With 300 million people on Facebook, 8 million daily visitors on Twitter, and 40 million members on LinkedIn, social media is now the #1 online activity in the world (over porn). Just imagine the number of conversations taking place at any given time as people keep in touch with friends and family, share information, and express themselves.

But social media is no longer just about making conversation; it has become an important channel for customers to communicate with companies. According to a recent  USA Today article, 58% of survey respondents said if they tweeted about a bad experience, “they would like the company to respond to their comment.” Frankly, it surprises me that *only* 58% of Twitterers expect to be heard when they have a complaint.

The fact is, many of you are reaching out to Boingo via social media sites, and our goal is to respond to all of you. Here are some examples of how we’ve got our ear to the social media ground:

• A customer at the airport had trouble connecting to Boingo on his smartphone and tweeted about it. We responded and determined (yes, in 140 characters) that the user needed to update his Boingo Mobile software.
• A Facebook fan left a post on our  Facebook wall, requesting a Boingo receipt for her expense report. We sent her a personal message with instructions on how to access her account online.
• A Boingo LinkedIn Member had a question about which Android phone he should purchase. We exchanged emails with him to determine the types of phone features he preferred and then provided a recommendation.

The Boingo team is immediately ready for you to reach out to us using your preferred communication channel — whether it’s phone, email, chat, Twitter, Facebook, or another network you want to tell us about. We understand that there’s a social media revolution going on, and we’re glad to be a part of it.

Introducing  Dr. Enoch Choi, a Family Medicine partner in urgent care at Palo Alto Medical Foundation. In his spare time, Enoch is a prolific blogger, a clinical instructor at Stanford University School of Medicine, a volunteer at the Community Pregnancy Center of Mountain View, a member on various boards including the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church Medical Missions, an advisor for venture firms, a doting father, a dedicated husband, and a fantastic  karaoke singer. This is far from an exhaustive list of all the things that make up Dr. Enoch Choi. That’s why “Renaissance Man” is an apt description for him.

Recently, Dr. Choi spoke  about the H1N1 virus (“swine flu”),  emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated. Even if you rarely get sick and don’t usually get the flu shot, he says, this year is the time to do it. People who are  most vulnerable to H1N1? Pregnant women, those with already compromised immune systems, young children,  and travelers.

That’s right, you globetrotters! Even if you’re as  healthy as a horse, get vaccinated because on the road, you’re exposed to a considerable amount of germs, including H1N1. To listen to Dr. Choi’s entire chat, please click here.

Meanwhile, we delved into one of Enoch’s many pastimes: traveling. Here are a few of his travel tips:

1. Is there a gadget you can’t live without?

The iPhone.

2. When you travel, what is the one item you always take with you?
I always pack a corkscrew.

3. What is your favorite city in the world and why?
Singapore because it’s multicultural, clean, affordable, accessible, and a gateway to Southeast Asia.

4. What is your favorite dining spot in the world?
The hawker stalls in Singapore.

5. What book is on your nightstand?
Testosterone for Life by Abraham Morgentaler.  

6. What’s the most surprising/unexpected place you’ve ever visited?
Poyang hu, in the Jiang Su Province of China.

7. Can you offer an insider tip or recommendation for your favorite vacation place?
Get unlimited data / wi-fi access for wherever you’re going. I confess: I’m a big Boingo Wi-Fi fan.

Thanks, Dr.  Renaissance Man! Keep saving the world!

Have you ever used your phone and/or laptop while, ahem, using the restroom?   If you’re worried that chatting, texting, emailing, and surfing while on the can is socially unacceptable, then worry no more!

According to a recent Intel study on technology etiquette, 75% of U.S. survey responders feel “it is perfectly appropriate to use Internet-enabled devices, including laptops, netbooks and cell phones, in the bathroom.”  (Never mind the germs!)

But you’re not quite off the hook when it comes to mobile usage in public situations: 69% of respondents feel that “checking e-mails, sending text messages and making phone calls while in the company of others, are unacceptable.”

To be frank, I employ a mixed approach to mobile etiquette. I text and surf the Internet on my smartphone while in the company of friends, family, and colleagues. But I rarely answer phone calls while in the company of anyone (unless it’s an emergency), and I turn off my phone entirely when in a business meeting. However, I find it irritating to be in the company of people, including my friends, who constantly text, surf, and talk on their phones.

Clearly, we are in need of some hard, fast rules, and Anna Post — author and etiquette expert for the Emily Post Institute — agrees: “As technology continues to become more prevalent and play an integral role in our everyday lives, it becomes more challenging to discern appropriate behavior from potentially offensive behavior.”

Guide us, please, Ms. Post!

In the meantime, let’s make up our own rules. Which mobile usage scenarios are acceptable/unacceptable, normal/weird for you? Surfing the Internet on a date? Talking in the elevator? Texting in church?

Read about Intel’s survey here.