philosophizer custodian: An advocacy for social media in the military

An advocacy for social media in the military

Friday, January 11, 2013, 07:26 AM

Jeff Gilmore, a C-17 Instructor Pilot and Air Mobility Liaison Officer assigned to III Corps at Ft. Hood, Texas, has written a lengthy piece for Small Wars Journal about social media and digital collaboration in the military.

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

Soldier in Afghanistan marries over Skype

Thursday, January 10, 2013, 06:02 AM - News Stories People have come up with some nifty ways for getting married.

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.

News: Porn shown during news report on Syria

Thursday, January 10, 2013, 06:01 AM - News Stories SCANDINAVIA Swedish news channel tv4 shows porn during report on Syria. Only in Scandinavia! Swedish TV news broadcast shows porn movie in the background for TEN minutes.VIEWERS of a Swedish news channel got more than they bargained for while watching a sober report on Syria's president Bashar al-Assad, as a porn film played on a studio screen in the background.? The incident took place during a Monday broadcast on 24-hour Swedish news channel TV4 News as the presenter was interviewing the station's Moscow correspondent.? As the journalists discussed Russia's support for the Syrian regime, a pornographic film began playing on one of the television screens situated behind the anchor...
(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)

Scots soldier killed shortly after tweeting

Tuesday, January 8, 2013, 06:36 PM - Twitter

Scots soldier killed shortly after tweeting

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

News: Japanese tourist in Syria shoots video

Monday, January 7, 2013, 11:25 PM - News Stories Japanese trucker gets kicks from Syria war tourism. To get a jolt of adrenaline away from his humdrum job as a trucker in Japan, Toshifumi Fujimoto picked up a hobby as a war tourist. His passion has taken him from the dull routine of the highway to Syria, where as part of his latest adventure in the Middle East's hot spots he shoots photos and video while dodging bullets with zest...
(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)

Amazing war zone sketches by artist Rob Bates

Sunday, January 6, 2013, 10:38 AM - Afghanistan Military Bloggers

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

Military.com and New Media Expo Join Forces

Sunday, January 6, 2013, 08:02 AM - BlogWorld (The following story originally appeared on the New Media Expo blog, and was written by Ward Carroll)

*****************

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.

Milblogging Talking Points - Charlie Sherpa

Saturday, January 5, 2013, 04:01 AM - BlogWorld In just a couple days, a handful of military bloggers will be joining together for The New Media Expo 2013 in Las Vegas.

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.

News: American journalist kidnapped in Syria

Friday, January 4, 2013, 02:24 AM - News Stories American journalist abducted in Syria. Gunmen have kidnapped an American journalist in Syria, the journalist's family announced Wednesday.? Freelancer James Foley was taken in northwest Syria on November 22, Thanksgiving Day in America, his family said, adding it decided to make his capture public now in the hope that media attention will increase the odds he'll be released...
(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)

Milblogging Track at The New Media Expo 2013

Thursday, January 3, 2013, 02:55 AM

The New Media Expo in Las Vegas kicks off later this week and includes a milblogging track.? It looks to be one of the best BlogWorld conferences of recent memory.

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

Military blogs added to Milblogging (Dec' 12)

Wednesday, January 2, 2013, 04:58 AM

More than 20 military blogs have been added to the Milblogging database in December.? There are lots of interesting new blogs, like Jameslgibson, a blog written from the frontlines of Afghanistan by 1SG James L. Gibson who serves with Headquarters Troop, 2-1 Cav.

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 DistrictCoast Guard Pacific Southwest, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 11th Coast Guard DistrictCoast Guard Great Lakes, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 9th Coast Guard DistrictCoast Guard Heartland, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 8th Coast Guard DistrictCoast Guard Northeast, Not specified, United States, Official blog of the 1st Coast Guard DistrictCIO/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...

In Remembrance: 2012 Military Blogger Deaths

Tuesday, January 1, 2013, 07:24 AM

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

has recorded over 5 million unique visitors and logged over 10 million page views.

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.

Army Sgt. Eric E. Williams died in July 2012 in Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Eric E. Williams died in July 2012?in Afghanistan.

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.blogspot.com/

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.

Pakistan lifts YouTube ban, then reinstates it

Sunday, December 30, 2012, 11:27 PM - News Stories On Saturday, Pakistan lifted a ban on YouTube but reinstated it after just three minutes.

