It’s hard to know whether each of these predictions will play out. Some are bold, like, Google+ putting Facebook on notice, but it’s interesting to see the U.S. Army make some of their own predictions for 2013.
Are these all trends that the U.S. Army is experiencing itself? We’ll check back at the end of the year and see how things panned out.
Here’s a quick look at the five predictions:
"Google+ puts Facebook on notice"
Google+ has had its sights on Facebook since its inception in 2011, but has been largely unsuccessful in closing the gap between the two services. But after some controversial changes to the platform, the tide may turn in Google's favor in 2013.
"If it's not visual, it's not working"
In 2013, visual social media content will continue to dominate bland social media content. Regardless of the message you're trying to convey with your social media post, if there is not a supporting visual element, the post will likely fail.
"Mobile: It's not the future anymore"
According to a 2012 Pew Study, 40 percent of cell phone owners use a social networking site on their phone. This percentage is sure to rise in 2013.
"Social media platforms break out"
Be prepared for several social media platforms to break out in 2013. These could be platforms that have been around for a while like Tout, Quora or Snapchat, or they could be brand new platforms entirely.
"MySpace is back! But who cares?"
Yes, MySpace is back. It's hard to say how successful it will be, but the butt of half of all social media jokes is working to reestablish itself in the social media space.
Full story here.
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Twitter inexplicably has yet to take any action, despite an uproar by many users of the microblogging site as well as lawmakers in late 2012.
In a pathetic attempt to pretend they’re the victims, Al-Shabaab has taken to Twitter to justify posting the photos.
Yesterday, Al-Shabaab published the following tweet:
3:07 AM - 15 Jan 13
How much of the gruesome details of war should be published without detracting from the accurancy and credibility of the event?
Here are a couple of the reactions by other Twitter users to the above tweet:
JustOneBullet @JustOneBullet tweeted:
“@HSMPress "Accuracy".. Anyway, like I tweeted earlier, you publish pictures of corpses for propaganda purposes, not for journalism.”
Abdikhaliq Majid akm @MajidAkm
“@hsmpress so now you have turned to journalism? Each day you get funnier.may be you guys should start doing stand up comedy.cowards”
Al-Shabaab sent several more Tweets including:
“When one of the Mujahideen leaders is killed, the news gets favourable covarage in the media, a kafir is killed & it's labelled "repugnant"
“Up to 35 European newspapers published the bloody image of Ghadafi on their front page. Was it newsworthy or a case of pure triumphalism?”
If you’ve been following the news today, in Al-Shabaab’s latest tweet, Al-Shabab has sentenced the French agent in captivity to death. The announcement came via Twitter.
Al Jazeera English reports:
“The al-Qaeda-linked group released a statement on Tuesday saying it had "reached a unanimous decision to execute the French intelligence officer, Denis Allex".
"With the rescue attempt, France has voluntarily signed Allex's death warrant," said al-Shabab.
A senior al-Shabab official told the AFP news agency that Allex "has been sentenced and this judgement will not be changed".
"As far as we are concerned this man should die," he added . “
And once again, Twitter does nothing.
Is Twitter above the law?
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(The Daily Star)
Cybersleuths Uncover 5-Year Spy Operation Targeting Governments, Others. An advanced and well-orchestrated computer spy operation that targeted diplomats, governments and research institutions for at least five years has been uncovered by security researchers in Russia...
(Wired)
IDF notes increase in attempts to hack army PCs. The IDF’s Information Security Branch has identified an increase in attempts by foreign hostile intelligence entities to listen in on army communications and gain access to military computers. The increased threat includes a major attempt to eavesdrop on cellphones used by the IDF, as well as hacking attacks directed at army computer networks...
(JPost)
Afghanistan war veterans to tell their story. Four Army veterans of one of the most harrowing battles of the Afghanistan War will participate Monday evening in a public discussion at The Grand in Wilmington. The four survivors of an October 2009 Taliban attack on their eastern Afghanistan outpost – a battle that killed eight of their 53-member detachment – caught the ear of Lt. Gov. Matt Denn, who has invited the soldiers to visit and be his guests at Tuesday’s inaugural activities...
(The News Journal)
The future of video journalism. The Time Magazine put Instagram image of Hurricane Sandy on its cover (above) in its 12 November issue. The photo is pretty impressive but I am more interested in what it says, not only about the future of professional photography, but also videography...
(Guardian)
Journalists in Greece Are Becoming Targets. The Greek police on Saturday were looking for the people responsible for detonating makeshift bombs at the homes of five journalists in Athens, the latest in a series of actions taken against reporters in Greece that have raised questions about a deteriorating climate for media freedom...
