Sue Clifford, @NoOffenceCiC, on how Twitter enables No Offence’s members from 25 countries to participate in debate on criminal justice issues.
Hooked on Twitter
As a ‘middle aged’ mum of 4, I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the world of technology and in particular ‘social media’
I remember many years ago setting off to the airport for a business trip to China with my daughter teaching me how to text on the way, so that I could at least keep in touch with back home. That was my very first venture into communication via technology, apart from by telephone and I have never looked back.
For quite some time before I became ‘hooked’ on Twitter I wondered what it was all about. I couldn’t get my head around how it could be useful to communicate in those ‘bite size’ chunks and it all seemed a bit of a faff!
When we launched No Offence! CIC just over a year ago and with our developing role as a criminal justice information exchange, I ventured back to take a look at Twitter and this time, instead of seeing it as just something else to take up my time, I began to realise just how much information is shared and just how quickly information hits Twitter!
There my addiction began! I have become fascinated by the sheer amount of information which is exchanged and how adept I became at managing to communicate effectively within those 140 characters and amazingly how relationships build with those we tweet with on a regular basis. Great conversations followed and high value information passed between us in what I have now termed ‘my twitterage’.
On a different level, it also feeds my ‘people watching’ fascination. How people behave, communicate, engage with each other and utilise opportunities, are all satisfied within Twitter. What an exciting window to the world it has become!
On a personal level, I often work on my own in my own little office, but with Twitter you can ‘hop in’ to the busy world of Twitter when ever you wish. At any time of the day there are always lots of people who are willing to engage and you can have a poke around and then hop straight back into work mode in a jiff. Its an excellent coffee break entertainment zone. Company is never far away and no embarrassing ‘I have to get on’ scenarios. You just hop back out when you wish.
Twitter’s global reach
The whole ethos for No Offence! is to strengthen and support the sector through the facilitation and sharing of criminal justice information, news and encouraging individuals and organisations to work together more effectively, and Twitter has become an important environment in which we have achieved just that.
We are a small organisation with a massive reach, we communicate with individuals and organisations from over 25 countries and we could not maintain that without social media especially Twitter. It really does bring us all closer together and we all have so much to learn from each other.
We tweet latest news, mostly criminal justice articles but also about charities and social enterprise and personal life experience stories. If anything interests us in the news, we think others may be interested too and in particular we tweet breaking news stories and also sometimes archived articles but which contain interesting and relevant messages for today. Importantly we make a point of engaging with those who follow us, both in discussion but also by re-tweeting their interesting tweets. We also like to support those who are new to twitter or have an important message to get out quickly. We try to be approachable, responsive, friendly and engaging and not just 5 days a week or 9 to 5! Twitter becomes a way of life and fits snugly around other commitments, filling gaps; train and car journeys, waiting for meetings to commence or the kettle to boil!
We have also now launched two other Twitter accounts. @NoOffenceWorks is specifically to bring together those who engage in the employment sector, in particular those who deliver services for individuals who have multiple and complex needs, and many offenders come into this category. @NoOffenceLearns fits with our focus of supporting and strengthening the sector both for offenders who journey through the system but also for academic students who wish to enhance their learning with real life experience. A new addition to the ‘family’ will have a focus on offender health. Watch this space!
Twitter flattens hierarchies
The relationships we have developed over Twitter and other online communities has allowed us to reach and communicate with so many more people than we would otherwise be able to achieve and in much less time. There is no hierarchy and communication takes place between everyone on a level playing field, Chief Executives and front line people and everyone in-between, all sharing and engaging, which we are delighted to see and even more delighted to be a part of.
The stranger but equally delightful experience happens when you actually meet some of your Twitter ‘friends’. Do you refer to them by their Twitter handle? Or do we now assume the ‘normal’ stance?! I’ve witnessed various people coming together at our conferences and greeting each other warmly when recognition takes place, that they share a Twitter connection. I guess this is the Twitter version of the first date as with online ‘dating’?!
What ever anyone’s experience may be and I am sure that it varies between many people, for us it has been an excellent foray into the ‘Twitterverse’ with great benefit and now with a following of over 3000 people in just one of our accounts alone, and with lots happening within our new but lively organisation, we have a great deal to shout about and many who thankfully wish to listen, sharing with us in return their hugely important perspective and their view of the criminal justice world. What a brave, new and exciting Twitter world we share! What are you waiting for? Come and join us!
Next Wednesday: Superintendent Mark Payne, @SuptPayneWMP, one of the first police officers to pioneer the use of Twitter to engage with local communities, on why he tweets.
Get Russell’s free guide to Twitterfectiveness.
