Police departments have dabbled in social media, but few have fully embraced it. Many attribute this to the inevitable problems associated with releasing too much information, thereby lessening their authority. But there are a few options out there that can help police departments keep communities safe. Despite what the title of this article suggests, Facebook is not one of them. Twitter can help a police department connect with the community and hear their concerns in real time. Delicious and StumbledUpon can become great tools to aggregate articles about personal and home safety. Social media may seem out of the bounds of a police force’s responsibility, but it can increase their effectiveness and connection with the community.
Read more about how police can use SM at The Crime Map
Latest Updates: WOM in Politics RSS
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Watcha Gonna do when they Facebook You?
Pat McCarthy
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Snow Shoveling WOM
Pat McCarthy
Anyone who lives in a snowy climate knows the pains of shoveling a walk and driveway especially when it isn’t yours. When Newark, NJ, Mayor Cory Booker saw that one the people he follows on Twitter, radio host Ravie Rave, tweeted about his snowed in 65-year-old father, Booker tweeted back “Please @BigSixxRaven don’t worry bout ur dad. Just talked 2 him & I’ll get 2 his Driveway by noon. I’ve got salt, shovels & great volunteers.” I’m not suggesting the marketing industry pick up their shovels. But the brand Booker is building with actions like these leave an imprint on his constituents. Unexpected customer service and heart warming image building is what made this million dollar publicity.
Read more and see the video at 360i’s blog -
Aussie Government Makes Some Connections
Pat McCarthy
In an effort to break down the barriers between the government and the citizens, the Austrailian government is urging their employees to be active in a variety of social networks. They hope this will help the public understand exactly what the government is doing for them. Some would worry about employee gaffes, but we have heard that story before. When companies make the plunge into Web 2.0, they worry about the same problems. But like any company trying to perfect their product, the government should try to perfect the their services. A platform for rants and raves about the government’s services will in the end improve the output.
Read more on Australia’s plunge at The Age -
Viral Dictatorships
Pat McCarthy
When the US state department encouraged Twitter to hold back on system updates so Iranians could continue tweeting about their last election, anti-authoritarian activists worldwide hailed the microblogging platform as the world’s new kingmaker. These accolades were a bit premature though. The masses might have figured out Twitter faster than the government, but repressive governments are quick learners when confronted with new media. Research has shown that nationalists and fascists from a variety of ideologies are among the most active users of blogs and social media. Evgeny Morozov, Yahoo! Fellow at Georgetown University’s E.A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, recently stated that new media “will power all political forces, not just the forces we like.” Though it might be a double edged sword, the social web illuminates both sides of the story better than traditional outlets by showing personal sentiment instead of broad situations.
More on how Web 2.0 is affecting world politics at ABC News -
Befriending the CIA
Pat McCarthy
The independent strategic investment arm of the US government, In-Q-Tel has invested WOMMA member Visible Technologies to develop tools for US intelligence agencies. The specifics of the project are unclear, but Donald Tighe, VP of external affairs at In-Q-Tel compared it to technologies that are used by businesses to analyze customer service phone conversations. Visible Technologies’ platform helps brands monitor millions of posts on the Internet. Though the specifics aren’t clear, it is reasonable to assume the US intelligence community would be interested in such a tool.
More on In-Q-Tel’s investment in Visible Technologies at Media Post -
Self Regulation at the Post
Pat McCarthy
The Washington Post, like all other news outlets, needs to maintain its reputation as an unbiased source. But a few tweets from Raju Narisetti, one of the Post’s top editors, revealed a few personal opinions that stepped over the line. The tweets, one regarding healthcare reform and another about Senate term limits, were posted from a personal account, but since they came from Mr. Narisetti, they made headlines. Ombudsperson Andrew Alexander quickly issued a new Twitter policy designed to maintain the Post’s integrity. We have seen these too little too late social media policies pop up time and time again. Any company with a public image and any employee with personal opinions needs to be aware of the danger of a few poorly placed words.
More on the debacle at The Washington Post -
Congress Hates Fishing
Pat McCarthy
A bill has been introduced by Rep. Rick Boucher (D.,-VA), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommitee on Communications, Technology and the Internet that would limit the amount of information advertising marketers can pull from Internet users without consent. The bill stipulates that an “opt in” and “opt out” option must clearly be displayed to users before they continue. What does this mean in the real world? One example is online quizzes. They have long been a source of user information. Not only are the answers to the questions revealing, but many of the quizzes also require access to user profiles which provide a wealth of information. These programs will be required to clearly state what information they are taking. This bill was introduced to help restore consumer trust in Internet marketing.
The full story at The Daily Tech:
http://www.dailytech.com/Congress+Investigates+Online+Ad+Privacy/article16185c.htm -
Branding Switzerland
Pat McCarthy
The government of Switzerland is considering new laws to protect the widely respected “Made in Switzerland” brand image. According to numerous surveys, products made in Switzerland carry an image of high quality, reliability, and luxury. The legislation would allow brands to use the Swiss flag but not the coat of arms. Several brands have protested such as Victorinox and Touring Club Switzerland, both using the coat of arms in their brand image for over 100 years. It will be interesting to see where the Swiss government draws the line.
More on Swiss-Brand relationships at Brand Channel.
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Azerbaijan Loves Donkeys and Hates Bloggers
Pat McCarthy
Two bloggers who made a satirical video of a donkey answering questions at a faux press conference are being held on hooliganism charges after a scuffle in a restaurant. Many feel the arrest was politically motivated, but government officials maintain that it is simply a response to the scuffle. Azerbaijan, a former Soviet satellite state, is known for the lack of press freedom, giving government officials near immunity from any in depth investigation. But media blackouts rarely work anymore in modern times because of the power of blogs and Internet videos. Arresting the bloggers only made the video more popular. Before the arrest only a few hundred people had seen the video. As of this article, nearly 35,000 have seen it on YouTube alone.
Watch the subtitled video Here
More details from the BBC Here -
Euro Parliament Gets Friendly
Pat McCarthy
Last spring, the European Parliament (EP) jumped into the social media sphere to help promote their elections in June. Just six months ago, the EP didn’t even have a Facebook page. Now they are tweeting in 22 languages and have a presence on every major social network. Unfortunately, they may have started a little too late to have a real effect on voter turn-out. The previous election garnered a 45 percent turnout, this one was 43 percent. But in the long run, their social media presence will probably be effective at reaching a wider audience. Many Europeans login to their preferred social media platform everyday, but few regularly check the EP’s website for news. By intertwining citizens daily activities with those of the EP, they can keep people interested and up to date on the latest developments. This recent push was inspired by successful uses of social media by President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Vatican. Politicking relies heavily on reaching large amounts of people, and social media platforms could soon become essential elements of all elections.
The full story at Agoravox:
http://www.agoravox.com/article.php3?id_article=10498