(NYTimes)
Vietnamese conscripts army of bloggers. The glorious Vietnamese Communist Party has hired an army of bloggers to troll online discussions and post comments supporting the Communist Party's policies. The party has confirmed that it operates a network of nearly 1,000 "public opinion shapers" who are assigned with the task of spreading the party line...
(Fudzilla)
War stories wanted; local, national efforts run on parallel track. A small news tip to the Journal led to a discovery: The American Legion wants veterans’ war stories. Legion Commander Ed Miller and member Larry Waters confirm that about a year ago, they started asking members to submit information about themselves and their service history...
(River Falls Journal)
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In November, I wrote about lawmakers wanting Twitter to crackdown on terrorists. Unfortunately, no action has been taken by Twitter to shut down the accounts.
However, the call for Twitter to do something will likely be rekindled once again.
Earlier today, Al-Shabaab posted photographs of what they claim is a French soldier killed in Saturday's failed rescue mission reports Daily Mail.
Militant Islamist group al-Shabab taunt the dead man's religion in their posts writing 'A return of the crusades, but the cross could not save him from the sword,’ and asking president Francois Hollande if it was 'worth it'.”
The Twitter account can be found here and is still online at the time of this story. WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT.
Read more at Daily Mail.
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YouTube user TheBobjohnson1984 of WelcomeHomeBlog.com uploaded this heartwarming video of a dog reuniting with his owner who was home on leave from Afghanistan.
The video was actually some time ago, but is still going viral, racking up nearly 30,000 views since being uploaded on January 8.
News outlets are even covering the story.
Daily Mail discussed the video and even broke it down play by play, writing: "As the newly-returned soldier, known only as Josh enters a garage to greet the dog - her reaction is crazy. Howling and barking, Jasmine, bounds over to him, jumping wildly up onto his uniform, trying to lick his face. Despite polite protestations from the soldier the delighted pet refuses to leave his side as he rubs and tickles her, eventually jumping again and forcing him over on the floor."
The story goes like this, according to Linda P. who shared the video with Welcome Home Blog:
“My daughter’s boyfriend was deployed to Afghanistan 2011-2012 with an Army Reserves Task Force, and we were caring for his dog, Jasmine, at our house. Josh had last seen her in October of 2011, when he came home on leave. He returned to the states in March 2012. Jasmine is a well-behaved dog who loves her master, whining and snuggling when she sees him, getting very excited and as close as she can to Josh. Our dog, Sheba, doesn’t know what to do as Jasmine runs around, so excited about Josh’s return.”
If you're not familiar with Welcome Home Blog, it's a website that features heartwarming stories, videos & pictures of members of the armed forces returning home to surprise their families & friends.
And yes, if you're wondering, there's an entire section of the website dedicated to Dog Reunions.
To watch the video of Jasmine welcoming her own, check it out on YouTube here.
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While Syria saw more journalists killed in 2012 than any other country and thus became the “Deadliest Country”, Pakistan, which only had a reported 7 deaths in 2012, starts off 2013 with three journalists already being killed, all in the same incident that occurred on January 13.
Mirza Iqbal Hussain (News Network International, photographer), Saif ur Rehman (Samaa TV, senior reporter) and Imran Shaikh (Samaa TV, senior cameraman), died as a result of injuries suffered in a bomb blast that occurred 10 minutes after an initial explosion near a billiards hall in Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province.
According to CPJ, "The twin explosions killed dozens, including police, emergency workers, and journalists who rushed to the scene of the first explosion, according to news reports. The billiards hall is in a predominantly Shia area of Quetta. The explosions were part of a series of bomb attacks reported across Pakistan that day, news reports said."
This time last year, three journalists had also been killed, each in different countries: Thailand, Syria, and the Philippines.
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No 'Death Star' for US Military, White House Says. The planet-killing Death Star may have been the ultimate weapon for the Empire in the "Star Wars" films, but it has no place in the United States military today, a White House official said Friday (Jan. 11)...
(SPACE.com)
To Pin A Criminal. Police Departments from San Francisco to Pottstown, Penn. have begun using the image-sharing platform Pinterest to track down criminals, using it as a sort of digital replacement for the Post Office wall. Departments making forays into social media began dabbling in the service, whose largely female audience has made it best known, perhaps, for wedding planning, as one of a range of tools aimed primarily at public relations and at generalized community outreach. But the service's image-centric interface has turned it into a tool for solving serious crimes as well...
(Buzzfeed)
Facebook Calls Rally Azeris to Protest Army Hazing After Death. Thousands of Azeris are signing up on Facebook Inc. (FB) to rally against violence in the armed forces tomorrow after the death of a conscript that his family has blamed on a beating in a hazing incident. The campaign, which has been joined by more than 13,000 Facebook users in the former Soviet republic, was prompted by the Jan. 7 death of an 18-year-old conscript, Ceyhun Qubadov, at an army base in the western Daskasan district. The U.S. Embassy in the capital, Baku, has warned the planned demonstration may turn violent...
