2010 saw Air Force soar into social media territory

  • Published
  • By Catherine McNally
  • Hilltop Times staff
HILL AIR FORCE BASE --  The year 2010 saw the beginning of the Air Force's social media push. Beginning with a memorandum from the Department of Defense, the Air Force opened its doors to various social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook in March.

"The Air Force views the use of social media sites as a positive way to communicate and conduct business," Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command, was reported as saying in a news article released by Air Force Space Command Public Affairs. "Providing more open access will allow the Air Force to communicate more effectively to all Air Force personnel, their families and external audiences."

The new policy allowed for more interconnectedness between Airmen, their spouses and dependents and base communities, with thousands of fans joining Facebook sites and viewing YouTube videos.

As of August, the official United States Air Force Facebook (www.facebook.com/USairforce) page has soared to new heights with over 100,000 fans who "like" the page. Even senior leaders and their spouses have joined the rush. Suzie Schwartz, wife of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, created her own Facebook page that is geared toward keeping lines of communication open with Air Force families.

"I have been thinking about this for a long time," Schwartz said. "I hope to use this as an information tool for Air Force spouses.

Hill stays connected

Hill Air Force Base joined the social media frenzy by opening up the Hill Air Force Base official page (www.facebook.com/hill.af.mil), which went live in May and has accumulated almost 1,000 fans in that short amount of time.

"Social media is an awesome tool for the Air Force to communicate to a larger audience ..." said George Jozens, 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs director. "The launching of our base's Facebook page puts one more tool in the box to tell Team Hill and the people outside our gates what is going on here."

Joining the official Hill page are several other pages dedicated to various resources, offices and squadrons on base. Included in the listing is the 75th Force Support Squadron, the Base Chapel, the Hill Aerospace Museum, AAFES, the 419th Fighter Wing and many more. Links to these pages can be found at the official Hill Facebook page.

YouTube lends new view to military lifestyle

While the Air Force has an official YouTube channel entitled "Air Force Blue Tube (www.youtube.com/afbluetube)," the 419th Fighter Wing here at Hill has forged its own way into the YouTube culture.

Thanks to help from a local video blogger named Zoe Waits, the 419th FW Public Affairs office has reached out to the local community through YouTube videos documenting military and Reserve lifestyles.

One such video, named "Thank You, Airmen," features members of the local community giving thanks to Hill Air Force Base personnel. The video was directed by Waits in her free time as she visited local malls, parks and universities to film participants.

"It was great to put together a video for the troops to show them how much our community truly does appreciate them," Waits said.

The 419th FW YouTube page (www.youtube.com/419fw) also features a video series created by Lt. Col. Christopher Morgan, 419th FW director of staff, in honor of Veterans Day this year. The videos showcased the contributions of Utah's Air Force Reservists during the last 55 years and feature historic footage and interviews with veterans who served as early as the 1950s up to the post-9/11 era. Nearly 25 veterans were interview for the series.

"The videos chronicle the role of Utah's Air Force Reservists in some of the most noteworthy military operations in recent history," said Col. Walter "Buck" Sams, 419th FW commander,.

Keeping social media on target

As with all new things, the Air Force's decision to open up access to social media sites came with a new batch of rules. Due to the open nature of comments, moderators keep a close watch to make sure that Air Force-related social media sites remain family friendly.

Online security has also been a concern, and with the opening up of social media sites Airmen, families and other users were reminded to remain responsible for their personal information and comments.

"It is imperative that we remind our staffs that information security practices are still applicable and required for continued protection of our network," said Essye Miller, 75th Air Base Wing director of Communications and Information. "We are all information operators and are the first line of defense against hackers and viruses."

Despite the need to remain vigilant and keep information secure, social media sites are still critical in reaching out to those around us and keeping them connected to the Air Force.

"Like any posting online, people take personal responsibility for their comments, username and any information provided," said Phillip Rhodes, an Air Force Reserve Command social media strategist. "But that shouldn't scare people from participating. The power of Facebook and other social media sites lies in the interaction and community building."

For more information on Social Media and the Air Force, please visit www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-091210-043.pdf.

For a list of all Air Force-related social media sites, please visit www.af.mil/socialmedia.asp.