Soldiers on-line connections

reed11b · 10-28-2008

I have a request from up above to locate the on-line sources that soldiers are using to keep in contact post deployment. This RFI is aimed at current and recent OIF vets, What on-line forums, social networks, chat rooms, etc. did you and your soldiers use to stay in touch and that have a large percentage of current or recent GWOT vets?
Thanks for the help
Reed
RCS Vet Centers

Stan · 10-28-2008

Hey Reed !
An intriguing topic indeed.

I have buds from Bragg that no longer visit half the forums as their COs have passed on rather bad news regarding scrutiny over Soldiers involved with online journals. Even issues such as weapons failures were outright inappropriate they said. Yeah, I get the need for control or self-conscious postings if there's some classified involved, but posting anonymously to avoid trouble almost works out to be useless.

Gotta be a place for folks to vent.

What exactly is publicly available info (anymore) he asked me?

I still use AKO to the extent permitted (yet another sore subject). The remainder available are questionable unless a good friend tells me otherwise.

Regards, Stan

EDIT: Well, there's always the SWC as an excellent example of success !

Quote:

Originally Posted by reed11b

I have a request from up above to locate the on-line sources that soldiers are using to keep in contact post deployment. This RFI is aimed at current and recent OIF vets, What on-line forums, social networks, chat rooms, etc. did you and your soldiers use to stay in touch and that have a large percentage of current or recent GWOT vets?
Thanks for the help
Reed
RCS Vet Centers

Ken White · 10-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stan

...I have buds from Bragg that no longer visit half the forums as their COs have passed on rather bad news regarding scrutiny over Soldiers involved with online journals. Even issues such as weapons failures were outright inappropriate they said. Yeah, I get the need for control or self-conscious postings if there's some classified involved, but posting anonymously to avoid trouble almost works out to be useless.

Not a good sign IMO. Like the man said, "we don' need no steenking big bro..."

or words to that effect.

Quote:

Gotta be a place for folks to vent.

True -- and to do that without "adult supervision"...

Cavguy · 10-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken White

Not a good sign IMO. Like the man said, "we don' need no steenking big bro..."

or words to that effect.True -- and to do that without "adult supervision"...

Good news is the company command forum is still a place for CO's to vent to each other - the admins only allow current, recent past, and soon to be CO's in, and there is a "keep it in the family" compact there.

reed11b · 10-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cavguy

Good news is the company command forum is still a place for CO's to vent to each other - the admins only allow current, recent past, and soon to be CO's in, and there is a "keep it in the family" compact there.

CO and squad leader seem to be the best jobs in the Army. If I had a giant redo button, I would have stuck around enlisted till E-6 and then switched to the dark-side (Officer not Air Force). If I did that now I would be a nearly 40 yo LT, (bad eneogh I will be a 35 yo LT) and 68x's do not have squads.
Reed
P.S. thanks for the input, it helps and please keep it coming.

Entropy · 10-28-2008

Most people I know use myspace and facebook, especially those under 30. I keep in touch with some friends who have personal (or family) blogs, but by far the biggest is plain old email.

RTK · 10-28-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cavguy

Good news is the company command forum is still a place for CO's to vent to each other - the admins only allow current, recent past, and soon to be CO's in, and there is a "keep it in the family" compact there.

Cavguy hit it before I did. The PL site as well.

AKO works great and is how I get in touch with a lot of my compadres.

And, oh yea. The telephone.

reed11b · 10-31-2008

as much as I like to talk about PJ's, that may be a topic for a sepperate thread. I found an article in stars and strips on new "blogging regs".
LINK>>>
The part thats scares me is

Quote:

"What the new public affairs guidance … will provide is further clarification of what is acceptable in online postings or digital communication," she said.

The new guidelines do not cancel existing regulations but instead supplement them, she said.

any time I see "supplement existing regulations", that screams micro-managment and unnecessary rules to me. I hope the Army does not take away soldier's ability to communicate with non-soldiers in the name of "OP-SEC".
Reed

Steve Blair · 10-31-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by reed11b

I hope the Army does not take away soldier's ability to communicate with non-soldiers in the name of "OP-SEC".
Reed

One would certainly hope that they would not be so foolish. Those are the ONLY real communications that can bridge the gap between the military and civilian world. Managed PA spots certainly don't do it. And I should add that the gap goes both ways. But now I'll stop derailing....

Cavguy · 10-31-2008

LTG Caldwell at CAC has been clear for us:

1) You may (and must) blog/post organizationally

2) You are responsible for what you post

3) I will underwrite honest mistakes

Has worked so far @ CAC!

reed11b · 10-31-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cavguy

1) You may (and must) blog/post organizationally

Sorry Sir, could you dumb that down to grunt paratrooper level? I am not quite sure what you are saying.
Reed

Cavguy · 10-31-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by reed11b

Sorry Sir, could you dumb that down to grunt paratrooper level? I am not quite sure what you are saying.
Reed

LTC Caldwell, the CAC Commander, has been pushing for MORE soldiers to blog/interact in online communities. I summarized his longer rules for it - but they are sensible.

His bottom line is that he wants soldiers communicating their stories through every medium possible - but doing so responsibly and with an eye to OPSEC and appropriateness.

Kind of the reverse of the current DoD directives, which he in effect has modified/set aside for organizations under his command.

As a result, every organization on Fort Leavenworth has a blog, and every CGSC student is required to do a blog post and media interview on a public site during their tenure here.

Some radical stuff. For more, read here.

Ken White · 10-31-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cavguy

LTG Caldwell at CAC has been clear for us:

1) You may (and must) blog/post organizationally

2) You are responsible for what you post

3) I will underwrite honest mistakes

Good for him!

Entropy · 10-31-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cavguy

LTG Caldwell at CAC has been clear for us:

1) You may (and must) blog/post organizationally

That confuses me a bit - does that mean blogging in official capacity?

10-31-2008	#10
Cavguy Council Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 1,120	LTG Caldwell at CAC has been clear for us: 1) You may (and must) blog/post organizationally 2) You are responsible for what you post 3) I will underwrite honest mistakes Has worked so far @ CAC! __________________ "A Sherman can give you a very nice... edge."- Oddball, Kelly's Heroes Who is Cavguy?

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10-28-2008	#6
Entropy Council Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,450	Most people I know use myspace and facebook, especially those under 30. I keep in touch with some friends who have personal (or family) blogs, but by far the biggest is plain old email.