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The Police are following me on Twitter

I'm almost there

An email recently landed in my inbox with the subject line " Ledyard Police is now following you on Twitter." I admit it was a bit disconcerting. Actually, I freaked out temporarily when I realized I was one of only 3 people being followed. I ran into "Ledyard Police" a few nights later. I'm a member of the Ledyard Town Council and we were discussing the police budget. (Honestly, I don't make this stuff up.) As it turns out "Ledyard Police" was following me for all the right reasons. It seems that police departments in the area are considering Twitter as another resource to notify residents in case of emergencies.

I joined Twitter in 2007. Back then it was intimate, like the bar where everyone knew your name. Since then Twitter has exploded. When someone follows me, I usually oblige and follow back. As a result, it is often hard to find the good stuff among the noise of people I don't really know. Fortunately, applications like Tweetdeck allow me to create groups and weed out those that don't contribute to my Twitter objectives.

Like "Ledyard Police", each user has his own reason for following and being followed on Twitter. I was attracted to Twitter because of the 140 character limit. I seldom read blog posts beyond a few paragraphs. I don't need the War and Peace version of an opinion on short sales. I'm an Aries and those born under that sign are described as "Lose interest quickly - easily bored." Yep, that describes me.

Whether I'm speaking as a Town Councilor, writing a blog post or debating politics, I've always been a woman of few words, many of them an attempt to be witty. "Brevity is the soul of wit" is my mantra. I doubt I could ever write a book. I'm sure I would bore myself before the final chapter.

I don't have any expectations from Twitter as far as putting commission dollars in my pocket. For me Twitter is more of a resource for making industry connections, following breaking news and events, and picking up tips on the latest and greatest technology. I'd give it a "5 thumbs up" for meeting those expectations.

Posted by Linda Davis on 04/05/2009 08:32 AM

Comments (70)

Twitter in the Technology and Tools Channel

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70 Comments on The Police are following me on Twitter

APR

Linda,

The police plan sounds like a good idea, maybe they should share it with other departments around the country.

GEEZ! I have got to get a handle on Twitter. I have longed for a forum where pithy is the rule rather than the exception.

Linda,

I still don't use twitter much and really don't know what anyone would want to follow me....it seems I keep getting people to follow me but rarely ever log in there....go figure!

Linda, the local police haven't started following me yet. Do you have the FBI on your trail too?

Linda, look out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDA HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

IT took awhile but now I have lots of cool business and newspapers following me on Twitter. Agree it is noisey.

Linda...

What a great idea the police have there. Makes me kinda glad I remain TLW :)

Not everyone knows my name :)

TLW...ROAR!

wow never thiought of it in those terms. But I guess as a resource it makes sense. You have given me puase to think this Sunday about that and Big Brother

What a great use of twitter by the local police! And you are SO right about the attraction of posts that are just a few paragraphs to make the point. It might not be what everyone looks for but I tend to process the message more quickly when it is short and to the point. Don't even get me started on how many how many bookmarks I have on articles I'd love to get to...someday.

Linda, congrats on the well deserved feature. I just joined Twitter and am learning the ropes. I was a little intimidated by it but figure that I'll just approach it with a postive attitude and see how it goes. Your expectations on Twitter make sense, although I certainly wouldn't be disappointed if I get business from it some day.

Thanks for the heads up. I just about signed up with twitter.

Just kidding, that is a creative way to use it though. hhhmmmm! Thanks for the post.

Like all my Facebook friends, I don't know everyone on Twitter. It seems like a jungle at times...a jungle you could get lost in. I need to check out that tweetdeck stuff....I guess brevity is not my mantra.

I am following local school districts, local news but I don't know that the local police are there to follow yet. Sounds like a good idea, especially in a smaller town.

One of the local TV newsroom guys I really enjoy following and reading Tweets some of the calls he is hearing over the radio, police and fire.

Linda - That's pretty cool! Your town is on the cutting edge of technology. It just makes you feel a litlle safer I bet.

Oh and Happy Birthday!

Sounds like your town is on the cutting edge (which is pretty cool). The Internet and social networking has power to do amazing things.

As long as Twitter is used the right way it seems okay. Hopefully your policeman don't have addictive personalities. Hours of productivity can be lost in text messaging and twitter obsession.

From your headline, I was hoping that Sting and the guys had reunited! (Or my other opening line was 'must have been that raucous birthday celebration!') Great move by your department to leverage Twitter, and they're lucky to have a Councilor like you who can really show them how to get the most out of it.

We have a local community that has started to use twitter. Maybe their police force does too????

Twitter is leaving Facebook behind, it seems! I wouldn't be surprised what I read about how it is being used! Great post. Congratulations on the feature!

Mary

Hi Linda - Sounds like Ledyard P.D. is onto a good thing. Twitter could indeed be an excellent way for them to communicate during an emergency. Where would we be without all our wonderful communication tools these days?

I wish I could figure out why someone follows you or not or how they even discover you. Another thought how is it that some people have of 50,000 followers?

