2. Introduction
1
Contents
Communication Revolution ................................................................................... 3
What Is Army Social Media? .................................................................................. 5
Who Does It Impact? ............................................................................................... 6
Start The Conversation ........................................................................................... 7
Powerful Communication Tools ............................................................................ 9
Why Join Army Social Media? ............................................................................... 9
Powerful Numbers ................................................................................................ 10
A Detailed Look ..................................................................................................... 11
The Army Homepage ............................................................................................ 12
The Army Live Blog ............................................................................................... 14
The Army on Facebook ......................................................................................... 16
The Army on Twitter ............................................................................................. 18
The Army on Flickr ................................................................................................ 20
The Army on YouTube .......................................................................................... 22
Communicate Confidently ................................................................................... 24
Our Mission
To keep the American people and the Army informed through meaningful
conversations and content placement.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Department of Defense has authorized the safe and effective use
of Internet-based capabilities which include social media services such as
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
socialmedia.defense.gov

3. Aneweraofinformation
3 2
Communication Revolution
People no longer search for news, the news finds them.
And in the world of social media the perception of truth
can be just as powerful as the truth itself. The Internet
moves information very quickly, whether for good
or bad. If you don’t own the space, someone else will
own it for you. Social media, with a variety of available
platforms, can instantaneously connect users within a
global network, making the transfer of information even
more pervasive.
The only way to truly ensure the correct message is being
shared is through the timely release of accurate information.
In the past the decision to participate in social media
was optional. Today social media is so widespread and
transparent that you may already be involved even if you
are not actively participating. The Army has chosen to
take a proactive approach to social media rather than a
reactive one.
DID YOU KNOW?
U.S. forces in Vietnam could enter and leave a village
before anyone outside the area was aware of their presence.
Today, it is possible that video of the coalition forces
activities can be uploaded and shared online prior to
the patrol returning to base.
MAJ Juanita Chang, Director of Online and Social Media, U.S. Army

4. AnArmySocialMediaOverview
What is Army Social Media?
The Army recognizes that social media has the ability to
communicate with larger audiences faster and in new ways.
It has become an important tool for Army messaging and
outreach. The Army Social Media platforms discussed in
this book include social networking sites, media sharing
sites, blogs, and microblogs. Collectively these sites handle a
variety of media from text to audio, pictures, and video; all
of which is generated and maintained by organizations and
individuals within the Army Family. This book will acquaint
you, in greater detail, with Army Social Media and provide
suggestions on how you can become part of it.
5 4
DID YOU KNOW?
It took television 13 years to finally reach
50 million people? It took Facebook only 2 years.
Erik Qualman at Harvard Square Theater

5. AnArmySocialMediaOverview
Who Does It Impact?
The simple answer is “You.” As a member of the Army
Family, Army Social Media impacts you. It affects you
as part of a garrison where it is being used to increase
effective communication, both within the installation and
to communities affected by its routines and decisions. It
affects you as a member of an operational theater. Social
media provides immediate and transparent ways for you to
communicate messages and updates among yourselves and
with family and friends. It affects you as a Family member,
whether you are in uniform or supporting a Soldier. Family
Readiness Groups are creating immediate connections
through social media that would have been impossible to
establish through tradition methods.
7 6
DID YOU KNOW?
Over 75% of all active internet users regularly read blogs.
Technorati
Start the Conversation
The power of Army Social Media is best described with the ripple
effect. One person tells a handful of others about a story or idea,
and subsequently those people tell a handful more. Soon that
story reaches hundreds of others in a matter of days, hours or
even minutes. Social media is blind to demographics, boundlessly
crossing the spectrum to all who are willing to listen, observe and
share. Its combined power comes from the collective effort of
all those involved and will continue to grow so long as the topic
remains relevant.
The graphic to the left displays five specific social media platforms
highlighted in this book. It is a sampling of how a message
exponentially grows within the network of Army Social Media
including emerging media.
Most social media services and blogs have overlapping features
that allow connections between them thus adding more fuel to
the power of one person’s message. A tweet about an event made
by one individual on Twitter can easily end up on multiple social
media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. This, along
with related photos and videos help expand the ripple effect.
Army Blogs
Flickr
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter

