Businesses and organizations have always faced crises. But in the age of social media, those crises happen more frequently, and accelerate out of control far more rapidly. Yet most companies and agencies still have no crisis communications plan, and most books on the subject are expensive and targeted primarily at academic markets. Now, for the first time, this book delivers a complete crisis communication blueprint that anyonecan use: a blueprint optimized for the real-time era of social media we all live in. Leading PR/social media professional and award-winning newspaper columnist Ann Marie Van den Hurk covers everything you need to know and do and offers frank, in-depth case studies with executives and colleagues who've had to execute their crisis plans in the highest-pressure situations. Van den Hurk covers every step of planning and preparation, helping you react fast and get ahead of crises instead of letting them overwhelm you. You'll learn new best practices for integrating social media throughout your crisis response, using the same tools foryou that others might be using againstyou.