-Jimmy Carter
Over the past year on social media I’ve watched more than one dishonest business person use his or her persuasive ability and influence to steal tens of thousands of dollars from victims.
Over the past year on social media I’ve observed the damage caused by a social media influencer (who also happens to be a convicted registered sex offender with 300k+ followers on Twitter) and and his online “friends” by initiating and encouraging a misguided social media feeding frenzy resulting in false defamatory statements being made harming the reputations of good hardworking people.
Over the past year on social media, multiple people, including a well…
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One week ago today another mass shooting took place in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The shooting spree started at around 5:40 pm on Saturday, February 20 and ended with the arrest of the suspect, Jason Dalton on Sunday, February 21 at approximately 12:40 am.
We learned about the shooting in one of three ways:
That’s nothing new…it’s pretty much how we learn about everything today. What changes is not where we learn about the information, it’s who we learn that information from on through those communication channels. I learned about the shooting through social media and stayed on the Internet to look for details, timelines and the story within the story.
I went looking for the facts and I turned to the trusted sources for those facts. By trusted and informational sources I mean:
In the case of the trusted sources there was nothing on social.
In the case of the informational sources I learned the suspects identity, his occupation, the vehicle he was driving and more. There is no doubt that much of that information came from the trusted sources via press notifications and conferences which was shared into the social streams, but I didn’t get any of that information from the trusted sources and that is a shame.
This morning I read an opinion article which is what led me tor write this post toady. You can click here for the article.
Kalamazoo mass shooting highlights need for emergency alert system
That was the title of the article that caught my eye, but this it the paragraph that got me mad:
The timeline illustrates that it’s not always adequate for law enforcement to have to rely on the news media and social media to spread the word when lives are immediately in danger.
The article’s point was to express an opinion that there needs to be an emergency alert system in place for direct broadcaster to end user notification system. The amber alert system and campus alert systems already in place were examples used.
Let’s give police the tools they need using technology we already have to protect public safety and save lives.
Here is the problem:
You can give every tool imaginable to facilitate virtually any job needing to be done, but if the tools don’t get used, they are useless. If you don’t train the people to use the tools they are less effective and if you don’t condition the public to turn to those tools in a time of need then they are mute.
In this case the tools are available already for mass notifications…they simple weren’t utilized or used.
Here is a short list of the tools that can be utilized for the purpose of geographical based notifications from trusted sources to mass end users:
In the case of Kalamazoo, Twitter and Facebook were available by the trusted sources…but they weren’t used.
Naturally, the fly in the ointment here is when a manhunt like this is taking place can you dedicate staff to push the accurate information out and monitor what is being said online. My simple answer is…yes you can and yes you have to in today’s day and age. You just have to decide that it’s a priority in your organization or choose that notifying your community in timely manner using the available tools is not that important to you.
Kalamazoo Public Safety Twitter
Kalamazoo City Hall
Kalamazoo Public Safety Facebook
You have to admire how the Dallas Police Department has handled a very intense 12 or so hours.
During an 8:30 a.m. press conference, Chief David O. Brown provided additional information and the timeline below:
* 0430 Robot picked up bag at Jack Evans with pipe bombs and it detonated
* 0435 Engine block of suspect vehicle has been shot with .50 cal
* 0438 Suspicious briefcase in dumpster at NE Substation
* 0447 FBI bomb squad en route to NE Substation
* 0507 PD Sniper shot at suspect through front windshield of van. Suspect may be hit. Sending in robot to confirm.
* 0540 planned detonation occurred at DPD headquarters
* 0609 FBI updates that they will relieve DPD as necessary at scene. Also, DPD coordinating with Mesquite Bomb squad at suspects last known residence.
* 0620 All packages at Jack Evans PD HQ cleared (5)
* 0720 WFAA receiving disguised voice calls from an individual claiming to have a bomb
* 0730 North East patrol cleared
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Happy Anniversary to the Dallas Police Department and their social media program/presence.
