I received an email earlier this week about the Veterans Writing project.  If you’d like to learn more, check out their website here.

The Veterans Writing Project is a program administered by The Writers Guild of America, East Foundation - a 501(c)3 organization based in New York.  In April 2008, we created the VWP as a free writing workshop offered to US veterans and active duty servicemen and women with a desire to write.  The inaugural workshop was held in Columbus, Ohio in April and October of 2008 and was met with great success. We were able to serve approximately 40 veterans.  Our next workshop will be free and fully catered. It will be held at the San Antonio Public Library on Saturday June 6th and Sunday June 7th. 

The workshop is a way for professional writers to serve those who have in their turn served all of us by offering their time and services on a volunteer basis. The writers coming to San Antonio in June include writers such as Tom Fontana (Oz, St. Elsewhere), Tony Kushner (Pulitzer Prize Winner, Angels in America) and U.S. veteran, John Patrick Shanley (Academy Award Winner for Moonstruck and Pulitzer Prize Winner for Doubt). 

The aim of the Veterans Writing Project is to encourage veterans to put their thoughts, feelings and experiences into written words. We invite them to explore any subject or form they wish to, not limited to experiences directly relating to their military service.  We do not plan to make any specific use of writing that emerges from this workshop. It will belong solely to the writers. They alone will decide if they wish to take it further.

On a sidenote, I tweeted about this story yesterday and got a great response.  Several people on Twitter retweeted it (Thanks).  While I’m on the topic of Twitter, my Twitter badge (located at the top of the right sidebar) is blacked out.  Not sure why, but I’m assuming Twitter is having technical issues, again.  So instead, you can follow me on Twitter here.  I’ll be honest, I like Twitter – alot.  I’m up to nearly 20,000 followers and sometimes it’s difficult to walk away from the computer.  Real difficult. 

Just the other day, I asked my wife if I could wear a diaper while I tweet.  You know?  So I could keep going without any interruptions... 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think someone’s stinky.    

More information on the Veterans Writing Project here.

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(Washington Times)  They are passionate, committed and courageous. They work long hours without much hope of fame or fortune. They believe in their cause and are united by a strong urge to serve the troops. These are the military bloggers who attended the 2009 milblog conference at the Westin Arlington Gateway hotel Friday and Saturday.

Many milbloggers are former or current members of the armed forces; others are spouses and parents who are familiar with the issues and want the rest of America to understand their concerns. They come from all walks of life. Yet they share a camaraderie that is instant and infectious: If you are present, you immediately feel welcome.

Read the entire story here.

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(GreatAmericans)  We're finally catching our breath after the 2009 MilBlog Conference in Arlignton, Va. We had a great time connecting with the amazing people in the milblogging community, and we're already looking forward to next year's conference.

Some of the attendees were kind enough to chat with us about their blogs and other pro-military work and organizations. We hope you enjoy the videos from our conversations, and please support these people as they cover and support our military women and men who sacrifice so much to protect us.

You can watch interviews with several different military bloggers (including myself) here.  Thanks again to the great folks at GreatAmericans.com for not only sponsoring this year’s conference, but for putting these videos together.

On a sidenote, if you get a good look at each video, keep in mind, Matt Daniels who is conducting the interviews is like 7 feet tall.  Seriously.  In fact, I’m pretty sure no one at GreatAmericans.com is shorter than 6 foot 5.  It took 3 chairs, 6 t-shirts,  and 8 phone books just so CJ could reach the microphone.

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(United States Army)  Given the new pace of electronic communication, Army social media efforts now include Facebook, Twitter, and blogging in order to "utilize all means available to reach the Army family and the American people," said Deputy Chief of Army Public Affairs Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips to military bloggers here, April 24.

The new Online and Social Media Division of Army Public Affairs, formed in January, hosted an afternoon 'meet and greet' event for 21 Milbloggers at the Pentagon prior to their weekend conference in Virginia. During the event, they met with public affairs professionals in each of the five services and senior leadership to include Secretary of the Army Pete Geren.

Read the entire story here.

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H/T to the Greyhawks.

