Director Kevin Smith has brought a firestorm down on Southwest Airlines after being ejected from a flight for being too fat, demonstrating the power consumers wield with social media.
Southwest got some practice implementing crisis control in the Internet age after Kevin Smith sent out a flurry of Twitter messages to his legion of followers. Fans were furious, the media picked up on the story and the rest was history.
Southwest Airlines has apologized in blogs and defended itself in the face of furious Tweets. The fracas brought so much attention, it crashed their feedback page.
So many public relations people diligently make a daily practice of blogging, Tweeting and Facebooking, mostly to an audience of no one. Only when things fall apart is the importance of having those established networks made clear.
But the true test is whether Southwest's spin control was able to smooth the feathers it ruffled. Are you satisfied by Southwest's reaction? Do you think Smith was making a big deal over nothing? Do you think Smith got the reaction he did only because he's famous, or do you think an average consumer could have made the same impact?
Still, Smith doesn't think Southwest handled things very well. But in a situation like this, who gets the last word?
---Samantha Maziarz Christmann
In today's Discount Diva column, MoneySmart reader Bronwen Battaglia shared an idea for saving time and money when it comes to feeding her three hungry sons.
Instead of buying pre-packaged mixes, such as Bisquick and Swiss Miss, Battaglia takes time to measure out batches of her own scratch recipes and stores them in labeled containers. When it's time for pancakes or hot cocoa, she merely takes the dry mixes off the shelf and adds the wet ingredients as she would with any store-bought box mix.
Not only does this bit of advanced planning save money and add convenience, it allows Battaglia to control the amount of sugar and preservatives her kids eat, and lets her incorporate more healthful whole-wheat flour.
Here are two of the recipes she has perfected for her family:
Hot Cocoa:
4 cups nonfat dry milk
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
Blend ingredients in a food processor until it resembles a fine powder. Store in air-tight container.
To prepare: Stir three tablespoons of mix with six ounces of hot water.
Pancakes:
2 cups whole wheat flour (or a combination of part wheat, part oatmeal flour)
4 cups unbleached white all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¼ cup baking powder
1 tablespoons salt
To prepare a big batch (approximately 20 pancakes): In a medium bowl, combine: 2 ½ cups mix, 2 cups milk (or more), 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola, or mild olive). Gently stir ingredients together. Do not over mix. Let batter stand for at least 5 minutes. It will thicken up. Add more milk if necessary. Ladle 1/2 cup or so of batter on to hot griddle. Flip once bubbles are visible and edges appear dry.
Variations:
Substitute buttermilk or sour milk* for milk and add 1 tsp Baking Soda to mix.
Mash a banana in bowl before adding other ingredients.
Add a dash of cinnamon or diced pear and grated fresh ginger.
While first side is cooking, drop a few fresh or frozen blueberries on to the pancake.
Add a few tablespoons of ground flax seed to the batter.
Enjoy!
---Samantha Maziarz Christmann
The wind is whistling, the temperature has dropped and we're all looking forward to our favorite fall comfort foods. Wegmans kept that in mind with its Come Home to Dinner Fall Meal Ideas, picking a perfect focus for the season--the slow cooker.
Its always helpful Web site offers all kinds of great tips on how to make inexpensive, delicious meals in the energy-sipping, lifesaving, cheapskate's-best-friend appliance, which take just a little bit of prep time and cook beautifully while you're at work.
Each menu selection (which includes such greats as Slow-Cooked Italian Sausage Agrodolce for under $2 per serving) even comes with a wine pairing!
---Samantha Maziarz Christmann
Want a home makeover, but don't have the cash?
Who needs new furniture when you can artfully rearrange the stuff you've got? Moving things around makes a room feel fresh and can give your spirits a lift. The best part is that it doesn't cost a dime.
Among several interior design software tools available on the Better Homes and Gardens Web site is Arrange-A-Room, an awesome, free program that helps you try out room configurations without having to lug heavy furniture around the room.
All you do is pick your room shape and size, add furniture and colors and voila! You've got a pretty good idea of what you're dealing with. The site also have lots of great tools to help you try out paint colors, new kitchen cabinetry and other improvements before making a purchase.
---Samantha Maziarz Christmann