Take a read of some of their highlights here….
Social Media Anniversary!.
I’m looking forward to both attending and presenting at this year’s International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference this year in Orlando. Here’s a little insight to the host city, “The City Beautiful”…Orlando.
Local Officers are making a huge difference.
Tonight’s Topic
“The Best Source – Local Officers”
Tonight we are going to take a look at your local police officers that are using social media and why I think they are the best source of information for a community. Questions will center around their use of platforms and how they impact you and themselves.
Officers tuning in will benefit from the perspective of how they are viewed by their community and what their community wants from them?
For the community, what a great opportunity to hear from officers on how and why they do things.
An extension of the local police officers can also be your paramedics, medics, fire personnel, officers of health….they all do a great job in adding information to the community well-being.
It’s always about learning from each other.
If you don’t know who your local officers are that are available on social media, contact your area police station and ask them. You can also google/bing/yahoo them to see if they have a presence.
Sure sounds like a sweet chat tonight doesn’t it?? Speaking of sweet…tonight’s chat is coming complete with a very special bonus.
BOLO: The Most Wanted Chocolates!
Purdys Chocolatier is offering up some tasty treats to 5 random chatters tonight. Police officers could be walking the beat while eating some treats and the community will be feeling even more sweet!
“Purdys Chocolatier is a team of Chocolate Experts inspired to take you away from the ordinary and create an extraordinary moment in your day! We never compromise quality & our customers can taste the difference. Many of our chocolates come gift wrapped in beautiful paper inspired by the season ready for giving.”
Make sure to follow Purdys Social Media Accounts to stay on top of all their goodness!
What are the #CopChat “rules”?
There are no ‘rules’ but we want this to be a good experience for everyone so here are some ideas to help.
1. The first ‘rule’ of #CopChat is we talk about #CopChat. This isn’t FightClub, we have nothing to hide.
2. If you have a blog, website or social channel that you want to share, please do so at the beginning…but we’ll ask that you don’t do any selling of products or services. This chat is for discussion not sales. If you would like to sponsor a chat or promote your product, email me. ( timburrows1266@gmail.com )
3. There is no insulting, bullying or swearing. If someone says something that you don’t agree with, respectfully say so and have a discussion. That is what this is all about…learning and sharing.
4. If a subject presents itself that you may have written a piece for feel free to share at the end of the chat using the hashtag. Depending on the speed of the chat it could get lost in the stream during the middle of it and you’re less likely to get clicks during the chat.
5. If someone tweets something that you feel compelled to RT, do it! But, make it even better by adding your own flavour to it, or conversely, if you disagree, say so and provide the reason why.
6. If someone disagrees with your position take the criticism professionally…no twitter fights. It won’t serve anyone with any value. Take it out of the chat and have your fight without the hashtag. No one wants to see children fight…we want to see adults chat.
7. Finally…no tweet longer apps. Keep it under 140, no one wants to be clicking links to see the rest of your tweet. It will take people out of the conversation and probably get ignored anyways.
8. Abuse – if you choose to abuse the forum you will be blocked / muted and really what will that accomplish. We are all here to learn from each other. If you don’t like the police then say so respectfully…who knows, you might have a valid point but if it’s expressed poorly, no one will ever learn from it.
How to follow along.
Naturally, the easiest way is by using the hashtag… #CopChat
Using a dashboard platform like You will want to use TweetDeck / Hootsuite / TweetChat / Twubs etc, to follow the #CopChat. You may also want create streams to follow @t_burrows and who ever may be co-hosting. Make sure you watch your own mentions stream so you don’t miss anything someone says to you.
Welcome back to the school year kids!!
Photo Credit: Granada Theatre, Dallas
I think now every child in North America is back in school now, sucking in all the knowledge that they can find in hopes of one day supporting parents who have toiled so much to get them where they are going in life.
