So I’ve been reading and listening about the future of the Web -- 3.Ohhhhh.
To hear some talk about the face of the things to come you should fully expect the following to happen the next time you order a book from Amazon -- along with the “buyers also purchased” section you should fully expect to get a suggestion to follow me on Twitter , your Facebook account will send a friend request to my neighbor, you will get an email quote from a car insurance company that compares your current rate with company-X to a new offer from company-Y, and the pizza delivery guy will be at the door before you even think about placing the order.
After all the digital record shows you order Italian sausage and mushroom deep dish every Thursday.
And oh yeah, all the offers or actions taken on your behalf will be exactly what you wanted.
I don’t want to say any of these experts are wrong, but I’m just not that optimistic about the whole thing.
For one thing I have been trying to catalogue my likes, dislikes, dreams and needs for more than 40 years and still forget to pack my toothbrush when I travel, and I do that nearly two weeks a month.
I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, and I am pretty sure no amount of computing will give me the car insurance rate so good I just can’t wait to make the switch. Unless of course you are offering a free car, free full coverage, a lifetime of fuel, and a daily maintenance guy. Email me today if that offer is out there.
Not to mention I have been trying to figure out my wife since I met her and have met with little success, and I have far more info about her than you can find on the Web. Even if you just narrowed it down to gift finding based on her purchase activity, the results would not come back too impressive. She would end up getting the latest superhero t-shirt in size 8, or some type of children’s toy. Do you have any idea how many birthday parties a 1st grader has to go to each year?
If there is a group of programmers that can actually meet the expectations that some have of Web 3.0, forget Web 3.0. Just cold call married couples and offer to explain each spouse to the other for 100 bucks a head. You will be rich beyond your wildest dreams in a month and don’t have to worry about all those fancy updates to get us to Web 3.5.
It’s not just a lack of optimism. I’m wondering if we really need it. The experts tell us we will be able to find what we are looking for faster and with fewer irrelevant results.
What that really means is we will have more to sift through. When we get a bunch of bad search results via Google, we can easily eliminate 10 of 20 sites to review.
Not with Web 3.0. Everything will be relevant. That means more to look at. I’m not really sure I want more information than what I get. It’s already information overload on most days, so why do I want more.
Plus it means the boss will be able to find more relevant info. And what about that competitive edge? Right now the guy who knows how optimize the search has a leg up on the rest of the office.
I’m all for some change, and think communication needs to move forward, but can we slow down just a little bit. Maybe we should follow the OS model. How about we go to Web 2.2, through 2.9.1 and take a little extra time getting to Web 3.0? The average user is accustomed to figuring out the new gig and having to learn something else, and having the opportunity to complain about it. Hey that’s the way it’s always been done and it’s worked fine so far.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Expanded digital access requires same common sense
Not really a blog, but this is my latest commentary for www.usafe.af.mil and www.af.mil. Most of it probably holds true for any organization's employees when it comes to using social networking from the office
Social networking sites are open to Air Force servicemembers and employees in the workplace. This change to policy has raised many questions about using social media officially and personally in the workplace.
When you get right down to it, however, little has changed. The rules established for Internet use at work are no different than before Air Force officials opened access to social media sites.
The guidance provided in the recently updated Air Force Guidance Memorandum, Responsible and Effective Use of Internet Based Capabilities is just as true for visiting commercial Web sites for personal use on government computers as for using Internet-based services to access social media on those same computers.
What you can or can't say realy hasn't changed, either. Guidance found in the 35-series AFIs still offers the primary guidance for public release of information and covers official Web management policy.
Though little has changed in the rules, the tools have come a long way from the early days of government commercial Internet use. In the earliest days of the Internet, forums and bulletin boards were popular ways of sharing information, but they took time to connect, download and upload. Use was limited to people who understood computers.
