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.
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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.
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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.
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Read the entire story here.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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"We do not want to be a closed institution," U.S. Army commanding general Benjamin C. Freakley said. "In our history we have been."
That history is changing.
Read the entire story here including a video news clip.
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The current group is different. As part of a modern all-volunteer force, they explore the timeless theme of the futility of war — but wars that they for the most part support. The books, many written as rites of passage by members of a highly educated young officer corps, are filled with gore, inept commanders and anguish over men lost in combat, but not questions about the conflicts themselves.
Read the entire story here.
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What is “Stolen Valor” you ask? Signed into law by President Bush in 2006, the Stolen Valor Act is a law that makes it a federal crime to lie about being a war hero or posing to be a war hero by wearing military medals that were never awarded. Many bloggers from around the Military Blog community came together to call out the latest imposter, Michael Patrick McManus, who was finally nabbed by the FBI after posing as a war hero (watch video here). Mrs. Greyhawk over at Mudville Gazette who has a knack for graphic design, even created a WANTED poster that went viral on the internet and in the news media (image above). I have no idea what to even say about this guy, except: "kids, stay away from drugs".
A little advice: If you wanna fool people into thinking you’re a war hero, make sure to wear dozens of medals on your uniform that you’ve never earned like a Distinguished Service Cross (minimum: 2). Also make sure to wear something around your neck that says you’re the "Commander of the British Empire".
And if nothing else, don’t forget to sport a sweet goatee...
On a sidenote, I'm pretty sure the reporter who surprised Michael McManus at the door with a camera was half-expecting Michael to be wearing knight’s armor and speaking in old English. I know I was.
UPDATE: Apparently this guy was previously convicted in the past for pretending to be a U.S. Marshal among other things. If I didn't know better, I'd swear this guy probably dresses up as a Transformer on dates, then claims to be Optimus Prime or Megatron. Which, by the way, is not a crime. My pal Bouhammer has the latest update.
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Back in early December Google announced the integration of real-time search results from sites like Twitter. The way it works, is if you’re searching for a term in Google (say,#MilitaryMon), the latest real time results will be displayed on the first page of Google from Twitter feeds. It’s actually really cool because it allows people to find the latest breaking news or information straight from Google, instead of having to visit Twitter.
I started tweeting over a year ago with @Milblogging and I can tell you first hand, Twitter brings so many benefits, especially to bloggers looking to expand their reach outside of just a web site. Take a look at the screenshot above, taken earlier from Google when I typed in: milblogging. Results from my Twitter feed appear on the first page of Google.
I’ll be the first to admit I can think of a better use of my time than using all these social networking tools. Namely, sleeping and playing video games. But when Google is integrating real-time search results from Twitter in its search engine, you know it’s every bit as awesome as people say it is.
And then some.
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The Ministry of Defence recently published the Defence Green Paper “Adaptability and Partnership: Issues for a Strategic Defence Review”. According to the MoD, “The Green Paper is the first part of the process leading to a new Strategic Defence Review, which will decide the future shape and role of the Armed Forces.” Shortly after publishing the paper, The Register wrote a story based on their review of the paper called, “MoD turns to bloggers for advice on UK defence policy.” Here’s a snippet:
The government also reveals that when pondering defence policy, it consults a blog run by armchair generals at King's College London, including a junior US army officer, a German academic living in Israel and a former BBC journalist.
Whatever your opinion on these issues, it seems that if you really want to influence British defence policy you'd best get on over and start commenting on the armchair-general web portal du jour, as the MoD and defence minister Bob Ainsworth informs us that "preparation of this paper benefited from discussion on the Kings of War blog".
There’s more to the story, but I hate to break it to you, when it comes to serious topics my attention span is very short. Normally when I end up in a conversation about politics or some other dry subject with a group of friends...I start yawning and rolling my eyes.
In case they still don’t get the point, I purposely swallow my own tongue.
You can read the entire story here.
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In the past year, Montalván has soaked up the spotlight, even pursuing a degree at Columbia Journalism School, and maintaining a personal Web site with his latest articles and media appearances. But then, some stories are just too good to be true. And it looks like Montalván's is beginning to unravel.
Read the entire story here.
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A lot of military bloggers have published their blogs into books since the early 2000s. The latest book set to launch, is Kaboom, by military blogger Matt Gallagher. But have you ever wondered, sixty or seventy years from now, what your wartime diary would fetch if it went to an auction? The answer might depend on a lot of factors, but the diary of British POW Private William MacDonald who was taken prisoner in 1940, just sold at auction for £4,000. In USD that’s about $6,257 according to my calculations. While it might not sound like much, this diary looks to be priceless.
Mail Online did a great write up with lots of pictures (My fave).
A soldier's wartime diary that contains incredible drawings of British PoWs digging the tunnel immortalised in the film The Great Escape has come to light 67 years on.
