Commander's Corner: Social Media

By Col. Dave Hall (USAG-Yongsan)July 29, 2009

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usag-yongsan/2864699561/" title="USAG-Yongsan Commander Col. Dave Hall by usag.yongsan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2864699561_94840091a9_m.jpg" align="right" hspace="10" width="192" height="240" alt="USAG-Yongsan Commander Col. Dave Hall" /></a>The U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan is committed to finding new ways to engage with community members to accomplish its mission. I'd like to share with you an exciting new method we're using to interact with you every day: Social Media.

Recently, the United States Army engaged in a new effort to tell its story. The Army is dedicated to telling the Soldiers story, and in return promoting those stories to an external audience on social networking sites, and so are we.

On the <a href="http://yongsan.korea.army.mil">USAG-Yongsan Web site</a>, you will find a Social Media section in the lower right hand menu bar. There are many options to explore what the Yongsan community has to offer, but I'd like to especially point out the interaction we have through the USAG-Yongsan <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/USAG-Yongsan/32158407071"> Facebook page</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/usagyongsan">Twitter service</a>.

Since we started in April, we have gathered a community of more than 345 Facebook fans, with more joining every day. It's exciting to see current and future community members posting questions, links and comments. It's a great way to get questions asked and answered in a public forum where many of you are already engaged.

For example, a few hours ago "Tonia" posted a question to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/USAG-Yongsan/32158407071">Facebook page</a>, "Is there a Web site for the housing area' Floor plans also'" My staff members constantly monitor the page and answer questions such as these as quickly as possible. On occasion, I've been known to answer questions personally.

My point is, this is one way you can interact with fellow community members and stay informed. I encourage you to visit the page and become a "fan" of the garrison. That way, you'll see all the interactions the page has to offer.

Another social media site where we are fully engaged is <a href="http://twitter.com/usagyongsan"> Twitter</a>. This free service has recently been in the headlines for a valued way to gather information and links about topics people care about. We post "tweets" daily about community events, news releases and vital information like road conditions, heat index and more. To follow us on Twitter, go to the link above and click "Follow."

The bottom line is that we care about you the community member. We are always looking for ways to better serve you and keep you informed. The information world is rapidly changing, and we're committed to staying one step ahead. Your feedback is extremely important to us. I encourage you to check out the USAG-Yongsan social media initiatives, or just visit our official web site. We're here for you!