Today's social networking arguably has become the fastest way to disseminate and share a variety of information. The exchange of information is nearly instantaneous. Its accessibility and speed allows us to fire and forget without much thought as to what we say or do.
From a personal standpoint, you may say something that upsets someone or post personal information you may not have really wanted to share. From a professional and official standpoint, this can be dangerous and could cause problems for people far removed from the initial post.
There are more than a few common-sense tips to remember that can help keep people out of trouble in the social networking world, and at the same time help tell the Air Force story while communicating with family and friends.
Most importantly, think about what you say before you say it. Your words live forever on the Internet.
Everything that applies to other forms of communication applies to the Internet social networking atmosphere as well. Simply think of all the annual briefings you get about operations security, political activity, privacy act and other topics. Ask, "Is this allowed in other forms of communication?" If you aren't sure, it's a good bet you should get additional guidance before posting to a social networking site.
We're proud of our profession and want everyone to know that we're part of the Air Force, but putting your rank and your name in your profile on a social networking site has some unintended implications.
A Facebook page with the user name "Chief Master Sgt. J. Suchnsuch" is likely to be viewed as an official site. The same page with the username of "J. Suchnsuch," and profile information that includes rank and position is much less likely to be viewed by the public as official.
Using social networking sites wisely comes down to common sense, responsibility and accountability.
Before you post anything to social networking sites ask these simple questions:
1. Am I violating any rules?
2. Is this a responsible comment to make?
3. Am I willing to be accountable for the comment?
If you answered, "no," "yes," "yes," then it is likely you are on the right track. If you weren't sure when answering, you need to become familiar with the social media "rules of the road."
Social Media "Rules of the Road"
What can I do on these sites?
- DO use the sites to help demonstrate the mission: we don't know the best application yet -- MAKE IT!
- DO be creative: use this forum as a way to build relationships and new ways to operate
- DO get engaged online: the enemy is living here already; it's time for us to show our side of the story
- DO use your best judgment: in the end you're responsible for what you say and the image you present
- DO communicate: the whole goal is to improve operations by sharing what we know
- DO think about operational security, OPSEC
- DO give firsthand accounts: go with what you know, and share but do not give out second-hand information
- DO correct folks if they misrepresent the Air Force; do so respectfully and factually, but make it right, or redirect them to factual
information via links
- DO correct yourself if you make a mistake: it's the right thing to do -- CREDIBILITY IS CRITICAL
- DO acknowledge that your views are your own and not the official position of the Air Force or Department of Defense
- DO act professionally: you are our best interface to the public, so be proud and act appropriately
- DO remember that the Uniform Code of Military Justice still applies: just because it's in a virtual setting doesn't make
something that would be illegal any more lawful or appropriate
- DO ask for help if you aren't sure about posting something; your local public affairs office is a great place to start
What CAN'T I do on these sites?
- DON'T spill the beans on operations, privacy info, contractually sensitive or classified data. THINK OPSEC
- DON'T think this is your home computer: FarmVille, Mafia Wars, eBay, day trading, apps and widgets need to be done
elsewhere
- DON'T be rude (your mother's watching): no obscene, abusive, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise offensive posting or
viewing
- DON'T use other people's info: copyrights, trademarks, logos, writings, etc., must be honored
- DON'T tread on others rights: respect everyone's right to privacy and personal freedom
- DON'T be fake: no forging data about yourself or others, or misrepresenting who you are--be real
- DON'T pass on second- or third-hand info; just because your buddy told you doesn't mean it's true, first-hand info only, please
- DON'T spend half your day tweeting, blogging, etc: chatting with friends on lunch is OK, but don't go crazy
Social networking sites are open to Air Force servicemembers and employees in the workplace. This change to policy has raised many questions about using social media officially and personally in the workplace.
When you get right down to it, however, little has changed. The rules established for Internet use at work are no different than before Air Force officials opened access to social media sites.