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(Starbulletin.com) Outgoing Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Robert Willard uses a blog, a podcast and Facebook -- all the latest modes of Internet communication.

Slated this fall to become commander of all U.S. military forces in the Pacific, Willard said Navy leaders "have an obligation to use the communication media that work."

Willard became the Pacific Fleet commander in May 2007, in charge of 178 ships, 1,500 aircraft and 160,000 sailors, Marines and civilians in the Asia-Pacific area.

He launched his Facebook page last week in conjunction with his "Rat-Pac Report" podcast.

Read the entire story here.

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(The Herald)  SOMEHOW, through the trauma and atrocities of Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, a brave young soldier from Newcastle named Arthur "Snowy" Collins kept a diary.

In it he recorded Japan's invasion of Singapore, the torturous murder of comrades in captivity and the deprivation of survivors.

When the war ended, Mr Collins lost track of the diary. This week the little leather-bound book was returned after 60 years.

Read the entire story here.

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(San Jose Mercury News) Editor's note: Sunnyvale City Councilman Otto Lee, a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, is on active duty at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. He wrote these entries for his blog. The following has been edited for length and reprinted with his permission.

Hello friends, I have been in Iraq for over two months now and have finally settled in. I would like to share my new life here with you, serving literally half a world away for our eloved country. I have certainly gained much more appreciation of the little things in life that we take for granted.

Read the entire story here.

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(The Christian Science Monitor)  Russia is going to the blogs.  Or so it may seem after the country’s first Internet-savvy Kremlin leader, President Dmitry Medvedev, set up his own wide-open LiveJournal blog (click here to visit) aiming, according to his press secretary, to bypass bureaucratic barriers and engage his voters in direct and uncensored conversation.

Three days after the site was established, featuring video statements taken from Mr. Medvedev’s Kremlin website, the president has yet to weigh in personally on any of the thousands of sometimes politically-charged comments posted by Russian visitors sheltering behind anonymous nicknames as various as “homo sapiens,” “glukhoi” (deaf), and “uncle Sam.”

Read the entire story here.

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(Fay Observer)  Yesterday the conference speakers were all invited to tour the Pentagon. It was a fascinating visit, seeing the E Ring, where the plane hit on 9/11 was even more moving than I expected. We had a private meeting with the Secretary of the Army - a super nice guy - and a whole bunch of public affairs people from all the branches of service, including some Generals and Admirals. I was amazed and impressed at how eager the military as a whole is to embrace new media.

Read the entire story here.

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(Sunday Mercury)  ANDREW Hamilton was only five when his grandfather died in 1959. His sole memory of Robert Hamilton is of an 81 year-old man who was rather scary because he tended to shout due to his deafness.

Grandpa’s hearing had never been the same since the shelling, shrapnel bursts and gunfire that punctuated his daily life during the First World War.

At the time, young Andrew knew nothing of the elder Hamilton’s wartime experiences. Like most veterans, he chose not to talk about the horrors he had witnessed along the Western Front in France and Flanders.

Read the entire story here.

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(Stars and Stripes)  In response to recent columns about military husbands, readers have plenty to say on the "Spouse Calls" blog. Here are some excerpts:

I have been married to the Army for 10 years. I have been on both sides — I am a vet and a spouse! I married my beautiful wife when we were E-3s, privates.

When it came time for me to re-enlist, my wife said I should get out but I told her I was staying in. I re-enlisted, and a few months later we deployed, leaving my 1-year-old at home with grandma.

After we came home from deployment, my wife said that one of us needed to get out. Of course, I said, "Well, honey, you should." But after she broke it down that with her job we would have more duty choices, and I could finish my degree, I thought long and hard and prayed about it.

Read the entire story here.

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Yesterday morning I went to the White House and spent the evening in Arlington, VA watching the screener of At War.  My wife and I attended the Pre-Conference party and had a great time.  Today’s events include panels and discussions so I’m headed that way shortly.  I’ll be posting more about the activities and events next week.

