We’re only a month into the new year and 2011 is already turning into a crisis bonanza.

We’ve gotten to know Taco Bell’s president Greg Creed (at left in an appearance on Good Morning America) and the company’s beef recipe following a class action lawsuit. Toyota has had its recall of the month. The list of trust troubles at Johnson & Johnson has one former marketing staffer telling The New York Times that, “it looks like a plane spinning out of control.” And folks are calling for boycotts of Chick-Fil-A after one of its restaurants agreed to cater an event hosted by an anti-gay organization.

So it seems like a good time to take a step back and revisit some of the basics of crisis communications and reputation management.

We asked three experts on the topic to share their thoughts on some of the key steps to respond to a crisis and rebuild trust. Their responses are after the jump.

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Massive news out of Tunisia today as the country’s president of 23 years, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, has apparently fled the country after weeks of protest around the country.

The protests began after a young man died by self-immolation after being ordered to shut down his fruit stand. Since then, larger issues like unemployment, censorship, and President Ben Ali’s long hold on power have become protest issues. And those protests have been organized and broadcast largely through social media sites.

CNN.com includes a rundown of the various bloggers, Facebook and Twitter feeds, and YouTube videos that have fueled the organizational efforts of the protests. These social networks have not only shared information among Tunisians, but with the outside world. The government also recognized the threat, with the story quoting a U.S. State Department concern that the government had asked ISP providers to hack various online accounts.

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