The guidance provided in the recently updated Air Force Guidance Memorandum, Responsible and Effective Use of Internet Based Capabilities is just as true for visiting commercial Web sites for personal use on government computers as for using Internet-based services to access social media on those same computers.
What you can or can't say realy hasn't changed, either. Guidance found in the 35-series AFIs still offers the primary guidance for public release of information and covers official Web management policy.
Though little has changed in the rules, the tools have come a long way from the early days of government commercial Internet use. In the earliest days of the Internet, forums and bulletin boards were popular ways of sharing information, but they took time to connect, download and upload. Use was limited to people who understood computers.
Today's social networking arguably has become the fastest way to disseminate and share a variety of information. The exchange of information is nearly instantaneous. Its accessibility and speed allows us to fire and forget without much thought as to what we say or do.
From a personal standpoint, you may say something that upsets someone or post personal information you may not have really wanted to share. From a professional and official standpoint, this can be dangerous and could cause problems for people far removed from the initial post.
There are more than a few common-sense tips to remember that can help keep people out of trouble in the social networking world, and at the same time help tell the Air Force story while communicating with family and friends.
Most importantly, think about what you say before you say it. Your words live forever on the Internet.
Everything that applies to other forms of communication applies to the Internet social networking atmosphere as well. Simply think of all the annual briefings you get about operations security, political activity, privacy act and other topics. Ask, "Is this allowed in other forms of communication?" If you aren't sure, it's a good bet you should get additional guidance before posting to a social networking site.
We're proud of our profession and want everyone to know that we're part of the Air Force, but putting your rank and your name in your profile on a social networking site has some unintended implications.
A Facebook page with the user name "Chief Master Sgt. J. Suchnsuch" is likely to be viewed as an official site. The same page with the username of "J. Suchnsuch," and profile information that includes rank and position is much less likely to be viewed by the public as official.
Using social networking sites wisely comes down to common sense, responsibility and accountability.
Before you post anything to social networking sites ask these simple questions:
1. Am I violating any rules?
2. Is this a responsible comment to make?
3. Am I willing to be accountable for the comment?
If you answered, "no," "yes," "yes," then it is likely you are on the right track. If you weren't sure when answering, you need to become familiar with the social media "rules of the road."
Social Media "Rules of the Road"
What can I do on these sites?
- DO use the sites to help demonstrate the mission: we don't know the best application yet -- MAKE IT!
- DO be creative: use this forum as a way to build relationships and new ways to operate
- DO get engaged online: the enemy is living here already; it's time for us to show our side of the story
- DO use your best judgment: in the end you're responsible for what you say and the image you present
- DO communicate: the whole goal is to improve operations by sharing what we know
- DO think about operational security, OPSEC
- DO give firsthand accounts: go with what you know, and share but do not give out second-hand information
- DO correct folks if they misrepresent the Air Force; do so respectfully and factually, but make it right, or redirect them to factual
information via links
- DO correct yourself if you make a mistake: it's the right thing to do -- CREDIBILITY IS CRITICAL
- DO acknowledge that your views are your own and not the official position of the Air Force or Department of Defense
- DO act professionally: you are our best interface to the public, so be proud and act appropriately
- DO remember that the Uniform Code of Military Justice still applies: just because it's in a virtual setting doesn't make
something that would be illegal any more lawful or appropriate
- DO ask for help if you aren't sure about posting something; your local public affairs office is a great place to start
What CAN'T I do on these sites?
- DON'T spill the beans on operations, privacy info, contractually sensitive or classified data. THINK OPSEC
- DON'T think this is your home computer: FarmVille, Mafia Wars, eBay, day trading, apps and widgets need to be done
elsewhere
- DON'T be rude (your mother's watching): no obscene, abusive, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise offensive posting or
viewing
- DON'T use other people's info: copyrights, trademarks, logos, writings, etc., must be honored
- DON'T tread on others rights: respect everyone's right to privacy and personal freedom
- DON'T be fake: no forging data about yourself or others, or misrepresenting who you are--be real
- DON'T pass on second- or third-hand info; just because your buddy told you doesn't mean it's true, first-hand info only, please
- DON'T spend half your day tweeting, blogging, etc: chatting with friends on lunch is OK, but don't go crazy
Friday, April 16, 2010
Getting the word out -- a real team effort
We have all heard the importance of team work, but teamwork is sometimes the only way to make it work.
