U.S. Navy and Social Media CLICK on the picture to see what is happening!
One of the best resources I have seen when it comes to social media have been from the US Armed Forces. I have been very impressed with the armed services – US Army, US Navy, and the US Airforce – for their active role in social media in establishing a presence on multiple platforms online. The branches not only have established sites for each of the units, but they have strategies in place for how to communicate effectively with all of their audiences as well as how to create a very positive ongoing dialogue that will build long term relationships and trust among these publics as well.
All of the branches have a unique framework and strategy for their social media efforts. First, the US Army does have a good social media page set up listing all of their various pages, Twitter accounts, and video pages for all of their units – which is very good. This is a great database to look at and see how organized and thorough the Army is when it comes to social media. Another great thing that the Army has done has been they have been very generous with their information and insights about social media, even including a Social Media Book for 2010. Their slideshare account lists all of the presentations and documents they have produced regarding social media – which is an excellent resource for students, professionals, and researchers to look at.
The US Navy has been very active in social media for years – they were one of the early adapters for social media and really shared their insights and information about emerging technology for professionals very early on. The US Navy Social Media Slideshare account also has a wealth of resources available to users and students to look at in terms of social media. Their CIO guidelines are very good as well to take a look at. Plus, they have really been cutting edge in addressing the growing issue of safety and security when it comes to troops and social media, especially geolocation apps and sites. They just produced an excellent presentation on geolocation applications that is definitely good for professionals and students in PR/Social Media to look at.
The Air Force has also been very active in social media as well – and they have done a great job like the Army and Navy to create a main social media page where people can see pictures, videos, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and other platforms to get more information about the military branch, but also communicate and interact with their audiences in the process. They have also been actively engaged in sharing what they are doing with social media as well as their policies on how the airmen in the force can be better communicators.
Overall, I have been very impressed with the strategic nature of the armed forces and their implementation of social media into their communication practices – both for every day purposes, but also thinking ahead to what are some of the potential risks, challenges, and crises they might be facing when it comes to this new emerging technology. All three branches have been very generous with sharing their information openly to others about social media, and it is greatly appreciated. With these resources, we can all learn together about social media and discuss where the new technology is going and how it can be applied in our own fields.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of the brave men and women in all of the armed forces for your courage and dedication for serving our country – past and present. Thank you and God Bless! Hope you all are having a wonderful day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
**Note: I would like to thank Aaron Sachs (Symply Social) for first sending me the information about the social media practices for the US Army. Aaron is finishing up his graduate studies at the University of Tennessee in Communications and founded and created Symply Social – a Knoxville based social media management company. Aaron is definitely an expert when it comes to management and strategic application of social media. Thank you again Aaron for sharing this great information with me! 🙂
0 Comments