Milblogging.com : The World's Largest Index of Military Blogs (Milblogs)

Milblogging.com : The World's Largest Index of Military Blogs (Milblogs) 2010-03-12T13:22:10Z Milblogging.com Copyright 2010, Milblogging.com SPHPBLOG Opening Night Festivities, 2010 Milblog Conference By Andi

Friday evening, we'll have a cocktail reception following the kick-off panel. At the reception, there will be a cash bar and lite fare (passed hors d'oeuvers). A full dinner will be served at Saturday evening's big bash. The agenda for Friday (April 9), is below:

6:30 - 7:45p
Kick-off panel: A Marathon, Not a Sprint: This kick-off panel brings together a variety of speakers, including some of the earliest milbloggers. Panelists will reflect on five conferences and several years of milblogging. Speakers will discuss the evolution of milblogging and share their thoughts on what they think the future of milblogging may look like. Panelists include Greyhawk, Matt, Baldilocks and SGT Mom

8:00p
Cocktail Reception Begins

9:00 - 10:00p
Charity Jail N'Bail, details here

10:00 - 10:30p
Saving Abel Performs, details here

11:00p
Cocktail Reception Ends

Friday evening will be a blast, but save your energy for Saturday evening's monster party!]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100311-030437 2010-03-11T00:00:00Z 2010-03-11T00:00:00Z Fifth Annual Milblog Conference, April 9/10: There is still time to register The 2010 Official Milblog Conference is right around the corner and it’s a great opportunity to meet and network with dozens of military bloggers, key military leaders, and many individuals and and organizations from all over the military community.

It’s no surprise that this year’s conference celebrating its five year anniversary will be the biggest yet. And Andi, who has been organizing the Official Milblog Conference year after year, has been working hard behind the scenes for months putting things together to make this year’s conference very special.

The conference takes place April 9 and April 10, and there’s still time to register and attend. The cost is only $50 and it includes “the works”.

For the record, I feel kinda bad I won’t be able to attend Friday’s events, namely the Kickoff Panel and the extend-o Cocktail Reception from 8 PM – 11 PM (my favorite).

But at least I’ll be able to make it to the Breakfast the following morning, on time. And alert. Without a headache. Or wearing the same clothes. Or smelling like catfood. Last year was a lot of fun. Just saying. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100310-180720 2010-03-10T00:00:00Z 2010-03-10T00:00:00Z Social Media/Military Stories from around the Net: March 10, 2010 Military Leadership in the Information Age
In the past two months, the milblogosphere has been abuzz over the sackings of several military commanders, such as Captain William Reavey, the former commander of Naval Air Station Pensacola; Lt. Col. Frank Jenio, the former commander of the 2nd Battalion-508th Parachute Infantry Regiment; and Captain Holly Graf, the former commander of the guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens. These incidents are particularly interesting, as they offer a case study of military leadership in the world of Web 2.0.
(Wings Over Iraq)

Kaboom Book Release Party - Join Us!
If anyone out there happens to live in the NYC area - or will be visiting soon - come join us on Thursday, April 15, for the officially official "Kaboom" release party. We'll start at the Barnes & Noble in TriBeCa (97 Warren Street) at 7 p.m., where I'll talk about how the book came to be, do a Q+A, and then a signing. From there, we'll move to Dublin 6, an Irish pub in the West Village.
(Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal)

"Diary of a Disgraced Soldier": Can Art Save the Life of a Veteran Battling PTSD?
The night before, he had killed an insurgent during a firefight. With the sun up, thousands of Iraqis were rioting in the streets and taking out their anger on Webster and the other 100 some British soldiers in his unit, the 1st Battalion, Light Infantry, which was charged with maintaining order in Al Amara, Iraq. They were mere days from the end of their deployment.
(AlterNet)

Trust and Safety
As Director of Twitter's Trust and Safety team, a big part of my job is focused on the detection and prevention of spam and abuse. A couple weeks ago, Biz explained how Twitter users were being victimized by phishing scams spread primarily through links in Direct Messages. Basically, people click the link and bad things happen. My team can only detect these scams after malicious links have already been sent out.
(Twitter)

USTRANSCOM Launches Facebook and Twitter Sites
The U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) launched the Command’s official Facebook and Twitter pages today. Following DOD Deputy Secretary Lynn’s memorandum on the responsible and effective use of Internet-based capabilities on Friday, February 25, USTRANSCOM moved forward quickly with plans to establish a presence on social networking sites.
(DoD Live)

Do You Know Who Your Friends Are?
A recent find in our social media communities has been the use of military support Facebook groups as the construction site for houses of adversary propaganda through violent, anti-American posts, videos and photos. What makes it scarier is friends and families have welcomed the invitation without looking at the pictures hanging on the walls or the violent movies playing on the television.
(dvids)]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100310-173654 2010-03-10T00:00:00Z 2010-03-10T00:00:00Z Tentative Timeline for the 2010 Milblog Conference (Formal Portion) Below is the tentative timeline for the formal portion of the Conference, which will take place on Saturday, April 10 from 9:00a - 5:30p. This is subject to change due to the schedules of some distinguished speakers.

7:45 - 8:45
Breakfast

9:00 - 9:30
Opening Remarks

9:30 - 10:30
The Charitable Landscape: Representatives from various troop supporting organizations will examine how the use of social media has changed the way non-profits communicate with their membership, donors and the general public. This panel will discuss the challenges and benefits of social media, and how we can assist in their efforts to support the military community

10:30 - 10:45
Break

10:45 - 12:00
National Security Smorgasbord: A diverse panel of reporters, strategists and pundits discuss a wide range of topics including the state of our National Security, the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and media coverage of military affairs

12:00 - 1:30
Lunch

1:30 - 2:30
Special Guest Appearance

2:30 - 3:45
The View from the Top: Senior military leaders from a variety of branches discuss the rewards and challenges of social media in a military environment

3:45 - 4:00
Break

4:00 - 5:15
Legislation, Military-Style: Lawmakers and policy-wonks discuss the legislative side of policy-making with respect to military affairs

5:15 - 5:30
Closing Remarks ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100309-032844 2010-03-09T00:00:00Z 2010-03-09T00:00:00Z Saving Abel to Perform at the 2010 MilBlog Conference Saving Abel rocks out with troops. USO photo by Mike Clifton

By Andi

Troop supporting rockers Saving Abel will be in town during the Milblog Conference and have volunteered to stop by the Friday evening Cocktail Reception for a brief, acoustic performance. Saving Abel is currently on a week-long USO tour in the Persian Gulf.

