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OKINAWA, Japan - The Marine Corps took a step toward participating in the “Social Media Revolution,” early last year with the publication of Marine Administrative Message 181/10, which lifted bans on social networking sites for official and limited personal use.
Since then, social media sites have been created for installations and commands throughout the Marine Corps to reach out to a nearly unlimited audience with stories, multimedia and information.
In August, the official III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan Facebook, YouTube and Flickr pages were launched and have been pushing out stories, photos and videos telling the stories of Marines stationed in Okinawa and deployed throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
“Social media is a powerful communication tool that can assist the Marine Corps in today’s complex information environment,” said Col. Bryan F. Salas, director, Marine Corps Division of Public Affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps at the Pentagon. “It’s critical that we join the online conversation and integrate social media into our broader efforts to communicate with the Marine Corps family, the American public and people around the world.”
Not only does III MEF/MCBJ use these sites to tell the stories of the Marines, but as a means for Marines and their families to get information on events, announcements and to ask questions regarding anything that has to do with III MEF/MCBJ.
The III MEF/MCBJ YouTube and Flickr sites contain high definition videos and photos from exercises and stories featured in the Okinawa Marine newspaper and on AFN Okinawa. Marines and their families have the ability to download and save high resolution photos from Flickr.
While the size and immediacy of social media present new challenges for the Marine Corps, new media has also created another global stage on which Marines can shine.
“This is not just an American phenomenon, but a global one,” said Maj. Carrie C. Batson, a public affairs officer with the DivPA, HQMC. “Facebook has become so popular that if it were a country, it would be the third most populated country in the world.”
“The Marine Corps absolutely endorses the use of social networking,” said Gunnery Sgt. Chanin Nuntavong, the media chief with DivPA, HQMC. “We think the Marines themselves are the best people to get the story of the Marine Corps out there.”
Become a fan and follow III MEF/MCBJ official social media sites, and let them know what you think.
• Facebook, www.facebook.com
/iiimef.mcbj
• Flickr, www.flickr.com
/3mefpao
• YouTube, www.youtube.com
/3mefcpao
| Date Taken: | 01.21.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2011 00:45 |
| Story ID: | 63902 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, III MEF, MCBJ joins ‘Social Media Revolution’, by Sgt Megan Angel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
