When I worked in customer service for American Airlines I was asked during holiday time each year to help out in the lost  baggage department. This meant talking to a lot of angry people. Let me tell you, when Aunt Rita calls from Palm Springs because her carefully chosen and lovingly wrapped Christmas gifts are en route to Dallas, she can get pretty feisty. Saddled with the oh-so-satisfying position of being nothing more than a deliverer of grim tidings – there was nothing I could do from the call center but provide the status of the lost luggage...

If you’re of a certain age (if anybody asks, I’m 39.99), you may be having a hard time keeping up with all this Web 2.0 stuff. For our kids and younger colleagues, it’s not intimidating – it’s second nature. But for those of us who somehow managed to grow up without an iPod, cell phone or Facebook page, the prolific interactive media platforms out there may seem overwhelming. Figuring it all out is hard enough, but what if you make a mistake? It’ll be hanging around out there for everyone to see! Scary. Like it or not,...