(Bloomberg)
Why Am I Not In Afghanistan? Okay, there have been some questions raised and comments made, so wanted to get out this short version of why I'm not in Afghanistan. As some of you may remember, I posted here a while back about finding an embed, and that post was answered by a very nice and competent PAO. We talked, agreed on things, and began to work the effort. This is where the first problem came up, and I take responsibility for it...
(Blackfive)
Kuwaiti blogger sentenced for insulting ruler on Twitter. A Kuwaiti court sentenced an online journalist to prison on Monday for insulting the ruling family on social media, according to news reports. Ayyad al-Harbi was ordered to begin serving the two-year jail sentence immediately, news reports said. Police arrested al-Harbi on November 13 in connection with a series of posts he made to his personal Twitter account, starting in October, in which he criticized the government and called on authorities to stop oppressing Kuwaiti citizens, according to news reports. He was released the next day on bail, the reports said. A court convicted him on Monday on the insult charge, which is punishable by up to five years in prison, according to Article 54 of the constitution...
(CPJ)
Bloggers imprisoned in mass sentencing in Vietnam. At least five independent bloggers were sentenced today to harsh jail terms in Vietnam, according to local and international news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns this move and calls on Vietnamese authorities to reverse the charges on appeal and release the bloggers...
(CPJ)
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Commander Chris Hadfield captured some dazzling photos from space earlier this week that he shared through the microblogging site Twitter.
CBS News reports, "The Canadian astronaut has been tweeting breathtaking photos of Earth all week since he and two others (NASA's Tom Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko) arrived at the International Space Station last Friday.”
Hadfield (who can be found on Twitter @Cmdr_Hadfield) has quickly gained a large following since the photos went viral.
Before last Friday, Hadfield had around 50,000 followers, but the number has since grown to nearly 200,000 followers in less than a week. At the time of this story being published, the count is at 191,487.
At this rate, tracking sites like Twitter Counter predict he’ll be at 400,000 followers in a couple weeks.
Hadfield has been a prolific Twitter user – sending over 3,000 tweets since joining, averaging about 20 per day.
In a tweet posted earlier this morning, Hadfield wrote, “Good Morning Earth, from 5 miles per sec. I'll be talking with Air Cadets in Newfoundland today, if their snowstorm allows, via ham radio.”
You can stay up to date on Hadfield and his mission by following him on Twitter.
(Image of Bahamas from space via @Cmdr_Hadfield)
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The story is called “Where is Lt Zuckerberg? An Advocacy for Social Media and Digital Collaboration in the Military”.
Instead of only pointing out problems with what Gilmore calls "the lack of effective social media in the military", Gilmore offers some suggestions.
1.) Define a social media strategy, simplify DoD guidance and train for success.
2.) Actively cultivate social media expertise from the millennial generation.
3.) Collaboration is a force multiplier.
4.) Most importantly, tell our story effectively.
Whether you agree with Gilmore or not, there are a number of interesting ideas and tidbits.
You can read the full story here.
Hat tip: Blackfive
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You know, like in a hot air balloon, or in an airplane, or in a hospital room.
People are creative.
Well, here’s another way to get married: online.
According to NBC August 26, Jacqueline Durham married Fort Gordon soldier Trey Durham through Skype.
Trey Durham is still deployed to Afghanistan, but that didn’t stop him and his bride from tying the knot or even sharing a kiss through the internet.
Lauren Walsh reports:
After two years of dating Trey, Jacqueline told us she couldn’t wait any longer.
“He is a really good person,” she described. “Everyone likes him. He’s funny. He’s easy going. He’s very laid back. It takes a lot to make him mad.”
Sunday afternoon, Trey and his army family lined up in Afghanistan while Jacqueline and her family shared the moment from her Hephzibah home.
More the story here including video.
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(ExclusiveWorldNews1)
At Huffington Post, everything old is new again: All reporters get blogs. HuffPost is rolling out a new blog template in two weeks that will allow every reporter in the organization to maintain his or her own personal blog as a supplement to their usual beat-reporting for the site. About a dozen or so reporters, including Matt Sledge (civil liberties), Joy Resmovits (education) and Michael Calderone (media), have already begun their blogging duties using the existing template, which is being overhauled...
(Capital New York)
Endgame Syria: Apple shoots down rebel scenario simulator. The bloody conflict in Syrian, that's been dragging on for almost two years and claimed more than sixty-thousand lives, has now entered the realm of Internet gaming. Called 'Endgame Syria', players get the chance to fight on the side of the rebels, exploring various options to push the conflict to the end...
