Transformation
with their recruits before they go to basic training, to promote community activities the recruiters participate in and to keep in touch with potential recruits and the adults that influence those potential recruits.” As this issue was being published, each Air Force recruiter was expected to have his or her own Facebook page and potential applicants will also be able to access the Airmen stories Facebook page – a page dedicated to seeing, hearing and reading about real airmen and their experiences in the Air Force, Christa D'Andrea, Chief of Public Affairs at Air Force Recruiting Service (AFRS), said. Even with the significant, increased use of social media, there remains a fine line between using these sites to educate and inform prospective recruits, and actually completing the recruiting process. The Navy’s Lavender said to keep in mind that the Navy does not actively recruit through the social media sites. “Rather, the recruiter will provide information and those interested can either contact the recruiter for an appointment, visit navy.com or navyreserve.com or even begin their application online through one of our websites.”
ISSUE 5.2011
Technology Mix
MS&T MAGAZINE
08
The services use a blend of other technologies and apps to bolster their social media offerings. In addition to being available online, Army Strong Stories can also be accessed via an iPhone app and mobile website, which offer visitors on-the-go access to new ArmyStrongStories.com content and enables them to ask questions, leave comments, and post new stories, photos and videos. The mobile website can be accessed at m.armystrongstories. com from any smartphone and you can download the iPhone app by searching for Army Strong Stories in iTunes or the Apple App Store. In another initiative, the Air Force Recruiting Service’s new Smartphone application is intended to inspire young men and women interested in aviation. The “Make it Fly” application is the first of many intended to align the Air Force with the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines. D'Andrea explained that in the “Make it Fly” app, users will be able
Left From basic training to deployment, ArmyStrongStories.com reveals what life is like in the Army. Image credit: US Army.
to design their own aircraft and fly it through nine different levels (or missions). “The desired outcome is that the features and strategy of the new application will appeal to those who want to challenge themselves and test their knowledge.” This free application was expected to be available for download as this issue was being published. AFRS is also in the early development stages of the virtual recruiter initiative for AIRFORCE.com. The virtual recruiter would be an avatar, modeled after an active duty airman, who can talk about the Air Force’s core values and capabilities, providing a more informative and interactive experience for potential applicants browsing the website.
Risks, Challenges and Opportunities As with any military technology application, there are inherent and unintended risks for users. The Army’s Myers observed the main challenge and risk in using social media for recruiting efforts is being transparent about life in his service
while not compromising security. “The Army’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels all list community and content guidelines, including protocol for what happens when these policies are broken.” As a result, soldier bloggers on Army Strong Stories must register their blog with their commanding officer and receive guidance from their unit security manager on what can and cannot be shared on the blog. “Just like most websites, any submissions not suitable for public viewing or that do not comply with content guidelines will be removed,” Myers said. And in the digital age of 24/7 connectivity, expectations must be managed on the part of the media users. The Air Force’s D’Andrea noted with social media, those who engage in it expect instantaneous feedback. “You also run the risk, as with every venture, with negative feedback being received. However, Air Force Recruiting Service has a sound social media strategy in place and we firmly believe that engaging in this environment is absolutely essential to staying in tune with our target audiences.” Aside from the risks and challenges of using social media, the recruiting commands experience rewards from their engagement with prospective recruits in this medium. Social media allows recruiters to establish genuine relationships with others and often makes them sought out as community resources. “It also allows them to tell their story and share information without making a ‘sales pitch’ for the Navy. The networking aspect is also attractive to recruiters as a happy applicant will share his or her story on Facebook and the recruiter’s network will grow,” Lavender said, and added, “Using social media, the recruiter can establish a comfortable space for information gathering and offer answers to frequently asked questions from those interested in joining the Navy. Also, it raises recruiter awareness of local activities and interests of people within a particular community.” ms&t