The Social Media Beat

Part I – The Internal Created Crisis “Bury the story.” “Put out a good news story.” “No comment.” “Wait until tomorrow, it will die all on its own.” Thirty years ago, these were simple ways to deal with a crisis in your organization.  Twenty years ago you still acted the same way. Ten years ago, you could maybe get away with it if you didn’t have a major media outlet in your area. Today? Try any of those techniques and you’ll be destroyed.  And, it might not even be the traditional media that is carrying the hangman’s noose…it could be your own community members. It’s generally accepted that crisis communications can kick in when negative things happen which can damage your reputation, bring into question your tactics, or challenge your procedures.  No matter what the cause is, the worst thing you can do in the digital era is to try to ignore, spin, or bury the crisis. With hundreds or even tho ...

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One of the most important things we have is also the most fragile. It can takes years to build and seconds to destroy. We have an immense amount of control over it and yet unforeseen forces can damage it. Careers have been destroyed by it and empires built upon it.  Reputation. We know how important a positive reputation is and how easily a great reputation can be compromised. It astounds me that more agencies aren’t using social media with reputation management in mind, but to each their own.   I have seen many well-intentioned tweets made by agencies and officers that have been changed or manipulated by members of the public, which have completely changed the meaning, and or the intent of the original tweet. Credible and responsible people will indicate a change by using the common MT (modified tweet). Gone unnoticed, this can cause a communication nightmare. I won’t beleaguer the point, because what I want to write about is a new toy on the net that can rip apart your reputation ...

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There is no doubt that we are getting better at using social media as a tool to assist our agencies with messaging, safety information, community building, and general conversations. Many investigations have been assisted and commenced by using tools like Facebook and Twitter while we have captured our audience’s attention with Pinterest and YouTube. But what about the original social engagement tool? Have we all forgotten about simple, good old-fashioned e-mail? Remember the glory days of e-mail before spam and chain letters took hold of our inboxes? There was a time when e-mail was the end all and be all of staying connected. Next to the telephone, it was the best way to communicate when not face to face. Businesses have focused more and more money on using social media to market and sell. They have become masters at opt-in contests and making you feel you are part of an event or a campaign but they still want your e-mail address and for very good reasons. There are still people who aren’t ...

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If you have ever taken the time to download the complete load of information that is available to you through Facebook Insights you know that you get more than a couple of packets of information. Under “Key Metrics” alone there are 28 columns of information. Add to that seven other spreadsheets with information and you have enough data to make even the most dedicated analyzer nauseous. Good news… you don’t have to go as far as downloading all your Insights to know what is important. In my opinion, there are only five that you need to concentrate on. 1.)    People who saw your post 2.)    Shares 3.)    Comments 4.)    Likes 5.)    Virility It’s great that you may have 15,000 people who like your page, but if no one is seeing your posts, commenting on them, or sharing your information then it doesn’t really matter. Your whole reason for using a tool such as Facebook should be based ...

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How do you know if you are having an impact with your social media efforts? There are multiple ways to measure what you are doing from the simplistic to advanced means. The platforms you are using will provide some insight into your efforts and there are some excellent 3rd party applications that can help you understand your impact. One step that is often missing in the analytical equation is the most basic step of your social media strategy. Have you actually determined what your goals are? Many agencies have opted to use social media, but have never decided why. The simple reality is that if you have not defined your why, you will never have any idea whether you are meeting your goals or not. If all you want are page views, post impressions, ReTweets, likes, follows, or comments, then you have a very simple measurement. Count them and see if you are attaining growth on a regular basis. To me, that is a bit of a waste of time. It’s great to have thousands of followers or likes, but if your inform ...

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In today’s world everything we say and everything we do is built around faster, better, smaller, more efficient, and easy. We want meals that are quicker to make, cars that go farther on a gallon of gas and computers that are small and light. To me this has also impacted how I see my social feeds. Give me one place where I can see all the information that is important to me at one time and I am a very happy camper. The next step up from that is make information as informative and small for me as possible because I need to get the next piece of information fast. Sad but true. We are in such a rush and that includes our attention in social. Think about it. When was the last time you watched a five minute video on YouTube or read an entire Facebook post that required the ‘see more…’ link to be pressed? When I open a video, if it isn’t grabbing my full attention in the first few seconds, I look at is how long it is which will often determine if I will watch it through. Make it ...

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Have you ever been to a conference and left disappointed because you just didn’t find the information you were hoping for? Have you ever felt empty because you took time to attend a session based on the description of it and it just didn’t deliver? I have and it is upsetting especially considering the cost you sometimes have to cover. This year the International Association of Chiefs of Police 119th Conference in San Diego was nothing like I just described. In fact, it was the polar opposite! I found myself wishing that it were longer because there were so many great sessions happening at the same time. It didn’t matter which information track was happening… you just couldn’t go wrong with your choices. Executives, IT personnel, public information officers, chiefs… there was something for everyone and if you left feeling empty, it’s only because you didn’t really pay attention. One of the packed sessions I sat in on was, “Social Media: Challenge ...

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I remember when I first started using social media to promote a new way of communication for police and law enforcement agencies I would often say, “What’s not to like about it…it’s free!” Nothing has changed about that in the last four or so years. Social media is still free to use. It is still free to create accounts and it is still free to share your message. BUT, please don’t confuse free to use or free to share with the belief that social media doesn’t come with a price tag. Quite simply, because it does. Entering the world of social media is free and I believe because of that, many agencies and officers have jumped in with both feet without considering the actual cost of using social media. When social media was new to policing it seemed that everyone was opening accounts on various platforms just because that’s what everyone else was doing. There was lots of talk about having a Twitter account or a Facebook profile because, “That’s w ...

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Admittedly, I am not a very good chess player in the conventional definition of the game. I know what the pieces can do. I know that you have to play several moves ahead in your mind and consider what the ramifications of your moves will be on your opponent. Your opponent does the exact same thing. Analyzes your current move, potential moves, and considers what moves he or she will put in play to deflect your offence and implement their strategy to their own advantage. What does chess have to do with law enforcement's use of social media? Everything! I have often used the challenge and strategy of a great chess match in how I respond to questions, criticism, and comments from the audience. This isn’t always needed. When someone says, “Good morning” online, you know probably know right away that there is no sinister back thought to the gesture. But sooner or later, you’ll see the Tweet or Facebook post that causes that 6th sense tingle in your gut which makes you think, &ldq ...

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Have you ever been stuck for a topic to write about? Last week I was trying to come up with a blog post for you and I couldn't decide on the topic. There were several I was considering and every time I got started there was an interruption. First, a tweet came in telling me that for the low price of $49 I could buy twenty five thousand followers, guaranteed. Wow! Fifty bucks and I could have 25K new followers. Second, I was sent a message on Facebook showing how by using simple tricks, (tricks, not tactics), I could increase likes for my page. Neat, trick people into liking me. Finally, I was privy to a conversation that discussed using slick gimmicks to increase your social voice and presence. Awesome! It dawned on me that for many people the best way to increase your social presence is through tricks, gimmicks, and purchasing people. Wow... there was the topic I was looking for. How not to be completely disgusting in your use of social media. But I figure, "Building an audience" was a better title. ...

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