12.2: Social Media

People of all ages use social media daily. According to December 2012 Pew Internet Project data, 67percentof adults who are online participate in social networking. It’s an efficient way to keep in touch with friends and family, and it is how many people get their entertainment, connect with people over common interests and receive news.

You are encouraged to use social media to share your experiences as an Airman. You can contact your local public affairs office to see if they can share your story, or you can publish information on your social media accounts. Whether you’re sharing information with just your close friends and family, or sharing it with the world in an online video or a blog, you’re informing people on what it’s like to be a part of the world’s greatest Air Force.

• Your stories might inspire someone to join the Air Force, support the Air Force, comfort a parent or spouse, improve morale or correct inaccurate information.
• Air Force families may want to use social media to keep in touch with deployed Airmen, network with other military families and share stories on social media.

People can feel comfortable about using social media and letting their Airmen use social media. It’s one of the many tools available to communicate information, and it has a value-added capability of promoting interaction.

Using Social Media

Social media applications have evolved to become the primary communication methods used by today’s Airmen, families and leaders. The dynamic nature of social media lets people interact with diverse audiences in an informal and transparent environment. It’s an avenue for leaders to help shape conversations about their units and missions and connect with people on a personal level. However, all Airmen should remember that social media is not intended to push information; it’s for sharing interesting content and building relationships with online followers. Social media channels help bridge the information gap for people who know very little about the military in general. Air Force Instruction 1-1, Air Force Standards, outlines how Airmen can use social networking sites.

All Airmen are reminded to maintain appropriate respect in their communications and conduct with other Airmen whether they are face to face or connected via social media. Showing respect does not squelch your voice-it enhances the impact of what you share and reflects the high standards of conduct and discipline that are part of the military culture. Respect is reflected in everything you post to social media: your photos, videos, posts, and comments you post to blogs. What you reflect online says a great deal about your values and beliefs and cumulatively creates a public portrait of the Air Force. The Tongue and Quill suggests that Airmen paint a portrait of the Air Force they are proud to show to the public; Airmen are encouraged to tell their unique Air Force stories.

Things to Consider when using Social Media:

1. Airmen are encouraged to tell their unique Air Force stories.
   1. You are personally responsible for what you say and post-in all media at all times.
   2. Be honest about your unit and mission (without violating OPSEC).
   3. Consider how a post can be interpreted by the public.
2. Be cautious with the line between "funny" and "distasteful."
   1. Your "funny" may be "distasteful" or offensive to others-see 1.a., above.
   2. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and leave it out.
3. Respect yourself, other Airmen, and your Air Force with what you post: the spoken word can never be taken back; social media magnifies this fact.

Emerging Social Media Trends

More social sharing options:
Blogs, status updates, tweets, pins, videos, photos and pod casts are used to share thoughts and ideas with global social media users. The emergence of social sharing brings together all of these communication products to provide Airmen and the general public with multiple avenues for discussing trending topics.

Visual content reigns supreme:
Social media conversations have morphed from text-based posts to status updates using photos, graphic illustrations and videos. Social networking websites are optimizing their designs to focus more on photos and video to allow users to tell their stories visually.

Mobile platforms and applications are booming:
Telephones have evolved into modern multi-functional smartphones capable of taking photos and videos that can be uploaded to many social networking websites. Social apps are helping mobile and tablet users connect with friends and family members so they can share real-time information from any location.

Emoticons.
Social media and e-mail messages frequently include emotional icon or emoticons within the text of the message to convey a sense of emotion that would be evident if the message were delivered face to face. Emoticons can be very useful; but their use should be restricted to personal messages-they have no place in official communications.

Common Social Media Platforms and Terms

Platforms:

• Blogs: Websites with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events or other material such as graphics or video (e.g., WordPress, TypePad).
• Microblogs: People share content in a limited message format using status updates, links, photos and video.
• Location-based social networks: Allows users to check-in and connect with people as they explore a particular place (e.g., Foursquare).
• Photo sharing: Use a website to host and share images (e.g., Flickr, Instagram).
• Video sharing: Provides a location where users upload, share, and view videos.
• Social networking: Promotes social interaction among users through posts, commentaries, links, photos and videos.
• Social news and bookmarking: A forum where users share social news trends. It’s common to see social news feeds combine social bookmarking on news-related items. This allows users to manage content by preferences.
• Visual bookmarking: A unique platform that uses a "visual" bookmark to allow users to share Web links to information through imagery.

