Inside Forbes: The Thorny Truths of the Modern Day News Business

I did a 20-minute talk at Google's massive New York City headquarters last week for a bunch of UX aficionados. They're the gnomes who fixate on user experience, or what goes where on a Web page, especially those boxy display ads that everyone disses but remain a $10 billion plus business. The presenter before me did John Madden proud with the X's and O's of the craft. Then I got up on stage. "That's all very nice," I said, "but let's talk reality." My point: making money in this industry goes well beyond arranging banners on screens. In that spirit, here's what's occupying my time -- and anyone trying to find their way in this business.