The current video marketplace is congested with every kind of intermediary, from DSPs, ad exchanges and video ad networks, to video ad servers and ad creation firms. Many video advertisers still view the digital world as the "wild, wild West" of advertising, unsure of what they are getting for their investment. Now is the time to expand your video comfort zone. Ask these four questions of your video provider to get the most for your spend:

Last week, YouTube announced a new, nifty analytics feature that captures how many minutes your audience watched of your content. For example, in the past 30 days, one company's viewers watched 15 million minutes of content; that's 29 years of content! But who's counting? (Apparently, YouTube). Going all the way back to 2007, those viewers have watched 400 million minutes -- or a whopping 760-plus years worth. It's incredible, but more importantly, it's scary. Let me explain.

Today's content publishers may know it takes more than building a player into their sites to get the audiences and revenue they need from online video - but they may be unclear about how, exactly, to do so. Here are some tips on turning online video from a cost center into a profitable new publishing venture.

Adapting to the evolution of the media industry often requires new vocabulary, and online video is no exception. While agencies and brand execs are often spared the intricate technical talk of wrappers, tags and HTML code, there is still a set of words that comes up in every sales pitch. Unfortunately, most of these words are either vague marketing language, or have been used so often they've lost all meaning. While it's important for the entire industry to be fluent in the language of online video, all of us can do without hearing certain terms again. The following words should …

Dramatic growth in "Big Data" is driving a revolutionary advance in buying and selling advertising media that has several names: RTB (Real Time Bidding/Buying), Media Exchanges, Ad Exchanges, Media Trading. I spoke with Keith Eadie of leading T/V DSP (demand-side platform) TubeMogul and explored some of the opportunities presented by this rapid shift in the way T/V is purchased. Here's what I've learned from him and others, supporting why I believe this development will influence the birth of a new business model for T/V:

Last week at MediaPost's Omma Global conference, I moderated a panel asking if supply targeting was video's Achilles heel. Joining me were Eric Franchi of Undertone, Ignited's LJ Kobe, CBS Interactive's Ken Lagana, Media Contacts' Jacquelyn Gerhardt and Adap.tv's Amir Ashkenazi. We touched on a wide range of topics. Here's a recap.

In a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, Anthony Zuiker said that he chose to release "Cybergeddon" digitally because he believes the format represents the future of storytelling. It remains unclarified in the article, but I assume he is referring to the two-way and immersive cross-platform capabilities of digital, and not the "screen." Regardless, I like the way that Yahoo is distributing "Cybergeddon." It's a subtle evolution that better positions "Cybergeddon" for success than some other recent digitally released series, such as "Aim High" or" H+". Put simply, it's a better marketing plan, for two primary reasons:

Most sellers and their respective companies seem to be in stark denial of one of digital video advertising's current unfortunate truth. Today's video buys come from one of three buckets -- premium publishers, networks and exchanges -- but sellers are historically cautious when it comes to defining which bucket they fall in. The sooner the seller side of the business recognizes and embraces their respective bucket, the sooner they will make more meaningful progress within the market.

Companies are valued as a function of revenues and earnings, but the price they ultimately command is a function of demand and supply. Over the past few years, online video companies have practically lived in an episode of "Saturday Night Live", on the one hand facing "lowered expectations" -- but on the other hand realizing that, like Stuart Smalley, We're Good Enough, We're Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Us.