Yesterday was just a typical morning at the HQ Public Affairs office until the Director asked a very simple question. Who is monitoring exercise BRILLIANT ARDENT coverage?
No one else was around so I found out a bit about it so when our division chief got back he would have the details he needed to determine a course of action.
It turned out BRILLIANT ARDENT falls into two of COMUSAFE’s key mission areas. It also turned out there was an equally important exercise going on elsewhere in the theater that fell into those same categories – FRISIAN FLAG.
We needed to get coverage. This may not seem very difficult to some. You write a few paragraphs, throw in a few photos and you’re done. But getting a story together and getting it the appropriate level of coverage is not always as easy as it seems -- especially, when the events are occurring in six countries, or I should say high above them in fighter and tanker aircraft.
PublicAffairs doesn’t have an aircraft to quickly fly up to the action and get the story.
After a short discussion we made the calls to the involved wings public affairs shops, sent out a few emails and hoped we could at least get a few photos to accompany what we had started. The initial answer from one wing was a bit disheartening – “What’s BRILLIANT ARDENT?”
It didn’t deter the effort in the though. Each wing understood we needed their help and they got on with the business of providing information to us to ensure COMUSAFE’s message about Building Partnerships and Providing Forces for Global Operations.
The challenge was on the wings now. 2Lt Polesnak at Spangdhalem was the first to get back to us. She had coordinated with Maj Chisam at 22nd Fighter Squadron there to find out who was participating from the German bases.
A few hours later we had Staff Sgt May’s photos from onboard a 100th Air Refueling Wing tanker during a refueling mission with a French Mirage.
Shortly after that Capt. Harvey from the 48th Fighter Wing had a story and accompanying photos from 1Lt Ageton (who was a few countries away), posted up to the web.
By the end of the day the stories and photos were on the appropriate Air Force websites, the EUCOM website, had been submitted to the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Office, and were making their way across Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Smugmug and other social media sites.
Now before anyone asks why PA is tooting the PA horn, this isn’t really about public affairs Airmen.
Sure a few PA Airmen were involved in getting the story out, but they were really only a small part. 1Lt Ageton is in the intel field, but her photos were essential to the coverage.
There was also Dan Stanley who handled all the flight doc appointments for the media going onboard the tankers. Maj. Saettel took care of all the paperwork and approvals through the commander. Security forces NCO, SSgt Stover took care of the base access letters for the media. There were also all the aircraft and aircrew schedulers; TSgt Rodriquez, Capt. Zervos, Capt Berge, Capt. Wolf.
You can’t forget the aircrew that had to work around people who aren’t normally a concern -- Capt. Berge, Lt. Patterson, TSgt Scheuer, Capt. Pacione, Lt Williams, SrA Patras.
There are quite a few others who helped along the way whose names I don’t even know. The Dutch and US intelligence officers who made sure the area was cleared of any sensitive information for the photo. And so many more who were somehow involved in the line of communication.
And I have to stop there. If I go into all the things it took to actually make those exercises happen so PA had a story to tell, I would have to write a book and not a blog.
Yesterday was just a typical morning at the HQ Public Affairs office until the Director asked a very simple question. Who is monitoring exercise BRILLIANT ARDENT coverage?
No one else was around so I found out a bit about it so when our division chief got back he would have the details he needed to determine a course of action.
It turned out BRILLIANT ARDENT falls into two of COMUSAFE’s key mission areas. It also turned out there was an equally important exercise going on elsewhere in the theater that fell into those same categories – FRISIAN FLAG.
