Or at least the social media breakfast capital of the world? It felt like it Friday, as a mob of people began gathering bright and early for the 16th consecutive monthly meeting of an organization called Social Media Breakfast-Twin Cities, a gathering of those who use social networking tools in their business or careers.

A couple of fascinating essays have raised questions in my mind about the future influence of YouTube.

While his Fortune 100 peers earn low marks for a "miserable level of engagement" in social networks and a "dismal number of friends" on Facebook, Dunn is known to tweet, and has lots of friends.

Here's the scoop from the campaign's design director, Scott Thomas himself, on how the Obama forces changed the political world by gathering, motivating and deploying an army of volunteers through the extensive use of online sites and social media.

Intelligently applied, it can be a great way for marketers to get the word out about a product or an event. But before you jump blindly on the Twitter bandwagon, here's a cautionary note on its limits and drawbacks documented in a recent study at Harvard Business School.

Mick Spence, a local entertainment and copyright attorney, took in every second of the trial of a Brainerd woman who downloaded and shared songs on Kazaa. Spence assesses the jury's decision to award the music industry $1.92 million in damages.

Robert Lang, CEO of the Mannweiller Foundation, discussed the L³C concept at the New Economic Models for News conference at the University of Minnesota.

Arthur Gonzalez will face a tough economy and hefty budget cuts when he takes over in July. But the new administrator is used to tough times, weathering political fallout over his tenure in California. The HCMC board says all the turmoil prompted extra vetting that reassured leaders they were making the right decision. Gonzalez, one board member said, has "impeccable credentials."

Related: Hennepin County's McLaughlin wary on cutting federal health funds for underinsured by Cynthia Dizikes

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Somewhere, the late William C. Norris is thumbing his nose at Wall Street and saying "I told you so."

Such engagement techniques are proving successful for business enterprises ranging from Mom-and-Pop operations to Fortune 100 companies. The bottom line: Make it easy for people to interact with you and they'll tell you what they want.

There's another social media service you may not have heard of that threatens to eat its own chunk of the old-media pie: Yelp.

Business ethicist Norman Bowie answers questions about the ethics of laying off people to make more money.

At a time when pink slips are sending workers packing from many Minnesota industries, those who are going green are creating jobs at promising rates, according to a groundbreaking new study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Wells Fargo found itself in unflattering company when the Treasury Department cleared 10 major banks — but not Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo — to repay TARP funds awarded in the fall. But observers say that probably does not signal anything significant about Wells' financial condition.

I am thrilled and honored to report that the McKnight Foundation has awarded MinnPost a grant of $60,000 a year for two years for general operating support.

Six weeks ago the Department of Public Safety sent letters asking 11 IPSs to block some 200 Internet gaming sites. In the face of a lawsuit and public pressure, officials have withdrawn the request.

There's no shortage of questions about what makes solid health news — and how to interpret it. So beginning today, long-time health writer Susan Perry will help MinnPost readers make their way through the thicket of health happenings, trends, studies and research in a new blog called "Second Opinion."

The last time the Minnesota House Ethics Committee considered a complaint against a lawmaker, the year was 2003 and Twitter.com did not even exist. But last week's complaint is just one of several instances in recent months where pols, pundits, celebrities and job applicants nationwide have gotten into trouble with tweets about their thoughts and activities.

A tentative settlement between the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and CMI, Inc. is the next chapter in a long legal fight.