Very cool and it is about time. Although I do have a few misgivings about the blog itself, and this is stuff that can easily be fixed. First, there needs to be an RSS feed for the thing. I continue to see companies make this mistake, and it is just a simple little deal that makes a blog more useful. Guys like myself hunt for RSS feeds to put into our readers, and if you don’t have one then we just kind of forget about your site.
Some other ideas is to have a moderated comments section. If you check out my comments section on this blog, you will see that folks have the choice of entering a name and email, or signing in using Twitter or Facebook. This is the way to go, just because the easier it is for readers to sign in, the easier it will be for them to interact on the site. I use Intense Debate, but there are others out there.
Which is the other thing that kind of strikes me here. Who is the author? Is it Ashley Burke, the media relations person or who? So definitely sign off on who wrote the posts, and most of all, get that individual to interact with the readership. Especially if the CEO writes a post. Blogs are great tools for interacting with your readership. And the best thing with moderated comments, is that you can filter out those who have no interest in having a reasonable conversation or who are spammers.
Some technical issues would be to have a more complete site map at the footer, and have clear links going to the DynCorp corporate page, and clear links going to the blog. So really make it easy for the reader to know where they are at, and give them a map and clear signage as to where to go throughout your websites. An archives is important to, and put a search box on there so folks can search through your posts. Also, I did not see any tags, and that isn’t cool. All of this stuff is important to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and if DI wants to own the story about the ‘their’ company, then they need to do the things necessary that pleases Google Search.
Which along those lines, DI should also set up an official Twitter and Facebook Page. Even a Linkedin Page would be cool, although they might already have that. Either way, get hooked up on all the top social networking sites, and then link all of them together so that every time you make a post on the blog, the post automatically goes to those sites. Google Search really likes that kind of stuff, and it will help in SEO. You would really be top notch if you linked your jobs to all of those sites, and put a RSS feed on your career section. That way, as soon as new jobs come up, folks can find out about them and jump on it. (US Training Center has an excellent jobs section, that has all of the important information and tools that job seekers like) Oh, and don’t forget about a newsletter or some kind of subscription service. Those are very easy to set up using stuff like Feedburner or whatever.
Just some ideas, and it’s a step in the right direction guys. It is also a challenge to the other PSC’s and PMC’s in this industry. If DI has a blog, where is your blog? –Matt
About Inside DI
June 10, 2011
Learn more about the people of DynCorp International, our most recent company news, key contract wins, the causes we support and other fun facts.
Link to blog here.
Great tips for a brand new blog Matt. It looks like DynCorp International took your advice and has a new Twitter account at http://twitter.com/#!/DynCorpIntl. They are off to a very strong start with YouTube as well. Do you think YouTube is as effective in social media as Facebook or Twitter?
Comment by Tanya Smith — Tuesday, September 6, 2011 @ 8:16 AM
Tanya,
Thanks for the kind words. That is great that DI is continually improving on the the new media strategic communications.
To answer your question, youtube can be effective, but more folks hang out and use Facebook. I would put Twitter at second place for folks hanging out, and youtube is at third place for reach. Although, youtube has a higher probability of delivering a message that could go viral. Youtube can also help in SEO and it is just one more way for folks to find DI.
One thing I have noticed with youtube is that it is great for showcasing very unique concepts or interesting products/services. The weapons industry, or tactical equipment industry has really evolved with their youtube presence. So if you the company wants to learn from others, I suggest to them watching all of these types of videos and see which ones get the most comments and views.
Finally, I think what would be cool for DI is to showcase more of their various missions out there in more of a weekend magazine style youtube show. The commercialized industrial type flicks that DI is doing are not very personable. But if DI was to use a host that the audience can identify with, and follow that individual around the world as he or she interviews folks doing really interesting work for DI, then that would be cool. That host can also talk about life in DI, tips for success, things DI folks do for fun in their particular location of the world, etc. With this format, you accomplish two things. You attract potential talent or contractors by showing them what DI is all about out in the field, and you show case to your potential clients what kind of service and people they can expect out there. Stuff to think about….
Comment by Feral Jundi — Tuesday, September 6, 2011 @ 11:25 AM
Here is a prime example of what I am talking about. This company is a armor company that hardens up vehicles. The video they posted on youtube went viral, and that is free marketing at it's best. Now everyone knows about the company and what they are all about.
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September 06, 2011 01:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Texas Armoring Video Goes Viral: “This is what it’s like to be shot at with an AK-47”
SAN ANTONIO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Texas Armoring Corporation (TAC), the world leader in lightweight armored cars and bulletproof vehicles, released a controversial ballistic demonstration video last week where the company’s CEO, Trent Kimball, allowed an employee to shoot at him with an AK-47 while sitting behind a ballistic windshield. The video was appropriately titled “This is what it’s like to be shot at with an AK-47.” According to the company, the video has received an overwhelming response (nearly 2,000,0000 views on YouTube in just a few short days), and has been syndicated on thousands of blogs, social networks, and international websites.
“This is what it’s like to be shot at with an AK-47.”
Company CEO Trent Kimball commented, “While the test is obviously very dangerous, sitting behind the glass wasn’t scary for me at all—I’ve seen the product work hundreds of times, and I know that our armoring materials are the best in the world. Truth-be-told, I was tired of having clients question me on the ballistic integrity of our glass, and so I told my staff I wanted to shoot the video and have them shoot at me, no pun intended. After all, if I’m not willing to trust my life to our materials, then why should our clients? Besides, Lawrence (the shooter in the video) is an incredible marksman!”
TAC Executive Vice President Jason Forston added, “The video is ground-breaking and it’s really incredible to watch. I’ve easily seen it over 100 times myself, and I think Jalopnik’s Matt Hardigree said it best: ‘It's loud, scary, dangerous, and completely awesome.’ As we were filming the demonstration last Tuesday, we knew that it would get a decent amount of attention. However, we didn’t expect it to go viral and become a global phenomenon—in the past week our website traffic has increased exponentially, and we’ve had visits from over 140 countries. The video was planned, filmed, and edited in less than 24 hours and it came together brilliantly. It would be difficult to buy this kind of exposure, and because of the syndication on other websites we can’t even fully measure the reach at this point.”
Forston joked, “Not that we recommend it, but apparently the idea of shooting at your boss with an AK-47 (even if he or she is behind bulletproof glass) resonates well with the working class!”
About Texas Armoring Corporation
Texas Armoring Corporation is the leading worldwide supplier of lightweight armored passenger vehicles, bulletproof cars, cash-in-transit vehicles, armored SWAT trucks, and custom armored luxury limousines. The firm’s origins date back to the 1970s when key staff members pioneered the luxury bulletproofing industry through producing armored cars for world leaders. For more information on armored vehicles and Texas Armoring Corporation, please visit http://www.texasarmoring.com or call +1.210.333.0211.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6…
Contacts
Texas Armoring Corporation
Jason Forston, 210-333-0211
Fax: 210-333-0565
Executive Vice President
tac@texasarmoring.com http://www.texasarmoring.com
Comment by Feral Jundi — Tuesday, September 6, 2011 @ 7:34 PM