The recent dismissal of CNN International correspondent Octavia Nasr is a lesson on watching what we tweet. The long-respected journalist, who many consider one of the few voices during the days after September 11th who provided in-depth and non-biased news, recently was fired for one single tweet. On Sunday, July 4, Nasr tweeted, “Sad to hear the passing Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah… One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.” Nasr was talking about the death of a head figure in Hezbollah, an organization labeled as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Her simple tweet, meant to pay respect to one of the few Middle East leaders known for his support of Muslim women, was seen as support for terrorists. By the time the holiday weekend was long gone, so was Nasr’s job at CNN. Despite a follow-up tweet by Nasr to clarify her point and support from long-time journalism colleagues, Nasr has been shoved into the anti-American column. Whether or not we agree with the reactions that have flooded the blogs since Nasr’s Fourth of July tweet, we can all learn a thing or two when it comes to Twitter messages.

The big problem with Twitter is that you only have 140 characters to make your point. Therefore what could be misconstrued as controversial political remarks or thoughts on religion or anything else that might need a few thousand more words to explain should perhaps be left off of Twitter entirely. This is a great rule of thumb if you’re using Twitter as a PR or professional marketing channel. It’s simply bad business to shove political messages down the throats of clients. Quite frankly, clients don’t care what we think about the oil spill, the war or Hezbollah. Twitter is fun, light, social. If you want to spread the word about your pet causes, find another outlet to do it. This being said, it is unfortunate that we live in such reactionary times where a journalist like Octavia Nasr could have her career ended by a single mistweet.

The 2010 version of South X Southwest Interactive, or as I like to affectionately call it “Nerdchella”, won’t even get started until the weekend but the stampede of press releases, teasers, and critiques have been hurled out of Texas like empty  shot glasses at Jenna Bush’s wedding.  SXSWi, unlike it’s uber-cool music counter part, which starts on March 17th, is an unabashedly dorky affair celebrating all more…

This is the first in a  special series of  Thursday blogs that aims to give familiar but dated brands a digital face-lift by using social media, original videos, article marketing, mobile marketing and blogging.

The Patient: Hostess Snack Cakes purveyors of Twinkies, Cupcakes, and Ho Hos.

The Ailment: Hostess suffers from a chronically lame website, a lack of identity, a dwindling presence online, and a sagging social media strategy.

Prognosis: Grim. If the snack food brand refuses to step into 2010, Twinkies could be a thing of the past.

Recommended Treatment: When the going gets tough, the tough reach out for something fun. Sure, Twinkies are the exact thing films like Food Inc. are warning people against. Yet Hostess Snack Cakes like cheesy action films or reality TV serve their purpose: in moderation they provide a little fun and a little escape. So there’s no reason the classic junk food can’t get an update and survive well into the next decade.

First off, Hostess needs to lighten the heck up. Jeeze. It’s Ding Dongs, not prunes for crying out loud. Their website is a flat, bland affair with little reason to ever return other than the promise of coupons upon signing more…