The article over at The New York Times explains that the ban was imposed on Sept. 17 following violent protests in response to the anti-Islamic video "Innocence of Muslims" produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula.

"On Saturday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority directed local Internet service providers to make YouTube accessible. But by the afternoon, Geo, a private television news network that wields immense influence, reported that anti-Islam and blasphemous material was still available on YouTube. The criticism was led by Ansar Abbasi, a right-leaning journalist who often speaks out on morality and religion.

Yielding to the criticism, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf then ordered providers to again block access to the video-sharing site."

Nobody can seem to agree as to how long the ban was lifted, but the NYT says it only lasted THREE MINUTES.

Three minutes? Impressive.

There?s a joke in there somewhere.

As you can imagine, people took to Twitter to comment.? NYT also has the story on that.

British Army's Facebook page tops 900K Likes

Saturday, December 29, 2012, 02:33 AM - Facebook

This year, the official Facebook page for the British Army had more than 900,000 Likes.

The Facebook page passed the 900K mark earlier this month, on December 16, 2012.

While the British Army didn?t reach 1 million likes, the 900K milestone makes it one of the most popular military organizations on Facebook, even more popular than the United States? own U.S. Navy which has 789,719 likes.

However, the U.S. Army?s Facebook presence has a healthy lead over the British Army with the U.S. Army coming in at 1.6 million likes.

In case you?re wondering about other official pages of the British Armed Forces, here?s a quick look:

The Royal Navy has 177,853 likes at the time of this story, while the Royal Air Force has 287,890 likes.

You can learn more about Facebook Page metrics and trends at the PageData website.?

To see the top 30 "Most Liked" government organizations on Facebook, go here.

Image via Facebook

News: Reporter fabricated Veterans Day story

Saturday, December 29, 2012, 01:45 AM - News Stories Newspaper on Cape Cod Apologizes for a Veteran Reporter?s Fabrications. When an editor at The Cape Cod Times was reading the newspaper last month, she thought an article about the Veterans Day parade from the day before seemed slightly off. The article, written by Karen Jeffrey, a longtime reporter, told of a Ronald Chipman, 46, and his family from Boston. The Chipmans apparently were oblivious to Veterans Day until they saw the parade. Ms. Jeffrey described the family in detail, including a scene in which the parents used their smartphones to find information about the holiday, creating a ?teachable moment? for themselves and their children...
(NYTimes)

The 8 Craziest Job Openings in the Military-Industrial Complex. Top-secret janitor. Pollster to the spies. Classified comic book artist. Any organization sufficiently large is bound to have the odd job opening within it. But few organizations are as freakin' colossal as the U.S. military intelligence industrial complex, with an estimated 4.9 million Americans holding security clearances today. Which means there are thousands of unconventional positions to fill at any given moment...
(Wired.com)

On Assignment: Syria's Media War. This year, VOA's Rudi Bakhtiar crossed into Syria - at great risk - to report on the uprising there. She spoke with Philip Alexiou about what some rebels are calling a "media war" against the government...
(Voice of America)

In Retaliation for Map of Gun Permit Holders, Blogger Lists Names and Addresses of Newspaper Staff. In response to the controversy surrounding the interactive map of local gun permit holders published by a Lower Hudson Valley newspaper, one blogger decided to punish the paper's staff members by invoking a well-established principle of biblical law: A dox for a dox.? Christopher Fountain has spent the last three days posting the names and addresses of nearly every Journal News employee from Publisher on down...
(

Gawker)

Gun owner: Newspaper ?put me on the same level as a sex offender?. Veronica Hash resides on an eight-acre spread in Dutchess County, N.Y. She is a registered to own a handgun ? something that visitors to the Web site of the Journal News could ascertain with little trouble. Hash?s address is listed on an interactive map of gun-permit owners, based on public records requested by the Journal News, a Gannett property that serves suburban counties around New York City...
(

Washington Post)

Where The Journal News went wrong in publishing names, addresses of gun owners. In the days since The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News published and mapped the names and addresses of local citizens who hold gun permits, outraged critics have published the names and addresses of journalists at the paper. New York State Senator Greg Ball has also responded by announcing plans to propose legislation that would make the permits private, no longer subject to open records laws. I suspected that legislative backlash might follow, and it would be a worse mistake than publishing the data...
(Poynter)

Suliman: 'Al Jazeera plays the piper, but Qatar calls the tune'. The long-time Berlin correspondent for Al Jazeera, Aktham Suliman, recently resigned from his post. The journalist tells DW that the Qatari government is exercising undue influence on Al Jazeera's reporting...
(

DW.DE)

Randy Brown (Red Bull Rising) to speak at NMX

Friday, December 28, 2012, 01:16 AM - BlogWorld

Randy Brown (Red Bull Rising) to speak at NMX

Randy Brown, freelance editor and writer, who blogs at Red Bull Rising, will be speaking at NMX 2013 in Las Vegas, NV, that is taking place January 6 - 8, 2013.

Brown joins other speakers at The New Media Expo (aka BlogWorld), including Paul Szoldra, the creator and Managing Editor of The Duffel Blog.

Brown will be participating in The New Military Blogger track.

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?

About Brown:

In 2010, Randy Brown was preparing for deployment as a member of the Iowa Army National Guard?s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry ?Red Bull? Division (2-34th B.C.T.). After he unexpectedly dropped off the deployment list, he retired with 20 years of service. He then went to Eastern Afghanistan anyway, embedding with Iowa?s Red Bull units as a civilian journalist in May-June 2011. Under the pseudonym ?Charlie Sherpa,? Brown blogs about ways to ?remember, support, and celebrate? military service members, veterans, and families at: www.redbullrising.com. Milbloggies finalist, Veteran (2011); Reporter (2012) categories. 2012 winner, Military Reporters and Editors? blog category

Connect with Brown:

RedBullRising
Facebook

Information provided by NMX 2013.

Paul Szoldra (The Duffel Blog) to speak at NMX

Friday, December 28, 2012, 12:55 AM - BlogWorld

Paul Szoldra (The Duffel Blog) to speak at NMX

Paul Szoldra, the creator and Managing Editor of The Duffel Blog, will be speaking at NMX 2013 in Las Vegas, NV, that is taking place January 6 - 8, 2013.

The New Media Expo (aka BlogWorld), is the world's largest Conference and Trade Show for bloggers, podcasters, web TV & video creators, and social business pros.

Szoldra will be participating in The New Military Blogger session.

Paul Szoldra is a former Marine infantryman who left the service after 8 years. While attending college at the University of Tampa, he started The Duffel Blog, a military satire website similar to The Onion. In less than 6 months of existence, the website rocketed to over 30,000 fans, was featured in mainstream media outlets such as NBC & USA Today, and has even gained the attention of the Pentagon. Paul also serves as Media Relations Director for the non-profit Marine Infantry Veterans Foundation, and contributes serious journalism pieces for Business Insider.

Connect With Szoldra:

The Duffel Blog
Paul Szoldra
Facebook
LinkedIn
Google+
Twitter

Information provided by NMX 2013.

1SG writes military blog from Afghanistan

Thursday, December 27, 2012, 03:37 AM - Afghanistan Military Bloggers

1SG writes military blog from Afghanistan

Each month that passes, there seem to be fewer and fewer military blogs written from the frontlines.? In fact, going back the past several months, there have only been a few submitted to Milblogging.?

The fact is that less troops are blogging from places like Afghanistan, so anytime a military blog from a combat zone is discovered, I like to bring attention to it.

jameslgibson | Afghanistan Deployment 2012 ? 2013 is a blog written by 1SG James L. Gibson who serves with Headquarters Troop, 2-1 Cav.

1SG Gibson has been consistently blogging since early December when he arrived in Afghanistan, writing several times per week.

His first post titled And it begins? was published on December 1 and explains why he blogs and describes the beginning of his journey (including saying goodbye to family):

?This blog, diary, storytelling, or whatever you want to call it is intended to keep all friends and family informed of what is going on during my deployment. I will attempt to write every day, but due to operations or the fact that days may become redundant and I have nothing new to write about, it may only be updated every few days. For my military buddies, this will probably be some boring reading as you have all ?been there, done that?. I will attempt to keep it profanity free, but I cannot promise that a few will not slip through the cracks. Also, I am in no way a writer, so take it easy on the critiques! So here it goes?.?

If you?d like to keep up with 1SG Gibson, you should bookmark his website.

Hat tip to Charlie Sherpa of Red Bull Rising.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

An advocacy for social media in the military