ts own tablet computer, dubbed TouchPad, over the summer. "I happen to believe WebOS is a uniquely outstanding operating system and there's no reason to believe the only hardware that can run it is H-P," Apotheker said at The Wall Street Journal's "D9: All Things Digital" conference in southern California. H-P acquired WebOS when it rebooted its mobile device business by purchasing Palm Inc. last year. The company expects to use WebOS in a host of devices, including tablets, printers and computers. Apotheker hinted that WebOS might even have a broader use outside of business and consumer technology. "There are many people who make all kinds of devices, why wouldn't they want to use WebOS?" Apotheker said. "Appliance makers can use WebOS." The strategy potentially puts H-P into competition with a host of technology heavyweights, including Google Inc. (GOOG), which makes the Android mobile operating system, not have thought of or may have discounted as a waste of time. I get an awful lot of questions about what I see in Twitter or, in some cases, outright criticism for being some kind of lemming for engaging it. This is not for the haters, but for those who might be genuinely wondering how to use this tool in its simplest form. Rubin has coined the term ROR – Return on Relationship – and that is my point of focus here. The relationship, though, is not necessarily one that needs to be built over time. Let me give you a few examples. Last month I went to the Blue Water Grill in Union Square for an early dinner with a friend. I had ordered a chopped salad and it had the most delectable light dressing. All I knew was that it was made with some kind of white vinegar. A few days later, I tweeted this: Must confess since having a chopped salad at Saturday I've been obsessively trying to recreate the white balsamic dressing. The same day I received this reply from on Twitter: Thanks so much! Will see if I can assist with that. Then later, these consecutive tweets: Chef Matt Hughes will gladly share this one with you! 1 part white balsamic, 3 parts blended oil, shallots and salt How smart is this? I have since joyfully shopped for ingredients and taken a crack at preparing this dressing. My version is good, but you know darned well I will be going back to Blue Water Grill for that salad and will recommend it highly. This is the art of relationships. Why aren’t more restaurants taking advantage of this free opportunity provided by Twitter? Probably because they don’t know. Another example of terrific customer relations came from a tweet I wrote on the day my iPad2 was delivered to my home: Love the FedEx guy today -- iPad2 is in the house!! Shortly thereafter, I received this in reply: RT: Hello this is FedexDolores enjoy your new ipad 2! We thank you for shipping w/ Fedex. Have a great afternoon. This was so immediate and gracious that I wondered if it was the norm, so I floated a complimentary tweet about one of Federal Express’ competitors and waited. No reply. They’re not on board yet. Again, I emphasize, these are such simple gestures. They’re not tweets I wrote to promote myself or my work, just everyday observances that bring balance to all those tweets that are indeed promotional. The businesses I mentioned heard me. I felt heard. As a consumer, that is so rare these days, isn’t it? As a life coach I see firsthand that tapping into others’ feelings of being heard can ripple into almost all aspects of our lives. Social media can assist with that. Those who think it’s a substitute for “real” human interaction are missing the point. It is, in fact, a way to meaningfully augment our real relationships and cultivate some we wouldn’t normally have time to develop. Newark mayor Cory Booker famously uses Twitter to conduct business, but he also doles out praise. A recent twe