In the meantime, you can follow the Milblog Conference on Twitter using hashtag #mlblgconf2009

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(2009 Milblog Conference)  Each year, we select a charity or organization which supports our troops and their families as our "featured" charity. We highlight the work of the charity, and attendees can offer a donation if they so choose, but are under no obligation whatsoever to do so. This year, we decided to have a little fun with our charity. We'll be featuring a Jail-and-Bail (complete with judge, sheriff, public defenders and bondsmen) at the cocktail party. You will have the  opportunity to "arrest" your favorite (or not-so-favorite) milblogger, and the proceeds from your arrest warrant will go to charity. More information will follow soon.

The featured charity for the 2009 MilBlog Conference is Honor Their Service, Inc.  

Honor Their Service, a public charity under section 501 c (3) of the IRS code, was formed in April of 2008 by three Marine wives and a volunteer at Landstuhl RAMC. 

Learn more here.

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Earlier today, a news story ran in the New York Daily News  titled U.S. Army uses Facebook page, tweets to declare war on Ashton Kutcher’s top Twitter spot.  In the article, Lindy Kyzer (who I interviewed earlier this week) issued a Twitter challenge: “If Ashton Kutcher can do it, the U.S. Army can do it," said Lindy Kyzer, who posts the Army's "status updates" on Facebook and "tweets" on Twitter.”

The statement was in reference to Ashton Kutcher challenging CNN.  Ashton claimed he could reach 1 million followers on Twitter first.  Ashton won.

Today Lindy Kyzer discussed the New York Daily News article and more on the official U.S. Army blog and even linked to Milblogging.com’s efforts to index Military Twitter microblogs:

“But why would we stay satisfied with the 4,000 person community we’ve built on Twitter when we have so much farther to go? We know that there are dozens if not hundreds of active-duty Soldiers twittering - for a great and growing directory check out www.milblogging.com. I would love to connect with those people through @USArmy in order to improve that platform and make it an even more useful place for people to get news and information.”

Note, If Ashton Kutcher can hit 1 million Twitter followers, expect other celebs to do the same.  And definitely expect a lot more Twitter challenges to take place among Tweeters.  If you’re planning to follow Ashton on Twitter, just make sure you’re prepared for some pretty intense tweets. Stuff like, “Our dogs just took us for a walk” and “Who can say that they've thrown up and had diarrhea at their rabbi's house? 2 pts for me”.

No word on whether it’s really Ashton tweeting or a box of bunny rabbits. Or maybe a spoon.

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The video below has been on the internet for awhile now, but it was just sent to me by @soldiersangels on Twitter and it’s really fantastic.  You need to watch the whole video.  It showcases music artists from all over the world.  Now, I usually don’t plug videos on Milblogging.com but this video will “put a smile on your face”.  It was made by Playing For Change.

On a sidenote, don’t forget to follow @milblogging on Twitter. I follow everyone back, even the questionable and NSFW tweeters.  I should screen some of the people, but it's fun to build a following on Twitter.  So follow me if you're in the Military. Or if you're peddling some silly gimmick or if you grew a third hand out of your forehead.  I follow either way. Quick, to Twitter!

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(BBC News)  Now in the era of e-mails, websites and blogs, families and friends can catch up with the latest news from the troops within days or hours.

In the United States some military bloggers have become media stars, ending up with lucrative book deals.

And in a smaller yet deeply personal way, Colour Sergeant Michael Saunders is adding to the tradition of military wordsmiths.

Read the entire story here.

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(Times Argus)  The real story of Iraq is still not being told by the media, Buzzell told the gathering, and he thinks the American public has lost interest. It bothers him a lot, and he said the hardest part of his assimilation back into "normal life" after returning from Iraq his the normality that now surrounds him.

"I look around while I'm in a restaurant or bar, or walking down the street — you know — everyday life here," said Buzzell, "and no one is aware. There's still 100,000 guys over there (in Iraq) doing a mission. They're doing hard work; there's a lot going on over there, and at times in the media it seems non-existent… the public seems more interested in Afghanistan or the economy."

Buzzell could take some comfort that his ground-breaking blogging and successful book has inspired many other budding writers to engage in soldier blogs or citizen journalism and float the gritty, unfiltered, uncomfortable, and profoundly moving truth.

