In my last column, I shared some proof points to demonstrate the positive impact of native advertising. These were met with not only skepticism and doubt but downright anger. Most of the dissension was centered around the issue of deception.

Social storytelling has been a buzzword in the digital landscape for some time now. The rise of social has enabled publishers and brands to deliver authentic stories at the speed that social necessitates. But why "tell" stories when, through collaboration, we can actually enable users to participate in real, engaging content that puts them smack in the middle of the story itself?

No one will confuse me with Brian Wieser or Peter Stabler, but I can pick successful digital media companies because I live in this space and understand how ads get sold day-to-day and quarter-to-quarter. The company I totally swung and missed on, however, was Facebook.

One of the hottest debates in media today is centered on native advertising. As an advertising professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, I sit in the middle of that debate. With advertising and public relations professors on one side and journalists on the other, it's clear that everyone has their version of the facts. In an effort to rise above the American political discourse, I'll put forth the top five reasons why native advertising is the best thing to happen to the media industry now and for the future.