Click here to see the making of the music video for 18 Days, which took place on the deck of an aircraft carrier. I think you can count on the band performing this song Friday evening. Saving Abel are strong supporters of our troops and their families and we're thrilled to have them drop by for a little entertainment, and to meet and greet the milbloggers. Don't miss this!

We've had no less than three bands offer to perform at The MilBlog Conference, and we're grateful for the interest in our conference and the willingness of these bands to donate their time to entertain us.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100308-181444 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z Top News Stories from around the Net: Social Media and the Military The Role of Social Networking in Modern Combat
Last Friday at an event in Washington D.C., U.S. military personnel who were at the forefront of counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq joined Slate Magazine's Chris Wilson at the New America Foundation to discuss the role of social networking theories in modern combat. While Bin Laden doesn't tweet and there may not be an al-Qaida fanpage on Facebook that can be browsed for intel, the experts agreed that understanding the other side's social networks -- as painstaking as the process may be -- can be crucial to operational success.
(OhMyGov!)

Why Do All the Letters Sent by Military Wives Disappear? For comfort, we have blogs instead.
I've written letters to my much-deployed husband, Scott, on monogrammed stationery, hotel letterhead, notebook paper, and even, once, in the margins of a menu from a restaurant in Switzerland. In Japan, I invested heavily in cards that featured cute animals of different species talking to one another; when I worked in an office, I scribbled on the back of recycled meeting agendas. But only the memory of these letters exists. Like most deployed service members, who are always on the move and have to travel light, my husband couldn't hold on to my notes.
(Slate Magazine)

Army, Navy and Air Force continue to ban flash media
The U.S. Strategic Command approved limited use of flash media such as thumb drives on Feb. 18, but all three services have yet to lift their bans until they develop policies and procedures for the devices. STRATCOM said the services and combatant commands must develop policies and procedures for use of flash media on their computers and networks. The Air Force and Army are still developing their policies.
(NextGov)

Egypt military court releases blogger in army case
A blogger, who had faced a military trial for an article critical of Egypt's armed forces, has been released without bail after apologising and on condition he removes the posting, his lawyer said on Sunday.
(Moneycontrol.com)

French-kissing woman army officer punished
another subordinate had also posted on his blog photos of Lee French kissing the men and women. The captions on the photos named the subordinates as Lee's "concubines".
(AsiaOne)

Army Spouses Urged to Speak Their Minds
Army officials have just sent out the 2010 Survey of Army Families to 75,000 randomly-selected civilian spouses of active-duty soldiers.
(Family Matters Blog)]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100308-180507 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z 2010-03-08T00:00:00Z Everyone and their Mother has an opinion on the new Social Media Policy released by the DoD The DoD new/social media policy which took some time to officially publish (even after a supportive draft was leaked), has been discussed by bloggers and news sites all over the internet. Some say the policy is not enough, some say the policy is a step in the right direction, and there are others who say it’s too early to tell what the policy really means. Will the policy cause a dramatic shift in the way people use social media? Probably not, because it is too early to tell. But in my opinion it’s definitely a step in the right direction in providing guidance, especially to people new to social media or people thinking of taking a leap.

With all the news and opinions, many have said it's not enough for military bloggers. Sure, it’s honorable for people to come to the defense of the “little guy” in the military community who blogs or tweets or uses any of the hundreds of social media/networking tools available, but people need to keep in mind, security is the most important thing here. And when it comes to accessing new/social media sites from the frontlines, unless you’ve been there and done that, you might not have all your facts.

Jack Holt, a Sr. Strategist for Emerging Media has a great write up on the new policy:

We need to also understand what having a policy means to an organization such as DoD. Having a policy means resources can be planned and budgeted for in an effort to support that policy. Because a more open NIPRnet is the policy, we now have a responsibility to train our people in its responsible and effective use. We must examine what security should look like. It’s like moving from a walled city with guard towers to open communities with constables on patrol. Yes, there are significant threats in working on the Internet, but we train to meet the threats  on every field of maneuver; this field is no different. It means as members of the DoD, we each have a greater responsibility to protect each other. We all should have a look at the Social Networking Sites safety checklist and the games that help us teach our families.

I don’t consider myself a social media expert by any stretch of the imagination, but there was a time when I blogged from Afghanistan and Iraq, and the guidelines we followed were called: Common Sense. Yeah, I know. Crazy stuff. I didn’t even really read “directives” or “memos” or “09-026’s”.

The guidelines should probably have been called “Halo Cheat Codes”. Or “Downloading new maps for Call of Duty”. You know, something to grab my attention.

