Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Engaging and Developing the Community Through Social Media: A Pragmatic Analysis in Policing Context in Hong Kong

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Government e-Strategic Planning and Management

Part of the book series: Public Administration and Information Technology ((PAIT,volume 3))

Abstract

Social media becomes increasingly popular among members of the public. The emergence of this new trend in the twenty-first century raises new opportunities for government agencies to extend their community networks for their operations. Here, we present a case study on how the Hong Kong Police Force should develop its social media public relations and policing strategies. In recent years, there is a growing trend that some opinions form quickly through social media with its quick viral cycle in Hong Kong. There are occasions where the conflicts between the Hong Kong Police Force and some members of the public are results of communication breakdown. Hence, it is becoming increasingly important for the law enforcement agencies, such as police, to properly engage with members of the public for public relations purpose. Plus, there have been a number of instances in the past few years, which materials involving confidential information related to the government agencies have been uploaded onto Web sites and blogs in Hong Kong. These situations do not only generate a lot of discussions among the online community in Hong Kong, but also engender public discussions from different angles as well as the safety of law enforcement officers. In this research, we use balanced scorecard to analyze the alternative strategies that the Hong Kong Police Force can use in social media. Based on our analysis, we develop strategic approaches, which are useful for law enforcement agencies and government agencies to develop their social media management and engagement policies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baim, S. A. (2009). Building police/community relations through virtual communities. In M. Khosrom-Pour (Ed.), Encyclopedia of information science and technology (2nd ed., pp. 421–427). Hershey, PA: Idea Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breakthrough, (2010). Survey on youth media usage in Hong Kong in 2010. Retrieved on February 28, 2013, from http://www.breakthrough.org.hk/ir/Research/44_Youth_media_usage/figure.pdf.

  • British Broadcasting Corporation, (2000). Demon settles net libel case (March 30, 2000 edition). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/695596.stm.

  • Caren, N., & Gaby, S. (2011). Occupy online: Facebook and the spread of occupy wall street, working paper. Retrieved on April 8, 2013, from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1943168.

  • Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Government (2013). Thematic Household Survey Report No. 50. Retrieved on April 8, 2013, from http://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11302502013XXXXB0100.pdf.

  • chinaSMACK (2010). Hong Kong girl cyberbullying victim contemplates suicide, chinaSMACK (January 5, 2010 edition). Retrieved on April 8, 2013, from http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/more/hong-kong-girl-cyberbullying-victim-contemplates-suicide.html.

  • Chow, K. P., Ieong, R. S. C., Kwan, M.Y. K., Lai, P. K. Y., Law, F. Y. W., Tse, H. K. S., & Tse K. W. H. (2008). Security analysis of the Foxy Peer-to-Peer file sharing tool. HKU CS Tech Report TR-2008-09. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.cs.hku.hk/research/techreps/document/TR-2008-09.pdf.

  • Chun, S. A., Shulman, S., Sandoval, R., & Hovy, E. (2010). Government 2.0: Making connections between citizens, data and government. Information Policy, 15(1/2), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Constantinides, E., & Fountain, S. J. (2008). Web 2.0: Conceptual foundations and marketing issues. Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing, 9(3), 231–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dearstyne, B. W. (2007). Blog, mashups, and Wikis: Oh, my! Information Management Journal, 41(4), 25–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, H., & Drezner, Z. W. (2008). The power and politics of blogs. Public Choice, 134(1), 15–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graf, J. (2008). Chapter 4: New media—The cutting edge of campaign communications. In R. Semiatin (Ed.), Campaigns on the cutting edge (pp. 48–68). Washington D.C.: CQ Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gueorguiev, I., Dimitrova, S., Komitska, M., Traykov, H., & Spassov, K. (2005). Balanced scorecard based management information system—A potential for public monitoring and good governance advancement. The Electronic Journal of e-Government, 3(1), 29–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halaris, C., Magoutas, B., Papadomichelaki, X., & Mentzas, G. (2007). Classification and synthesis of quality approaches in e-government services. Internet Research, 17(4), 378–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herring, S. C., Scheldt, L. A., Wright, E., & Bonus, S. (2005). Weblogs as a bridging genre. Information Technology and People, 18(2), 142–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho, K. K. W. (2007). The e-government development, IT strategies and portals of Hong Kong SAR Government. International Journal of Cases on Electronic Commerce, 3(2), 71–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong Kong Government (1998). Digital 21—Hong Kong special administrative region government information technology strategy. Retrieved on April 8, 2013, from http://www.digital21.gov.hk/eng/relatedDoc/download/1998D21S.pdf.

  • Hong Kong Government (2001). Hong Kong: Connecting the world—Digital 21 strategy. Retrieved on April 8, 2013, from http://www.digital21.gov.hk/eng/relatedDoc/download/2001D21S.pdf.

  • Hong Kong Government (2004). Digital 21 strategy: Sustainability and opportunities. Retrieved on April 8, 2013, from http://www.digital21.gov.hk/eng/relatedDoc/download/2004D21S.pdf.

  • Hong Kong Government (2008). Digital 21 strategy: Continuing to build on our strengths through technology across the community. Retrieved on April 8, 2013, from http://www.digital21.gov.hk/eng/relatedDoc/download/2008D21S-booklet.pdf.

  • Hong Kong Government (2013). Digital 21 strategy. Retrieved on April 8, 2013, from http://www.digital21.gov.hk/eng/index.htm.