6. AnArmySocialMediaOverview
Powerful Communication Tools
Soldiers have always been the Army’s best and most effective
messengers. Today, Army Social Media enables the Army
Family around town, around the country and around the
world to stay connected and spread the Army’s key themes
and messages. Every time a member of the Army Family joins
Army Social Media, it increases the timely and transparent
dissemination of information. It ensures that the Army story
is shared honestly and directly to Americans wherever they
are and whenever they want to see, read or hear it.
9 8
Why Join Army Social Media?
• It allows you to be a part of the Army story
• It saves money
• It provides a platform and helps manage messages
• It is timely
• It is conveys information with transparency
• It reaches audiences where they currently are
• It helps suppress rumors
• It moves with the pulse of troops
• It is measurable
Tips on what works for us
• Choose the right message
• Develop a communication strategy
• Schedule a timely release of information
• Keep it concise
• Synchronize efforts on all platforms
• Post photos or videos of the day
• Develop a mixed dose of ‘medicine’ and fun
• Keep the conversation moving
DID YOU KNOW?
Over 50% of the world’s population is
under 30 years old. 96% of people born after
1982 have joined a social network.
U.S. Census Bureau / Tim Gibson - Web Content Editor at Oxford Brookes University

7. TheGeneralFeatures
A Detailed Look
The rest of this book provides more detail on various social media platforms. As an introduction to Army Social Media, we have
only highlighted the top five that the Army has a strong presence on – Army Live (the official Army blog), Facebook, Twitter,
Flickr and YouTube. Other platforms that the Army is actively contributing to, include Vimeo (vimeo.com/usarmy – a video
hosting site similar to YouTube), and SlideShare (slideshare.net/usarmysocialmedia – a presentation and document sharing site).
Social media continues to grow daily and evolve as new technologies become available. The Army is committed to exploring all
new emerging media platforms as a method of communication.
Key Features
The legend below provides a list of key features that the highlighted platforms offer, along with definitions of each of those
features. This legend is used as a visual reference throughout the book, with available features appearing in dark gray and
those not offered appearing in light grey.
11 10
Powerful Numbers
When it comes to the question of “Why join Army Social
Media?,” statistics make a more convincing case than
any other argument out there. The numbers prove that
social media has changed the face of communication and
many are saying it is the biggest advancement in history
since the industrial Revolution. There is no question
that it has revolutionized the way we communicate by
provided a means for everyone’s message to be heard,
shared and discussed.
You no longer need to have a large television studio or
radio station to communicate with commanding presence.
Today, it is just a matter of choosing the service that best
suits your needs and crafting the right message. There are
many social media platforms out there but we recommend
starting with the ones that the Army is currently using. You
can find them by going to Army.mil or continue to read on
for a more in-depth description of each.
If you are not ready to make the plunge as a messenger, you
can still ensure your voice is heard by commenting on
Army blogs such as armystrongstories.com or on other official
Army Social Media sites. This type of commentary is what
feeds the system and ultimately gives us a better under-
standing of your perceptions. It is vital information that is
heard on multiple levels.
23,719Interactions This Week [?] 19,589Likes 3,811Comments
Profile Information
Displays basic specified information about the registered
author, user or company / organization.
Comments / Chat
Allows users to comment on content or send instant messages
to other users (depending on offerings of the specific service).
Notification / Message
Allows a user to send notification messages (service specific
e-mails) to other users.
Photo Support
Supports upload or feed of photo content.
Video Support
Supports upload or feed of video content.
Podcast Support
Supports upload or feed of podcast audio and video content.
Delivers Feeds
Supports podcast audio content.
Accepts Feeds
Supports content fed from other external sources and
social media platforms.
Mobile Device Compatible
Allows a user to read and contribute to this service via a
mobile device.
Keyword Tagging
Allows a user to add keyword tags to text, photo or
video content.
Geotagging
Allows a user to automatically add location tags to content.
Highlighted Platforms Other Resources
new emerging media platforms