Read the entire story here. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100307-092539 2010-03-07T00:00:00Z 2010-03-07T00:00:00Z Top News Stories from around the Globe: Social Media and the Military Troops in Europe still waiting for access to social sites
STUTTGART, Germany — More than a week after the Defense Department lifted its three-year ban on social media Web sites, U.S. troops in Europe are still waiting to gain access to sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The new DOD policy, which went into effect on Feb. 25, states that DOD networks will be configured to allow access on government computers to such sites as Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Twitter and Google Apps.
(Stars and Stripes)

Israeli Soldier Leaks Raid On Facebook, Booted from Army
AOL News said that a soldier from an elite Israeli military unit announced on his Facebook page that, "On Wednesday, we are cleaning out [a West Bank village] -- today an arrest operation, tomorrow an arrest operation and then, please God, home by Thursday." Other members of the unit who were also among his Facebook friends alerted officers. The operation was scrapped and the soldier was court-martialed, sentenced to 10 days in jail and kicked out of the battalion.
(MyFox Wausau)

Egypt: Blogger trial condemned
Amnesty International has condemned the trial of young blogger in Egypt, calling on the Egyptian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Ahmad Mostafa, 20, a blogger and prisoner of conscience facing up to nine and a half years in prison after he published a post alleging nepotism within the armed forces.
(Amnesty International UK)

Military rebuffs blogger's call for top Canadian general to be fired
The Canadian military in Afghanistan emphatically denied Wednesday a claim by an American blogger popular among soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan that Canada's commander, Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard, should be fired for not having prevented an attack on a bridge near the Kandahar Airfield where an American soldier and four Afghan civilians died Monday.
(The Gazette)

The diary of a WWI Jersey soldier has been discovered
Clarence Percy Ahier was from Jersey, born in 1892 and served as an artilleryman at the Somme and Ypres in the Great War. Many of those serving during the war recorded their memories, some became famous accounts, and others were locked away in cupboards and lofts. The war diary of Clarence Ahier falls into the second category.
(BBC)

Attorney responds to military gag order by starting blog
The attorney for the Army psychiatrist implicated in a shooting at a Texas military base has responded to a military gag order by starting a blog on the case, CNN reported. Maj. Nidal Hasan, who has been accused of killing 13 people in a rampage at the base in Fort Hood, Texas in November, is being represented by civilian attorney John Galligan. Galligan began the blog after the Special Court-Martial Convening Authority issued a gag order preventing Galligan from releasing or publishing any information from the evidence received from the Army. There is no gag order imposed on the Army.
(RCFP) ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100306-045210 2010-03-06T00:00:00Z 2010-03-06T00:00:00Z USA Weekend: "First-person reflections make for compelling reading" Military blogs appeared today in a USA Weekend article that featured Milblogging.com, Some Soldier’s Mom, and Michael Yon. USA Today also happens to be one the first major news publications to run an article featuring milbloggers going back to 2005, in which Colby Buzzell and other bloggers from the frontlines appeared (including myself, representing military bloggers from Afghanistan).

Military blogs, or “milblogs,” serve as a first draft of our wartime history, written by those who are living it. Online accounts from soldiers and their families can be dramatic, funny and introspective.

Read the entire story here.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100305-035853 2010-03-05T00:00:00Z 2010-03-05T00:00:00Z 2010 MILBloggies, Don't forget to get your Military Blog up to speed So as the 2010 Official Milblog Conference fast approaches this April, the 2010 MILbloggies (nominations and voting) will also be conducted just before the conference.   If you’d like to update the Branch Category of your military blog, now’s the time. Maintaining the data here on Milblogging.com is a sizeable effort, and I rely a lot on some great readers and users to recommend changes and send me corrections, as well as make updates to their own profiles such as country and branch.

Milblogging.com has now reached over 2,500 military blogs, and I can tell you firsthand, we’re just scratching the surface. With the popularity of social media, especially with microblogging, the number of blogs written by people in the military community is enormous – and only a fraction of all the military related blogging sites are listed here.

If your blog is listed here on Milblogging.com (which is necessary in order to participate in the Milbloggies) please double check and make sure your Military Blog Profile information is correct, and most importantly, that you’re in the correct Branch Category (such as U.S. Military Spouse or U.S. Army).

If you haven’t registered for the Conference yet it’s right around the corner, so make sure you register in time. The Conference is going to be Huge. Trust me, this is the FIVE YEAR anniversary of the Official MILblog Conference, and Andi has been hard at work for months and months. There’s going to be a cocktail reception. A full dinner plus drink tickets. A party. A Saturday breakfast. Drink tickets. Oh, did I mention there will be Panel Discussions?

Yeah, uh, that too. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100304-200019 2010-03-04T00:00:00Z 2010-03-04T00:00:00Z Military Blogger Michael Yon Back in the News

(The Gazette) The Canadian military in Afghanistan emphatically denied yesterday a claim by a United States blogger that Canada's commander, Brig.-Gen. Daniel Ménard, should be fired for not having prevented an attack on a bridge near Kandahar Airfield where a U.S. soldier and four Afghan civilians died Monday.

Michael Yon, a former U.S. Special Forces soldier who has sometimes had strained relations with the U.S. and British military bureaucracy because of his writing, alleged Canadian troops were not providing security as they should have because they and Ménard were watching the Olympic men's hockey gold medal game on television at the time of the attack.

Read the entire story here.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100304-153008 2010-03-04T00:00:00Z 2010-03-04T00:00:00Z In the News: Defending the role of the Milblogger versus OPSEC (First Things) Three years ago, the U.S. Army instituted stringent new regulations for online communications to prevent violations of operations security (OPSEC). As the Army regulation explained, “the OPSEC process identifies the critical information of military plans, operations, and supporting activities and the indicators that can reveal it, and then develops measures to eliminate, reduce, or conceal those indicators.” Maintaining OPSEC has always been essential to winning wars and preventing unnecessary casualties.

From a military perspective the move seemed obvious—even overdue. Yet to my shock and dismay, many of the smartest conservative bloggers (including Michelle Malkin, Hugh Hewitt, and Ed Morrissey) criticized the policy. They appeared willing to overlook or downplay the danger to security in order to defend the role of the milblogger as a counter to the mainstream media’s coverage of the war.