  • Hong Kong Police Force (2013). Junior Police Call—Organization Development. Retreived on April 8, 2013, from http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/16_jpc/develop.html.

  • IBM (2010). IBM Social Computing Guidelines. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html.

  • Joinson, A. N. (2009). Privacy concerns, trust in government and attitudes to identity cards in the United Kingdom. In, Proceedings of the 42 nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Big Island, HI: IEEE Computer Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1992). The balanced scorecard: Measures that drive performance. Harvard Business Review, 70(1), 71–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitchin, R. (1998). Cyberspace: The world in the wires. Chichester, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawson-Body, A., Mukankusi, L., & Miler, G. (2008). An adaptation of the balanced scorecard for e-government service delivery: A content analysis. Journal of Service Science, 1(1), 75–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magro, M. J. (2012). A review of social media use in e-government. Administrative Sciences, 2(2), 148–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macintosh, A. (2004). Characterizing e-participation in policy-making. In Proceedings of the 37 th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Big Island, HI: IEEE Computer Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maratea, R. (2008). The e-rise and fall of social problems: The blogosphere as a public arena. Social Problems, 55(1), 139–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazur, E. (2005). Teen blogs as mines of adolescent data. Teaching of Psychology, 32(3), 180–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milstein, L. C. (2007). Avoiding legal pitfalls on user generated content sites. Journal of Internet Law, 11(3), 3–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mosca, L. (2010). From the streets to the Net? The political use of the internet by social movements. International Journal of E-Politics, 1(1), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mourtada, R., Salem, F. (2011). Civil movements: The impact of Facebook and Twitter. Arab Social Media Report 1(2). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.dsg.ae/portals/0/ASMR2.pdf.

  • Mourtada, R., Salem, F. (2012). Social media in Arab World: Influencing societal and cultural change? Arab Social Media Report 2(1). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.arabsocialmediareport.com/UserManagement/PDF/ASMR 4 updated 29 08 12.pdf.

  • National Public Radio (2007). Women file suit to defend online reputation. (June 18, 2007 edition). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://m.npr.org/news/front/11159611.

  • Obi, T. (2012). The 2012 Waseda University International e-Government Ranking. Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.e-gov.waseda.ac.jp/images/Press Released on e-Gov ranking 2012.pdf.

  • Papadomichelaki, X., Magoutas, B., Halaris, C., Apostolou, D., & Mentzas, G. (2006). A review of quality dimensions in e-government services. Electronic Government—Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 4084, 128–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parameswaran, M., Zhao, X., Whinston, A. B., & Fang, F. (2007). Reengineering the internet for better security. Computer, 40(1), 40–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parameswaran, M., & Whinston, A. B. (2007). Research issues in social computing. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 8(6), 336–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Preece, J. (2001). Sociability and usability: Twenty years of chatting online. Behavior and Information Technology Journal, 20(5), 347–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rheingold, H. (1993). The virtual community: Homesteading on the electronic frontier. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosemann, M., & Wiese, J. (1999) Measuring the performance of ERP software—a balanced scorecard approach. In Proceedings of the 10 th Australasian Conference on Information Systems. Wellington, New Zealand: Emerald Group Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savell, L. (2007). Fifteen steps to reducing web site liability risks. Journal of Internet Law, 10(10), 7–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, A. L. (1999). The net that binds. The Nation (June 21, 1999 edition). Retrieved February 28, 2013, from http://www.thenation.com/article/net-binds#.

  • Singer, A. (2013). Amazon will charge Conn. Sales tax. The Boston Globe (February 5, 2013 edition). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/02/05/amazon-collect-conn-sales-tax-ending-dispute/X9KrgmgTW6zsblvm1eOcsO/story.html.

  • Van Grembergen, W. (2000). The balanced scorecard and IT governance. IS Audit and Control Journal, 2, 40–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Grembergen, W., & De Haes (2005). Measuring and improving IT governance through balanced scorecard. Information Systems Control Journal, 2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolverton, T. (2001). Amazon unit settles privacy lawsuit, CNET News (April 27, 2001 edition). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://news.cnet.com/2100-1017-256663.html.

  • Yu, C., & P. J.-H. Hu (2007). Examining the impacts of institutional framework on e-government infrastructures: A study of Hong Kong experiences. In Proceedings of the 40 th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Big Island, HI: IEEE Computer Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zdjelar, R. (2012). The balance scorecard method as background for e-government in regional government. In Proceedings of Central European Conference on Information and Intelligent Systems (pp. 287–296). Varazdin, Croatia.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business and Public Administration, University of Guam, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU, 96923, USA

    Kevin K. W. Ho

  2. NetFish Christian New Media Movement, Tangram Research Institute, Shatin, Hong Kong

    Calvin C. Yu

  3. Hong Kong Police Force, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

    Michael C. L. Lai

Authors
  1. Kevin K. W. Ho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Calvin C. Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael C. L. Lai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin K. W. Ho .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business and Economics, Technological Education Institute of Thessaly Larissa, Thessaly, Greece

    Leonidas G. Anthopoulos

  2. Department of Public Administration, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA

    Christopher G. Reddick

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Ho, K.K.W., Yu, C.C., Lai, M.C. (2014). Engaging and Developing the Community Through Social Media: A Pragmatic Analysis in Policing Context in Hong Kong. In: Anthopoulos, L., Reddick, C. (eds) Government e-Strategic Planning and Management. Public Administration and Information Technology, vol 3. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8462-2_14

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation