Social Media...

Social Media…what’s it all about???

What is social media and how can it help you with recruiting qualified police applicants? Well social media the trend of trends for 2010. Everywhere you go you hear of social media outlets, social media training and now even more than ever social media clubs. But what actually is social media? Social media is defined as primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences. Businesses also refer to social media as user-generated content (UGC) or consumer-generated media (CGM).

Now that we have defined social media what can it do for you as a police recruiter? For starters, social media outlets are just one more way of getting your department out in the open. The X generation lives for social media….from Ipods, to Iphones to now Ipads, everything and everyone is at the touch of your fingertips. Therefore, if you have any desire to be known social media outlets are the way to start.

You should begin by starting to create accounts under your agencies name on the various popular social media websites. For example, YouTube. YouTube is a very popular video social media website where you can upload your favorite videos. YouTube is the reason all of our female teenagers are drooling over Justin Beiber. Beiber, a young teenage pop star became famous because his mother started putting his homemade music videos on YouTube. Believe it or not, he was discovered off YouTube and now we have to pay $100-$150.00 a ticket for our daughters to go to his concerts. This is a perfect example of how social media can make a difference in the life of a person and your own police department. So start by putting your department commercials and public service announcements on YouTube and you will be surprised how many hits they will get.

Another form of social media is Facebook. Now most of us who have any type of computer knowledge more than likely already have a Facebook account. However, does you police department have one? If not, start one today. It is a great way to boost popularity and it is also a great way to disseminate information to your citizens.

Social media continues to change our lives along with the various tools that follow it. Are you keeping up with the changing of the times? If not, you and your department will be seriously hurt.