The Brand Called Obama

Ellen McGirt — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:37:29 -0400

Win or lose, Barack Obama's rise changes business as usual for everyone. Here's why.

¡Hola Surfers!

Ellen McGirt — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:35:09 -0500

Comment on Node ant

Ellen McGirt — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:45:13 -0500

Ron Paul? Really? I've got to believe it's Barack Obama in the political sphere. He's getting people to follow his vision and inspiring them to believe in something outside themselves, and has the crowds and delegates to prove it. It's a component of leadership that I think the electorate has been craving. Don't get me wrong, I think Ron Paul has certainly stirred the pot...

The Dirtiest Mind in Business

Ellen McGirt — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:05:00 -0500

Innovation Wednesday: Filming Dirty Jobs, A Behind the Scenes Look

Ellen McGirt — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:24:24 -0500

Innovation Wednesday: Oil Hits $100 A Barrel. Now What?

Ellen McGirt — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:42:15 -0500

Will Facebook Ever Make Money?

Ellen McGirt — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:08:30 -0500

Last month, I spent about an hour with Chamath Palihapitaya, Mark Zuckerberg's latest hire and something of a guru of targeted ads. Though we spoke before the Microsoft deal was finalized, his comments offer some insight into Facebook's plans and how online advertising is evolving. By the way, you don't want to play poker with him. Word on the street is that he's lethal.

Here are some of his comments:

Facebook's audience is in fact much more monetizable, because they're much more engaged and their experience is productized in a natural way.

Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg Are Now Friends!

Ellen McGirt — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:08:29 -0500

After much wrangling, hand-wringing, and second-guessing, Facebook and Microsoft announced an expansion of their strategic advertising alliance yesterday: Microsoft will pay $240 million for 1.6 percent of the social-networking site.

Business Left Undone

Ellen McGirt — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:24:26 -0500

"I don't like that standing water out there." Dr. William McGuire, the former CEO of UnitedHealth Group, is peering into the summer heat from the new Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, which he helped pay for. He is staring at a puddle on the lawn of the adjacent park. Which he also helped pay for. He punches buttons on his cell phone. "Luther?" McGuire outlines the puddle problem, then listens. Covering the mouthpiece, he points across a sidewalk to a sad strip of parched yellow grass. "The city owns that grass," McGuire says with a sly smile.

Fast-Food Medicine

Ellen McGirt — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:23:38 -0500