I follow a city cycling cop and he tweets when he catches a cycle thief.
I'm all for openness and I would encourage you to give twitter a go. Don't forget that traditional media have a vested interest in twitter not working as an information service.
Permalink Reply by Liz on October 14, 2010 at 15:10
Any article that ends with a quote from the TaxPayers Alliance should be disregarded. How does the use of a free social networking site to which you are merely sending messages waste any money? By the way, Leicester police force's use of you tube and Twitter during the recent EDL invasion was masterful. Ignore the whining of the TPA, and have a look at @leicspolice on Twitter.
Good for the Greater Manchester or any other Police force. 'urban cow grazing road margin near Salford'; 'woman refuses to leave city hospital'; 'police tweet about twittering cops'; 'Brazilian electrician about to sit down on Victoria Line tube' . . . they all make perfect Twitter fodder. All the more so since the GMP spokesperson tells BBC World Service that all the tweeting is being done by one Twitter-savvy off-beat policeman back at the station.
Permalink Reply by Liz on October 14, 2010 at 16:11
One thing I think non- twitter users don't understand about it, is the sharing of content aspect via links. People think it's all toast and celebrities and therefore it wastes time but in fact it is often a gateway to richer content.
The other aspect is the immediacy of it, stories break on Twitter quicker than trad media. However, trad media can be brilliant at using social media. Channel 4 news are great at using it as a way of signposting to rich content and engaging the public.
I agree with John to some extent, that traditional keepers of important information are running scared and enjoy negative stories. Why bother with a journalists interpretation when you can now get to their sources for yourself? Still good journalists are getting to grips with the new opportunities and some public sector teams as well. I'd like to see the police using Twitter much more.
For Twitterphobes who seem to think it is compulsory to follow Stephen Fry and Demi Moore while tweeting what is in your sandwich, if all you did was follow local tweeters and tweeting organisations, you would have plugged into a useful, informative and (often amusing) network and you need never know what Russell Brand is having for breakfast.
BUT, BUT, BUT ...!
What Greater Manchester Police seem to be doing today is just getting Twitter a bad name - in order to let a wider public know how bloody busy and frustrating their job is. Gilbert & Sullivan put it more succinctly tweetishly a long time ago: "A policeman's job is not an 'appy one" or was it "a nappy one"?
It seems pretty clear that bobbies on the beat or on patrol have not spent today individually tweeting their call-outs and incidents. Will members of the Force be any more twittery tomorrow as a result of today's exercise?
Even the Pope claims to be on Twitter. You reckon that means anything?
Permalink Reply by Liz on October 14, 2010 at 17:18
OAE, you're like the kid who hangs round the bike sheds but won't have a puff on the collective ciggie. Just get yourself a Twitter account and start working on your epigrams. If it was good enough for the Greeks, it's good enough for you. You can even bend the ear of his holiness if you feel so inclined.
Permalink Reply by Liz on October 14, 2010 at 18:09
Oh gawd, Twitter is not 'cool'. It's an information stream and a local network like HoL. My point is that you hover around it, not daring to plunge in for fear of what? That you are being 'cool'? The average user of Twitter are mid 30 s but many people are older. The yoof are not on Twitter, they don't use it and those that do are unlikely to choose to follow the Pope's Twitter stream or even an old fart like me.
Well if a young lass like you is an 'old fart' then I must be a 'last gasp'
.. even so, I find twitter very helpful and I've found out things I certainly wouldn't have known about otherwise.. e.g. today about Fortismere school.. or a certain men's toilet in EC2
Omigod, I didn't think my little bit of twitting was being taken seriously. Papal yoof is anyone under fifty.
In response to the main post above, all I was saying was if local or transport police find any of the social media to be useful tools, use 'em - but don't kid yourselves that today's GMP exercise is the way to go.
Permalink Reply by Liz on October 14, 2010 at 21:25
On Channel 4 news this story was reported with a little more detail and minus the TPA rent-a-negative-quote. It was only for one day and was a graphic illustration of just how much police time is wasted by stupid phone calls but it does actually make a fascinating read
I can't agree this isn't the way to go. The BBC also report it and point out that it is in reponse to projected budget cuts, so I actually think the GM Police are making a clever and rather subversive use of Twitter.