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In a relatively short period of time, social media has made its way into every part of our lives. Not only has it become a core requirement for police to communicate information, it has changed public expectation regarding transparency, timeliness and dialogue around police activity.

This new form of connectedness is helping to close the gap between the public and the police; a citizen can contact us through a variety of avenues, all with the understanding that their voice will be heard, their concerns dealt with or, on some occasions, their compliments of our work published in the public domain. At the beginning, there were fears in policing around social media; namely our inability to control it. A lot of questions were asked of our DPD media section: How will we manage a crisis? Will it harm investigative integrity? How do we keep up?

Luckily, our fears were very different from the reality of this new phenomenon. In fact, I look back and wonder how we ever worked without these tools, recognizing now that they are an irreplaceable asset in our attempts to build and maintain public trust.

We now have the capacity to push out real-time, factual information. When there is a traffic event causing gridlock in a certain section of the city, we communicate with pictures, constant updates and options for alternative routes until such time as traffic is flowing freely.

If there is a serious criminal event, we may use social media to help reduce fear and keep rumours at bay. We also use it as a recruiting tool and to keep the public informed of our day-to-day activities.

One of our big fears was whether we would be the victims of social media "lynch-mob." The reality is that, on the whole, the public is very supportive of the work of police and social media communities exist mostly to help, rather than hinder the role of police.

We have been criticized through these channels but we deal with it. Often we will communicate directly with someone who has contacted us with concerns and more often than not, we can solve the problem together.

Interestingly, social media has also helped us with our relationship with traditional media outlets.

We share information through a variety of channels, allowing journalists to gather the information they need to do their job.

As an example, we recently had a rolled tractor-trailer unit on Highway 17. We tweeted images of the accident to give the public an idea of what we were dealing with. On this particular day, it was righting a flipped semi.

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New way of communicating

China ordered its journalists on Saturday to learn "Marxist news values" and uphold the principles of news as prescribed by the ruling Communist Party, the latest step in President Xi Jinping's crackdown on the media.

The guidelines by the All China Journalists' Association, published by state news agency Xinhua, are aimed at both traditional and online media and are another sign of Xi's politically conservative agenda.

The association said journalists "must learn to master Marxist news values".

"Let us hold high the banner of socialist core values," the report said, using the party's term for orthodox beliefs.

Xi has espoused old school Maoism as he seeks to court powerful conservative elements in the party. Like many officials before him, Xi is steeped in the party's long-held belief that loosening control too quickly or even at all could lead to chaos and the break up of the country.

In July, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television said China would toughen curbs on journalists disclosing state and commercial secrets.

Early this year, Chinese journalists also had to pass a new ideology exam to keep their press cards. They were required to do a minimum 18 hours of training on topics including Marxist news values and Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

Chinese state media has traditionally been the main vehicle for party propaganda. Reforms over the past decade that have allowed greater media commercialization and limited increases in editorial independence, combined with the rise of social media, have weakened government control slightly.

(Reporting bySui-Lee Wee; Editing byPaul Tait)

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China Tells Journalists To Learn 'Marxist News Values' In Media Crackdown

Social-media users know sometimes things get posted online whether they like it or not.

The concern of unflattering, insulting or just plain embarrassing posts appearing on their timelines is enough to make some couples seek legal advice. As a result, social-media clauses are popping up in prenuptial agreements, industry insiders report.

It is a topic of discussion, especially for affluent people or people in the public eye, says Kathleen Grace, managing director of United Capital Financial Advisors and author of Prince Not So Charming (Excelsior Capital Holdings, $14.99), which offers strategies for women to regain financial control.

Prenups are an important tool to outline specifically these types of situations, Grace says. Say you're a model and that's your livelihood, and someone posts pictures of you not looking so good. Does that damage your ability to get modeling contracts?

Fauna Solomon, Pittsburgh-based blogger at TheDatingTruth.com, says she would consider addressing social media in a prenuptial agreement.

Even in my professional life, I've dialed down what I put out there about personal relationships a ton, Solomon says. There's a learning curve for everyone. There is no crash course on social media. I would totally consider it. I could see how you can cross that line.

Social media is a common cause for concern during dating and after the relationship ends, says Rachel Sussman, New York-based marriage and relationship therapist.

It's something you hear a lot about when they're breaking up he or she de-friended me on Facebook or there is a barrage of spying or stalking by the ex on Instagram, Suss-man says. Dating couples are always looking at each other's Facebook pages, seeing if they're In a Relationship' or not, if the person is tagged in any photos he or she shouldn't be, or if they posted a picture they think is inappropriate.

When putting your position on social media into a prenup, it's important to avoid ambiguous language, Grace says. After all, what is embarrassing to you might not be to someone else, she says.

You have to be prepared to litigate because it is so broad, or the prenup clause has to be so ultra specific and take into consideration each and every situation, which is probably impossible, she says.

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Tweet and post limits work their way into prenups

How news and mainstream media control public perception
How news and mainstream media control and limit our perception of reality and current events, creating a mentality of hopelessness, complacency and blame - w...

By: Adrian Blackburn

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How news and mainstream media control public perception - Video

BANGKOK: The Thai media are no stranger to covering military coups and political turmoil. Unfortunately, the martial law in place now has hampered the way news can be reported.

For television reporters the challenge has been overwhelming.

After martial law was declared, army troops occupied most TV stations around Bangkok. And since the coup, all TV programmes were taken off-air for a period of time.

Channels were only allowed to broadcast military-approved announcements and programmes.

It is not an easy job reporting on the political development after the coup in Thailand, and some local journalists have had to improvise to tell their stories. Several local journalists have resorted to using social media as reporting tools -- uploading video clips and dispatching reports from the field with their mobile phones.

Thapanee Letsrichai, a Thai journalist, said: "As a field journalist when we are on location, we want to tell people about what's happening. Personally, we have private spaces in the social media like Instragram, Twitter, and Facebook. So I have been using short Instragram videos to report from different locations."

For the news-hungry Thai public, the clamping down on media freedom has resulted in the proliferation of social media usage, which has also encouraged the circulation of rumors online.

This is worrying many local journalists, and has prompted them to take matters into their own hands.

Fellow Thai journalist Penpan Lamluang, said: "The real worry now is that there are lots of rumours on social media and we as journalist must not disseminate rumours that could further damage the situation. As journalists, we must stick to reporting truthfully based on facts."

Suparp Klee-khajai, president of the Thailand Digital TV Operators Association, said: "The media is a symbol of freedom. Freedom of the media symbolises the level of democracy in countries around the world.

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Thai journalists turn to social media as military tightens control