We needed to get coverage. This may not seem very difficult to some. You write a few paragraphs, throw in a few photos and you’re done. But getting a story together and getting it the appropriate level of coverage is not always as easy as it seems -- especially, when the events are occurring in six countries, or I should say high above them in fighter and tanker aircraft.
PublicAffairs doesn’t have an aircraft to quickly fly up to the action and get the story.
After a short discussion we made the calls to the involved wings public affairs shops, sent out a few emails and hoped we could at least get a few photos to accompany what we had started. The initial answer from one wing was a bit disheartening – “What’s BRILLIANT ARDENT?”
It didn’t deter the effort in the though. Each wing understood we needed their help and they got on with the business of providing information to us to ensure COMUSAFE’s message about Building Partnerships and Providing Forces for Global Operations.
The challenge was on the wings now. 2Lt Polesnak at Spangdhalem was the first to get back to us. She had coordinated with Maj Chisam at 22nd Fighter Squadron there to find out who was participating from the German bases.
A few hours later we had Staff Sgt May’s photos from onboard a 100th Air Refueling Wing tanker during a refueling mission with a French Mirage.
Shortly after that Capt. Harvey from the 48th Fighter Wing had a story and accompanying photos from 1Lt Ageton (who was a few countries away), posted up to the web.
By the end of the day the stories and photos were on the appropriate Air Force websites, the EUCOM website, had been submitted to the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Office, and were making their way across Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Smugmug and other social media sites.
Now before anyone asks why PA is tooting the PA horn, this isn’t really about public affairs Airmen.
Sure a few PA Airmen were involved in getting the story out, but they were really only a small part. 1Lt Ageton is in the intel field, but her photos were essential to the coverage.
There was also Dan Stanley who handled all the flight doc appointments for the media going onboard the tankers. Maj. Saettel took care of all the paperwork and approvals through the commander. Security forces NCO, SSgt Stover took care of the base access letters for the media. There were also all the aircraft and aircrew schedulers; TSgt Rodriquez, Capt. Zervos, Capt Berge, Capt. Wolf.
You can’t forget the aircrew that had to work around people who aren’t normally a concern -- Capt. Berge, Lt. Patterson, TSgt Scheuer, Capt. Pacione, Lt Williams, SrA Patras.
There are quite a few others who helped along the way whose names I don’t even know. The Dutch and US intelligence officers who made sure the area was cleared of any sensitive information for the photo. And so many more who were somehow involved in the line of communication.
And I have to stop there. If I go into all the things it took to actually make those exercises happen so PA had a story to tell, I would have to write a book and not a blog.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
A question of structure
After more than a year of research and observation I still haven’t found the definitive answer on the most effective way to use social media.
I’ve read the expert’s books, listened to lectures and watched presentations on some corporate efforts. All were informative, some exciting, some boring and some ultimately risky.
I get most of it. I see the benefits. I see that every day of planning with no action is another day of falling behind the competition. Something most companies cannot afford. So they jump in with a partial plan with little thought of structure.
That’s what I’m trying to wrap my arms around. How does a big organization structure its social media efforts, or does it even need too?
There isn’t as much need for structure when only one or two divisions of an organization are in the social media atmosphere, but as more divisions want to toot their own horn the less defined the organization’s identity becomes, and the organizational message is lost in the shuffle of the IT message, marketing message, research message, etc.
In some cases it seems they are competing with each other instead of the real competition.
Instead of building organizational support they build support for their one little area of control. It’s no longer about what the organization does but what I or we do in our own little box.
So how does one structure the social media effort to maintain the organizational brand and stil let the divisions have a sense of their own identity.
The Air Force seems to have built a good model with their web pages, even if they don’t always follow through. It's a structure that could probably be used in scoial media as well.