(RT)
Does aiding WikiLeaks equal aiding Al Qaeda? Prosecutors and lawyers for alleged WikiLeaks source Pfc. Bradley Manning were back in court here Tuesday, sparring over one of the central questions in his case: does giving sensitive government information to the media equate to aiding Al Qaeda? Manning faces, along with a slew of other charges, a count of aiding the enemy by giving thousands of military reports and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks. That charge alone can carry a life sentence, or the death penalty, though the government has agreed not to seek death in this instance...
(Politico)
Tanzanian journalist found murdered in forest. A journalist was found murdered in northwestern Tanzania on Tuesday, three days after he went missing from his home, according to local journalists and local reports. The body of Issa Ngumba, 45, a reporter for Radio Kwizera, was found in Kajuhuleta Forest with a gunshot wound in his left arm and evidence that he had been strangled or hanged, according to local journalists who interviewed coroner Primus Ijumaa...
(CPJ)
Retired Ellet history teacher collects artifacts, stories from Civil War. For John Gurnish, fascination with the Civil War began in 1961. He was a fifth-grader, and the country was marking the 100th anniversary of the start of the conflict. “I began to study it and find out all I could,” said Gurnish, now 61. A retired Ellet High School history teacher, Gurnish has spent his life digging into the subject and getting to know the people from the Akron area who fought in the Civil War...
(Ohio.com)
Face-Off in a Beijing Newsroom: An Insider’s Account. Fallout from a high-profile conflict over censorship between Chinese propaganda officials and journalists at Southern Weekly, one of China’s most daring newspapers, has spread to sister newspaper Beijing News, which lost a dramatic stand-off with authorities late Tuesday night over the reprinting of an editorial that was harshly critical of Southern Weekly...
(The Wall Street Journal)
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This is a very sad story about Stuart Young, a 24-year old Scots soldier who recently returned home from a deployment to Afghanistan.
Young was killed on Saturday night, January 5, when a Volkswagen Passat slammed into his Ford Focus that he had pulled over to the shoulder of the road after it apparently lost power.
He later died at the hospital from his injuries.
The Sun reports that moments before the collision Young tweeted the following message:
“Trying to find a hard shoulder when u lose all power in your car #scarystuff”.
Young’s final tweets can be found at @stu_2006
He had only sent 20 tweets since joining Twitter. His first tweet back in April read, “chilling after big fry up.”
At the time of the accident, Young was driving back to his Army base.
According to The Sun, “The 30-year-old driver of a blue Volkswagen Passat was also taken to the same hospital with minor injuries, but discharged after treatment. The man, from Frampton, Lincs, was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving.”
As word spread over the weekend of his death, family and friends took to Facebook to remember him.
Image of Stuart Young via Twitter
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(AFP)
Egypt: Blogger Facing Military Trial Must Be Released. An Egyptian freelance journalist facing an unfair military trial after he was arrested while covering a story in the North Sinai region must be released, Amnesty International has urged. Mohamed Sabry, who is also a blogger, was detained on Friday by members of the armed forces in the Rafah border area with Gaza. He has been charged with trespassing and filming in a prohibited military zone...
(AllAfrica)
World War II vets remembered through their stories, lessons: World at War. The stories of many World War II veterans will continue to be told long after they're gone. Their experiences endure in the artifacts of history they've left behind -- the documents, diaries, photos, medals or just lingering family memories...
(cleveland.com)
YouTube mistakenly closes Syria watchdog channels. The popular video hosting website YouTube said on Monday it had mistakenly shut down two accounts of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a key source of information in the 21-month Syria conflict. "With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make mistakes. When an error is brought to our attention we act quickly to reinstate the videos in question," a YouTube spokesperson told AFP on condition of anonymity...
(Phys.org)
Pelosi: Altered photograph was ‘accurate historical record’. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi defended her office’s use of Photoshop to represent some female lawmakers who arrived late for a photo shoot. “It was an accurate historical record of who the Democratic women of Congress are,” Pelosi told a news conference. “It also is an accurate record that it was freezing cold and our members had been waiting a long time for everyone to arrive and … had to get back into the building to greet constituents, family members, to get ready to go to the floor. It wasn’t like they had the rest of the day to stand there.”
(Poynter)
Combat Zone exhibit tells war stories one image at a time. Every day the news networks bring us images of the nation's War on Terror. But some of the most enduring images you will remember currently hang at the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. The photo exhibit Conflict Zone: A Groundbreaking Look at War is described by organizers as a "trip into the heart of war."
