John Donovon Reports From Vegas
Here's the link to his blog:
Blogworld Expo
IMHO, Blogworld Expo will have more influence on the future of milblogs than MBC II did.
I intend to post links to various milblogs reporting from Blogworld Expo on this thread. Seems to me SWC Blog Watch is a more appropriate repository for such than my own blog. More likely to be seen here, anyway.
ArmyWifeToddlerMom Community Live Blogging from Las Vegas Blogworld Convention
Community Live Blogging from Las Vegas Blogworld Convention
Best line from above:
"if the PAO's were doing their job, blogs might not be needed."
Much that should be done in counterpropaganda/strategic communications is not being done, for a variety of reasons. Who should be doing it is less important than getting it done.
TF Boggs Blogworld Wrap-up
Blogworld Wrap-up
I came to realize that there is a lack of soldiers sharing quality writing about their experiences overseas. The fact that professional writers are traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan to cover the sorts of things that I as a soldier take for granted is a shame.
Professional writers aren't the only writers. Irregular pamphleteers are producing products, too.
Liveblogging from Vegas III
Milblogging Panel 3: From the Front
Gordon: My mission was to tell the story. I wanted to talk about what was happening in my area. I was in Anbar and watched the entire area transform before my eyes. One instance, a PAO was escorting a journalist and was killed by an IED. She had done a lot of work to represent Ramadi. The journalist getting killed got mentioned but the PAO's work didn't get mentioned. I regret that I didn't write about her and her good work.
Photos From Glenn Reynolds
blogs, yes--psyops, not really
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Cannoneer No. 4
That ideological filter weeds out quite a few who are pre-disposed to be alienated.
My comment, of course, was in the context of whether bloggers make effective civilian volunteers in support of national IO and PSYOP campaigns--in which case you precisely don't want to filter out those who are undecided or slightly tilted against the views you are trying to sell.
Don't get me wrong: I'm an avid reader, and user, of milblogs, for both research and teaching purposes--as I am of aidblogs, and the truly fascinating SRSGblog of former UN Sudan envoy Jan Pronk (which got him in more than a little trouble). All power to those who spend the time to blog, yourself included.
However, I am very doubtful regarding the viability, effectiveness, or even desirability of independent blogs serving as "distributed information operations by domestic PSYOP auxiliaries."
Bill Roggio, BlackFive, Uncle Jimbo, Mr. Wolf, Eric Egland, Mark Roberts With Hugh He
Hugh concludes his two days from Blog World Expo with milbloggers Bill Roggio, the three BlackFive contributors, Eric Egland, and then final Godblog comments from Mark D. Roberts.
35 minute interview click here to listen.
Disagregated Information War
I'll be very clear here: if it hadn't been for milblogs, I mean the hundreds out there, not just the popular, I would have been as surprised by the "sudden" decrease in violence as the media, the politicians and the rest of the public.
I would add that, while some "undecided" may have been put off by the obvious intent, but, how I see it, it's just a small part of the whole, pushing back against the wave. Milblogs are not meant to supplant any other information system or be the influencer for any and all.
For me, some milblogs rounded out the information gap, explained some military things that I, as a civilian, didn't understand (like ranks, formations, interaction of different units and what they did specifically). So, I believe that someone was correct to say that these blogs were an enhancer for understanding and basically a morale booster when I was down.
Reading the small, individual blogs about what soldiers were experiencing personally also supplemented by knowledge of the Iraqi and Afghan people, their culture, language, etc as well as the first inklings that winning wasn't just shooting, but "mud huts and chai tea".
So, milblogs have their place. They aren't the saviors of the info war, but they are definitely a tool. think about how many fake stories, photos and claims have been outed and pushed back by milblogs. I haven't kept a tally, but it's over 10. I mean, we're talking about alleged missiles fired into a Pashtun village house full of people that turned out to be a paki 155mm arty shell that had never been fired.
The only issue is that it takes awhile to get the media outlets who post them to respond, though that may get faster as certain individuals or groups get a reputation for accuracy. Right now, by time the media responds to outing of these stories, millions already see them and the media does do very good retractions when they've been exposed to fake pictures and stories. They are usually defensive.
Another problem with the "information war" question.