8. Army Live Blog
www.armylive.dodlive.mil
TheArmyHomepage
Army On Facebook
www.facebook.com/usarmy
Army On Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter
Army On YouTube
www.youtube.com/soldiersmediacenter
Army On Twitter
www.twitter.com/usarmy
13
Your Army Social Media
experience starts here.
Connect easily to popular
social media platforms by
clicking on one of the these
icons. You will be taken to
the official Army pages for
Facebook, Twitter, Flickr,
and YouTube.
www.army.mil ( official Army website pictured below )
www.army.mil/socialmedia ( a list of all Army Social Media Web pages )
Army.mil is a site designed
with the Army community
in mind. Here you can
search news, media and
the Army blog to immerse
yourself in what the Army
is currently doing.
You can also access Army
Live through the blog tab.
The Army.mil homepage
delivers daily news about
Soldiers, the Army Family
and the Army community.
Navigate the site to find
what is important to you,
but don’t forget to join
the Army Social Media
network to connect to the
U.S. Army.
12

9. DID YOU KNOW?
Over 60% of bloggers say they are most influenced by other bloggers.
Technorati
Why Should I Blog?
Did you ever write a letter-to-the-editor of a newspaper that
didn’t get published? What you had to say was noteworthy,
but it didn’t make it to print. Blogs publish. They have the
space and, more importantly, the interest to publish your
post. Soldiers and other members of the Army Family have
always told the Army story best. We encourage individual
members, units, companies and commands to create blogs to
share news, information and stories of their Army lives. Be a
blogger. Get published.
Army Blog Is On The Go
If you are simply looking to post a comment on the go and
your mobile device has Internet access, then you should be
able to do just that. If you have your own blog and want to
publish an article from the road, most blog platforms like
Wordpress and Blogger allow you to e-mail or text your post
directly from your phone or mobile device. To learn more on
mobile blogging go to:
www.blogger.com/mobile-start.g
or
m.wordpress.com
Army Live Blog Overview
You can find a blog on just about any topic you can think of.
These days Army-related blogs are no different and provide
a wealth of information submitted by both the author and
those commenting on posted articles. Most Army blogs
center around a specific topic, because they are generally
written by those people who have particular knowledge of
that topic. On the other hand, the Army’s official blog “Army
Live” provides a more diverse offering of information, simply
because it is pulling information from a larger group of
sources.
If you are hesitant to make the leap into one of the social
media platforms mentioned in the preceding pages, then
blogs may be a good place for you to start. You can comment
on most blogs with very little up-front commitment. You may
be asked to submit your e-mail address to ensure personal
authenticity, but this information is kept private by the blog
administrator.
Blogs give you the opportunity to interact and share your
opinions on topics you find interesting, as well as learn about
things you didn’t know existed. This collaborative interaction
and growth of knowledge is at the core of Army Social Media
– where you take it is entirely up to you. If you’re passionate
about sharing your own ideas with the Army community, you
may want to consider starting your own blog. Wordpress.
com and Blogger.com are two free blog platforms that
allow you to easily set up your own blog site in a matter of
minutes. If you would like to blog officially within or for your
organization, you must host your blog from a .mil address.
TheArmyonBlogs
15
Although the location
might change from
blog to blog, this
region contains the
most recent posts.
Each blog post is dated
and generally contains
the name of the author,
date of the post and
some descriptive tags and
category classifications.
It also may contain the
number of comments that
have been posted
by other visitors.
The RSS feed button
allows you to subscribe
to automatically receive
updates when new
content is posted.
The search window is
critical when looking for a
specific topic or article.
Recent posts allows you
to view the most current
articles in the blog.
The blog roll provides
quick access to top
external links promoted
by the blog.
www.armylive.dodlive.mil ( official Army blog )
14