(wistv.com)
RT correspondent injured in Syria: 'Firing was intense'. A group of international journalists - including members of RT's Arabic team - have been caught in crossfire in Syria while covering the army's operations outside the capital. RT's correspondent suffered light injuries while trying to escape...
(RT)
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Sketch by Rob Bates. Image via rb-portraits.com
War artist and military blogger Rob Bates (the self-proclaimed “pencil artist extraordinaire”) has returned home from his December embed with the Marines in Afghanistan.
And as promised, Bates has been sharing his sketches online on his website: rb-portraits.com
It's not just the artwork that is amazing, it's the stories behind the sketches that help paint a full picture of what Bates is trying to illustrate in a series he calls "Sketching the Drawdown".
Bates has been publishing entries that showcase his sketches and tell the story of his journey to Afghanistan.
In his first post (December 24) since being stateside, Bates wrote:
“On 5 December, I embarked out east on a self-fulfilling journey to record the drawdown of U.S. forces in war-torn Afghanistan. This wasn't your typical embed. Most media who visit the region are seasoned photo journalists, staff writers, and news reporters. I went as a free-lance combat artist. A valid argument can be made that what I do is journalistic; after all, pictures also tell a story. My goal was to document the passing-of-the-torch between U.S. and Afghan troops in such a way rarely done in contemporary reporting. Whenever I was asked about my media badge and purpose in country, I'd respond with "I'm a combat artist". The looks that I garnered were quite interesting, as if a giant throbbing member was protruding from my forehead.”
Since December 24, Bates has shared quite a bit more with readers.
Here’s a look at the entries so far in the series:
Sketching the Drawdown (Part Six) – January 1, 2013
Sketching the Drawdown (Part Five) – January 1, 2013
Sketching the Drawdown (Part Four) – December 29, 2012
Sketching the Drawdown (Part Three) – December 26, 2012
Sketching the Drawdown (Part Two) – December 25, 2012
Sketching the Drawdown (Part One) – December 24, 2012
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*****************
The military vertical is arguably unmatched in terms of audience affinity, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to reach.
For the first time since 2008, Military.com has joined forces with the New Media Expo team in presenting a track that will benefit any blogger looking to improve his or her impact. The three panels have all been designed to showcase best practices behind growing metrics using innovative content and social media strategies.
The first session is titled “The New Military Blogger” and will look at the emerging voices in the vertical. After a decade-plus of war, the voices and constituencies have changed since the first warfighter started blogging about life on the front lines, giving rise to the term “milblogging.”
Who are these new digital influencers and who are they reaching? How are their tactics different from the previous generation of milbloggers?
This panel will be moderated by Military.com’s editor and long time blogger Ward Carroll and features Randy Brown of Red Bull Rising, Mark Seavey of The American Legion’s Burn Pit and This Ain’t Hell, and Paul Szoldra of The Duffel Blog (commonly referred to as “The Onion in Uniform”). These three military veterans have grown their audiences through a mix of punditry, advocacy, and humor, not to mention effective SEO and social media execution.
“The New Military Blogger” will take place on Jan. 7 at 10:30 in Miranda #5.
The second Military track session is titled “Militaryville – the Audience You Didn’t Know You Could Have.” This session features a panel of military spouses who started blogging as a form of therapy when their spouses were deployed. In time they discovered they had significant followings. The trick at that point was how to develop executions that would allow them to reach their entire potential audiences. The lessons they’ve learned will benefit any blogger who wants to do more with a property.
This panel will be moderated by Jacey Eckhart, Navy wife, syndicated columnist, and editor of SpouseBuzz.com. Panelists include Amy Bushatz, managing editor of Spouse Buzz and reporter for Military.com, male military spouse blogger Wayne Perry, and Spouse Buzz contributor Cheryl Ganser.
“Mililtaryville – the Audience You Didn’t Know You Could Have” will take place on Jan. 7 at 11:45 in Miranda #5.
The third and final Military track session is titled “New Media’s Effect on Military Benefits Policy and Legislation.” More than a decade of war has created many new benefits for those who served along with a larger population eligible to take advantage of them. This entropy has created a challenge for the agencies charged with getting the word out and the non-profit organizations that advocate for and provide advice to members. This panel will explore how blogs, social media, and online email campaigns impact military compensation and benefits, transition assistance, VA programs, and military health care legislation and policy.
The panel will be moderated by Military.com’s benefits managing editor and author of “The Military Advantage” Terry Howell. Panelists include syndicated benefits columnist Tom Philpott, USAA’s Chaz Pratt, and MOAA’s Bob Norton.
“New Media’s Effect on Military Benefits Policy and Legislation” will take place on Jan. 7 at 2:45 pm in Miranda #5.