The pencil and watercolour sketches doodled into Private William MacDonald's log depict a humorous side of life at the infamous Stalag Luft III camp during World War Two.
Some of the 28 sketches are harmless jokes at the expense of the Germans but one drawing shows servicemen working on the tunnel nicknamed 'Harry.'
Read the entire story here.
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Everybody knows that military bloggers are one of the most passionate groups of bloggers online. Each military blog has its own unique audience --- from military spouse bloggers who attract husbands and wives from every branch of the military, to frontline bloggers who capture a wide audience ranging from recruits to high-ranking officers to supporters and everyone in between, including the mainstream media. One of the most powerful things about military blogs is their ability to draw in readers with close ties to the military community.
In my experience, I’ve personally connected with hundreds of military supporters over the years, who have sent me care packages, cards, words of support and lasting friendships, all because I was able to connect with them online through my blog which I originally started in 2004.
What’s my point to all this? While we’re a passionate group of bloggers, there’s nothing wrong with earning some money by blogging. Some military bloggers (like any blogger in general) turn to monetizing their websites with pay-per-click ads such as Google Adsense, affiliate marketing, books, sponsored posts, and a variety of other channels to make some cash.
There is also handful of us who have been fortunate enough to sell their blog/website. After I returned home from Afghanistan in 2005, I built Milblogging.com from the ground up and before I knew it, I was able to sell the website to Military.com – and I’ve been blogging ever since here on Milblogging.com, even through my deployment to Iraq in 2007-2008.
While I don’t earn a living from blogging, I certainly think more Organizations will take notice of military-oriented social media (particularly with bloggers), and we could see more military blogs acquired and/or more Milbloggers paid for their services. The ability to reach a very targeted military audience is something many companies look to do, and blogging offers a way for companies and organizations to build a more personal relationship.
I recently had a chance to chat with Jeanette Kozlowski with CAT5, the company who recently acquired A Soldier’s Perspective, run by CJ Grisham (a good friend) and a cast of other military bloggers – and asked her about CAT5's thoughts on social media and what it meant to their company - who sell military merchandise. Here’s what Jeanette had to say:
Engaging the communities we serve is a priority for us. That means reaching out beyond the retail transaction level. We want to be a part of the conversation and contribute to the dialogue that surrounds our industry. Many milbloggers are already doing that and more. These blogs allow us to better understand our customers. Sometimes we just listen; sometimes we contribute. Above all, we want to provide a forum for passionate individuals to exchange ideas.
Social media allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of our customer base. We monitor Twitter and Google for mentions of our web properties, insights into the merchandise we supply and news within the industry that we operate. If something comes across our desk that is relevant, we act. We are creatively engaged in social bookmarking sites, social and professional networking destinations and forums. We also operate our own blogs and participate in others. This includes writing relevant articles and humorous anecdotes as well as seeking out other appropriate media such as images and video. We highlight our blogs on the front page of our company site, which can be viewed at http://cat5.com
If you want to check out some of CAT5's more popular stories, here are a few links to check out:
11 Military-Inspired iPhone Apps
Top 101 Military Twitters
10 Holiday Gifts to send to our Troops
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For example, in 1988, he received a letter from a retired teacher in Phoenix, Ariz. The woman had been going through her grandfather’s belongings and found a diary from the 1700s which belonged to Stoughton native Ezra Tilden.
In the diary, Tilden, a Revolutionary War soldier who recruited 12 area soldiers to fight in a campaign in New York, documented his journey to the battle.
After reading through the journal a number of times, the ever-curious Hansen had questions he wanted answered. On a Sunday morning in 1989, he jumped in his Jeep and followed Tilden’s route.
Read the entire story here.
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You ever wonder what you should and shouldn’t write about if you run a blog or other social media site like Twitter. Fret not, Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy has shared with me some talking points that are provided to Oregon Guardsmen.
I have to say, most people demonstrate common sense when it comes to the do’s and don’ts of social media, but let’s face it, there are still a handful of you out there having difficulties. Yeah, I’m looking right at you Linguini (my cat). How many times have I told you, videos of you licking yourself are completely inappropriate for YouTube?!
Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy writes:
Why should Oregon Guardsmen blog?
Oregon’s citizen-Airmen and citizen-Soldiers are the best spokespersons we have in the Oregon National Guard. They are subject matter experts, and well-versed in the history, traditions and customs of our organization.
Blogs are another way to convey news and human interest stories, many of which go unreported by the mainstream media. Blogging is a way for Oregon’s Airmen and Soldiers, and their families to tell these stories.
We are not entering the digital age—we are already in it. According to recent studies, there are currently 250 million blogs worldwide.
Oregon’s Guardsmen must take heed to avoid security risks, and observe prescribed OPSEC (Operational Security) guidelines.
