Happy 4th of July to everyone stateside today. In honor of today's holiday, I thought I'd be a little thematic with my blog post. Last summer (2017) I had the opportunity to spend a week in Quantico, VA at the U.S. Marine's Key Educators and Leaders Workshop. It was by far one of the absolute best professional experiences I have been apart of. Not just because of the cool activities we got to take part of (HMX-1 helicopter ride, martial arts training at Quantico, the Sunset Parade to name a few) but also because of the great men and women we met, who selflessly serve our country.
So you might be wondering what all this has to do with Web 2.0, social media or networks. Well, the entire week there was a Marine whose job it was to take photos, Tweet, and run their PR. Since they were tweeting out our pictures I started following them @MCRCPAO (MCRC Public Affairs) was updated with all of the photos for our week. It also led me to keep up with @MCB_Quantico which is "The official Twitter account of the Marine Corps Base Quantico." Both of these accounts retweet a lot of other military Twitter accounts, and then my networks continued to grow. The information tweeted out, specifically from Quantico's base ranges from basic information, such as road closures, to motivational stories and uplifting messages, and they currently have over 8,000 followers. In just this past year, and in the few platforms I use, I've seen the military use social media to communicate valuable information to their huge network across the world. Another great example of communication information across a large network, was a Tweet about military spouses qualifying for LinkedIn Premium following PCS. Not only is that informative for military spouses, but as a career development professional that information is so valuable for me to be able to pass on to future clients. And I learned it in a Tweet!
I have a good friend who is a civilian in Public Relations with the Navy, and in keeping with my theme for today, I asked her if she would give me her input on how social media has helped create a network within the military. She has to remain anonymous for security reasons, but here's what she had to say:
So you might be wondering what all this has to do with Web 2.0, social media or networks. Well, the entire week there was a Marine whose job it was to take photos, Tweet, and run their PR. Since they were tweeting out our pictures I started following them @MCRCPAO (MCRC Public Affairs) was updated with all of the photos for our week. It also led me to keep up with @MCB_Quantico which is "The official Twitter account of the Marine Corps Base Quantico." Both of these accounts retweet a lot of other military Twitter accounts, and then my networks continued to grow. The information tweeted out, specifically from Quantico's base ranges from basic information, such as road closures, to motivational stories and uplifting messages, and they currently have over 8,000 followers. In just this past year, and in the few platforms I use, I've seen the military use social media to communicate valuable information to their huge network across the world. Another great example of communication information across a large network, was a Tweet about military spouses qualifying for LinkedIn Premium following PCS. Not only is that informative for military spouses, but as a career development professional that information is so valuable for me to be able to pass on to future clients. And I learned it in a Tweet!
I have a good friend who is a civilian in Public Relations with the Navy, and in keeping with my theme for today, I asked her if she would give me her input on how social media has helped create a network within the military. She has to remain anonymous for security reasons, but here's what she had to say:
"One of my former commanding officers loved referring to our
workforce as a family. Our organization consists of a fluctuating
assortment of more than 12,000 active duty military and civilian personnel –
individuals of varied races, religions, experiences, and backgrounds – so
calling it a family helped unify everyone around the common mission. The term
stuck and we still call ourselves a family. We are one team with one
fight.
Even though dialogue through all levels of the
workplace is desirable, leaders can’t always go around to each and every
employee to make sure the priorities for mission success are understood, and
family members aren’t always under the same roof, especially when some are
forward deployed and providing aid around the world. That’s why
powerful tools like social media are such a valuable part of telling the
organization’s story, building a community and maintaining conversations with a
varied audience near and far from home to stay connected with each other and preserve
that feeling of family.
Our organization especially relies on Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube to communicate strategic messaging and to keep employees and their
families informed of everything from special events and good news stories to
policy changes and emergencies. The two-way symmetrical communication social
media provides is an essential part of promoting engagement and fostering
honest dialogue on an open, regulated forum where active duty personnel,
civilians and family members can safely interact with their peers and leaders
to help our organization tell its story in a dynamic way.
Successful messaging that builds engagement usually includes
three simple qualities: it triggers an emotional reaction, it includes a call
to action (large or small), and it encourages conversation."
For those of you who may work with current members of the military or veterans, I encourage you to follow some military network on social media. I have found it to be a great way to stay informed and keep current on what information is out there. For those who are current military or veterans, thank you for everything you and your families do. Happy 4th of July everyone!
Here's a picture from my trip for your enjoyment :)
I did not know that the military was active on social media! I think this just goes to show how far reaching social media is to many businesses and organizations.
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