Read the entire story here.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100304-033448 2010-03-04T00:00:00Z 2010-03-04T00:00:00Z Panel Topics for the 2010 Milblog Conference Announced! Friday, April 9 (6:30 - 7:45P):

A Marathon, Not a Sprint: This kick-off panel brings together a variety of speakers, including some of the earliest milbloggers. Panelists will reflect on five conferences and several years of milblogging. Speakers will discuss the evolution of milblogging and share their thoughts on what they think the future of milblogging may look like

Saturday, April 10 (9:00A - 5:30P):

The Charitable Landscape: Representatives from various troop supporting organizations will examine how the use of social media has changed the way non-profits communicate with their membership, donors and the general public. This panel will discuss the challenges and benefits of social media, and how we can assist in their efforts to support the military community

National Security Smorgasbord: A diverse panel of reporters, strategists and pundits discuss a wide range of topics including the state of our National Security, the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and media coverage of military affairs

The View from the Top: Senior military leaders from a variety of branches discuss the rewards and challenges of social media in a military environment

Legislation, Military-Style: Lawmakers and policy-wonks discuss the legislative side of policy-making with respect to military affairs

Confirmed speakers will be announced soon, so stay tuned.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100303-060419 2010-03-03T00:00:00Z 2010-03-03T00:00:00Z Sponsorship Announcement: Fifth Annual Milblog Conference By Andi

We are pleased to announce the addition of VA Mortgage Center as a sponsor for the upcoming 2010 MILblog Conference.

Without the support of our sponsors, the conference wouldn't be possible. We greatly appreciate all of our sponsors! For a list of more sponsors, click here.

We have a variety of sponsorships available; several options can be mixed and matched. Our packages can accommodate the smallest of budgets and are constructed so that both large and small organizations can participate. For more information on sponsorships, click here.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100303-043057 2010-03-03T00:00:00Z 2010-03-03T00:00:00Z Kick-Off Panel Announcement, 2010 Milblog Conference By Andi

We have a jam-packed Fifth Anniversary Conference this year. Over the years, the conference has been transformed from a conference solely about milblogging, to a conference rich with blog-worthy content. Our conferences now produce lively, engaging discussions on a variety of issues of interest to the military community. Friday night, we're going to focus on milblogging, and Saturday we'll hear from a variety of reporters, bloggers, strategists, thinkers, senior military leaders and others as they offer their opinions on a host of topics. If you thought the diversity of topics and speakers at last year's conference was an interesting mix, wait until you see this year's line-up!

Our kick-off panel will take place Friday, April 9 from 6:30 - 7:45P. We'll feature some oldies but goodies of the milblogosphere. This is the night to focus on all things milblogging - past, present and future.

A Marathon, Not a Sprint: This kick-off panel brings together a variety of speakers, including some of the earliest milbloggers. Panelists will reflect on five conferences and several years of milblogging. Speakers will discuss the evolution of milblogging and share their thoughts on what they think the future holds for milblogging.

Panelists include:

Greyhawk - Air Force Veteran
Matt Burden - Army Veteran
Baldilocks - Air Force Veteran
SGT Mom - Military Mom
TBA]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100302-175039 2010-03-02T00:00:00Z 2010-03-02T00:00:00Z DoD's New Policy on Social Media: "Wired" Shares Unscientific, Yet Interesting Findings Danger Room has posted a story regarding the DoD's official policy on new/social media, and they’ve shared some particularly unscientific, but interesting findings.

So! The Pentagon’s new “open-door” policy on social networking is, oh, around five days old. How’s that working out? The results of our totally unscientific reader survey are in.

Commenter “C2dude” said: “Called the IT help desk yesterday, and they hadn’t even heard of the new memorandum from the DOD … I had to forward it to them.”

A reader with U.S. European Command wrote in to complain: “EUCOM is still blocking access to Facebook and Twitter.”

Read more over Wired.com. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100302-144630 2010-03-02T00:00:00Z 2010-03-02T00:00:00Z U.S. Army Debuts another iPhone application: Army Technology Live Late last month, the Army released another iPhone application which according to the news release, “puts Army technology news, social media and job postings in one location.”

The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command hopes to advance the conversation about Army technologies, inform the public about Army initiatives and showcase the work the Army technology team does to make Soldiers strong and America safe.

“This is a good match for people interested in science and technology,” said Joseph Ferrare, RDECOM spokesperson. “As we see emerging communications venues, there’s an opportunity to tell the Army story. Our goal is to showcase the exiting new technologies our Army scientists and engineers are developing.”

The application is a mash-up of syndicated news feeds from various sources. Officials said future versions will include more news sources.

The app downloads current news features after it launches. Included are entries to the Army Technology Live blog, the official RDECOM homepage, job listings, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and more.

My wife has an iPhone and she lets me test and download useful apps all the time. Army Technology Live will make a great addition to our iPhone...right alongside my iBeer app.

Read the entire story here. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100301-192559 2010-03-01T00:00:00Z 2010-03-01T00:00:00Z How will the DoD's New Social Media Rules Play out? Here’s what Military Blogger Neil Gussman had to say.

Today the military opened up the rules on social media--Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and the others will be authorized unless temporarily blocked by local commanders. But the authority of local commanders, especially in a war zone, is hard for a civilian to imagine. In November last year, I was accused of an OPSEC violation on my blog.

I wrote a post a week after a missile attack on the base. I did not write about the attack itself, but about one of the dumbest soldiers in our unit. A missile hit the 800 horsepower (huge) generator outside his Living Area compound. It wrecked the generator but did not explode. The idiot in question took out his camera and climbed up on the smoking wreck of a generator to get a picture of the unexploded missile.

You can read Neil's full account here. Hat tip to David Marron of The Thunder Run. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100301-113621 2010-03-01T00:00:00Z 2010-03-01T00:00:00Z DoD releases its official policy on new/social media (FINALLY) Directive-Type Memorandum 09-026

This is one story that is getting a lot of interest. After months and months of speculation, the Department of Defense has finally released its official policy on new/social media, ending the debate on the fate of social media within the DoD. And the policy is encouraging, however for the average new/social media user, there will probably be more questions than answers. Either way, the policy is a step in the right direction, but it’s not really shocking news considering the DoD has been launching literally hundreds of social media sites over the past year. The article announcing the news has been online less than a day over at the Social Media Hub and already has over 200 retweets and almost 1,000 Facebook shares.

