The Social Media Beat

I recently participated in a training sponsored by the IACP’s web technologies partner, Matrix Group International on “Getting Started with Web Video and Tips for Shooting Your Own Video.” The IACP doesn’t do much in the way of video, either through association-wide efforts or for individual projects and programs like its recruitment initiative, Discover Policing… yet.  But video is SUCH a powerful and popular medium, we would be remiss to ignore it and so would you.  I’m not necessarily talking about high production quality video requiring fancy equipment or editing suites.  While all that may be nice, it’s not required to produce an effective video.    Videos are hugely social and sharable – a great way to convey information quickly and succinctly.  Here are some ideas, tips, and resources to get you thinking about how to integrate video into your department’s social media efforts. Idea Factory •   ...

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The law enforcement response to the Boston Marathon bombings has been the source of many hoorahs and kudos, and rightly so.  In the context of this blog and the Center for Social Media, I’ll focus on four elements (trends?) we haven’t quite seen before on this scale and magnitude. Think about how you can use, learn from, and apply them in your department.  For more insight into this event, please read Lynn Hightower’s blog post.        Rocking Social Media.  Like almost no agency before them, Boston capitalized on social media to manage the message and control the story.  The Boston Police effectively became its own news outlet, out-scooping the media as the go-to source for timely and accurate information.  It is reasonable to assume that your citizens are now looking to you to do the same.  Check out this recent @-mention for the Denver Police as proof:      @jmd9qs:  @DenverPolice Thank you for your conti ...

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The repeat use of the word “social” in the title is not a typo. Today, we are discussing a new resource to help social media managers connect with like-minded professionals for advice and mentorship. The IACP, under the auspices of its Discover Policing recruitment initiative and the New Police Chief Mentoring Project, has launched a new online mentoring center -- a place where current and future law enforcement professionals can connect.  This resource is not limited to sworn officers.  Civilian support personnel, including social media managers, are welcome and encouraged to take advantage of this exciting new resource. The use of social media in law enforcement is increasingly commonplace, but the technology is still new and the landscape is ever-evolving.  As a result, those responsible for managing a department’s social media presence, whether they are experienced Web 2.0 gurus or just fulfilling “other duties as assigned,” still have questions.  An ...

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The phrases “big data” and “open data” are everywhere these days. So too are online challenges and contests to solve civic problems through technology. Could just be me, because I’m interested in these topics, but they sure seem to be all over the place – from blogs and tweets, to magazine articles and formal reports. Open data counts as social media. By making data publicly available, then welcoming and encouraging the public to download, analyze, and provide feedback on it, organizations are creating a new level of public interaction, engagement, and transparency. Several large jurisdictions are leading the way in open data, including crime data.     •  New York City has one of the most comprehensive open data policies           in the country     •  Philadelphia releases data on Part I crimes on a daily basis     •  The New Jersey State Police puts weekl ...

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The latest craze to descend upon the social media scene is an iPhone/iPod touch app called Vine.  Launched just a few weeks ago, Vine brings new meaning to the notion of short attention span theater.  The app allows users to shoot six-second video clips (yes, 6 seconds) and share them via social media. You can either record six straight seconds of continuous video, or stitch six seconds worth of footage together for a stop motion montage effect.   Essentially, Vine is like Twitter and Instagram, but for video. Six seconds doesn’t sound long, but neither did 140 characters a few years ago.  To get a sense of what “vines” look like, search Twitter for the hashtags #vine or #vining.  Or, check out Vinepeek to see a running, real-time view of Vines as they’re posted.   Already, Vine is generating a lot of buzz, and law enforcement agencies should be aware of the app and its videos, and its potential pitfalls and opportunities.  Standby for more citiz ...

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Social media is a unique form of “business communication.”  It is decidedly more personal and less formal than more traditional forms.  Posts that read like an official press release or a memo tend to fall flat. The “just the facts ma’am” approach just doesn’t cut it in a Web 2.0 environment.  People want and expect a more colloquial vibe, even, I would say, from their public servants.  While the public rightfully demands a high level of professionalism from its police, a little personality can go a long way.   Deciding on what “voice” to use in social media can be tricky, particularly for police. Indeed, it’s a delicate balance between the roles of community servant and authority figure– one departments and officers know well.  How do you give good quality information but with flair and a je ne sais quoi that will resonate with people? Some people have the knack and can do it naturally, while others have to work a ...

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By now, you may have seen the photo of Officer Lawrence DePrimo of the NYPD after he coughed up 75 bucks of his own money to buy a pair of boots for a cold, barefooted homeless guy. The photo went viral after it was posted to the NYPD’s Facebook page, even landing Officer DePrimo on the Today show. It’s a great story. Made me a little verklempt, even. But at the same time, the whole thing left me asking a bunch of conflicting questions: Why did this photo cause such a sensation? Are people reacting out of surprise or affirmation or both? Was the pic a hit because it’s a side of police work we so rarely see? If so, why don’t we see more Boots DePrimos? For me, the photo seemed to illustrate what is both wrong and right with the image of police and our role in shaping that image. This kind of stuff – these random acts of kindness by officers– happen in our communities every single day. They far outnumber deeds of police misconduct or even heroism. So the question is, ...

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Lately I’ve been wondering if police departments – or their governing jurisdictions – should be more like e-marketers in their quest to connect with and solicit feedback from citizens.  Think about it – every time you order something online, two things almost invariably happen: 1) you are added to that merchant’s e-mail list, and 2) you are asked to review the product you purchased. What if police did the same thing? What if every police-citizen contact, from citation to incident report, was added to the department e-newsletter distribution and given the opportunity to comment on and review that encounter with the police? Maybe, at first blush, we don’t want to open ourselves up to that, but on the other hand … surveying public perceptions of police service is not a new idea. Cities and individual police agencies do citizen surveys all the time, some with more regularity and rigor than others. But it’s often done in isolation. Maybe a link is posted ...

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Does your police department have a brand? I’m not talking about a circle L or a lazy T for all you cowpokes, but rather an idea, image, or message that the public associates with your agency.  Marketing guru Seth Godin further defines a brand as “the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” So, essentially, your brand can be viewed as how people feel about and react to you. Marketing and branding dominate the private sector. We can all rattle off popular products and their corresponding logos and tag lines. But it can also be found in the public sector.  Most cities have a logo and a slogan, and many also have coordinated marketing plans used to attract economic development and promote tourism. While it may sound a little nontraditional, there’s no harm in thinking of your department as a “brand” unto itself, particularly when it c ...

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Two of my favorite Internet sensations of late are Call Me Maybe videos and McKayla is Not Impressed photoshopped images. Near as I can tell, law enforcement has failed to jump on either bandwagon. Maybe I’m the only one who sees the potential… If you have no idea what I am talking about, allow me to get you up to speed so that you may dazzle family and friends with your keen pop culture insight and enlighten your coworkers on how law enforcement can relate to these two phenomena. You’re sure to either be lauded or laughed at. Police: Call Me Maybe Call Me Maybe is an infectious earworm of a song by Carly Rae Jepsen, which inexplicably has spawned an over-abundance of music video parodies, from celebrity lip-dubs to the Harvard baseball team, U.S. Olympic swim team, and Big Ten college mascots, just to name a few. I am patiently waiting, but to date I have yet to see a police department capitalize on the obvious connection here. Really, does no one else see it? Hello. Police. 91 ...

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