This has been a great time for police to take to social media and give away every bit of their own knowledge as well to students, parents, drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, etc, etc, etc.
The content that can be created and shared right now is like a bottomless pit of information. Road safety, personal safety, property protection, crime prevention. The list goes on and on.
Law enforcement across the continent have been warning drivers to be careful and asking parents to talk about safety with their kids on that one very special day…the first day of school!
Back to school campaigns using social media should be a content explosion for your community that easily adds value to their lives. You can give, give, give, provide value, value, value for weeks, but….
Back To School is NOT a one day event!
Parents, think about what back to school has meant for you.
The whole process lasts a couple of weeks, but for some reason, so many police and law enforcement agencies used back to school to blow everything they had in one day…the actual day that kids were returning. The next day…crickets on back to school safety.
Sure you might be running a week-long enforcement campaign, but what a bout a week-long messaging campaign. And why wait until the day before or the day of to talk about back to school safety or to start enforcement.
Your campaign is not a one day event
Whether it’s back to school or Halloween Safety, Christmas Shopping Safety Tips or New Year’s eve safety, you have an opportunity to get people ready before hand. You can give information away like crazy well in advance.
Why stand in a school zone the day school starts and maybe a few days after? Why not stand there everyday for the week before school. Get drivers conditioned to seeing you enforcing the speed limits.
Talk to parents about walking their kids to school or to the bus stop days before they have to do it the first time and remind them of all the important rules of the road.
Make videos at the end of the school year about personal safety and how to protect their property so that you can use it at the end of summer.
Review cyber safety with your community and provide resources so that parents and kids alike can have them in their minds or print them off just in case they need them later.
Give parents all the tools they can handle with street-safeing their kids. Offer tips on how to deal with bullying, being approached by people they don’t know, drug recognition, victimization prevention. All of this can be happening in the lead up to back to school.
No budget?
Here is one I was told, “We don’t have any money to create campaigns.”
Then curate your campaign. No one said the information has to be yours! You just need to provide the information and give the credit back to the creators.
The Internet is full of information. Facts, figures, research, data…it’s all there. Use it, share it, talk about it, source it back. I’m sure a neighbouring law enforcement agency does have the budget. Share their information.
For some agencies, back to school has been a one day event. In some cases, it’s been a one tweet or Facebook post event.
Back to school is a golden opportunity to create content, share content and give your community so much value over an extended period of time before, during and after the big day. It wasn’t a one day event to get ready for so don’t make it a one day event to message about.
If you’re an agency that talked about back to school before during and after the big day, well done.
Give, give, give…share, share, share.
To most of us, the headline of celebrity nude photos is at the very least, intriguing. Some us may go link clicking to ‘see’ what all the buzz is about. Other’s won’t give the idea of seeing their favorite Hollywood star nude a second thought. Who knows, someone out there might even be feeling for the celebrity whose private parts aren’t so private anymore.
Think about how you would feel if it were your private parts that were now public? What if it was your name in your local news feed,
“Local business woman available on the Internet for all to see.”
Some hackers take nothing more than personal pride to be able to get into someone else’s accounts. They get a rush breaking through the complexities of people’s most secure information…their password.
1234, Password, Birthdate, Anniversary Date…these are just some of the most popular passwords ever created. Not much for a hacker to really bust through, but an accomplishment just the same. Here is a list of the most popular passwords used.
Don’t think to yourself;
“Well I’ve never had a naked photo of me taken!!”
Congratulations and good for you, but what about your banking data? Your tax returns? Your investments? The contact information for your friends? Ever consider how much data you are actually just a few keystrokes away from giving up?
What about something simple like your social media accounts being taken over?
So, how do you keep you information secure against people who mean to do you harm or those just looking to add you to their accomplishment list?
Set a STRONG Password
Passwords that are easy to remember are easy to steal. Here are 4 tips to making great passwords.
Can’t come up with something on your own? Try a tool to help you out. Password Creator is very simple and has lots of flexibility.
