making mistakes, taking heat from the press, regulators and the public, and then retroactively fixing those mistakes. Today, both the mobile and TV industries are just starting to embark on targeted advertising. Both could learn some valuable privacy lessons from the Web industry's experiences. Here are my top 10:

Do you ever get the feeling that you're swimming in the deep end? Are there days when you just can't get moving because there's so much to do that you don't know where to start? Don't worry, you're not alone; this feeling is something most people experience on a fairly regular basis.

I have spent the last two days in the world of cable television at the CTAM Summit in New Orleans. And even though I was asked to lead two discussions, I have to admit I am lost. As an "Internet guy," I am very used to standards and iteration being the oxygen that keeps businesses alive. On the Web, businesses that do not innovate quickly die, regardless of their size. Constant improvements of user interfaces are the norm, not the exception.

Marketers, especially those digitally inclined, have tended to view the local small-business person as a bit of a caricature -- that is, someone with presumably limited resources and planning savvy, trying his or her damnedist to get up to speed on how to peddle wares and services in today's marketplace. But those of you paying attention noticed that these folks -- at least those committed to taking hold of their destiny -- were some of the earliest adopters of perhaps our most effective direct-response digital media: search. All you had to do, even five years ago, was attend search conferences …