Social networking has taken the PR world by storm. But how do you use social networking as a response to a crisis? Take for example the recent crisis tackled by Papa Johns. One customer in NEW YORK ordered a pizza from the Papa Johns restaurant. When she received her receipt, the name written on it was “lady chinky eyes.” This racial slur soon made it onto the Web when Twitter  user, Minhee Cho, posted this image to her follower base (which reached over 1,900 of her followers).

          The tweet went viral. This incident even made news on CNN.  What do you do when it comes to crisis management in a situation like this?

• DO be prepared. You should have strategies for messages that are planned and unplanned.
• DO communicate with your audience. Social media was created as a communication tool, so communicate.
• DO turn negative comments into positive ones.
• DO be honest. This is your greatest aid to recovery.
• DON’T forget about social media. It’s here to stay and ignoring it will turn off your audience.
• DON’T talk “at” your audience. Make sure you listen and respond instead of issuing indirect messages.
• DON’T post something without your employees knowing. There will be an even bigger crisis if your employees don’t know what is going on.
• DON’T post from the wrong account. This is common sense, but a simple mistake like this can be costly and embarrassing.

Sources:  http://www.huliq.com/3257/lady-chinky-eyes-receipt-earns-papa-johns-employee-firing-company-black-eye
http://www.prnewsonline.com/free/The-Dos-and-Donts-of-Using-Social-Media-in-Crisis-Communications_15890.html