10. Why Join the Army on Facebook?
“Why shouldn’t you?” may be the better question. As a
member of the Army Family, this is a special time in your
life. No matter where you are in your tour or how long it
will last, you have a lot to share with friends, family and
others. And they have a lot they want to share with you. It’s
an opportunity to instantly reach out to those you want to
connect with regardless of time, space or distance. Tapping
into the potential of Facebook is like discovering television
or radio for the first time. And it’s free. Every deal should be
this good.
Facebook Is On The Go
Imagine this, you are away from your computer and you
hear about an Army initiative worth sharing. If you have a
mobile device, you don’t have to wait to share it. There are a
variety of tools that allow you to connect with others in the
Army community quickly and securely via Facebook and a
personal mobile device. To get started go to:
www.facebook.com/mobile
On your mobile device login to your account by going to:
m.facebook.com
Army Facebook Overview
Facebook currently is the largest social networking service
on the Internet with millions of members. Its purpose is
simple: Let people with common interests share their stories,
thoughts, observations and ideas. That is why it is a key
component of Army Social Media.
Whether you’re an individual looking to simply connect with
others or you belong to a group of people poised to grow
your community’s awareness, Facebook provides the tools
you need to do just that. Its features are robust, including a
central hub of communication, called the “wall,” for posting
comments that others can see; instant message or “chat” for
having one-on-one conversations with other members; and
media capability for uploading pictures and videos that help
you illustrate your story.
Your profile can be as secure or as open as you want it to
be. You can selectively choose who you want to have view
your profile page or you can allow access to anyone who
chooses to stop by. Those you allow are called “friends” and
they can view and comment on anything in your profile, thus
beginning the sharing process of social media. If you are a
current Facebook member and would like to receive updates
from the Army’s Facebook page, opt in by clicking “Like.”
You immediately become part of the Army community and
information is fed into your Facebook page automatically.
TheArmyonFacebook
17
DID YOU KNOW?
Facebook has more than 500 million active users worldwide.
If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest by poulation.
Wikipedia / Facebook
Enter username and
password here to login to
your account.
The HOOAH! tab, unique to
the Army Facebook page,
engages users to participate
in all Army Social Media
platforms.
The Other Pages tab lists
all of the official Facebook
pages affiliated with the
U.S. Army.
Profile information about
this Facebook user.
The information viewable
to the public is defined
by the user.
This is a list of all the
people that currently are
following this account.
Click here to create a
Facebook account if you
do not already have one.
www.facebook.com/USarmy ( official Army Facebook Web page )
16

11. Why Join the Army on Twitter?
In its simplest form, when people use Twitter they say,
“This is what I’m doing, or thinking, right now. Any
thoughts about that?” In your unique position as a member
of the Army Family, you have people in your life who are
particularly interested in your activities and want to know
what’s on your mind on a regular basis. But time is always
precious and there is little of it for correspondence. Twitter is
a great way for you to share information in short thoughts,
include a link and see what others think is important enough
to share.
Twitter Is On The Go
Twitter is all about instant communication, so naturally it
can be accessed from most mobile phones and other mobile
devices. In short, you don’t have to wait to share it. There
are a variety of tools that allow you to connect with others
in the Army community quickly and securely via Twitter and
your personal mobile device. To get started go to:
www.twitter.com/downloads
On your mobile device login to your account by going to:
m.twitter.com/
Army Twitter Overview
If you have ever wanted to share an idea or story with others
in the Army community, but didn’t have time to write a blog
post or craft an e-mail, then Twitter is the venue for you. It is
a social media platform geared toward short communications
or “tweets” of 140 characters or less. Twitter conversations
are generally short, concise thoughts, but can be more than
just an exchange of words.
It allows you, your followers and those you follow access
to information and knowledge you might otherwise have
missed. If you use special keyword tags called hashtags
(# symbol preceding a word) to highlight topics, those
communications are searchable across the entire network
regardless of who sent the tweet or who is following them.
It even allows you to attach a photograph to help illustrate
your message.
Twitter connects with other social media platforms, like
Facebook, and can be fed into existing websites or blogs,
allowing others to see those thoughts even if they are not
Twitter members themselves. From Army initiatives and
Soldiers using green technology to local news about your
unit or family, Twitter instantly links thousands of people in
Army Social Media circles across town, across the country and
across the world.
TheArmyonTwitter
19
DID YOU KNOW?
... more than one-fifth of the world’s population are online –
That’s more than 1.2 billion people. The number of text messages sent
and received every day exceeds the total population of the planet!
Social Media Sandy
Sign into an existing
account or click here
to set up your own user
account and join the
Twitter community.
Account profile where
information about the
Twitter user and external
links are displayed.
Information about the
number of followers /
following.
Current number of tweets
this user has submitted.
Links to the people,
companies or organizations
that a user is following.
When you click on any of
the links in this region, it
takes you to that user’s
page, where you can view
recent tweets and decide
to follow them. Then you
are able to comment on any
tweet that user makes.
The most recent
tweet is displayed
here.
Past tweets submitted
by this user are displayed
here with a time and
date stamp, along with
information on what
application was used to
send the tweet.
www.twitter.com/usarmy ( official Army Twitter Web page )
18

