Military Review English Edition January-February 2014 | Page 15
LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA
The next logical step is to determine the goal for
this presence, and the strategy for reaching it. This
helps define what type of site one is trying to create.
Strategy for building trust and extending influence
looks quite different from merely providing information. Both can be useful, but it depends on the
needs of the particular organization. For example,
the Travis Air Force Base Passenger Terminal has
a Facebook page dedicated to Space-A travel.65
Every time there is an available flight, they post
the information. They are not necessarily trying to
build esprit de corps (although inherent in SpaceA travel), not trying to increase buy in or share a
vision, and not trying to increase trust. The site
provides a cheap, timely means of communicating
information for anyone interested and for resolving public questions. It has over 31,000 followers,
which demonstrates that useful media can be purely
information-based, but again, it depends on the
organization. Other considerations in social media
planning include second- and third-order effects of
the proposed social media presence, such as flattening the hierarchical structure, violations of operations security, or potentially undermining the chain
of command. Leaders should war-game different
scenarios, as with any other plan, to determine
courses of action, ways to address issues, or ways
to prevent issues before they surface.
If lacking in one’s own social media site development skills, a number of readily accessible individuals are probably familiar enough with the chosen
site to initiate it. Scatter plots on social media usage
from a Naval officer perceptions study indicated
that the younger the service member, the more
prolific their use of electronic social networks.66
The translation here is to consider asking someone
younger for help, but ensure they have the basic
guidelines for creating a site as per the handbook
noted above. The incoming commandant of cadets
knew what a powerful tool a professional Facebook
site could be at the U.S. Military Academy from
his predecessor, but the general was not sure how
to create it. “Make me one that models his” was
all he had to say, and ten minutes later, he had one
and a quick tutorial on how to use it. However, in
researching for this article, I discovered I failed to
register his professional Facebook account with
the U.S. Army (which now boasts 2,000 officially
registered sites).67 That additional process would
only have taken about two minutes to complete.
As a result, the Online and Social Media Division
would have reviewed the site to ensure it abided by
regulations, added it to the U.S. Army Social Media
directory, and contacted Facebook to let them know
it was an official site. Facebook then would have
removed all the ads and banners from the page.
After establishing a site, regardless of the type,
it requires thoughtful, continuous, and creative
management to be effective. Most of these sites are
free to use, but good sites require someone’s time
and energy to maintain. To be a worthwhile tool,
keep posts interactive, provide useful information
to the audience, engage that audience by soliciting
feedback, and respond to questions. If there is an
environment of candor and psychological safety
within a site, members may answer each other’s
questions without leader or unit involvement, and
this type of dialogue and sharing of information can
translate positive effects into the unit’s nonvirtual
climate and culture.
At the end of the day, social media and networking sites are just tools leaders can use to build trust,
communicate with others, develop others, and
extend their influence—all enablers with the power
to enhance and augment leadership in conjunction
with traditional communication techniques. Social
media will not make a bad leader good, just like
email or cell phones will not make bad leaders good,
but social media can improve and enhance a leader’s
influence and provide additional tools to leverage
in a geographically dispersed, rapidly changing,
and resource-constrained environment.68 The Army
has valuable and collaborative stories, information,
opinions, and ideas to share, with limitless forcemultiplying reasons for doing so. However, it is
critical that leaders at all echelons leverage the tools
available for maximizing the potential of their units,
their soldiers, and themselves. MR
NOTES
1. U.S. Census Bureau, “U.S. and World Population Clock,” U.S. Department of Commerce, United States Census Bureau, 3 November 2013, (3 November 2013); Teisha Seabrook, “Facebook
Earnings Report for Q3: Huge Increase in Ad-Driven Revenue,” socialbaker, 31
MILITARY REVIEW
January-February 2014
October 2013, (3 November 2013); Statistic
Brain, “Twitter Statistics,” Statistic Brain: Percentages, Numbers, Financials,
Rankings, 7 May 2 2