There is definitive identity to Air Force official web pages and an obviously tiered structure. They look the same with a few tweeks here and there to provide specific divisional identity. Air Force content is shared with Command content and Wing content. Information moves seamlessly up and down the hierarchy or links the reader to another division on the other side of the world, but rules and standards allow for the local message to be voiced without over riding the corporate message.
The organizational name is branded on every page, with the division and further subdivisions branded as well.
The reader can choose the depth of information he wants but is always brought back to the fact that this is part of the Air Force.
Social media needs can be addressed in a similar fashion and may just be useful to other organizations trying to wrap their arms around the incredible collaborative power of social media.
Let your divisions have their own Facebook pages, but ensure rules apply that keep the corporate message and logo linked to the overall dialogue.
Establish rules for redirecting fans via good content and links back to corporate sites or other division sites that may be working on the projects from a different angle.
Let them tweet all day. Again, ground rules though. Established hashtags and tiny urls that can be put easily into a tweet to bring the audience to other areas of the communication effort. Use profile pics clearly establishing the tweeter is part of the larger group.
Share the big picture message with the divisions and ask them how they think they can incorporate it into their local effort.
By that same token take this across the board to all your communication efforts. Why can’t your press release have the same feel to it as your webpage, SM site, or your television commercial?
I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on this process, but it seems to me the simplest of communication principles and theories apply no matter what tools we use. Sure we can try some new, exciting, even extravagant campaign, but in the end it will come back to consistency.
I’ve read the expert’s books, listened to lectures and watched presentations on some corporate efforts. All were informative, some exciting, some boring and some ultimately risky.
I get most of it. I see the benefits. I see that every day of planning with no action is another day of falling behind the competition. Something most companies cannot afford. So they jump in with a partial plan with little thought of structure.
That’s what I’m trying to wrap my arms around. How does a big organization structure its social media efforts, or does it even need too?
There isn’t as much need for structure when only one or two divisions of an organization are in the social media atmosphere, but as more divisions want to toot their own horn the less defined the organization’s identity becomes, and the organizational message is lost in the shuffle of the IT message, marketing message, research message, etc.
In some cases it seems they are competing with each other instead of the real competition.
Instead of building organizational support they build support for their one little area of control. It’s no longer about what the organization does but what I or we do in our own little box.
So how does one structure the social media effort to maintain the organizational brand and stil let the divisions have a sense of their own identity.
The Air Force seems to have built a good model with their web pages, even if they don’t always follow through. It's a structure that could probably be used in scoial media as well.
There is definitive identity to Air Force official web pages and an obviously tiered structure. They look the same with a few tweeks here and there to provide specific divisional identity. Air Force content is shared with Command content and Wing content. Information moves seamlessly up and down the hierarchy or links the reader to another division on the other side of the world, but rules and standards allow for the local message to be voiced without over riding the corporate message.
The organizational name is branded on every page, with the division and further subdivisions branded as well.
The reader can choose the depth of information he wants but is always brought back to the fact that this is part of the Air Force.
Social media needs can be addressed in a similar fashion and may just be useful to other organizations trying to wrap their arms around the incredible collaborative power of social media.
Let your divisions have their own Facebook pages, but ensure rules apply that keep the corporate message and logo linked to the overall dialogue.
Establish rules for redirecting fans via good content and links back to corporate sites or other division sites that may be working on the projects from a different angle.
Let them tweet all day. Again, ground rules though. Established hashtags and tiny urls that can be put easily into a tweet to bring the audience to other areas of the communication effort. Use profile pics clearly establishing the tweeter is part of the larger group.
Share the big picture message with the divisions and ask them how they think they can incorporate it into their local effort.
By that same token take this across the board to all your communication efforts. Why can’t your press release have the same feel to it as your webpage, SM site, or your television commercial?
I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on this process, but it seems to me the simplest of communication principles and theories apply no matter what tools we use. Sure we can try some new, exciting, even extravagant campaign, but in the end it will come back to consistency.
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