Da Goddess

So far so good. Blogging from my cellphone, thus errors likely.

Boston Maggie’s here. Lovely lady. Kind of cool to be meeting people I’ve known only through fundraisers and such.

Tom Goering from NavyCyberSpace is here. Can’t say I was familiar with his site before, but I am now. Worth checking out!

Toby Nunn and J.D. Johannes (again not 100% on spelling or linkage, but I’ll fact/spellcheck later) are both on panel at the moment. Point of discussion is current technology and social media are driving the truth of battle and the way reporting happens. General Petraeus addressed the Milbloggers via video and says new media/tech have changed the game completely. And there’s more to military and new media than some Lady Gaga mashup. Yes, Petraeus invoked the name of Gaga.

From troops being able to document encounters with civilians to troops staying in touch with family and friends, technology has created an enhanced battlefield experience.
For families, the advantage, of course, is contact and reducing the distance between hearts.

For military, entering a village, they’re being photographed and video’d by locals, so it behooves the troops to have their own images and video to complete the picture. Plus, with media now part of the battlefield (“get used to it”), the troops can help disseminate the facts instead of spin.

It’s all for the betterment of the military.

Also discussed: embeds. Yon, Johannes, Rademacher, and even Blake himself on behalf of Blackfive.

Best part of embeds and social media: self-correcting nature. Instead of erroneous info being left to stand in public eye — say, by the Washington Post — bloggers or other embeds have the ability to update info quickly and the readership gets to the truth faster, which helps to spread the word and hopefully inform general public of this.

Taliban is just as capable of using social media as battlespace, so our military must stay in this battle as well.

Smartphones vs. security an issue.

Lots of things I would never have guessed happening on/in the battlefield/battlespace.

Smartphones or video cams used as proof of action/mission for al Qaeda and insurgents able to submit that proof for payment. “Damage is done” with video, regardless of whether or not loss of life or bodily injury occurred…terrorists spread the hurt without actually doing anything. Video goes viral and it’s a done deal. Hard to counter that with traditional media. New media/social media combat this. It’s immediate. And it IS combat.

The enemy’s audience is the rabid consumer of bad information.

Finally met Matt Burden! Only been how many years??

Also met C. frm Villainous Company.

Team Rubicon in da house! Little Dude proudly wears his shirt often.

Lots of finer points to cover. Have to refer to notes later.

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Part Two — Military Spouses

Mrs P and Cassandra discuss the impact of blogging/Internet on social ties and helping families transition from military to civilian life. From Mrs. P’s loss of her husband to C’s husand retiring the network of support becomes greater because of the Internet.

More than names and numbers, our troops are people and there are families and friends who love them. Blogging and social media help to keep that reality in the public eye.

Internet is instant and allows geography to melt away. t
Time zones actually become helpful in that being awake and needing a friendly word at 3am…there’s every chance a friend halfway around the world will be awake and be there for you.

Also, as a military spouse (or anyone) online, there is a great responsibility to represent your spouse and yourself well.