Last week marked the 100th birthday of TV legend Lucille Ball. There's no question that she, Desi Arnaz, and "I Love Lucy"'s talented producers, writers, and technicians changed television's landscape for the better. We will always feel the residual waves of their combined genius -- from implementing the first filmed 3-camera sitcom setup (a technique still in use today) to their avoidance of current-event topics and most holidays (which made the show perfect for multigeneration syndication). And much to our delight, "I Love Lucy" episodes are starting to migrate from midday reruns on local TV channels, to online distribution in …

No one wants to see a double dip in the economy, but with the economic uncertainties that abound, there's a chance that we will hit some rough patches. As a video entrepreneur, I can't help but realize that even though online video remains the fastest-growing segment in the rapidly growing online advertising industry, there will be repercussions which we must all plan and account for. What will those be? Read on.

As the old saying goes, "People can't buy what they don't understand." This saying applies to the world of online video. Brands, agencies and marketers need to know what they're buying in order to understand the true value of their video ad purchases. Not a complicated proposition; however, it becomes more complex given the landscape we are doing business in. Here are five questions that buyers should ask before placing a video ad buy:

I spent my formative years in the '70s, when the media clock ran considerably slower than it does today. Summer recess was just that -- no school and no new TV. After night after night of cold leftovers (and requisite low ratings), no wonder we spent most evenings outdoors until darkness and parental ultimatums suspended our thrilling 42-inning wiffle ball matches. As an industry and as viewers, even three-plus decades later, we generally still look to the fall to start the TV programming, marketing and sweep process anew. Online video, on the other hand, knows no season, taking few …

What do marketers know about Web video? The industry is currently measured and ranked by its platforms and networks. Youube is viewed as the top media property. And companies like comScore and Nielsen are trying to measure the total viewing audiences across all platforms and devices. All of this information is helpful for agencies and advertisers trying to understand how to engage with Web video. But there is more to understand about this medium.

The rising popularity of Internet video in combination with the advent of the smartphone and tablet computer places an obscure segment of the Internet Service Provider industry at the threshold of major opportunities. Although Internet access is dominated by a duopoly of CATV and Telco operators, a promising third category is the Wireless ISP (WISP). Not to be confused with cellular carriers, WISPs offer Internet service to subscribers from fixed base stations to radio transceivers typically mounted on subscriber rooftops, as pictured. The first WISP was organized twenty years ago by a young computer consultant in Laramie, Wyoming after …

This past month, a couple of articles chronicled the diverging strategies and fates of the two traditional portals, AOL and Yahoo. If I were to summarize the main point of the articles, it would be that Yahoo is betting on original shows to bolster its programming, while AOL is re-evaluating matters, balancing between content boss Arianna Huffington's ambivalence towards video and video head Ran Harnevo's dislike of original content. I'm going easy; the article quoted an unnamed former AOL video executive saying "Ran hates original content, he thinks it's a waste of money."

While audience viewership, available content, ad inventory, and time spent are all surging, the online and mobile video industry continues to experience ownership consolidation. In thinking through video industry next steps, I am reminded of lessons learned from playing the board game Monopoly with friends and family long ago during the lazier days of summer.

Many of my agency colleagues, already knee-deep in planning for 2012, have asked for advice on how to think about online video. What's interesting is that these inquiries are coming from both the digital and broadcast realm, highlighting the sea change that is upon us: the online and offline worlds are truly converging. Video has become the nexus point for this merger, because in-stream video advertising is the primary focus of an audience's attention, much like TV, except with the targeting and interactive capabilities of rich-media display. The next logical step is to ask: How does one plan a video …

It's no wonder Web video has caught fire as the preferred means of Web marketing communication among those who understand how information is processed and what it takes to communicate effectively.However using the right tool is only effective if you are using it correctly, and using it correctly means more than a technical understanding of what buttons to push. Video marketing starts with concept that is implemented by means of an appropriate script and delivered with an entertaining performance. Much of what we see on the Web is either off-the-cuff winging it by do-it-yourselfers who think they know what they're …