While business organizations were initially interested in social media because of its potential for branding and public relations, many organizations have begun to realize its potential for customer service and product support functions. In fact, a recent study by Forrester Research and Cisco (2010) shows that customer service activities are the second-mostcommon application of social technologies by business organizations (marketing was first.) Even excellent companies sometimes make mistakes or fail to completely satisfy customers. Because the cost of retaining a customer is often less than the cost of acquiring a new customer, many organizations invest in customer service operations to assist customers when problems occur. Traditional customer service channels consist of phone (call centers), mail, and in-store support. Today, customers may also use e-mail, and a wide range of social channels including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Furthermore, customers might not complain directly to the company on its official Facebook or Twitter pages. Companies need to be able to identify unhappy customers that share negative comments outside of “official” channels. Traditional wisdom suggests that when consumers have a negative experience with a company, they share it with as many as 10 people. But now, unhappy customers can potentially share their experience with hundreds of people using a single message on social media. Or, as David Carroll learned, the message might reach tens of millions