12. Why Join the Army on Flickr?
Because a picture really is worth a thousand words.
Whether you are a Soldier or a member of the Army
community, pictures capture what Army life is like for you.
And Flickr is your digital scrapbook to help you organize
those moments so you can share them with your friends
and family both at home and abroad. Photos uploaded to
the Army’s Flickr account are not restricted by copyright
regulations so they may be shared by you as well as news
or other media outlets.
Flickr Is On The Go
Most mobile devices feature some sort of camera and
others even have video capability built in. If you have a
mobile device, you don’t have to wait to share what you’ve
captured. There are a variety of tools that allow you to
share media with others in the Army community quickly and
securely via Flickr and your personal mobile device. To get
started go to:
www.flickr.com/tools/mobile
On your mobile device login to your account by going to:
m.flickr.com
Army Flickr Overview
Media sharing platforms have been around the Internet for
many years, but Flickr revolutionized this concept by creating
online media communities. The basic idea is that you sign
into your account, upload your digital photos or videos via
the Web interface, and then share them with your family,
your friends, your community or the world. It sounds easy
because it is easy. And what you can do with your photos
does not stop there.
Once your digital media is uploaded, you can add titles
and descriptive keywords known as “tags,” which instantly
categorize and sort your media. Like Facebook, you choose
how private or public you want your account to be in the
security settings. If you select the public setting, your photos
are added to the public database, allowing others to view
and comment on them. Yet another feature called “groups”
allows you to add your media to a group centered around
people with a common interest. Those who subscribe to a
group can view and discuss any new media as it is added.
The Army currently uses Flickr to share hundreds of photos
daily with the Army community. The Flickr page (pictured
left) is called “Soldiers Media Center” and is a great place to
start your Flickr experience, comment on photos or simply
learn how it works.
TheArmyonFlickr
21
DID YOU KNOW?
Flickr has more than 3 billion photos uploaded to their servers.
Mashable
Enter your username and
password here to login to
your account.
Click on any image to
see an enlarged view
(if available).
Information about the
photo, such as a tagline,
credits, etc.
Date and number of user
comments this photo has.
Search this photostream.
Click the Join Flickr button
to set up an account if you
don’t already have one.
Click any of the links
here to sort collections
of photos by sets,
keyword tags or view
the user’s archives,
favorites and profile.
www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter ( official Army Flickr Web page )
20

