Chris Brogan

Chris Brogan | On Social Media And Law Enforcement

by Mike Vallez on December 7, 2009

While attending the Blog World and New Media Expo 2009 I had the privilege of hearing Chris Brogan speak several times throughout the conference. I also had a chance to speak with him for a few seconds, but I took full advantage of those seconds and went right after my niche, Social/New Media and law enforcement. Chris was intrigued with the topic when I spoke with him and through email the following interview transpired:

Mike: Q: Do you think law enforcement agencies should be participating in social media?

Chris: A: Absolutely. People are volunteering up lots of usable data on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and elsewhere. Law enforcement organizations are doing some great stuff in various areas, including the Twitter presence of the Baltimore PD, and several other projects. The Ten Point Coalition in Boston is using Facebook to see which gang members are still alive, by asking them to keep their status line updated as a way of checking in. There are some great projects going on, and law enforcement’s time to get involved is now.

Mike: Q: Should law enforcement behave any differently in their use of social media compared to regular brands or businesses (not including their specific business model of law enforcement)?

Chris: A: As transparency is the keyword of using social media, it’s important that law enforcement usage of social media be obvious as to whether the information will be shared in confidence or not. There are places/times when it’s good to have a sympathetic face, and others where you’ve gotta be the voice of the law. Be clear when you’re doing which.

Mike: Q: Without requiring you to turn your crystal ball on, do you think social media is here to stay?

Chris: A: Social media has always been around. The telephone is social media. So are letters. This is just new tools for old methods. The thing is, these tools will be around. I think there will be other changes ahead.

Mike: Q: Do you see any pitfalls in law enforcement agencies using social media?

Chris: A: I think there are always risks. This is a lot of information, kept in textual form, out on the open web. There are ways people can start trying to seek out legal information or surveillance information and the like, but remember that this data is human-entered. If you’re putting out information that can be used against you in some way, that’s a matter of education and not the tools.

Mike: Q: Do you see social media sites like Twitter and Facebook could be used to communicate early warnings say in a 911 format in the future?

Chris: A: I think Twitter’s doing a great job of this. Amber alerts, and lots of other alerts are moving across these tools. They’re one-to-many and they promote group think. Imagine things like school threat systems. Right now, they mass-SMS a bunch of phones. However, if it’s a false alarm, or if the info changes, a system like Twitter is far more dynamic.

Whether it is social media & marketing or social media & law enforcement, Chris Brogan is well versed in social media. He provides some great information for the law enforcement community to think about before getting into social media, but most importantly as Chris says, “law enforcement’s time to get involved is now.”

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Shhhhh…Do You Hear That?

by Mike Vallez on November 4, 2009

Apparently there are still a lot of corporations that are very disconnected from their employees. The most disconnected corporations are those whose employees are their number one resource to generate revenue yet they don’t listen to them. The end result is a canoe going up a creek with holes in it and no one has a paddle, I think we all have heard that expression before. But why is there such as disconnect? Complacency.

An environment exists where corporations are so fixated on generating revenue that they unwittingly overlook there finest resources, their people. They create great operational plans that in the board room make fiscal sense, but the human element is left out of most of their slick equations. I don’t have an MBA and frankly I don’t want one. I appreciate the folks who have worked hard to accomplish an MBA, but if we all had an MBA then no one would think like the employees the resources who generate revenue. Corporations that get it are communicating with their employees and actually listening to what the employees say. The “I get it” corporations are not complacent, they are fostering a sense of communication that exists in social media. A give and take communication environment that creates trust (see Chris Brogan) , which makes employees feel important, wanted, and happy.

As social media changes our culture people expect more honesty, trust, and respect in their communication with others. People are quick to cue in on less than honest communication or complacent communication that makes them feel unimportant. People are expecting honesty in the communication they receive from their employers. No, this is not where I play a few versus of Kum-bi-ya. The idea of an employer providing honesty in their communication with their employees is not science fiction. Take that a step further and show the employee that you are listening to them. That what they say is actually important and you will win that employee over. Jump up to the next level and implement an employee idea (only good ones) and you will score a huge morale victory with your employees.

Funny that people don’t want to feel like they have no say in the work place. People spend more time at work than they do at home, so it is only natural that they want to find value and importance from their employer while working. I don’t care how sucky or unimportant the job is you can still and listen to an employee. It just may so happen that the garbage man has an operational process improvement that will save money or the police officer on the beat has an “out of the box” idea to reduce crime. Maybe the employees that work at your corporation have the next great idea to help your company generate revenue from streams never considered. Maybe that sound corporations hear is their employees talking about these ideas, but because they are not listening there missing out.

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Blog World & New Media Expo 2009

by Mike Vallez on October 12, 2009

The week of the Blog World & New Media Expo 2009 is upon us. The event will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from 10/15 to 10/17 and there will be some heavy hitter social media experts at this event. Some big name social media experts like Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogan, Scott Monty, Robert Scoble, Cali Lewis, and Jennifer Van Grove just to name a few. The Blog World & New Media Expo 2009 Schedule is out and ready for you to customize your sessions. There are a bunch of good opportunities from Mommy Bloggers to Podcasters. There is even an iPhone Blog World & New Media Expo 2009 app you can download to keep track of your session schedule. If you have not registered yet and are interested follow the link below.

Blog World & New Media Expo 2009 Registration

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I will be arriving 10/14 and will be attending the entire conference. I will be blogging daily to report to you the awesome social media tidbits I have the awesome opportunity to engage in. If you have any questions you would like me to ask of the greats (within reason) send them my way and I will be sure to offer them up, heck maybe I you can make me sound smart.

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