By Guest Author
This is a guest post by Mandy Miller. Follow her on Twitter at@MandyMayM.
Remember when they used to tell us in grade school that we could all help stop crime? Although we’re big kids now, that still holds true. However now authorities and victim’s of theft are taking to the streets of social media to hook crooks. While a very hyper-local story to Boston, Boloco’s use of social media to gain leads in making arrests for a robbery that occurred on January 28th at their 1084 Boylston Street location has made the headlines and speaks to the power of social networks in law enforcment.
Posted to their YouTube and Facebook pages, Boloco is hoping that citizens will view the security tape and recognize the culprits that broke into to the location in the early morning hours Saturday morning, making off with the establishment’s safe. Since Saturday, the original Facebook post has received over 60 comments and the YouTube video has been watched over 5,300 times. There is also a nice cash reward for watching and reporting. A $1,000 reward is up for the tipster that lands these criminals behind bars.
To me, this brings about an entirely new age of tipsters for crime. Although your identify isn’t completely hidden if you are making public comments on these pages, this avenue for soliciting ‘anonymous’ tips from the public is genius to me. It also has me wondering what other ways law enforcement could use this avenue for stopping crime. We all remember the glory days of America’s Most Wanted, featuring horrible criminal stories to homes via network TV, but I believe social media takes it beyond that as you’re delivering a message and providing an opportunity for tip submission in the same medium. You’re also driving on a social networking site – keyword being network. You’re likely to share with your networks and your networks will then share on. Crime can literally then go viral – in a good way.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe that this treads on anonymous tips and the safety of tipsters, or do you feel that this is the start of a new age of stopping crime via social networks?
January 31st, 2012
By Guest Author
The Super Bowl is six days away and recent history indicates the NFL Pro Bowl has painfully come, and thankfully gone. This is the same lack luster game between the AFC and NFC’s best, doubling as a glorified flag football game with pads. Two years ago the NFL gave the Pro Bowl a shake down, moved the game a week before the Super Bowl, and from Honolulu to Miami for the first time since 1980. Last night the game reverted back to its rightful spot in Hawaii, with twitter stations on each sideline.
Wait – what!? Yes, the league that has historically been strict on their social media policy. The NFL policy states players aren’t allowed to use their twitter account 90 minutes before a game, and only after their post-game media obligations have concluded. That being said, the league provided each sideline with twitter stations, so that players could “live tweet” during the game.
This flip-flopping on the policy wasn’t looked to highly upon by players; including Steelers’ linebacker and NFL’s notorious dirty hitter James Harrison. On his own twitter account Harrison wrote, “Why u think the NFL “wants us” to tweet during the Pro Bowl but wont “let us” til 90 min AFTER a real game? I won’t tweet during today’s game.” Harrison’s stance wasn’t reciprocated, as many players enjoyed the relaxed policy including the Pro Bowl MVP, and Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall. He went on to write, “Shout out to @MiamiDolphins & @Finsiders. Happy to be out here, but I can’t wait until next season!! Feb 13 & I’m back at it! #probowl,” said Marshall.
While I’ve been known to “live tweet” games, mostly for my beloved Syracuse Orange basketball team, I agree with Harrison. The NFL is the greatest professional sports league in the United States, but it’s also a business. Twitter is the social network, and the NFL tried to cash in. In a game that traditionally hasn’t held up to its end of the bargain, the tweeting stations were ways to create some excitement and bring people back, but it didn’t work. Last year’s Pro Bowl took in 12.04 million viewers, while last night’s game saw 10.52 million viewers according to The Futon Critic. Twitter undeniably brings fans closer to celebrities, athletes, and it’s a great tool, but my take away? Leave the “live tweeting” to fans, journalists, and the social savvy.
This is a guest post by Marcus LaRobardiere. Follow him on Twitter at@marcusdl
January 31st, 2012
