Business is funny. We want to say what we mean, but it is contingent on the relationship we have with the person we're talking to. As trust develops, conversation becomes more candid. Ultimately, this is the most efficient way to get things accomplished.

I keep hearing folks in the online media world, with an ominous sense of fear, say that things feel like "it's 1999 again." As for me, I see stark differences. The growth is driven by blue-chip advertisers, not an irrational IPO market. There is, however, one way in which it does feel very pre-crash these days. Attending an industry conference this week, I was assaulted by jargon: talk of "leveraging platforms," "vertical integration" and "interface management."

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." With respect to the larger purpose of the prayer above, I will apply its meaning to online advertising, with a twist: Here are the things I would change about online advertising tomorrow, with the understanding that I lack the wisdom to accept that these may be immovable obstacles.

The power of the Web is strong--especially when combined with other media. That's what the Online Publishers Association found in an extensive analysis of the Middletown Media Studies, the observational study conducted by Ball State University Center For Media Design. OPA President Pam Horan discussed the group's research, dubbed "A Day In The Life," with Online Publishing Insider.

Sitting with a client over breakfast recently, I asked, "Why does a user come to your site?" He started his answer with the words "In theory"--and that was the last thing I heard.

Do you recall the days in sales when salesmen (as they were referred to then), would leave a pen on the desk of their clients as a reminder they were there? Metaphorically, the pen would mark the salesman's territory. What do you leave behind after you meet with a client? What is your modern day "pen"?

When I was asked to write for MediaPost, I was given only one instruction: "don't make the column too self-serving." Which immediately confused me. Why wouldn't MediaPost readers want me to use the column to peddle my goods and services?

As media sellers, we try to make buyers feel like our best friends, and buyers try to make sellers feel like their partners.

With the endless stream of announcements of publisher investments in social media, video production, gaming, and other content sources, it's almost impossible to determine where one publisher ends and another begins. Why are publishers competing on sheer tonnage, instead of focusing on quality and singularity?

I have been looking for my father ever since he took his last breath on Dec. 5, 2003. Some days I look harder for him than others, and some days I am not nearly as conscious of my search. This was the case two Sundays ago, when I sat glued to a couch and a television to watch the final round of the British Open won by Tiger Woods....