This week's hot news, events and videos from the online marketing and social media world.

From the Position² Blog This Week:

Southwest Airlines Averts PR Crisis via Social Media

The recent incident involving Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Southwest Airlines indicates how social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have made news a participatory experience. Unlike the Kevin Smith episode, however, this time Southwest PR reacted quickly, apologized to the singer and engaged with annoyed Green Day fans as well.

• Facebook Marketing: The Four Biggest Blunders Hurting Your Brand.
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News Travels Fast via Social Media

With social media functioning as an important platform where information is exchanged and experiences are talked about, companies and marketers need to constantly stay alert and monitor conversations pertaining to their brand. A recent incident involving the front man of a popular rock band and a US-based airline shows just how fast news travels via social media and how crucial it is for a brand to respond quickly to protect its image.

Southwest Airlines and Green Day's Billie Joe; What Happened This Time Around

When Green Day singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong boarded Southwest Airlines, little did he know his sagging pants would cost him a seat on the flight. Following an argument ... Read more...

February 13 was like every other day at Southwest Airlines. That is, until they refused to seat Kevin Smith on his flight from Oakland to Burbank. The reason was because his extra large size would hamper the ‘comfort and safety’ of other passengers. He was of the opinion that he offered no ‘safety risk’ as he fit between the armrests of the seat. He blew off steam by tweeting about the inconvenience and embarrassment he felt at having been removed from the plane.



Turns out Kevin Smith was no ordinary passenger. An award winning Director of movies like 'Dogma', 'Chasing Amy', & 'Cop Out', he has over a million followers ... Read more...