The policy Directive-Type Memorandum 09-026, which is effective immediately, states that the default for the DoD non-classified network (the NIPRNET) is for open access so that all of DoD can use new media. This is DoD’s first official policy on new media. Prior to today, the Services and other DoD components developed and implemented their own ad hoc policies — some banning it all together. Under this new policy, there will be open and consistent access across the board, but prohibited content sites (gambling, pornography, hate-crime activities) will still be blocked. Also, Commanders at all levels and heads of DoD components will continue to keep networks safe from malicious activity and take actions, as required, to safeguard missions.

Service members and DoD employees are welcome and encouraged to use new media to communicate with family and friends — at home stations or deployed — but it’s important to do it safely. Keep in mind that everyone has a responsibility to protect themselves and their information online, and existing regulations on ethics, operational security, and privacy still apply. Be sure never to post any information that could be considered classified, sensitive, or that might put military members or families in danger.

Of course, does this mean millions of DoD personnel are going to sign up for twitter or facebook or start blogs tomorrow? In my opinion, the numbers won’t be very dramatic, but hopefully for those who had blocked internet access on DoD computers, can now get online. Then again, some people don’t even bother using new/social media sites like YouTube or even know what they are. To put things in perspective, my Mom still calls MySpace, MyFace.

You can download and read the entire policy here in Adobe PDF format. I recommend you read it. It’s only 9 pages long and is fairly straightforward. Of course, it’s not as intriguing as reading the major theories of physics or the Navy CIO’s blog on interoperability within the Enterprise architecture, but still -- pretty good.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100226-032935 2010-02-26T00:00:00Z 2010-02-26T00:00:00Z Surprised? The Navy CIO Celebrates 2 Years of Blogging Navy CIO, celebrates 2 years of blogging

It’s been a busy work week, and having a little IT background myself, I thought I’d point out a story by SmartPlanet that discusses the Navy CIO’s blog turning two years old. It’s an interesting write up by John Dodge who takes a look at the phenomenon of CIO blogging and the Navy.

Definitive stats on CIOs who publicly blog are hard to find, but one impromptu search in 2009 turned up a mere dozen and sure enough, Carey’s CIO Blog was listed among them. Several were academics and one CIO was well-known IT thought leader and gadget freak John Halamka MD with CareGroup Health Systems in Boston.

While the CIO Blog from one of the nation’s top sailors is intended to open a dialog within what has long been considered the most change-resistant branch of the military, the comments to his posts tend to be five here and five there.

Make sure to check out the story by SmartPlanet, then jump over to the Navy CIO’s blog --- that is if you haven’t already added it to your daily reads. I mean, how can you not get excited about things like “Enterprise Architecture” and “Interoperability”?!

It’s practically a nail biter.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100225-205842 2010-02-25T00:00:00Z 2010-02-25T00:00:00Z World's Oldest Known Military Blogger Writes of Castle Island The World’s Oldest Known Military Blogger, Solomon Fein a Normandy D Day Vet, recently wrote about Castle Island, which according to Wikipedia was used during World War II for a ship degaussing station.

Indiantown Gap was a training experience for the 301st Port Company. We were given the opportunity to use our hard won knowledge in a real situation. We were very familiar with the equipment and material at our disposal on Base, but...We had no idea of what we would encounter elsewhere.

Early in December of '43, we were shipped to Boston, Mass. by rail, and spent some twenty hours in a crowded Pullman Coach....

Read Solomon’s latest post here.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100225-161910 2010-02-25T00:00:00Z 2010-02-25T00:00:00Z Credit where credit is due: Military Bloggers like Mark Seavey The Navy Seals Blog and other web sites have recognized Mark Seavey and other military bloggers for their part in nabbing a war hero imposter, Michael Patrick McManus, for stolen valor. The story grabbed a lot of attention in January and early February, due in most part to the hard work of military bloggers like Mark Seavey, the Greyhawks and countless others.

While it seems the mainstream media is sometimes quick to dismiss the efforts of military bloggers for their raw frontline stories, they’re also quick to take credit for breaking stories, that were breaking on the internet long before they made news headlines. Great work by Mark and dozens of other military bloggers who helped take down this imposter. Here’s the newest story online by the Navy Seals blog:

It is certainly interesting to note how, despite the growing number of people who are working towards exposing military fakers and the increasing number of bloggers who document the efforts of these volunteers, there are still people with the audacity to try and masquerade as the heroes that they are not.

Case in point is an article on the Army Times that shared how another hero-wannabe was exposed. One cannot help but think: when will they ever learn?

It was, however, another accomplishment for the POW Network as well as blogger Mark Seavey, who, along with fellow bloggers, posted a photo of a self-proclaimed “Army General,” bedecked with all sorts of medallions imaginable.

Read the entire story here. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100224-210309 2010-02-24T00:00:00Z 2010-02-24T00:00:00Z Military Blogging from the Frontlines of Afghanistan: Rajiv Srinivasan Rajiv Srinivasan is deployed to Afghanistan

Hat tip to Boston Maggie for sharing the frontline military blog of Rajiv Srinivasan, a Soldier who is currently deployed to Afghanistan. He also tweets from the frontlines. You can check out his blog here which is loaded with great photos of Afghanistan.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100223-193946 2010-02-23T00:00:00Z 2010-02-23T00:00:00Z It's Almost That Time for the MILbloggies, again The MILBloggies, which recognize military bloggers for their contribution to blogging, news and information, and to the military will be held in conjunction with the Fifth Annual Milblog Conference. The Milbloggies were started in 2006, and nominations have covered a range of categories over the years including: U.S. Military Parent, U.S. Military Supporter, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Military Veteran, U.S. Military Spouse, Foreign National Military and U.S. Reporter.