******************
Visit NMX for more information.
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The first panel in the Milblogging track is devoted to "The New Military Blogger".
The New Military Blogger will look at the emerging voices in military blogging and new media. "After a decade-plus of war the first person voices and commentary have changed. Who are these new bloggers and what are they saying about our military mission? How are different from the previous generation of milbloggers and who have they been inspired by?"
Randy Brown (aka Charlie Sherpa) of Red Bull Rising, one of the speakers at NMX, has prepared some talking points ahead of the 1-hour session.
Here's what he had to say – this information is being re-published from Brown’s website which can be found at wwww.redbullrising.com.
Mil-blogging, like homecoming, is a journey. Not a destination.
--
I started writing the Red Bull Rising blog in December 2009, when it looked like I was going to deploy to Afghanistan. My military job involved, among other duties, advising the commander on social media technology and techniques. I started writing under a pseudonym because, at the time, Army policy on social media was so fuzzy. There's nothing like learning by doing, even if you're doing it in secret.
I've met a lot a great people, seen some impressive things, learned some quirky skills. In addition to my freelance writing and editing, for example, I've recently taken on a day-job writing online military stuff for the military. Every day, I'm glad I know how to spell "HTML."
--
Regular Red Bull Rising readers know that I've occasionally attempted to articulate some sort of Grand Unified Theory of Mil-blogging. Here are a few notable installments:
"Mil-blogging Tips, Tools, and Tactics, Part I"
"Mil-blogging Tips, Tools, and Tactics, Part II"
"Lessons-Learned After a Year of Mil-blogging"
"Re: Classification of Mil-blogs"
--
Some Red Bull Rising sponsors have helped expand that discussion to "writing about military writing." A blog, after all, is an engine that can generate news, views, and fictions. You can use a blog to capture the spirit of your times. You can hone a thesis or body of work through a thousand daily mistakes. You can present a truth as you have come to know it.
In short, it's journalism. Both the poetry and the prattle. "A first draft of history."
--
My newspaper and magazine buddies still make jokes about how all bloggers must write while wearing pajamas. I'm just glad they think I'm wearing pants.
--
I knew I was training to be a dinosaur when I majored in newspaper journalism back in the late 1980s. I just didn't think I'd live long enough to see the asteroid hit.
--
Being able write anything you want doesn't mean you should.
--
From the Merriam-Webster's definition of "journalist:"
"A person engaged in journalism; especially a writer or editor for a news medium"
"A writer who aims at a mass audience"
"A person who keeps a journal"
--
Bloggers: First, do no harm.
Then, be humble. Be grateful. Make sure it's not all about you. Make it about your words. And your work. And what your words and work can do in the world.
--
Pay it forward, but give thanks along the way.
Remember Sherpatude No. 24.
Red Bull Rising wouldn't be where it is today without a thousand kindnesses from these and many others: Milblogging.com; Military Writers & Reporters Association; Garry Trudeau's/Doonesbury's "The Sandbox"; Tom Ricks' "The Best Defense"; Carl Prine's (now off-line) "Line of Departure"; Kanani Fong; Kentucky Woman; Jeff Courter; Ben Tupper; Travis Martin; Deb Marshall and Susan Swartout; Victor Ian LLC; The Red Earth MFA program at Oklahoma City University.
--
Read more at Red Bull Rising.
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(CNN)
New Social Media Network Connects Military Professionals. There is a new social network out there, but not everyone can join. Rallypoint.com is a brand new social networking site for military professionals. The startup, launched just two months ago, helps connect those on active duty. Rallypoint.com is hoping to make its mark in the social networking world, specifically with military professionals. "So it is kind of a blend of the social networking sites with a distinctly military slant to it," said Rallypoint.com Advisor John Harvey...
(NBC29)
Time Warner Cable Says It Will Keep ‘Open Mind’ on Reinstating Al Jazeera. Time Warner Cable minced no words when it announced on Wednesday night that it was dropping Current TV, just hours after Al Jazeera acquired the channel. “Our agreement with Current has been terminated and we will no longer be carrying the service,” the distributor said. “We are removing the service as quickly as possible.”
(Media Decoder)
Al Jazeera Seeks a U.S. Voice Where Gore Failed. Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab news giant, has long tried to convince Americans that it is a legitimate news organization, not a parrot of Middle Eastern propaganda or something more sinister. It just bought itself 40 million more chances to make its case...
(The New York Times)
Syria video shows Assad militia stabbing and stoning victims.
