“Social media is here to stay,” says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “Online social networks are more than just a fad among the younger generation. They’ve become an integral part of our personal and professional lives. They’re an effective way to keep in touch with people, connect with friends and family, and network with colleagues. Social media will also transform marketing as we know it. They’re powerful communication tools, and are becoming an essential part of successful marketing strategies.”
This is a new category (Private Military Company 2.0 or PMC 2.0-thanks to David Isenberg), which I think is essential. Social media, new media, blogging, social networking–all of it, must be studied and looked at in regards to how it will impact our industry. I have delved into the concepts before, with my My.PMC and MySomalia.com post, and figured it was time to give it some more focus.
And as I watch the news unfold about Iran, and how Twitter and social media is completely driving a mini-revolution there, I have to think that there are some really interesting and powerful tools that the PMC and PSC could use in their efforts.
This blog is PMC 2.0, as is the other blogs about this industry. I have found numerous Myspace and Facebook pages completely dedicated to security contracting. Most of my friends use Facebook and similar sites to communicate back home with friends and family. Even Youtube, with it’s numerous training videos and combat videos, is fueling the social media movement. And because this industry will continue to be staffed with Millennials who understand and like these technologies, or even depend upon them, then the PMC and PSC industry must find ways to work with these folks and take advantage.
For inspiration, I will continue to highlight companies and government agencies that utilize social media, and how their lessons and methods could be applied to our industry. In essence, my focus will be to find technologies that will enhance a company’s Jundism. –Matt
(for example, check out NASA’s Spacebook, a social network site for employees)
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Social media benefits trump security fears
by HOLLIS TEMPLETONJun 10, 2009
WASHINGTON—With a growing number of military personnel, reporters and elected officials using Twitter, Facebook and MySpace while deployed to the Middle East, experts agree that the government’s ability to understand and harness these applications is crucial to protecting national security.
When 26-year-old Spc. Michael Williams left for the Middle East in 2006 as part of the 233rd Transportation Company during Operation Iraqi Freedom, his MySpace blog became a place to chronicle missions between Iraq and Camp Arifjan, a U.S. military base in Kuwait.
Because social media can easily lend itself to a breach of security, Williams said he has learned to practice self-censorship in order to protect the operational context of what he and his fellow soldiers are doing.
“I know others want to know what I do or what I have done,” he said. “I appreciate that…However, it has been proven since recorded history began, that some things just should not be divulged.”