What do the Web sites of Facebook, Yahoo, ESPN, The New York Times, YouTube and CNET have in common? Aside from instant brand recognition, they are among the top 10 sites in advertiser "conviction." What does that mean? Essentially it means that more advertisers expect to run display advertising with this elite group than with any other site in the U.S.

"It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead." Those are the infamous words of wisdom uttered by Miracle Max (played by Billy Crystal) from the movie "The Princess Bride," after Max finished examining a seemingly lifeless hero named Westley. Aside from my fascination with classic movies and TV from the '80s, there is a point to this retro flashback. There has been much written about the demise of the display ad. If you look at the numerous columns and blogs written on this subject over the …

When I was a kid I was scared of bees; today I am scared of buyers. More precisely, I am scared that I may not really understand the motivations of the buyer. When you sell to someone without understanding what drives them, you are going to get stung.

I have been putting off buying new eyeglasses for years now. I wear them in the office, never outside of it. I am vain that way, which makes it impossible to read menus. So I always order the special or the salmon -- and I am so sick of salmon. So today, a very sunny and very cold Saturday here in New York City, I decided to venture outside and buy new eyeglasses I would wear all the time.