(AlArabiya)
Bridgewater veteran offers smartphone app for fellow veterans. Now even veterans can say — there's an app for that. A Bridgewater veteran is offering a new smartphone app for fellow veterans faced with the challenges of returning from duty and transitioning back into civilian life. Lloyd Deans, a six-year veteran of the New Jersey National Guard, has designed "Deans List," a free smartphone and tablet app which, for the first time, aggregates military and veteran resources, news feeds and social media for easy access to veterans...
(NJ.com)
Maxim Recruits a Readership in Uniform. Scaling elevator shafts and sliding through sewers in mud-caked fields at a military training camp here would not be what most people would call a vacation. But for 10 Special Operations soldiers from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force, participating in an event called the Maximum Warrior contest, these challenges had a singular aim: to be in Maxim magazine...
(The New York Times)
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Here is a look at the schedule of events for the milblogging track.
Monday, January 7 (10:30am) – The New Military Blogger
This session will look at the emerging voices in military blogging and new media. After a decade-plus of war the first person voices and commentary have changed. Who are these new bloggers and what are they saying about our military mission? How are different from the previous generation of milbloggers and who have they been inspired by?
Speakers: Randy Brown, Ward Carroll, Mark Seavy, Paul Szoldra
Full details
Monday, January 7 (11:45am) – Militaryville – The Audience You Didn’t Know You Could Have
Thanks to their mobile lifestyle, military members – and their families – turn in overwhelming numbers to blogs and social media for information and moral support. How do you capture (and keep!) this hugely diverse population with very specific interests? Learn how to attract or grow a military audience as you expand your readership while making blogging pay.
- Learn why blogging military means always writing for a reason.
- Use military audiences to get read more and, in turn, get paid more by taking your blog to the next level.
- The military is always a hot topic – develop creative partnerships that will help you take the national stage.
- Discover four surprising topics for military audiences on which you can write a post today.
Speakers: Amy Bushatz, Jacey Eckhart, Cheryl Ganser, Wayne Perry
Full Details
Monday, January 7 (1:45pm) – New Media’s Effect on Military Benefit Policy And Legislation
This section will feature a robust discussion on how blogs, social media, and online email campaigns impact military compensation and benefits, transition assistance, VA programs, and military health care legislation and policy.
Speakers: Terry Howell, Tom Philpott
Full Details
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If there’s one strong trend that has been getting stronger year after year, it’s that military spouse blogs continue to grow and outpace all other categories of military blogs. I expect much of the same in 2013.
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S!
Jameslgibson | Afghanistan Deployment 2012 - 2013, 1SG James L Gibson, Afghanistan, jameslgibson | Afghanistan Deployment 2012 – 201...
RallyPoint, Not specified, United States, RallyPoint uses patent-pending technology to revol...
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Not specified, Afghanistan, Photos and stories from the Marines of 3D Marine A...
The Fight Continues, Angela Wenke, United States, Our mission at The Fight Continues is to assist in...
Constantly Evolving, Roy Nickerson, United States, I'm passionate about veterans and military issues....
Love on the Homefront, Charleigh, United States, A young military wife trying to figure it all out.
Tee's Blog, Tee Major, United States, U.S. Military Fitness trainer Tee Major covers all...
The Everchanging Life of the Navy Wife, Robin, United States, I'm Robin, I'm married to my best friend and soulm...
Pearls for Tags - Women of Army Men, Multiple authors, United States, This is place where Army wives, girlfriends, fianc...
Deployment Problems (and the military life), @deploymentprbs, United States, I support my husband until the end...
A Boy, A Girl, and The Marine Corps, A Girl, United States, I live with my husband, our Min Pin Belleau Wood, ...
Charting New Territory, Sarah, United States, Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm a 30 something year old Regist...
The Life and Times of a Marine Wifey, Victoria, United States, I was raised in the Seattle area and moved to Cali...
Deanna Wharwood-The Veterans Coach, Deanna Wharwood, United States, Deanna Wharwood’s passion is to help veterans, s...
Time Now, Peter Molin, United States, The Wars in Afghanistan in Art, Literature and Fil...
Coast Guard Alaska, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 17th Coast Guard District
Coast Guard Pacific Southwest, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 11th Coast Guard District
Coast Guard Great Lakes, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 9th Coast Guard District
Coast Guard Heartland, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 8th Coast Guard District
Coast Guard Northeast, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 1st Coast Guard District
CIO/G6 Blog, CIO/G-6, United States, Army Chief Information Officer/G-6
Chief of Naval Operations, JONATHAN W. GREENERT, United States, The Official Blog of Chief of Naval Operations Adm...
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Sadly, the milblogging world lost two military bloggers in 2012.
There is always a possibility that there could be more fallen military bloggers, but at this point, I’m only aware of the deaths of Captain Carroll “Lex” Lefon, USN (ret) and Army Sgt. Eric E. Williams.
