Did you really think it was? Did you really think the government could access none of it, that the miracle of an effectively free Internet was just a gift from the universe? Did you really think the companies that make their money by selling our body parts -- eyeballs, mostly -- could never be compelled, as telecommunications companies and banks can be compelled, to hand over that data to the government?

Over the past 10 days, I attended two of the most important conferences on the application of data to the world of advertising and marketing.

Did you know nerds drive the economics of the Web? Being a nerd is not a bad thing. Nerds come in all shapes and sizes. I'm a nerd -- and chances are that if you're reading this article, you may be a nerd too (at least as much as I am). Nerds love to post content on inconsequential topics and these topics are the central driving force of the Web (see Facebook's news feed for proof). These are the driving force of what some people call Nerdonomics.

Apparently, I'm lacking a degree in social media. Over the past week, the University of Florida has been targeting me on Facebook as part of a lead-generation campaign to drive enrollment for its journalism and communications school's Master's in Social Media. The copy reads, "UF is now offering the first of its kind Master's in Social Media - 100% Online." I didn't believe it was real, at first. But I clicked through and, sure enough, it was. If people will buy it, why not sell it?

For the past few months, I've been raising a Series A round of financing for my startup. While I've raised smaller amounts of money for my company, nothing compares to the Series A. This round, usually $3 million to $5 million, can make or break a startup. Get it done and you have the resources you need to staff up, increase sales, and build a great product. Fail and you may not be around in a year. Sadly, most people fail at this task. The problem is that only 86 VCs made investments last year, but there are thousands of …

It's a lucky thing that websites are not babies. Either that, or it's a lucky thing I'm not a mother. By the time my websites are born, I hate them.

When it comes to embracing startups, New York City is more like Gotham City overrun by a schizophrenic Joker. On the one hand, the city of New York, led by a mayor with a proven track record of entrepreneurial success, pushes the startup agenda with a bold agenda of building on its #2 status in the U.S. and possibly overtaking Silicon Valley as the hot bed of startup success.However as the one hand giveth, the other taketh away, with a judge ruling two weeks ago that airbnb violates NYC's "hotel law." This ruling is the third in quick succession, joining …

Last week I was having a meeting at a coffee shop in Palo Alto and I finally witnessed my first Google Glass "in the wild." I've watched the videos and seen all the footage hyping this new entrant into the early adopter tech world, but I had yet to see one walking around in real life. While I think the concept of wearable computing is unavoidable and in many cases very cool, I just don't see myself liking the idea of Google Glass -- at least not in its current iteration.

Look at the mess within Terry Kawaja's LUMAscapes. What makes a few of those companies mores successful and stick out? What makes star professionals stand out from the masses? Of course, differentiation and uniqueness are key. But when you look at those who are winning versus those who aren't, the key factor often is specificity. Ambiguity is the enemy.

Advertising remains a growth business, with annual global ad spend nearing half a trillion dollars. Digital advertising is growing even faster, thanks its ability to target consumers. Still, there are many situations when advertising can be pointless -- and sometimes even harmful -- for a brand. Here are some examples: