BlogWorld & New Media Expo Blog» Milblogs

Military Track Coming to BlogWorld LA

BlogWorld Speaker — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:00:36 +0000

… by C. Blake Powers

Yes Virginia, There Is A Military Track At BlogWorld

Wait! What? Why?

Well, there is a military track for a number of reasons, and this year’s track is very different. Members of the military, and military families, were early adopters of new and social media. It was a means of keeping in touch, and sharing important information within the community. It rapidly became an important means of sharing topical and accurate information about the military, strategy, tactics, and more with the military-interested public.

Sites such as the Mudville Gazette, the Thunder Run, and Blackfive quickly became the go-to sites for the public and the media looking to get timely information on what was going on. These sites and others also became a place where people could ask questions, debate topics, and — even more importantly — get reliable information and help on care, benefits, and other issues that affect the wounded and those returning.

As social media came of age, the sites and the people behind them moved into that arena as well. Some of the discussions and debates have moved to realtime or near-realtime in that environment, and information can be shared much faster as a result. The net result is also that members of the military, as opposed to the military itself, are adapting and adopting quickly to the changes, and want to get ahead of the curve as much as they can.

So, last year we asked those attending what they would like to see on this year’s track. We listened, and have a stellar line up that should be of interest to all attending Blog World.

Our first panel on Thursday is at 1:30 pm (1330 hours) and features documentary film maker and communications consultant JD Johannes talking on “Quit F’ing Guessing: Using Math and Behavioral Economics to Win the Battle of Ideas” He will be sharing tried and proven means of measuring and maximizing the impact of your blog.

Our second panel starts at 2:45 pm (1445 hours) and features Jim Brown of Slingshot SEO, talking on “SEO for Specialty Content” He will be exploring how SEO and content marketing are not just for large blogs, but especially important for those dealing with specialized content.

The final panel starts at 3:45 (1545 hours) and deals with the very serious topic of “Blogging Through Loss.” Rachel Porto, a military widow, and Mandy Myers, who’s lineman husband was killed on the job, will talk about the ups and downs of dealing with the loss of a loved one while sharing life and loss in new and social media.

We hope that you will join us for these very special and interesting panels. The topics are of importance to the online military community, but are equally interesting and important to almost anyone in new and social media. Come join us, learn a bit about us, and — most importantly — learn about important topics from experts in the field.

The Military and the Media: Things Are Unlikely to Change

Special Guest — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:30:34 +0000

Thomas Kratman

BlogWorld 2010 Speaker
MilBlogging Track
Thursday October 14, 2010
Time: 11:00AM to 12:00PM

The Military and the Media: Things Are Unlikely to Change …and they’re certainly not going to change for the better. The military and the media are not going to learn to like each other, generally, though each may make exceptions for individuals. They’re not going to learn to cooperate, generally, though there may be some rare bouts of it. And, generally speaking, neither are their respective world views going to come into sync nor their structural antagonisms to diminish. They can’t.

So let’s start with the structural antagonism. That it exists is fairly obvious. Soldiers (likewise, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines) have a vested interest in keeping secrets. Their lives depend on it. Their mission depends on it. Their victory depends on it. Thus, their hope of ever seeing home in one piece depends on it. Moreover, for careerists, their future careers may well depend on it. This includes keeping secrets that, by rights, perhaps ought not be kept. Those careerists are human, after all, and most unlikely to want revealed anything that might show them in a bad light.

Conversely, for the media, their interest lies in the opposite direction. One needn’t attribute to them any particular hostility to the military – though that hostility is often enough too plain to deny – to recognize that their livelihoods, their standing, their personal “glory” is intimately tied to obtaining and revealing secrets that the military would wish kept, often for good reasons though sometimes not.

Secrets, however, are only part of the structural antagonism. Much also comes from the nature of war, itself, and of journalism, itself. Folks, war’s ugly and there’s little (nothing, really) to be done to prettify it. Moreover, in any society but 18th century absolutism or 20th century totalitarianism, winning the war requires popular support. Popular support and ugliness just don’t go together all that well. Thus, Soldiers want the ugliness suppressed, or at least elided over, to keep up popular support. Journalists, if they’re intent on doing their jobs (not all are), want the little girl with the napalm burns on the front page, the gut-shot trooper, screaming out his last, to lead on the Five O-clock News, and the human interest story in either to be about the wife and kids left bereft by the death of their husband and father…unless there’s a video of an allied policeman executing a prisoner which, naturally, would take precedence. It’s too much to say that all journalists are interested in undermining popular support, though some appear to be. It’s not too much to say that a substantial group is indifferent to maintaining popular support for a war.

Thomas Patrick Kratman, a political refugee and defector from the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts, is a retired infantry officer, a recovering former attorney, and a writer of political and military commentary, more or less disguised as science fiction, for Baen Publishing. You can also find him at www.tomkratman.com

Yes Virginia, There Is A Military Track

Special Guest — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:00:41 +0000

The question in many people’s mind is “Why is there a military track at Blog World?” The answer is that members of the military (as opposed to the military itself) have been at the forefront of using and pushing the boundaries of new and social media. As they have done so, the military and a host of other institutions have begun to take new and social media seriously.

Milblogs have long served two distinct and important purposes. A number of them were started simply to keep family and friends informed about a particular individual, or a small group of
people. They let those interested know how they were doing, what it was like wherever they were, and some of what was going on at that location. Others started up to share broader information with those interested, to overcome the lack of reporting and in-depth analysis of events and plans, and – in some cases – bad information.

For the first time in history, a broad audience could have access to current information on events, activities, conditions, and much more at the front lines – as well as the rear, the middle, and even during transit. Those blogging from overseas helped push both the technological
envelope for new media, as well as the social envelope by helping establish that blogging was an effective and responsible means of sharing information.

As social media evolved, these same groups of people began to use Facebook and other platforms, then Twitter, and, well, you get the idea. As members of the military have moved forward on various fronts, they have also helped advance new and social media in the process.

Today, members of the military are still pushing those envelopes. As new platforms and technology are emerging and evolving, they are being given a trial by fire, in some cases literally. As they demonstrate the maturity and/or the efficacy of platforms and technology, they are also showcasing the effective and innovative uses to the world.

This year, we have an interesting line-up of panels in the military track that we hope you will consider attending. They are not just for the military or even the military-interested public: they are for those interested in innovative uses of social and new media, tech and
use trends, how social media can be done and how it works under less than ideal conditions, and even those interested in separating myths from reality. We even hope to have a surprise or two for you:

Panel 1: Surprise for now
Panel 2: Social Media: Force Multiplier for Spouses?
Panel 3: Media and the Military: Myth versus Reality
Panel 4: Ideal versus Field: Social and New Media In Less Than The Best Circumstances
Yeah, we are still working on that last title…

In the days ahead, you will be hearing more about each panel and the participants, and even getting to meet the participants a bit. We are not out to recruit; we are not out to debate tactics, and we are not out to bore anyone. What we plan to do is talk about new and social media and explore its use, its future, and trends that will be of interest to all. With a bit of context from a specialized group that has pushed the envelope and helped shape what is and what is to come.

Stay Tuned…

C. Blake Powers
Blake Powers has been blogging since 2003 at laughingwolf.net and milblogging as Civilian-in-Residence at http://www.blackfive.net since 2005. He is a consultant on new and social media and has reported as a blogger from Iraq.
His background includes working as a project manager on several Spacelab missions, serving as Director of Outreach for NASA’s Space Product Development Program, worked for the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, working with (and serving as furniture for) wolves, and has co-founded the charity Cooking with the Troops.
Yes, that is a real wolf in the photo.

Happy Veteran’s Day! Talking To The Army

Jim Turner — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:14:44 +0000

To all of our veteran’s and servicemen and women across the country and abroad, please accept our heartfelt and sincere thanks for your service and sacrifice for your country and our freedoms. I know I speak for all of the people here at BlogWorld & New Media Expo when I say we very much appreciate all that you do.

We will be talking with Major Mary Constantino, the project manager for Army Strong Stories which is a soldier blogging community hosted by the U.S. Army Accessions Command, at BlogWorld Expo Radio on Friday at 12:00 PST. Join us as we talk with Major Constantino and milblogging.

Happy Veteran's Day! Talking To The Army

Jim Turner — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:14:44 +0000

New Sponsor For Milblog Track

LaughingWolf — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:14:40 +0000

The Milblog Track is pleased to announce a new sponsor, the VA Mortgage Center. Thanks to their kindness, those attending and participating in the milblog track will enjoy refreshments throughout the day. Sincere thanks and much appreciation go out to them for their generosity. Thank you VA Mortgage Center for your support of the milblog track!

Your Help With Next Year Requested

LaughingWolf — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:10:23 +0000

The major goal of the milblog track at Blog World is to talk with you. Not to you, not at you, not about you, but with you. We want to meet you, get to know you, and have you get to know us as well.

To that end, we will have an unofficial panel Friday 16 October at 1 pm (1300 hours) at the Army Milblog Lounge in the exhibit hall. That panel has but one purpose: to hear from you what you would like to see and/or hear in the milblog track next year.

So, what would you like to hear? What would you like to see?

Come by and let us know. Talk, enjoy some refreshments, and let’s begin planning on making next year even bigger and better than this year.

Hope to see you there.

Introduction and Serious Request

LaughingWolf — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:28:37 +0000

For a number of reasons, I want to introduce Tammy Munson to you today. Tammy is a panelist on the milblog track, taking part in the “They Also Serve: Spouse Bloggers” panel.

I will skip the normal introductions and short bio for now, and ask you to go read this post instead. You can go here after that to find out more about Tammy.

Please keep the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the battle(s) you are now finally hearing about on the news in your thoughts and prayers. Please send good thoughts, prayers, or whatever you do to them, and to the wounded and their family and friends. As you read blogs or the news, keep in mind that these are real people, and that they are family, friends, acquaintances and more to those in the milblog community.

Meet the Milblog Panelists: Scott Henderson

LaughingWolf — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:23:48 +0000

Scott Henderson is not a milblogger, he’s a Transformer. No, not like in the movies, but a person who helps companies and non-profits transform themselves online so that they can transform their growth. In the Milblog Track, he’s going to be discussing the changes and opportunities on the way for milblogs and milbloggers.

His bio is as follows:

During his fourteen-year professional career, Scott has been a major gift fundraiser, foundation executive, magazine editor, marketing consultant, and president of a capital campaign firm. Today, he is the cause marketing director for Indiana-based MediaSauce, helping corporations and non-profits create and implement online strategies to achieve transformational growth.

Recent accomplishments include the creation and launch of www.pledgetoendhunger.com, which helped Tyson Foods deliver 560,000 meals to four different cities for children in need, raised $28,000 for Share Our Strength, and assembled an army of nearly 5,000 childhood hunger awareness champions.

MediaSauce is a full service marketing and communications firm whose strategic philosophy positions the online space at the center of communications in order to create and sustain open dialogue and lasting relationships. Clients include The Nature Conservancy, Indiana Pacers, USA Diving, Samaritan’s Feet, and University of Chicago.

You can hear him speak at 4pm on Thursay 15 October on the “Getting the Picture: What’s Next for Milblogs” panel.

http://www.mediasauce.com/cause/

Meet The Milblog Panelists: Barmy Mama

LaughingWolf — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:31:01 +0000

I’ve said before that milbloggers, and the milblog panelists, span the spectrum. Today, it is a pleasure to begin showcasing that spectrum by starting with Barmy Mama.

Barmy Mama's Avatar

Now, blogging has been a bit lite of late, but having a newborn tends to do that. Now she may not do so, but I hold Rick Calvert and the folks here at Blog World responsible for the timing. As she put it to me, “Ironically, right when I opened up the confirmation email they sent me on the 10th, I went into labor and my son was born a few hours later.” Lite though her site might have been of late, it is a delight filled with humor and more.

Her bio is as follows: Deanna is a 31-year-old, mommy of two, a former US Marine, and has been married to an Army National Guardsman for four years.

Barmy is a panelist on “They Also Serve: Spouse Bloggers” This panel looks at the oft overlooked half of the equation that makes protection by military, law enforcement, and other first responders possible. The panel begins app. 0945 hours on Thursday 15 October.

http://deltasierrahotel.net/