While enthusiasm for social networking is building around the services, certain pockets of leadership have emerged that clearly demonstrate the value of online tools for enhancing internal communication within the Department of Defense.
From the Navy, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, is the most prominent social networker, updating Facebook fans regularly on DoD policies, activities and personnel. However, the title of Navy’s most engaged networker might go to Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) (SS/SW) Rick D. West, who with more than 11,000 fans uses Facebook to communicate directly with Sailors and Navy families (audio clip about MCPON’s Facebook page).
West described his experience with Facebook in a letter to the community about communication and social media. “On Christmas day we’ll have been on Facebook for six months. By that time more than 11,000 of you will have signed up to join what I consider to be one big conversation with the Navy and our country,” he said. “To many of us this is a whole new way of interaction. What started out, for me, as an experiment has turned into a huge part of our communication strategy with the fleet.”
West identified the need for using social tools intelligently — to share new ideas and best practices, and to publicly discuss decisions that will impact the entire Navy community. He also spoke of the need for rules of engagement, meaning that new tools can help augment the chain of command, not supplant it. Within those basic guidelines — along with standard respect for classification and operations security – open interaction is fair game.
“Facebook is now one of the first things we consider when we have a message to pass to our Sailors. Each of you play a big role in that because of how fast word spreads using this medium,” West said. “Conversation on this site has been amazing… Almost every decision or new policy released or considered in the last half-year has been brought up here and discussed.”
On the Army side, leadership at the 10th Mountain Division uses a blog on the TaskForceMountain.com site to directly engage the Fort Drum community on issues from DoD policy to base life. Started by Maj. Gen. Mike Oates, and continued by Maj. Gen. James Terry, the blog receives robust comment activity with actionable suggestions from participants.
Coast Guard takes a similar approach to the Navy in communicating with enlisted personnel. The “Coast Guard All Hands” blog, overseen by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles “Skip” Bowen, is an internal communication tool that covers a broad range of issues impacting Coast Guard operations and quality of life. The blog actively solicits reader engagement, and users jump in when posts impact their specific community.
Do you know of other examples of DoD leaders using social tools to directly communicate with DoD personnel and families?
I don’t know any defense officials, but in the corporate world many directors are using on site/intranet blogs to keep their employees informed.
The Army leadership of the 101st Screaming Eagles at Fort Campbell use social media as a tool to get its information out to it’s publics. Social media has become a critical tool to get information out in a quick and timely manner. This method of information sharing has become very popular with our younger service members. All leaders to be very effective in today’s information sharing better get on board with this new process to get their command messages and information shared.
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I just stumbled upon this post while doing some research for a paper. It was clearly an enlightening piece and one that I have not looked at in that light before. I do believe social networks will play a prominent role in communication on all levels of our society in the future.