PasswordCreator.com
Password Safety
Creating a strong password is one thing. Protecting your password and your identity is another.
I love 2 factor authentication. Two things have to be in place. Your password (something you know) and a device (something you have). Here is an excellent article on 2FA. Creating unique passwords can be a pain, but it is a very good way to keep insulated levels of security for yourself.
Device Safety
Getting into your device should never be a simple thing. Your device’s need protection too. Make sure you exercise any password settings available for your device.
Turn it up a notch with an access key to some of your devices. Many of you may have them for work but did you know you can get them for your own stuff as well?
Here is an example of a key fob you can use for when you step away from your computer.
lastpass.com
I love LastPass for helping to secure accounts. Think of it as a vault for all your passwords. All you need to remember how to do is open your vault while it takes care of the rest.
Don’t let yourself become the next Hollywood Starlit that is the victim of an online security attack. Protect yourself.
While nothing here will guarantee you won’t be hacked, you will be making it a lot harder for people to turn you into a victim. Remember, remove the opportunity; remove the crime.
Disclaimer: I don’t have an agreement with any of the products or services listed in this post, nor did I receive anything for mentioning them.
Final note: If you are searching the web for naked pictures of people who have been hacked to see what all the buzz is about, think for a minute…would you like it if people were doing that to your loved one? Every time someone views the pictures or shares them, the victims are being victimized again. Don’t be that person.
Wednesday August 27, 2014
Tonight’s Topic
“Following your local police – agency and officers”
Tonight we are going to take a look at your local police and it’s officers that are using social media. Questions will center around their use of platforms and how they impact you.
Officers tuning in will benefit from the perspective of how they are viewed by their community and agencies can learn what their community wants from them?
For the community, what a great opportunity to hear from officers and agencies on how and why they do things.
It’s always about learning from each other.
If you don’t know who your local officers are or an agency from your town, google/bing/yahoo them to see if they have a presence.
What are the #CopChat “rules”? LOL, there are no rules but we want this to be a good experience for everyone so here are some ideas to help.
1. The first rule of #CopChat is we talk about #CopChat. This isn’t FightClub, we have nothing to hide.
2. If you have a blog, website or social channel that you want to share, please do so at the beginning…but we’ll ask that you don’t do any selling of products or services. This chat is for discussion not sales. If you would like to sponsor a chat or promote your product, email me. ( timburrows1266@gmail.com )
3. There is no insulting, bullying or swearing. If someone says something that you don’t agree with, respectfully say so and have a discussion. That is what this is all about…learning and sharing.
4. If a subject presents itself that you may have written a piece for feel free to share at the end of the chat using the hashtag. Depending on the speed of the chat it could get lost in the stream during the middle of it and you’re less likely to get clicks during the chat.
5. If someone tweets something that you feel compelled to RT, do it! But, make it even better by adding your own flavour to it, or conversely, if you disagree, say so and provide the reason why.
6. If someone disagrees with your position take the criticism professionally…no twitter fights. It won’t serve anyone with any value. Take it out of the chat and have your fight without the hashtag. No one wants to see children fight…we want to see adults chat.
7. Finally…no tweet longer apps. Keep it under 140, no one wants to be clicking links to see the rest of your tweet. It will take people out of the conversation and probably get ignored anyways.
8. Abuse – if you choose to abuse the forum you will be blocked / muted and really what will that accomplish. We are all here to learn from each other. If you don’t like the police then say so respectfully…who knows, you might have a valid point but if it’s expressed poorly, no one will ever learn from it.
How to follow along.
Naturally, the easiest way is by using the hashtag… #CopChat
Using a dashboard platform like You will want to use TweetDeck / Hootsuite / TweetChat / Twubs etc, to follow the #CopChat. You may also want create streams to follow @t_burrows and who ever may be co-hosting. Make sure you watch your own mentions stream so you don’t miss anything someone says to you.
Walking the Social Media Beat 