While the plans are to continue to use the Milblogging.com nomination and voting system for this years’ Milbloggies, plans are still on the drawing board for other systems. If you have suggestions for web-based nomination/voting systems, feel free to drop me a line: milblogging@gmail.com or leave your thoughts in the comments.

This year’s Milbloggies will be handled a little bit differently, too. While nominations and voting will be public, the winners will be revealed at the Milblog Conference taking place in Virginia.

Have a fear of speaking in public? Your prayers have been answered. Winners will also get a chance to speak in front of a big crowd while accepting their award during Saturday night's Dinner and Party. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100222-200534 2010-02-22T00:00:00Z 2010-02-22T00:00:00Z In the News: "British Army should woo public on YouTube and Twitter, says RAF chief" (Computer Weekly) The UK military should learn from the Israeli armed forces and use social networking sites such as Twitter to win public opinion, says the head of the Royal Air Force. According to a report in the Belfast Telegraph, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton said the Israeli air force ran information operations in cyberspace to win public support for their work.

"Accurate and timely information has always been critical to the military but its importance is increasing as societies become more networked," he said. "This is intimately linked to developments in cyberspace; as we saw in the conflict in Gaza in early 2009, operations on the ground were paralleled by operations in cyber-space and an 'info ops' campaign that was fought across the internet: the Israeli Air Force downloaded sensor imagery onto YouTube, tweets warned of rocket attacks and the 'help-us-win.com' blog was used to mobilise public support."

Read the entire story here.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100222-151957 2010-02-22T00:00:00Z 2010-02-22T00:00:00Z Hitting a Social Networking Milestone, with more Twitter Followers (over 80,000), but fewer Tweets

Just over a year ago I started regularly using Twitter. It started as an experiment more than anything else, to see if Twitter could be a useful tool for interacting with other people to discuss military topics particularly around the DoD and Social Media. I also tweet about personal things too, but usually conversations around my likes on movies or just things I’m doing from day to day. My first mobile tweeting experience occurred last February when I got an invite to the National Press club in D.C. for a pre-screening of Brothers at War. I didn't even know what a retweet was at the time.

In the past year, the number of followers to my Twitter account has skyrocketed, reaching over 80,000 followers as of last week, which puts @Milblogging near the top 1,000 twitter accounts online according to Twitterholic.com (a website that tracks twitter statistics and rankings).

For what seemed like months, I had regularly tweeted on a daily basis. #MilitaryMon on Mondays to #FollowFriday on Fridays. It’s been a lot of fun, and rewarding. I’ve met new people, discovered a whole new community of military supporters, and it’s even helped drive traffic back to the Milblogging.com website.

Like any of the popular social networking tools, tweeting just like blogging takes time. And over the last several weeks I’ve been staying very busy with family, work and blogging in case you’ve noticed a drop in my tweeting activity. For those of you who have written me personally and asked about my whereabouts, I have plans to get back on Twitter very soon. I dig it and have had some great conversations over the last year – and yes, I miss it.

If you still don’t believe that Twitter is that big of a deal, you should give it a shot.

For those of you interested in driving traffic back to your main website, or if you’re just looking to have conversations with like-minded folks, it’s a great social networking tool. And while I don’t run any ads on my Twitter account, Twitter advertising is also getting big, with companies like Ad.ly and Sponsored Tweets growing in use. It’s so clever. I set up an account with these companies as a test, and even had companies willing to pay me well over $100 for me to send a single tweet. That’s right: one tweet under 140 characters for over $100. While I have no plans of ever running sponsored tweets on @Milblogging, if you run a Twitter account, there’s even money to be made with companies looking to advertise.

On a side note, what’s up with Ashton Kutcher and his 4 million followers? This guy is killing it on Twitter. I just can’t believe millions people find tweets about beer bong and tattoos of his face that interesting.

Damn, really makes me think I need to step up my game a bit.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100220-070429 2010-02-20T00:00:00Z 2010-02-20T00:00:00Z 2010 Official Milblog Conference – latest news and updates As a reminder, the Fifth Annual Milblog Conference is right around the corner. For the latest news and developments on this year’s Milblog Conference, from sponsorships to speakers and volunteering to registration, and everything in between, check out the 2010 Milblog Conference page.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100219-231017 2010-02-19T00:00:00Z 2010-02-19T00:00:00Z Geeks and the Military: The DoD Launches Military Science and Technology Blog - Armed with Science DoD Launched new Blog "In January 2010, the Armed with Science webcast was expanded into this science and technology blog, which provides a better conduit to celebrate those men and women involved in cutting-edge research and development at the Department of Defense."

The DoD announced the latest developments of the military in the social media world, with the January launch of a blog that highlights the importance of science and technology to military operations. The blog’s name: Armed with Science. Here’s what the DoD had to say about their newest adventure in the blogosphere:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2010 – Science has seized the popular imagination. There are magazines, popular books, Web sites, webcasts, blogs, documentary films, and even television channels devoted to science and technology.

The practical applications of science and technology also can be found in almost every aspect of military operations, a topic that is discussed in great detail in the award-winning weekly webcast "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military," produced by the Defense Media Activity.

The popularity of the Armed with Science webcast in its first year has prompted the Defense Media Activity to expand its on-line presence. A new Armed with Science blog, http://science.dodlive.mil, premiered in late January. The new blog includes articles, archived webcast episodes, transcripts, images, and videos.

"Expanding into the blogosphere will allow us to develop a dialogue between our listeners and the scientists, engineers, operators and administrators who are involved in DoD science," said Brian Natwick, general manager of The Pentagon Channel and acting director of DoD’s Emerging Media Directorate. The new blog will provide a better forum to highlight the critical role of science and technology in military operations, Natwick said, while demonstrating how research conducted to meet military requirements often benefits society as a whole.

According to the story, science isn’t just for scientists anymore. I’m actually pretty excited about this site so I can finally get answers to some of my unanswered questions like, “What really goes in to MREs?” And I mean, honestly, how is it that road marches in the Army are uphill, both ways?