There are a limited number of topics about which Oregon’s Airmen and Soldiers cannot blog. A few of these include casualty information, the location of, movement dates, and troop strength of units assigned to the area of responsibility.
OPSEC is not new to our Guard members. Any member of the United States military receives initial training, and annual refresher courses on OPSEC issues.
For specific guidelines and references, interested persons should refer to the following official publications:
AFI 35-107 (Public Web Communications) and AFI 33-129 (Web Management and Internet Use)
DOD Directive 5230.9, (Clearance of DOD Information for Public Release)
DOD Instruction 5230.29, (Security and Policy Review of DOD Information for Public Release).
Access to technology has changed the way Airmen and Soldiers are able to communicate with their families and communities.
Blogging was started as a way to convey stories and human interest news that is under-reported by the traditional news media.
With the number of Oregon’s citizen-Soldiers and citizen-Airmen located in deployed locations throughout the world, blogs are an easy way for Oregon Guardsmen to communicate to the rest of the world stories about life in a deployed environment.
Technical limitations may limit the ability for our Guard members to blog.
Because bandwidth is a limited quantity in many deployed locations, it may sometimes be difficult for Guard members to access to sites such as YouTube.com, Facebook, and personal blogs.
Certain specific videos and blogs which fall under “questionable” or “restricted” content, may however, not be accessible to our personnel via official networks.
This is the exception in the deployed environment, not the rule, however.
While Facebook and Twitter access may be available to users on some networks, access may be restricted by certain commands. It is therefore recommended that Guard members keep abreast of new information via person computers or mobile devices.
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Down below you’ll find a press release that Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy sent me via email, which basically claims the title by Oregon for the “Most socially connected National Guard State”. It’s a brilliant PR move that should stir up some healthy competition and trash-talking among Guard units. Which is always fun.
But now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go reply to all my followers on Twitter. Jumping out of computer chair, HIGH-FIVING the Wifey...
“ALL 77,000 of THEM BABY!!!” WOO HOO! *Chest Bump*
The Oregon National Guard’s social media program is a model for other states’ guard units, according to a spokesperson for the Oregon Military Department.
The social media program, launched in January 2009, includes an official blog and several other social media sites which highlight stories, videos and photos of and about Oregon’s citizen-soldiers and citizen-airmen.
Oregon’s program led a push by the U.S. military to encourage its members to engage in social media tools, including blogs and social networking sites like Facebook, in mid 2009.
“Oregon’s citizen-airmen and citizen-soldiers are the best spokespersons we have,” said Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy, Social Media Manager for the Oregon National Guard. “They are the subject matter experts, and well-versed in the history, traditions and customs of our organization.”
Based on research conducted by the U.S. Air Force in early 2008, many military members already have a Facebook or MySpace page, and maintain personal blogs. A 2008 article by an online publication which tracks blogs throughout the world estimated the count at around 250 million, while Technorati estimated there were over 113 million blogs worldwide, not including the estimated 73 million blogs in China.
Furthermore, a blog which tracks Facebook statistics estimated in January 2010 that there are currently over 350 million Facebook members.
“Many of our members are already engaged in their own blogs or on Facebook,” Choy added. “Rather than trying to locate these people so we can tell them our story, why not simply go to where they already are.”
The official Oregon Guard social media sites include a Facebook page which includes daily updates, stories and photos, a YouTube page which includes ‘favorite’ videos from others’ pages as well as internally-produced videos, an official blog, and a Twitter page.
The Oregon National Guard recently opened up access to Facebook on some of their internal networks, and while access to a number of the sites is still restricted on some office networks, military members are encouraged to visit the sites from their personal computers during off-work hours.
Choy hopes participation and membership in social media and social networking sites will enhance the online community which already exists, but also allow guard members another venue to communicate with, and about their organization.
Members who participate are prohibited from releasing certain types of information by military regulations, such as security information or personal data. Users are also encouraged to abide by a code of ethics and standards on their personal blogs and social networking pages, he said.
“Common sense should prevail,” Choy said. “If it’s something you wouldn’t say out loud in uniform in public, then you probably shouldn’t say it online.”
To visit the Oregon National Guard’s official social media sites, see the links provided below.
Blog: http://oregonmildep.blogspot.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/OregonGuard
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/
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OhMyGov! A news site dedicated to government news has selected Military.com as the top government social network, beating out GovCentral and other social networking sites. Here’s what OhMyGov! had to say about Military.com.
I actually think Military.com is one of the best government social networking sites but I would’ve nominated Call of Duty or Halo for a prize, too.
And I promised I’d never violate op sec by revealing military weapon details, but if you have trouble shooting down a Banshee (the Covenant one person aircraft) in Halo, make sure to shoot it as it flees. Never head on or with a pistol. Rookie mistake.
Read the entire story here and see the rest of the picks.
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