Team Hill invites all to join Facebook fan page

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Melissa Dearstone
  • 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Team Hill has recently joined the social media frenzy by creating a Facebook fan page and welcomes all of Team Hill, family and friends to connect with them.

The official page went live May 14 and is available at https://www.facebook.com/HillAirForceBase/, or search for Hill Air Force Base in the Facebook search engine.

Facebook is a popular social media site that facilitates virtual networking and communication among like-minded individuals who "friend" each other, giving Airmen multiple platforms to engage in conversations about their personal and professional interests.

The 75th Air Base Wing public affairs staff monitors the Team Hill fan page and keeps Airmen, family and friends updated informally with news, photos, videos and discussion topics. Anyone interested in following Team Hill can become a fan by signing in and clicking the "like" button on the top of the page. Once a fan, users can make comments on the main page otherwise known as the "wall."

"Social media is an awesome tool for the Air Force to communicate to a larger audience; generally those who are younger than our organizational leadership and don't always pick up a printed newspaper," said George Jozens, Team Hill 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. I am optimistic we will have more than a thousand fans of our Team Hill page over the next month and these fans will hopefully learn something through the information we post."

Facebook has about 350 million regular users.

"It is imperative that we remind our staffs that information security practices are still applicable and required for continued protection of our network," said Ms. 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."

While comments on the fan page are moderated, they are not censored unless they are defamatory in nature.

"The page should be seen as family-friendly, so our fans are asked to keep comments and wall posts in good taste and decent language," said Mr. Jozens. "Any that don't comply will be removed."

The page does not allow graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments or submissions, nor do administrators allow comments that are abusive, hateful or intended to defame anyone or any organization. The fan page also does not allow solicitations or advertisements, nor does it allow comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity.

"Like any posting online, people take personal responsibility for their comments, username and any information provided," said Mr. 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."

Detailed information on Social Media and the Air Force is available at http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-091210-043.pdf.

For links to all Air Force social media sites, visit www.af.mil/socialmedia.asp.

(The 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office contributed to this story.)