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Social Media Quick Tip: Managing the message in an emergency

During an emergency situation, ensure that the social media message is delivered through one source

Editor’s note: The SMILE (Social Media, the Internet and Law Enforcement) Conference provides officers with all the technical hands-on skills and the practical knowledge to utlitze social media platforms for public outreach, crime prevention and forensics. The conference is a great opportunity for those involved in social media efforts to share suggestions and stories on this ever-changing topic. Below you will find social media tips from one of the speakers at the conference.

The use of social media and policing isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. Today’s police need to adapt and utilize social media in order to stay in touch with today’s online community, as well as make themselves available.

The use of social media during emergency management situations, whether it be natural disaster, large scale demonstration, terrorist attack or simply everyday emergency calls by front line police, need to be managed and monitored by policing agencies. The usage of social media during these situations not only alerts the public as to where they can get help, but also where they can locate loved ones, how to report and how to prevent disasters.

In order to do this effectively, the most important thing I can suggest is during an emergency situation, ensure that the message is delivered through one source. Too many sources can cause confusion with the message and potentially cause a broken telephone effect. Ensure the information that you want delivered is being delivered, and that your message is being heard.

Constable Nathan Dayler has been employed as a police officer for the Toronto Police Service for 10 years. Nathan’s current assignment is a full time Tactical Trainer for the Public Safety and Emergency Management Unit of the Toronto Police specifically the Crowd Management Section. Nathan is also the Social Media representative for the Toronto Police Public Order Section and was a member of the Social Media Workgroup for the Toronto Police Service. Previously, Nathan spent five years with the Sex Crimes Unit working as an Online Undercover officer within the Child Exploitation Unit, as well as with the Special Victims Section.

Social Media Quick Tip: Twitter Adds Header Images

It’s prime real estate to show off your department

Not to be confused with your background image or Twitter avatar, now you can add a header photo to your Twitter profile. Think of it as similar to the Facebook cover photo that came out with the Timeline. In both cases, it’s prime real estate to show off your department. Check out Rapid City PD on Twitter.

Just go into your settings and click design, and then scroll down and you’ll see the option to add a header image. Upload the image and click save changes.

One downside is that you have to get the dimensions right. Use a 72 dpi (dots per inch) image that’s at least 1252 x 626. Twitter allows you to enlarge the image and some rudimentary centering ability. The other downside is your Twitter stats and bio are centered on the photo in white. Keep that in mind when choosing a photo so the info doesn’t get lost in the background.

If you want to do something more creative with your Twitter header, here are some ideas from Mashable.

This Social Media Quick Tip was previously published on LawOfficer.com

Social Media Quick Tip: How you & your agency can stay safe while using social media

Staying safe online is about connecting and sharing with those you trust

Editor’s note: The SMILE (Social Media, the Internet and Law Enforcement) Conference provides officers with all the technical hands-on skills and the practical knowledge to utlitze social media platforms for public outreach, crime prevention and forensics. The conference is a great opportunity for those involved in social media efforts to share suggestions and stories on this ever-changing topic. Below you will find social media tips from one of the speakers at the conference.

The world of social media has opened another sphere in regards to safety and reputation management. These days you don’t need an online account to experience the emotional impact of digital abuse. These incidents can appear without warning and have a devastating effect on the lives of your family and friends.

Staying safe online is about connecting and sharing with those you trust. These tips can help deter bad experiences and give support if issues arise.

• If you’re new to social media, take your time to learn about the site and locate the report/block options.
• Talk with family and friends on what part they play regarding posting online, especially as it may reflect on you.
• Check your account and security settings.
• Turn off GPS and Facial Recognition capabilities.
• Set up Google Alerts in your name and rank.
• Stay educated by signing up with trusted sites for the latest information and tips to keep you safer online.

Janita Docherty is a trained Crime Prevention Executive with more than 18 years experience in the field of law and criminal investigation. She specialises in Facebook and Internet Safety instruction and is recognised for her work with law enforcement Units dedicated in the fields of E-Crime, Sex Crime, State Intelligence and Tactical Intelligence areas. Janita has an intricate knowledge on the workings of Facebook from a criminal intelligence perspective and is a leader in her field regarding Facebook training to Police and specialist law enforcement departments both in Australia and the United States.

Social Media Quick Tip: Collaborating for success

Why it’s important for the different departments at your agency to work together in order to present a cohesive service to the public

Editor’s note: The SMILE (Social Media, the Internet and Law Enforcement) Conference provides officers with all the technical hands-on skills and the practical knowledge to utlitze social media platforms for public outreach, crime prevention and forensics. The conference is a great opportunity for those involved in social media efforts to share suggestions and stories on this ever-changing topic. Below you will find social media tips from one of the speakers at the conference.

Social media is all about collaboration. Pretty much every business area within law enforcement is touched in some way by social media, so don’t just single out one department to deal with it–work together holistically within your organization to present a cohesive service to the public, partners and other agencies. Whether you work in investigation, community policing, corporate communication or customer service, you all need to work together on making the best use of social media.

Christine Townsend is a police communications professional with experience of working for four police forces in the UK (Kent, Surrey, Sussex and City of London). She is also a Special Constable (volunteer police officer) in Roads Policing and has eight years service. She is a qualified police trainer and specialises in helping organisations embed social media in communications and intelligence and investigation functions in law enforcement. She founded KBC Media, a small digital communications consultancy firm, in 2011 and continues to work closely with police forces both in the UK and further afield.

Social Media Quick Tip: Be the official source of information in a crisis

If you aren’t already on social media when a crisis hits, there’s a whole conversation that’s happening without you & you can’t afford not to be listening & participating

Editor’s note: The SMILE (Social Media, the Internet and Law Enforcement) Conference provides officers with all the technical hands-on skills and the practical knowledge to utlitze social media platforms for public outreach, crime prevention and forensics. The conference is a great opportunity for those involved in social media efforts to share suggestions and stories on this ever-changing topic. Below you will find social media tips from one of the speakers at the conference.

1. If you’re already on social media, you likely already know who your influencers and detractors are. Your influencers are the people that follow or “like” you that have a large following and tend to re-tweet your messages or make positive comments on your posts. Your detractors are those that continually counteract your social media efforts through negative or harmful comments. Keep track of both groups and keep a list of them handy. In a crisis situation, you’ll want to reach out to your influencers to increase the reach of your messaging. You’ll also want to monitor your detractors to ensure they aren’t sabotaging your communication efforts.

2. If you’re a police agency, people on social media are talking about you. If you aren’t already on social media when a crisis hits, there’s a whole conversation that’s happening without you and you can’t afford not to be listening and participating. In a crisis, social media is becoming the primary place where people go to look for information, and if you aren’t there putting out official messaging, someone else will do it for you–and their information may not be accurate. Be the official source of information in a crisis by building your audience and credibility when the waters are calm. Prep your key messages (think 140 characters or less!) and have a crisis communication plan so you can make it through the storm unscathed.

Stephanie Mackenzie-Smith is the Corporate Communications Supervisor at York Regional Police in Ontario where she is responsible for the branding, marketing and online strategy of the 2,000 member police service. Her role includes strategic communications planning and the development of crisis communication plans, best practices documents and standard operating procedures as they relate to social media. She also teaches Media Relations Officers and Public Information Officers on social media use at the Ontario Police College and regularly presents on social media policy, procedure and misconduct. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Ryerson University.

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