Life really does come full circle sometimes. It’s interesting that I spent my formative years observing my parents as professional educators – and now I find myself in the same place. Some people have told me I was destined to be an educator. I don't know if that's true. But even though everything in my extremely busy life indicates I don’t have the luxury of surplus time right now, I felt the need to jump at an opportunity that recently came my way.

Ah, yes – the freedom of being a freelancer. The carefree life of the consultant. The pain-in-the-ass clients who pay late. With the exception of ravenous otters gnawing on your extremities during a dip in the ol’ swimming hole, nothing sucks more than waiting for an invoice to finally be paid. Sure, patience is a virtue. And politely standing by without making waves will maintain a good client relationship.

Just like your mom when you came home with that first tattoo – I was shocked when I saw the blog post from Cathryn Sloane entitled "Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25" Shock is the only possible reaction to this story, which advocates that social-media professionals over the age of 25 can’t possibly have a clear understanding of the medium.

Think back to your first real job. Remember that one old-timer who had all the great stories? I don’t mean the bitter guy who wore a tie with his dandruff-covered short-sleeved shirt, and referred to upper management as “The Gestapo.” I mean the funny dude who seemed to know his shit, but also had a million great stories about the industry. He knew every client, went to all the trade shows – and talked about flying on airlines like Eastern and Pan Am. Back when they served real meals. In coach.

If you're a digital integrated marketing professional who isn't thinking 50 percent mobile deployment, then you are already behind the curve. Anything less and you’re acting like that last printer in town who refuses to utilize InDesign because he’s absolutely certain Quark will finally version out a better product. I get it. There are only so many hours in the day. And thinking about or learning about ONE more thing means taking time away from the “important things.”

WARNING! - If you don't live in the haus of marketing I'd respectfully advise you skip this post because it will bore you to tears. Ahhhh, guilt free. Remember that thing you keep talking about in meetings but you never do? No – I’m not talking about doing more cardio. Although that’s not a bad idea.

So you intend to hire a social media professional. You come to the point in your marketing where you understand that you have too many social channels, too much conversation occurring and too many metrics to follow to make any sense of it. Consider this a measurement of your marketing growth. Five years ago, to staff for this position seemed ludicrous and something that you would just train for internally. Now we see that this isn't simply a necessity within your business, but an opportunity to serve your customers in a much better and engaging way.

Don't go at it alone Integrated marketing requires more than one channel. That's where the "integration" comes from – duh. Look at your advertising campaigns like a theatrical performance; everyone plays a part to tell a much larger story.

Something immediately pops into your mind when you hear the term “social media. But your definition might differ from that of your boss, or your neighbor, or Seth Godin. The fact is that social media is far more nuanced than most people realize. This topic is near and dear to my heart, and I’ve been preaching about it for the last year – "social business."

I get a lot of questions frequently that seem to pile up. In the "social" aspects of what I do professionally it seems that there are no concrete answers. Everyone answer is vague and tirelessly noncommittal. Instead of trying to chip away at each one, I took a big stab at aggregating as many as I could think of and putting a bow on em'. I know the deck seems needlessly massive but I think there's some great takeaways in there no matter what level you're at.

I know, I know, I know – I'm making your brain hurt. But not only is there a lot of stuff coming online in 2012, I also anticipate a big push into a lot of new technologies and behaviors. So without further ado, here's my final list of what to look for in the new year:

Hi. My name is Justice, and I'm FOMO. This means I have a "fear of missing out." This affliction causes me to be “cool hunting” at all times as I try to stay on top of what's breaking in creativity. Think of it like petting the cat in “Dune” to get the serum that will maintain my life. Stupid. Dear Lord, did I really just type that?

The Future is Now! (I’m not saying it’s a great headline – but I needed to have something there or it makes me a little nuts ;) Anyone who ever sat down over a cup of coffee or bottle of wine with me knows I can wax philosophical over design and technology trends until your ears bleed. I LIVE for this shit, people! I’ve been grinding on a number of different items lately, and it’s time to put it all out there. I based some of these on my own gut feelings. I cited and referenced others, then supplemented with my own take on how "it" will affect us. What you read here is my own interpretation. I’m not engaging in product placement or service promotion, and my current employers influence none of this.

"Pulling a qwikster" – the act of a company returning to its previous way of doing something after making an ill-conceived decision and being slapped by innumerable denizens of the social media community. The decisions are usually an attempt to create more revenue without doing any real work. Even worse, these decisions sometimes kill beloved products or services that the company does not consider cost-effective.

Thoughts on the new creative elite and what to look for when shopping for your next family member.

Billions of years ago, when the earth was cooling and a few tiny amoebae started their sexy little single-cell dance in a pool of water, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Jesse Schell talked about the future beyond Facebook games. Well, at least two years in Web time seems that long on the evolutionary timeline. Professor Schell is the creative mastermind behind Schell Games, and the guy is an absolute monster when he shares his thoughts on the future of gaming.