Linda ~ I think that's neat that the police departments keep up with all the current technology. Thanks for the tip about Tweetdeck, I'm going to have to check into that (I'm still learning all the little things about Twitter!). Also, don't sell yourself short on writing a book - you could always handle the Cliff Notes angle! ; )

I suspect I would be a tad upset if the police followed me also! I agree, I love the 140 character limit but feel since it's blown up so much it is less intimate! KM

Linda - great post! What a great idea for the local police to utilize such a power medium like Twitter.

It would be interesting to see why folks are following...I actually read their bio before following and if they have nothing listed then they're obviously not interesting enough for me to pay attention to :-)

I can see why having the local P.D follow you might be disconcerting.....but I'm sure you're the very model of an upstanding citizen!

Thanks for the Twitter comments. I too have found that TweetDeck has made sense of the jungle of info available on Twitter. Now I will have to do a search and see if my local Police Depts. are tweeting too!

Linda--I too would have been a bit surprised by a Police follow. Great information on how Twitter is being used.

Twitter is a up and coming new way to communicate with people, so it only makes sense that the police are out there as well.

Linda - Your last paragraph makes perfect sense to me. To some extent, my understanding or lack thereof of Twitter exists because I didn't know what useful gain I could accomplish from being a part of it. I'm beginning to understand, yet still don't utilize it as much as maybe I should.

Being parsimonious is an art, for that... Lenn's comment articulates the appeal to that forum.

I have not yet fully understood the concept of twitter, however like everything... it will only be a matter of time. Do you not have the option of choosing who you want to follow you on twitter?

Linda, as still a non adopter of Twitter due to time constraints, I found it very amusing you were being "followed" by the police as well. Must have had you raise an eyebrow when you first saw that. The whole idea of being followed by anyone at first gives you thoughts of paranoia, but it is no different if not maybe more intense than the subscribers or regular readers to your blog.

Hi Linda, Iknew we had something in common....I too am an Aries!! I love the Readers Digest version. Except of course when I'm the one writing or talking. When that happens the world just needs to pay attention. :)

I will have to recommend that to my husband - next thing you know the Nevada Highway Patrol will all be tweeting on iPhones in between traffic stops...

Linda,

That is really funny, kind of like being tailed by a police car. You start to make sure that you are following all of the rules of the road. :)

That would be almost as scary as getting an note from the IRS saying they want to follow you on Twitter!

Thumbs up to the gals who posed for you!

As the old saying goes; just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't following you! (or, something to that affect)

HI Linda - I don't have the police following me on Twitter, but I am constantly surprised by those who are, such as several TV news anchors, a couple of politicians, and the Dalai Lama! What? Sometimes I get an email notifying me of a new follower and I am stunned. I don't do a lot of chattering on Twitter, but I do see that my blog posts are linked to it and I mostly comment on the tweets of others.

Linda: How interesting.. I have seen many groups using facebook but have not noticed it on Twitter... Look out.. The Police are watching you :)

I couldn't resist your title. I would have freaked out if the police were following me too. However, I like the idea of the police dept using Twitter for emergency notifications.

I would have freaked out too. Then again as Pat above says I think IRS would have scrared me more LOL. I love the 140 character limit as well and it is great to start seeing local businesses merge on Twitter. ~Rita

I am finally finding ways to use twiter, but I have no clue how they will ever make money.

Well, there is another good reason to be careful about what you say on Twitter. You never know who is watching!

That's great........the police are following you. More departments should follow suit. But please not the IRS.

Thanks for the info on tweetdeck. I was trying to figure out how to make sense of all the chatter from all the unusual folks who I have no idea of who or what they're about. How on earth does one keep up with all of the twitter?

Anna Banana

Phonenix,AZ

Ok - Having the police follow me would represent a totally new level of TOO MUCH TWITTER !!!!!!!!!

Funny, witty, brief, informative - and entertaining.

I loved your post, Linda.

If that group photo isnt a bunch of "Shoe Bombers" I dont know what is. I think the FBI, ATF, CIA and NSA should follow you ladies too! :)

I have signed up for twitter, but that's about it. I'm pretty sure no-one is following me. I'm on facebook, but that's new to me also. It's so hard to know what is the best use of time.

Linda, I really have to like someone in order to read a lengthy blog, and I try to not be too long myself. If I am writing a blog that might be longer then I like, I will try to break it up into two parts.

Well that's a first. Microblogging is fast becoming a craze, well maybe it already is. When the Police use it as a conduit to channel information you know the craze is here!

Don - It could be a resource for other departments.

Lenn - Plenty of pithy at Twitter.

Neal - We could be talking to you over there.

Brian - I'm hoping neither the IRS or the FBI start following me. That would really be scary.

Missy - Thank you for the birthday wishes!

TLW - I don't think they follow people with bigger guns. Oops, don't want to get you in trouble.

Charlie - Twitter is a good thing although the "following" part is a little big brotherish.