Science, folks. Science.

Read the entire DoD story here.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100218-184336 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z In the News: "Malton soldier Adam Wiles gives snapshot of his life in Afghanistan" (The Press, York) A SOLDIER from Ryedale who spent Valentine's Day in a war zone thousands of miles away from his wife and daughter has given a snapshot of his life in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Adam Wiles, of 2nd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, is working with the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) a unit that trains and mentors the Afghan National Army in the Babaji area of Helmand province.

Read the entire story here.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100218-150835 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z Milbloggers in the News: "Veterans say 'The Hurt Locker' gets a lot right -- and wrong" Fellow military blogger Troy Steward of Bouhammer.com appeared in the Life (Movies) section of USA Today for his thoughts on the movie ‘The Hurt Locker’. The article offered the opinions of several combat veterans, many who shared the same sentiments that ‘The Hurt Locker’ wasn’t necessarily worthy of Academy Award-nominations for a variety of reasons.

And there are those who cannot forgive, who say the movie is ruined by inaccuracies, ranging from the wrong shade of uniform to a scene in which three soldiers run through Baghdad alleyways alone looking for insurgents.

"(No one) would go down an alley in Iraq by himself in 2004 at night. No one, not ever," writes Troy Steward, 40, a retired Army veteran of Afghanistan and Desert Storm, who panned the movie in his popular military blog, bouhammer.com. "I was amazed that a movie so bad could get any kind of accolades."

Read the entire USA Today story here, then pay Bouhammer a visit and share your thoughts on his blog.]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100217-041939 2010-02-17T00:00:00Z 2010-02-17T00:00:00Z News Story: Fort Irwin/National Training Center Commanding General demonstrates the power of Social Media during Broadcast Photo Credit: Gustavo Bahena (Fort Irwin NTC).

My good Military.com pal Andi gave me a tip on a story today that ran on Army.mil about the Commanding General of Fort Irwin/NTC, Brig. Gen. Robert Abrams who used Twitter and Facebook during a radio broadcast to take questions from listeners. The use of Twitter and other popular social networking tools by the different branches of the military is fast-growing and this story is another good example of how the Army is using it.

FORT IRWIN, Calif.- Fort Irwin/National Training Center Commanding General Brig. Gen. Robert "Abe" Abrams is a regular on 88.3FM KNTC, Fort Irwin and the National Training Center's post radio station, but his Wednesday morning appearance wasn't his usual show.

Instead of just fielding questions from callers, Brig. Gen. Abrams, who has a Twitter page himself, took questions from the Fort Irwin/National Training Center Facebook page and Twitter page, demonstrating yet another way the installation is using Social Media.

As he spoke about a wide variety of topics ranging from the value of Social Media to the current Canadian rotation and the installation's DUI prevention and awareness efforts, Brig. Gen. Abrams fielded a question from the Fort Irwin/NTC Facebook page about one of the many on-going construction projects on the installation.

A Brigadier General who fields questions using Twitter and Facebook? Seriously, what could be more convincing than this, that officers in the upper ranks support social media?? Nothing that’s what!

Unless of course during his next broadcast he tweets messages on his Twitter page like: OMG I LUV TWITTER, TTYL TWEEPS J B4N BG ABRAMS

Read the entire story here on Army.mil.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100216-203002 2010-02-16T00:00:00Z 2010-02-16T00:00:00Z News Story: "Houstonian's diary fills some of history's gaps" (Houston Chronicle) Shelly and Vickie Liss grew up on their dad's war stories but, to be honest, they always seemed a little short on glory.

The elder Liss arrived in Palestine as World War I was winding down and spent most of the following year guarding prisoners of war.

But it turned out that Yitzak Jacov Liss — later known to generations of Houston residents as dentist Jack Liss — was engaged in something equally momentous: serving in Palestine with other Jewish soldiers committed to the cause of a Jewish homeland.

More than 90 years later, Shelly Liss, a retired Houston doctor, and his sister, now Vickie Herzberg, have produced a translation of their father's wartime diaries, giving scholars new insight into the Jewish Legion, in which he was serving and which was organized by the British Army during World War I.

The diary, translated from the original Yiddish, eventually will be posted on the Web site of the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Read the entire story here. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100215-194144 2010-02-15T00:00:00Z 2010-02-15T00:00:00Z New Military Blog Research Study: Military Blogs as an Alternative Form of Journalism to the Mainstream Media Last night I got an email from Kurtis Mees, a student at the University of Washington-Bothell. Kurtis is taking a class that focuses on various forms of alternative journalism and Kurtis and a group of students have an assignment to examine a form of alternative journalism and report back their findings. His group has decided to look at military blogs to see what the troops are saying about their efforts abroad. Such as positive stories about the reconstruction efforts that are taking place --- which never really get reported by "mainstream" media. And when positive stories are reported, often times they're tiny headlines buried at the bottom of the website or published on the last Page.

Kurtis and his group created a blog called the Truth About War in hopes that military bloggers will take some time to give their thoughts, feedback or experiences on the subject.

As someone who has blogged from both Afghanistan and Iraq while deployed, I can tell you firsthand the mainstream media doesn’t always get it right. Of course, some might say this research is a waste of time, since we’ve all known for years that military blogs serve up one of the best forms of alternative journalism when it comes to reporting on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now I’m not saying it’s not worthwhile to run this study, but seriously, trying to figure out if military blogs are a good form of alternative journalism, is like researching if buying stocks low and selling them high is probably a good idea.

You can provide information to Kurtis and his group over at their blog.

And remember folks, never drive with your eyes closed. I’ve done my research on this. That’s all I’m saying. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100214-063644 2010-02-14T00:00:00Z 2010-02-14T00:00:00Z Military Blog 270 Days in Afghanistan: One soldier's journey from the beginning of the mobilization process to the completion of the mission Capt. Mark Martin of Military Blog 270 Days in Afghanistan: One soldier's journey from the beginning of the mobilization process to the completion of the mission and his return home.