I’d like to take time to remember those who have passed, so if you know of others, please send an email to milblogging@gmail.com
Retired TOPGUN pilot US Navy Capt. Carroll LeFon, better known as Lex of the military blog Neptunus Lex, was killed in March 2012 when a jet he was flying crashed at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada.
Lex was one of the very first milbloggers at a time when blogging hadn't become mainstream. His blog
Lex was also one of the first bloggers to appear here on Milblogging.com. I did a short feature on him back in 2006. When I asked him why he started blogging he told me, “I guess you could say I started blogging as a way of sharpening my writing skills. Anyone who`s been to see, or flown fighter aircraft has stories to tell, and I was interested in getting some of mine out there as well, and seeing what interest there might be. It`s also a sort of on-line diary of thoughts, and reactions to the days events - some of those, looking back, get pretty stale in time - but in doing so you form a kind of community of interest. A fun hobby that lets you interact with other people.”
In November, Lex’ kids wrote a post on the website called “Happy Birthday Dad”, with each one saying a few words about their father.
You can learn more about Lex on his About page. His facebook page is here http://www.facebook.com/nep.lex
Other bloggers within the community also published memorial posts in 2012 which can be found below:
USNI Blog, Susan Katz Keating, Argghhh!!!, The SandGram, AW1Tim, This Ain’t Hell, Blackfive, Steeljaw Scribe, CDR Salamander, Grim’s Hall, Soldier’s Angels, NavyTimes, instapinch.com, The Wood Shed, Homefront Six, Carmichael's Position, The Tailhook Association, Bouhammer's Military Blog, Soldier's Angels Germany, Little Drops.....
In May, Lex’ youngest daughter Kat, posted a thank you note on behalf of their family to Lex' readers.
“I’m not quite sure if anyone still looks at this site, but even so it didn’t feel right to not post a final word. A thank you note, I guess.
I am “Kat,” Lex’s youngest daughter. In the bustle of the last few months my family and I have been neglecting the blog, unsure what the next step for his site would be. At some point, the domain expired; and while my father was many things, organized on the computer he was not. So after a series of jumping through hoops and searching through his computer I finally figured out how to get it back up. My family and I would like to keep it, as so many of you have also requested. On behalf on my whole family, I would like to thank you all for the support, care, and loving words about my father. It is nothing short of breathtaking to read the beautiful things you have all said and it means more than I can possibly express through a blog post.
Thank you all so very much.
Sincerely- Kat”
Captain Carroll “Lex” Lefon, USN (ret) was laid to rest in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery March 27.
He was assigned to Company C, 3-82 General Support Aviation Battalion of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade.
According to North County Times, Sgt. Williams was just starting his long journey home when he came under enemy fire and died.
Williams was also a military blogger who had kept an online journal called: Eric Williams since 2008. The website can be found at http://myfriendthemedic.
The blog has over 50 posts dating back to 2008 and several photos.
In his last post published only days before he was killed he wrote of coming home.
“This deployment is coming to an end, in a few days we will be on a plane back to the United States to rejoin our family and friends and to try to readjust to a certain semblance of what we think life should be. The truth is everything has changed, we collectively have changed. We have changed as people, as an army, as citizens of the United States. We face uncertainty in nearly every aspect of our lives. Our families have been without us for a year and we have only two weeks to try to enjoy the extremely limited time we have with them before its back to the daily grind. Two weeks to try to reconnect, although this process can take weeks, months or even years. There is no promise that any of us will return unchanged. But we collectively have been granted access to something few ever see, or choose to see for that matter. We have bared witness to the atrocities of war. We have thrust ourselves into the midst of chaos in order to do something so important, so visceral, that few will ever understand what it means. We collectively have risked it all and put everything on the line to save our fellow man, regardless of nationality, race, religion or sex. I for one will reflect on these experiences for decades to come. And I know my comrades will as well. I cannot begin to describe the things we’ve seen, felt, or heard. We have lost brothers and colleagues. We have felt the sting of losing someone we tried our hardest to save. We have cleaned up the blood and reset our equipment in order to go back out and do it again. These people I work with are some of the most dedicated men and women I have ever met. They come from all walks of life and although different in so many aspects, all come together collectively to accomplish this mission. I’m proud to say that I work with some of the most professional people there are. But now we are going home. Were out of this god forsaken country, but we take with us the weight of a thousand missions. To try to dissect them as best we know how.”
North County Times has two good articles (here and here) on Sgt. Williams.
Williams’ military blog has now become an online memorial, giving people a chance to remember and learn about his life in a personal way.
On Veterans Day, the Los Angeles Times wrote that his wife and mother hope his blog can be published to help the public understand the war from the perspective of a soldier on the front lines.
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