13. Army YouTube Overview
Video is considered to be one of the most powerful means
of communication, so it is no surprise that YouTube is one
of the most popular social media platforms on the Internet.
YouTube serves up more than 100 million videos daily and
about ten hours of video footage is uploaded every minute.
If you have video content that you want circulated, YouTube
is the place to put it.
All you have to do is upload your videos and add your
keyword tags and the platform does the rest, compressing
your new video down to the ideal playback rate in both
standard and high definition (if applicable). Your uploaded
content is searchable and available for anyone to view as
long as you grant public access in your settings. Additionally,
you can save your favorite videos within your profile for
easy access and sharing with others. Just like Flickr, it allows
you to comment on content, as well as rate videos and
subscribe to the channels that you find most compelling.
But the real power of YouTube comes in its ability to be fed
and embedded into just about any type of website or social
media site on the Web, including Facebook.
The Army currently runs their own channel on YouTube
(pictured left) called “Soldiers Media Center.” There you
can find Army videos containing current Army news and
Soldier generated content.
TheArmyonYouTube
Why Join the Army on YouTube?
On the practical side, YouTube provides a unique opportunity
to archive “moving pictures” of a special time in your life. It
is an unlimited storage facility for video that may otherwise
never be seen. Once stored / saved there, they can be viewed
over and over. Posting your video, allows you and other
members of the Army Family to share the images and the
stories that they tell. We have control over what is shown
about our Army life. You capture the moment. You are
the movie-maker. You are the teller of tale. And the Army
community wants to see them and share them.
YouTube Is On The Go
Most mobile devices feature some sort of camera and others
even have video capability. If you have a mobile device, you
don’t have to wait to share what you’ve captured. There are
a variety of tools that allow you to share media with others
in the Army community quickly and securely via YouTube and
your personal mobile device. To get started go to:
www.youtube.com/mobile
On your mobile device login to your account by going to:
m.youtube.com/mobile
23
DID YOU KNOW?
If it were a standalone site, YouTube would be the second largest
search engine in the world after Google.
TechCrunch
Videos featured in the
sidebar are the most
current or relevant. When
you click on one of the
links here, it will play
the video selected in the
viewer to the left.
You have several sort
options for searching
videos, but can use the
search window at any
time to locate a specific
video.
Enter username and
password here to login to
your account.
You can subscribe to the
RSS feed for this YouTube
channel to be updated
every time a new video is
uploaded.
The player in YouTube
shows you a progress bar
of the loaded content as
well as content played.
It also shows you the
duration of the video and
gives you options to view
the video at
high definition (if
available) and at full
screen view.
The search window is
critical when looking for a
specific video or topic.
www.youtube.com/soldiersmediacenter ( official Army YouTube Web page )
22

14. Communicate Confidently
Communication is at the core of every successful U.S. Army
operation – past and present. Today the Army is using the
power of communication in a new way – through social
media. Tools, such as the Army Live blog, Facebook, Twitter
and many others, already exist and have proven successful
in getting the word out. The Army Social Media initiative
continues to grow and evolve as the social media industry
expands. Using Army.mil as our hub, thousands of people
already have joined the effort and we expect thousands
more to join in the future.
By establishing a dialogue with our audience, we
remain a conduit of information, thereby increasing our
capability at a pace relevant to public interest. We continue
to look ahead to the next social media development to
remain relevant and current. We encourage you to join us
in exploring the potential of Army Social Media and hope
this book offers you clear guidance and insight on the
resources available to begin your own discussions.
Security Items to Consider
• Take a close look at your privacy settings. Set your security
options to allow visibility to friends only.
• Don’t reveal sensitive information about yourself, such
as your contacts, schedules and event locations. Once it’s
out there you can’t get it back.
• Ask yourself, “What could the wrong person do with this
information?” and “Could it compromise the safety of
myself or my family?”
• Verify through other channels that a “friend” request
was actually someone you know personally.
• Geotagging is a feature that reveals your location to other
people within your network. Consider turning off any
geotagging functionality. It may supply information which
could be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands.
• Closely review photos before you post them online. Make
sure they don’t give away sensitive information like future
operations or future family plans.
• Make sure family and friends are careful when they post
photos of you. Talk to them about military restrictions
and Operational Security (OPSEC).
• Ensure photographs do not violate General Order #1,
which restricts photography taken on deployment.
• Videos can go viral very quickly, make sure the
information you record is suitable to be viewed by a large
audience. It should represent the Army well and adhere to
the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
• Beware of “apps” or plugins, which are often written
by unknown third parties sofware developers who might
use them to access your sensitive data.

15. Office of the Chief of Public Affairs
Room 1E460
Pentagon, Washington, DC