Fort Rucker social media initiative brings post news to wider audience

By Russell Sellers, Army Flier StaffMarch 11, 2011

FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- The Fort Rucker Public Affairs office is finding new ways to bring Soldiers and civilians the latest news about the installation.

By incorporating new social media Web sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, PAO is bringing the world "Fort Rucker Now" videos and a new set of social media programs aimed at today's Soldiers and Families.

Lisa Eichhorn, Fort Rucker public affairs officer, said the new programming will allow those who rely on the Internet for news and information a chance to find out more about the happenings on post sooner.

"It's challenging to keep up with technology today," she said. "Knowing what the trends are to make sure we're reaching our Soldiers and Families is important. Social media and the Internet are quickly taking over as the primary medium for how people get their information. We think we've found a way to cross-market our products to the Soldiers, Families, retirees and communities by incorporating these services."

Some things people can expect to see in the "Army Flier" and through the various social media outlets include expanded content such as videos from around the installation and more photos through other Web sites like YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and Twitter.

"This is a great way to have more Fort Rucker content available in more places," said David Agan, Fort Rucker Public Affairs Web content manager. "The Fort Rucker Web page is the main hub for this new information. There are links to all of our social media sites there."

Increased feedback from the community is another goal of the expanded media outlets, Agan said. Going through sites like Facebook and Twitter allows people to share their thoughts and information on Fort Rucker news.

A new feature of Fort Rucker media is the addition of video content to help "Army Flier" readers be more connected to the stories they read each week, said Jay Mann, Command Information assistant.

"Fort Rucker Now is not like a newspaper article," he said. "Articles in the paper have more detailed facts, but these short video clips or series of photos are meant to give people a preview of what they can find in the paper or on the Web site. It adds a whole new dimension to stories. If people get to see a short clip or photos from an event before the story comes out, they can visualize it and the story will complete the picture."

Jim Hughes, Command Information officer, said the key is to get people to pick up on the available information.

"Normally, throughout an Army post you'll find the newspaper and the information channel," he said. "Some installations have dabbled in Facebook and Twitter with varying degrees of success. When people see the videos or the photos, they'll know to look to the paper or the Web site for the full story. This maximizes our efforts and gets information to our audience sooner."

Hughes said this is just the next phase in the progression of how people get their information.

Hughes added that the PAO welcomes what he calls "stringers" to exercise their journalistic skills to add even more content about Fort Rucker programs, Soldiers, Families and community members. Who are these stringers' Anyone that whips out a camera, still or video, and jots down some notes of something happening on the post.

"We would love for the community to send us photos, videos and little write-ups about events or happenings related to life at Fort Rucker," he said. "If you're taking part in a fun run or at the event to cheer on a loved one, click a few pics or shoot a few minutes of video-we may be able to push it out through one of our channels."

Those reading the "Army Flier" may also notice the addition of Quick Response codes to the end of certain stories.

A QR code is a two-dimensional code, readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and smartphones.

The information encoded can be text, Web site links or other data. These codes can be scanned using a smartphone and the reader will be directed to an address to view video or extra content from the event.

Check out your smartphone's app market for software that will enable you to use QR codes.

For more information, visit Fort Rucker's various social media pages on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ftrucker, on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/fortrucker, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ft_rucker and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/ftruckerpao.