A huge number of businesses and organisations these days are taking advantage of the many PR opportunities available with social media. Using social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and even YouTube, companies are able to interact with existing and potential customers in a completely new way. Along with interaction and promotion, however, social media can also be used as a method of damage control in the face of a potential PR disaster. An example of this would be if a very public mistake was made, or news of a potential scandal is reportedly about to break. The benefit of social networking sites - particularly Twitter, as it works in real-time – is that you get the opportunity to respond to these situations and turn public opinion around. For instance, a disgruntled former customer left to spread negative feedback online could damage the brand without you being able to do anything about it. Using Twitter, however, you or someone from your company’s PR agency can contact the customer and address their complaint instantly, therefore repairing the damage or preventing it from being done in the first place.