I’ve been meaning to link to this New York magazine article since it came out a few months ago. It’s a long read, but it’s very worthwhile. It’s fundamentally about the notions of freedom and privacy online, but I think it also says a lot about why MySpace and YouTube are as popular as they are and where digital media is headed in the years ahead.

Takeaway for marketers: The digital generation wants you to be as transparent to them as they are to the world.

Erik Hauser nails it over on ChiefMarketer.com.

Takeaway for marketers: Language matters.

TVDays calls itself “the official video network for baby boomers.” It’s worth adding to your bookmarks list.

They have all kinds of DVDs for sale, of course. Pro wrestling. Entertainment specials. News reports. Ahhh, but the commercials: That’s what you really want, isn’t it?

There are plenty of DVDs of commercials for sale, but there’s also a lot of material you can view right now for free, from the White Knight of Ajax to Excedrin headache #1040 (featuring Match Game icon Charles Nelson Reilly getting audited) to weird food animation to Frank Sinatra hawking Chesterfields and dozens more.

On a gloomy, rainy Sunday like this (at least it’s gloomy and rainy where I am), clicking around TVDays is a fun way to spend some time.

Takeaway for marketers: Anyone who works in marketing today should take a bit of time to see how it was done yesterday. It may help in figuring out how to do it tomorrow.

This story should be yet another wakeup call to every music label executive out there, assuming they don’t already have ultra-caffeinated bug eyes from recurring nightmares in which they’re assaulted by legions of Arctic Monkeys.

Takeaway for marketers: It’s not just the means of advertising (blogs, word of mouth, message boards, etc.) that have changed. The means of production have changed, too. The future is here. Deal with it.

This article from iMedia Connection is worthwhile reading for anyone working on a site redesign, landing pages or general search engine optimization. Or any other kind of online marketing, for that matter.

Indeed, it’s worth reading if only to soak in the literal bottom line: “It may be worth the risk of losing a bit of rank in the name of a better user experience.”

Imagine if all Web marketers and content creators and site managers signed on to that concept: The heck with trying to be number one on page one of Google, let’s try to be number one on the minds of our customers.

You say you want a revolution? Start there.

Takeaway for marketers: It’s not about what you want to do with your site or what you want your customers to do with your site. It’s about what your customers want to do with your site.