Read the entire story here.

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(United States Army) This week the Army not only launched an official blog portal, but also an Army fan page on Facebook.

The "Army Live" blog (http://armylive.dodlive.mil) officially went live Monday, after a "soft launch" last week, said Lindy Kyzer, the portal's administrator and a Public Affairs specialist in the Online and Social Media Division.

The U.S. Army Facebook page went live about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Both sites were launched by the new Online and Social Media Division of Army Public Affairs. Division Chief Lt. Col. Kevin Arata said he was excited because thousands of people get their information from blogs and social networking sites.

Read the entire story here.

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I’ve got news for you: if you run a military blog or any type of military website with the goal of getting more traffic or monetizing it, you need to be on Twitter.  I particularly didn’t know the first thing about Twitter a year ago when I was in Iraq. Even at the 2008 Milblog Conference when other military bloggers were tweeting, I still didn’t realize its potential.  That said, in less than 2 months I’ve been able to grow my Twitter following to nearly 15,000 followers.

Oh yeah, that’s right, at first glance, thousands of my followers don’t appear to care about the military.  So what?  Believe it or not, when I write a post on Twitter calling for support to an organization like SoldiersAngels.org - those same Twitters will retweet that story to show their support.  Twitter is a great community of military supporters, and I'm grateful for each of my followers.

And in my opinion, Twitter is undeniably the best marketing and PR tool online.   Why?  You can write something on Twitter that can easily go viral.  It doesn’t matter if you are marketing cardboard boxes or the next weight loss gimmick: if you’re trying to spread the word about the military, it’s a great PR tool.  I mean, really, I’d rather pour steaming hot coffee on my face than use MySpace.  Seriously, no offense to MySpace or Facebook because they’re great for personal networking.  But literally every time I view a MySpace page I feel sick.   In fact, I’m not sure what’s worse: food poisoning or MySpace.  It’s a toss up.

Now, I’m not here to criticize or anything, because it took me a long time to get on Twitter.  I speak to military bloggers and military webmasters every week on email and by the phone.  Some who invest all their free time, working 15 hours a day on their website.  What’s my point?  If you’re a military blogger or military webmaster looking to increase traffic, you need to be on Twitter.  Let’s be frank, unless you pay for advertising or unless some heavy hitter website backlinks to one of your stories (which happens less often these days), it’s a challenge to build traffic especially in the military blog niche. 

Let me tell you, when I started blogging from Afghanistan in 2004, I had no intention of making money.  Like most military bloggers from the frontlines who get their start, I just wanted an easier way of telling my story.  But seriously, if you’ve been able to sell a website, publish a book, monetize your traffic – that’s awesome.  Don’t let others tell you there’s something wrong with that, just because you write a military blog.  Now, if you’re on the frontlines or homefront, and your only reason for running a blog is tell your personal story to family and friends, this post doesn’t necessarily apply to you [particularly, the monetizing stuff]. Plus, when you’re active duty, there are do’s and don’ts.   

But if you spend several hours a night on your website, there  are plenty of ways to increase traffic and monetize it.   With the exception of picking your nose and putting it on Dominos food (Yes, True story), a good free way to get attention is to get a Twitter account.   It doesn’t matter if your site only gets 10 visitors a day or 1,000.   It’s the easiest, quickest, and most importantly, the cheapest way to build and grow your online presence.  You know how I know this is true? Because I did it in less than 8 weeks, and when I post a link on Twitter the traffic back to my website increases substantially. 

Let’s face it, we all need to pay the bills.  So for those of you who criticize me for writing about monetizing your website, I have no idea why.  I don’t get it.  There’s nothing wrong with taking your blog or website to the next level.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line at milblogging@gmail.com  

Update, On a related note, my wife said I can only Tweet 1 hour a day from now on.  Something about me spending too much time on the computer and signing birthday and other cards with @Milblogging instead of my real name. 

I’m not sure what she’s talking about. Twitter has had no impact on me at all *starts shaking…calling phone company now to get unlimited texting [she didn’t say anything about the phone*

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