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Learning from social media failure at Qantas and beyond

Nov 23, 2011 |

My latest post for Harvard Business tackles the lessons other companies can learn from the latest social media disaster, this time brought to you by Qantas Airways: [A]irlines are far from the only businesses to face a newly redrawn balance-of-power between company...

5 ways to maximize computer use — and happiness

Nov 22, 2011 |

Q: How many computers does it take to enjoy a relaxing evening at home? A:  7.  Five to use simultaneously, a sixth to blog about how you're doing that, and a seventh to keep your spouse entertained while you do. Yeah, I know, it reads like a formulaic joke. But that...

Do ebooks help or hurt children’s literacy?

Nov 21, 2011 |

Print books may be under siege from the rise of e-books, but they have a tenacious hold on a particular group: children and toddlers. Their parents are insisting this next generation of readers spend their early years with old-fashioned books. This is the case even...

Trust, disclosure and social media

Nov 8, 2011 |

Two of the most frequent criticisms of social media hinge on the quality and quantity of information people disclosure through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social tools: Why does s/he think anyone cares? Asked about people who blog their latest meal, tweet their...

TedX Victoria: Stop apologizing for your online life

Nov 7, 2011 |

I'm delighted to be participating in TedX Victoria this November 19th.  I'll be speaking about the 10 Reasons to Stop Apologizing for Your Online Life, and look forward to helping TedX participants give up the notion of IRL ("In Real Life"), and learn to embrace RLT....

Bored by your boyfriend? Try having sex.

Nov 4, 2011 |

This is my best effort at scrupulous transcription of a conversation I was fortunate to overhear in the locker room today, between two young women I initially assumed were roommates. I wasn't sure whether the locker room was covered by a cone of silence, so I checked...

What you can learn from your tech defeats

Nov 1, 2011 |

When I was a small child my mother dropped me onto a hard, stone floor. Miraculously, I was uninjured.  As soon as I stopped crying, it seemed, I was as good as new. It would take years before the long-term repercussions of this fall became apparent: the tumble had...