Looking to hear about the war in Afghanistan? Check out Capt. Mark Martin’s military blog: 270 Days in Afghanistan. Capt. Martin started his military blog when he learned of his deployment to Afghanistan in June 2009 which he wrote about in a post titled, “Congratulations...you’re going to Afghanistan!”. He’s been writing ever since. Capt. Martin also served as a Company Commander for the Red Bulls in Iraq from 2006 to 2007, but this looks to be his first crack at blogging.

I learned about his story through the Star Tribune which did a brief write up about his blog:

For an excellent blog on dealing with the Afghan Army, this National Guard captain's observations are spot on. Capt. Mark Martin is one of a dozen members of the Minnesota National Guard working as part of a training and liaison team to help make the Afghan Army more independent. They are stationed in northern Afghanistan.

Read the entire story here. Get all the details on Capt. Martin’s blog HERE.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100213-191608 2010-02-13T00:00:00Z 2010-02-13T00:00:00Z Trying to start your own Military Blog? Check out WordPress DoD Live

I get asked often by people looking to start a military blog, which program they should use. There are a lot of options online, from Blogger to MySpace, but if you’re looking for the best platform (in my opinion) you should go with WordPress. WordPress has tons of free features that you can use, and the best part is, you don’t have to know anything about web development. WordPress developers offer tons of free themes that you can use to tailor the look-and-feel of your website, just type in “free WordPress themes” into any search engine and take a look. There are also thousands of plug-ins that make it easy to enhance your blog. Wanna display your Twitter feed on your blog? Type in “twitter WordPress plug-in” and you’ll get tons of results.

Even the DoD uses WordPress for several of their social media sites. See the screenshot above? DoD Live is built on WordPress. So is there Social Media website and literally hundreds more.

I custom programmed Milblogging.com including the blog section of the website with the help of some developers going back to 2005, and believe me, it’s not easy to make changes or enhancements when you build things from the ground up. I’m fairly confident if I wanted to add a Retweet button within each of my stories, my laptop would get the blue screen of death. Or worse, catch fire.

Fair warning, I added a “Follow Us Baby” Twitter graphic on the left sidebar. It hasn’t been fully tested. Just saying.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100212-190106 2010-02-12T00:00:00Z 2010-02-12T00:00:00Z In the News: "Can Milbloggers Give Unbiased View on '30 Days Through Afghanistan'?" (MediaShift) The U.S. military has had an uneasy relationship with soldiers using blogs, video and photos to offer an unvarnished, uncensored view of war. The military brass has responded in the past by restricting blogging by enlisted soldiers, and having commanders review blog posts before posting. But that may be softening with the launch of a new project by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) public affairs division. It's called 30 Days Through Afghanistan and is written by two Air Force sergeants.

Read the entire story here. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100211-181628 2010-02-11T00:00:00Z 2010-02-11T00:00:00Z Lodging Update for The 2010 MilBlog Conference By Andi

We have sold out of our room block at The Westin Arlington Gateway. However, between now and March 19, the hotel will permit you to make reservations at our contracted rate of $150/night, on a space-available basis. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100211-172731 2010-02-11T00:00:00Z 2010-02-11T00:00:00Z Sponsorship Announcement: Fifth Annual Milblog Conference By Andi

We are pleased to announce the addition of the following sponsors for the upcoming 2010 MILblog Conference:

Pin-Ups for Vets

Vets4Vets

Without their support, the conference wouldn't be possible. We greatly appreciate all of our sponsors! For a list of more sponsors, click here.

We have a variety of sponsorships available, several options can be mixed and matched. Our packages can accommodate the smallest of budgets and are constructed so that both large and small organizations can participate. For more information on sponsorships, click here. ]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100211-045815 2010-02-11T00:00:00Z 2010-02-11T00:00:00Z RSVP for The 2010 MilBlog Conference on Facebook

By Andi

Mrs. G, one of the hardest working milbloggers around, has created a fantastic FaceBook hangout for milbloggers. The Fan of Milblogs page is full of great information. You can click here to see a comprehensive list of milbloggers, by category. Also at that link, you'll find a host of video reports from previous MilBlog Conferences. In addition to sharing information of interest to the military community, the page also features an event section designed specifically for The 2010 MilBlog Conference. If you're on FaceBook, and plan to attend the conference, click here to publicly RSVP for the conference. This is a great feature as attendees can see who is planning to come to the big, fifth anniversary bash.

Thanks, Mrs. G!

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100210-151443 2010-02-10T00:00:00Z 2010-02-10T00:00:00Z Live and Remember: Project aims to create separate Facebook pages for 27,594 Allied Soldiers killed in Belgium during WWII

High school students in Belgium are setting up Facebook pages for nearly 30,000 Allied soldiers who were killed in Belgium while liberating the country during WWII. The effort to memorialize the soldiers is part of a project called “Live and Remember” that will help to tell the story of each individual soldier. Students are retracing the lives of each soldier including information about the soldier’s family, life before the war, military record, and more. It’s a pretty amazing undertaking and one that will help remember the sacrifice of each of these individuals. The Associated Press covered the story:

The first Facebook page created as part of that project honors Lance Cpl. Thomas Leslie Cartwright of High Wycombe, England. Cartwright was killed in fighting in 1944 and is buried in the Kasterlee War Cemetery in northern Belgium along with 99 comrades of the British Army's Royal Scots.

The plan is to have each soldier documented on Facebook by 2014, when the country will mark the 70th anniversary of Belgium's liberation.

"You are only dead if no one talks about you anymore," said Pol Van Den Driessche, a Belgian senator who launched the project, known as "Live and Remember."

Read more here. If you’d like to learn more about the project, jump over to the Live and Remember web site. The site is written in French, so you’ll need to use Google Translate if you don’t speak French.

]]> http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry100210-051524 2010-02-10T00:00:00Z 2010-02-10T00:00:00Z