Free calls home from Gmail for military

Google’s gmail allows soldiers to use the call option for free! Great stuff for the soldier trying to keep in touch with the homefront while abroad.

And it is relatively safe: A phonecall is mostly between two people, facebook is one talking to many. (one to one communication vs many to many communication).  Great feature from Google for the soldier abroad, and safe for anyone scared that stuff might leak.

At first i got overenthousiastic, thinking about some kind of next step in the use of social media by the military. But on second thought: not to self: lets be realistic.  It is just a traditional call, only done trough internet. The main advantage is the call being free of charge. for google, its good publicity. Nothing less, but nothing more as well.

 

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/free-calls-home-from-gmail-for-all-us.html

US Army releases new social media handbook 2011

Great! The US army has released its new and updated social media handbook.

Their reason: Social media evolves, so does the handbook.

Simple, handy, thorough. And whats really neat is that is open and easily accesible to everybody interested. Even better: they tip you that its updated. It shows that the US military is way ahead in the harnassing of social media as a tool for themselves. And that they understand that the power of social media lies in openess and communication.

Props!

Combron article

My article in a recent journal (better version here)on the use of social media by soldiers in a warzone has been added to the wellknown dutch social media blog  Combron. Hashtag: proud,

Check it out! Worth the read!

Nieuw Pentagonbeleid sociale media blijft onduidelijk

Het Pentagon is zoekende naar de juiste omgangsvorm met sociale media. Haar oude beleidstuk, DTM 09-026, verloopt op 1 maart 2011. Wat er voor in de plaats komt is DOD instruction (DOD=Department of Defence) instruction 8430.

Door ‘effeciency’ maatregelen (lees; bezuinigingen) is er nog geen vastomlijnd stuk dat deze instruction gaat vormen. Omdat het gebruik van sociale media de afgelopen tijd nogal wat discussie opriep is er veel interesse in dit nog onbekende stuk. Wat gaat het DoD doen met sociale mediagebruik door militairen?

Wel is er informatie over te vinden op:

http://www.slideshare.net/USArmySocialMedia/learn-about-dod-instruction-8430aa

of anders via

http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2011/02/the-way-ahead-for-dod-social-media-policy/

Het blijft dus afwachten wat het Pentagon gaat doen met sociale media als informatiemedium en in het bijzonder -mijn interesse- wat zij gaan doen met het gebruik van sociale media als communicatiekanaal door militairen in een oorlogsgebied.