Twitter – should we all be sticking to the day job?

In a recent interview with The Times, Stephen Watson, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police called for the police to get off Twitter and get on with the job they are paid to do, saying he wanted officers to avoid online “fluff and nonsense” and get on with catching criminals and answering 999 calls.

Watson’s back to basics approach certainly appears to be working – he has pulled the force out of special measures in less than two years, reduced the time taken to answer 999 calls and seen a rise in the number of suspects charged.

But is social media engagement simply ‘fluff and nonsense”? Should we all be taking a leaf out of Watson’s book and sticking to the day job?

Of course we all want the police to focus on crime, but at a time when the reputation of the force is at rock bottom, reaching out to communities on social media seems to me to be an important channel for engendering trust. The everyday work of the police is surely made easier if the community they police are inclined to report crimes, share information and engage with local officers.

There is only so much that can be done in person and the decline of regional media means that Twitter and other social media platforms are important communication tools – my local police force uses its account for missing persons campaigns, to make appeals, spread crime prevention advice and report on crimes solved.

None of this appears to stray into what Watson describes as “virtue signalling” nor is it unprofessional, contentious or political.

In these days of poorly judged or offensive tweets going viral, a nervousness around social media is understandable. Watson says, “using social media, in these very contested times, requires a particular skill. And it’s a skill that we do not have. So for the most part, regardless of our intentions, we tend to use social media badly”.

Whatever your profession, broadcasting through social media carries a level of risk. In legal communications, no law firm would be without a social media policy to guard against reputational damage for both the organisation and individual lawyers.

But good communication plays an important role across all industries and sectors and social media is part of that. Simply sticking to the day job can mean ignoring audiences you want to reach – Twitter is a tool for telling people what you are working on, engaging with clients and customers, expressing your values, demonstrating expertise, campaigning and making your voice heard.

As a communications professional, I might argue much of this is best left to the experts, but with good guidance and parameters in place, Twitter and other social channels can be used effectively by organisations and individuals to build reputations and communicate with otherwise heard to reach audiences. Communications might not be central to what you do but its potential shouldn’t be overlooked.