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Facebook, Twitter Used For US Military Recruiting

Posted on: Friday, 1 May 2009, 13:17 CDT

The Pentagon is now employing new tools, like online social networks Twitter and Facebook, for seeking out young recruits and spreading the military's message, The Associated Press reported.

Army Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley, who heads the Army command that oversees recruiting, said social networking sites offer another way to reach tomorrow's soldiers.

"They live in the virtual world. You could friend your recruiter, and then he could talk to your friends," Freakley said.

Facebook has become a key component in targeting 18-to 24-year-olds and even Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has a new Facebook page to answer questions about the mission in Iraq.

Other military branches are jumping on the Facebook bandwagon as well and have even developed followings on Twitter.

The U.S. Air Force has started its own Facebook page as well as Twitter feeds and a blog, while the Marine Corps is using various networking sites mainly for recruiting purposes.

A spokesman for The Navy said the military branch is "experimenting" with several forms of online media, and some of its commands are using Twitter. The Coast Guard commandant also regularly updates his Facebook status while traveling.

Updates to the Army’s Web site video games, virtual recruiter and clips that answer commonly asked questions about life in uniform, have also surfaced over the past year.

Freakley said during an interview at his office at Fort Monroe that some of the questions were surprising: Can I have a dog in the Army? Can I buy a truck in the Army? Can I be married in the Army?

He said the Army wants to answer any questions prospective soldiers may have, leading the branch to establish an online and social media division within its public affairs office.

The search is on every day to find new avenues online to reach not only soldiers, but also their families and the general public, according to Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, the division's director.

"We know that's where they are, and we need to go to them," he said.

A Facebook page recently released by the Army contains much of the same information located on its official Web site.

“The networking sites add a different dimension: chat,” said Lindy Kyzer, who updates the site, along with the Army's Twitter feed and blog.

Kyzer said they really try to make it an open forum and they even delete negative posts or comments deemed not "family friendly."

Danny Andazola, a 24-year-old Army reservist from Denver who has posted on the Facebook page, stated that everyone has an opinion and “it's amazing that the Army is showing both sides”.

He believes that when younger people see comments from both sides, it can easily help them decide if the Army culture is right for their future.

Even the Coast Guard has established an online presence, as Coast Guard commandant Adm. Thad Allen routinely updates his Facebook status from his cell phone while traveling.

Lt. Tony Migliorini, a spokesman, said the Admiral also posts video blogs from overseas.

Arata called the services' presence beyond their Web sites a "culture shift."

He likened the same pushback of social networking to many years ago when the telephone was invented.

“'Ooh, you can't talk there because somebody might hear you.' Well, that's the whole point. We want people to hear us,” he said.

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On the Net:

• U.S. Department of Defense
• Facebook
• Twitter

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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