• January 25, 2011

Southwest Airlines says it is upgrading its corporate blog, "Nuts About Southwest," to offer more ways for consumers to connect with the airline.

The blog began in April 2006 as one of the world's first company blogs, according to the airline. It was originally launched as a means of giving customers a look inside Southwest's culture and operations by allowing users to interact and build personal relationships with the airline's employees.

Updates include the Southwest Social Stream, a tool that displays the Southwest Blog Team's Web interactions in real-time; an updated profile system that allows users more ways to connect with one another and to show where they've been and a badge system that awards users based on how they interact on the blog.

Another feature is a more streamlined approach to sharing news, video and podcasts.--Tanya Irwin