Social Tools

Facebook and Twitter are a start, but beyond them, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of social sites online. Yet knowing what sites are available and how to use them can add important dimension and context to a law enforcement agency’s online efforts.

Social Bookmarking
Photo Sharing
Slide Sharing
Professional Development
Podcasting
Wikis

How to blog

You don’t have to be a professional writer to blog well. Below are tips on the more technical and the more communicative aspects of blogging.

Categories? Tags? What’s the big deal?
Choosing a theme
When the equipment won’t work
The new agency blog: what to say
Good blogging means honesty
Cops vs. blogging
Twitter: Not if, but how
Censorship vs. soapbox vs. call to action
How to keep trolls off your social sites
Writing not for you? Try podcasting
Year-round community spirit

Case Studies

Case studies provide concrete, real-world information to other law enforcement officers and agencies about how to use social media to solve problems or improve performance:

How Boca Raton PD Responds to Community Needs
Researching Community in Arcadia, CA
In Fairfield, CA, My #1 Friend is a Cop
Nixle adds stability to Tyrone, GA tweets
Blending professional and personal in Aurora, Illinois

Social crisis communications

Social preparedness
PR lessons learned from BART
Media training via social media
In a crisis, communicate short term for long-term goodwill
The power (or lack there)of apology (links to the Crime Map)
Who’s telling your story? (links to the Crime Map)
Like KCPD, be there before the crisis (links to the Crime Map)