I often hear the reasons (excuses) that more agencies aren’t jumping on board the SM train is because, “We don’t have the officer resources.” or, “There isn’t any money.” I will grant you that those are two of the most compelling reasons in the mindset of those on the outside looking in, but they are then the exact reasons that you should be engaging in SM.
Money
Many of the tools that are available to the public are absolutely free to use. Blogs, micro blogs, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube accounts all cost nothing! Any agency can afford free. Those accounts are excellent for establishing a voice within the SM conversation.
Officer Resources
Take a look around your department, there are more than likely several officers engaged within SM already. Most are doing it on their own time with personal accounts while some talk about their duties. Either way, your basic resource demand is met…they already understand the theatre of SM. Empower those officers to Tweet, Blog and engage the community in a professional and respectful way representing the agency. You might be amazed how many safety, educational and crime prevention tips are generated by an officer that can educate the community.
Time
This to me is a no brainer. A well-balanced SM strategy can leverage an officers/agencies time on an exponential basis. How long would it take an officer to attend 50% of the schools in your jurisdiction to talk about Internet safety? Now take that officers lecture, put it into an agency blog and blast that information to your community through any number of SM platforms. That information now has the potential of being accessible anytime, anywhere and by not only the intended students but by their parents, community leaders and even other agencies.
Social Media is not new and there are many examples of agencies and officers that are doing it. The major difference that I have been able to find between the doers and spectators is courage; Courage to embrace ‘new’ technology, courage to not think, but act outside the box and courage to really communicate with their community.
There are many other objections, but these are the most often said ones. Are you saying no with a reason, an excuse or a lack of knowledge.
Remember this quote before you stage your next objection:
“Those who say it can’t be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it.”