Sarah - I probably miss a lot but never do get past the first couple paragraphs in a blog post.

Dan and Amy - You can't break anything so jump right in!

Craig - Go for it!

Gary - Tweetdeck works pretty well.

Maureen - I like following the local newspapers and radio stations.

Robert - Thanks for the birthday wishes. I wouldn't call us cutting edge but the police are working on it.

Melissa - Things certainly have changed over the last few years as far as the local towns and technology.

Joe - Especially if they are doing it at the local donut shoppe with a wireless connection.

John - Thanks for the nice words!

Mark - It seems like a good idea for any community!

Bruce and Mary - Thank you and thanks for stopping by.

Marlene - No peace and quiet anymore but it sure helps at times.

Bill - A lot of people have huge followers like news organizations, tech superstars, political figures etc. Sometimes if one of the people I'm following is talking to someone else then I will follow them too.

Kathy - The cliff notes angle sounds like a plan!

Kristin - You might like TweetDeck once you get it set up.

Jessica - Thanks for stopping by.

Colleen - Well, I'll certainly be a model citizen when I tweet now.

Becky - Try TwitterLocal.net

Teri - Everyone has their own reason for twittering.

Sherri - As someone else said, as long as it isn't the IRS.

Jason - Yes. <g>

Tom - Yes you do but I tend to follow other real estate professionals if they follow me first and then it kind of mushrooms from there.

Gary - Good point. That is very true. A blog reader is a follower too!

Bryant - And happy belated or early birthday!!

Christianne - Now that is a scary thought.

Mark - I've been on my best behavior since they've started following me.

Patricia - Yikes! That would really be scary.

Sally - I do love that photo. LOL

Carla - I like that one. Very funny.

Susan - Congrats on being followed by the Dalai Lama!

Roland - I promise to be diligent. :-)

Judy - If they can get enough followers, it will be a good resource.

Kenna - The local business connection is very good.

Michael - They are negotiating with Google. They will make a ton of money then!

Samantha - You are correct and google never forgets.

Anna - Tweetdeck will help you keep organized once you get the hang of it.

Lonn - I was a little surprised for sure that they found me among the chatter.

Photo without a name - Why thank you very much.

Scott - Now that was brief and funny.

Julie - At least we know that Active Rain is a good use of time.

George - I'd read your long posts George!

Mark - It is a crazy craze for sure.

I hope I responded to everyone! Sorry if i missed you.

congrats on joining twitter and making connections that's what it is all about

When I first using twitter (a good while back), being followed freaked me out...I felt a stalked. But, news does travel fast on Twitter. I was getting the scoop first hand on breaking news before it hit the television. --- I wonder if you could use Twitter to follow spouses???? hmmmmm....just a thought!

Hi Linda - I find it interesting the notices I get of the variety of people who follow me. I've not yet had the police 'follow' me on Twitter but I do have the NH Attny General and a few state politicians following me.

Ann

It is pretty noisy... and I am not on there enough... I don't follow and then tune people out. But, it is a really cool way to get information and to interact with a bunch of people. I have some news outlets following me and I follow them to keep up.

Linda, I do not follow everyone. twitter is toooo noisy.

I am glad to hear it if that is what you want. I don't think I want to be followed live or by someone on the computer. Isn't that called stalking.

Oh my, I can imagine how uneasy that would make me feel! Of course it didn't take you long to figure it out. Thankfully!

There goes the police radios and scanners. We don't have to sit home to keep up with the police activities. Now, you can be in Starbucks, the gym, ....

Hi Linda -- What a great post, and I'm glad you aren't under arrest! LOL. Less is more!

APR

I think most of us would have been pretty nervous to discover the police were following on Twitter, kind of like the police car following behind you on the street.

Is that a NEW budget strategy for the Ledyard Police , Twittering in lieu of stakeouts !

Linda - Interesting news. When I read it, I kept thinking I had read something about the police and Twitter before. Took me a few minutes to google it and figure out what I had heard, but I found it. I thought you might find it interesting - Austin Police Twitter Page (The Statesman).

Very catchy title and great post.

I think its not only a smart move for the police department to use it as an alert service but also to find some criminal activities going on at real time. I heard of the story where the lady threatned to beat her children on Twitter and the cops arrive at her doorstep 10minutes later...scary

Linda, how cool is that. I know our local Police forceis using on-line networking to post their most wanted list

Bettina

Oh my -- I am in a twit about twitter. The idea of "anyone" following" me still seams a bit like stalking and it makes me a bit nervous! Also, what if someone should tweet that they are out on showings all day.. and the "follower" heads to your house while you are away?

Linda, how cute! I guess it proves that Twitter's where everyone is now... or wants to be. Good thing you're their FRIEND isn't it!

Join my NEW group for professionals who work from their home office at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice

Regina P. Brown

Interesting, my sister got a similar Tweet from her police department in Hollis, NH. What is interesting is that her name is Linda too!

APR

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