Friends with Benefits

Rules for Making Social Media Work for You in a Crisis

How can you put social media to work for you in a crisis? We've devised six easy rules to follow to keep the Web on your side during a crisis.

Rule #1: Don't Hide

There are plenty of times on your social media travels when the best course of action is to blend in, not cause a scene, and keep your head down. But a crisis isn't one of those times. In April 2008, American Airlines was pummeled in the news when the airline had to cancel nearly 3000 flights because the Federal Aviation Administration deemed the company's planes unairworthy. American Airlines and its PR agency, Weber Shandwick, put a crisis-communications plan into action to deal with the cancellation debacle. They issued press releases, ...