Terms:

• Circles: Groups and organizes friends, colleagues and acquaintances on Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}+.\)
• Hangout: Video service on Google \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}+\) that allows you to video chat with up to 10 Google \(^{\mathrm{TM}}+\) users at a time.
• Internet Meme: An idea or concept that is shared be-tween people online.
• Pin: An image or video added to a Pinterest ㅇard and shared with other users.
• Board: Organizes pins on Pinterest® by topic.
• Timeline: Area on your personal Face book account that allows you to display photos, videos and posts by event date.
• Twitter® chat: Discussion that occurs on Twitter® around a specific hashtag at a specified date and time.

Social Media Tips

The following tips are not exhaustive, but they are a good starting point for Airmen to consider when using social media. Most of these tips are merely extensions of what we have learned through years of good staff work and the emergence of e-mail. The principles of obeying the law, being you, respect and personal security still apply in today’s social media environment.

1. Obey applicable laws. You are an Airman 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As such, you must obey federal law, DoD directives, Air Force instructions, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice when using social media. This applies when using social media in either official or unofficial capacities.
   1. Classified information. Do not post classified, sensitive or For Official Use Only information. If in doubt talk to your supervisor or security manager.
   2. Copyrights and Trademarks. Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. Likewise, do not use any words, logos or other marks that would infringe upon the trademark, service mark, certification mark or other intellectual property rights of the owners of such marks without owner permission.
   3. Air Force symbol. The Air Force symbol visually represents our service’s brand identity. To use the Air Force symbol on a social media platform, you must follow display guidelines found at http://www.trademark.af.mil.
   4. Terms of service. Comply with each social media site’s terms of service.
2. Be you. Represent yourself and only yourself in your social media use.
   1. Stay in your lane. Discussing issues related to your career field or personal experiences are acceptable and encouraged. Stay in your lane and do not discuss areas where you have no expertise through direct experience, education or knowledge.
   2. Endorsements. Represent only yourself and do not use the Air Force name to endorse or promote products, political positions or religious ideologies.
   3. Impersonations. Do not manipulate social media identifiers or post content in an attempt to disguise, impersonate or otherwise misrepresent your identity with any other person or entity.
   4. Promotion for personal or financial gain. Do not use your Air Force affiliation, official title or position to promote, endorse or benefit yourself or any profit-making group or agency. See the Joint Ethics Regulation for more details on the ethics and law regarding the "Use of Public Office for Private Gain."
3. Respect, respect, respect. Do not post anything hateful, offensive or illegal. This includes any defamatory, libelous, vulgar, obscene, abusive, profane, threatening, racially or ethnically hateful, or otherwise offensive or illegal information or material.
   1. Words have meaning and consequences. Once you post something on social media it is impossible to "get it back." Even deleting the post doesn’t mean it’s truly gone. Ultimately, you bear sole responsibility for what you post.
   2. Replace error with fact. When you see misrepresentations in social media, identify and correct the error with facts and respect.
   3. Image. Any time you use social media, you’re presenting an image of yourself and the Air Force. Don’t discredit yourself or our service
   4. Opinion versus official information. Yes, tell them what you think, just make sure you state that this is your opinion and not that of the organization.
   5. Privacy. Do not post any information that would infringe upon the proprietary, privacy or personal rights of others. Respect their privacy and expect the same.
4. Personal security. Maintain privacy settings on your social media accounts, change your passwords regularly and don’t give out personally identifiable information. Be cautious about the personal details you share with others-live or in social media.

Official Air Force Social Media Sites

The Air Force Social Media Program includes key social networking websites where the Air Force engages with Airmen, families and the general public. Here are a few links to official Air Force social media pages:

• Social Media Directory. http://www.af.mil/socialmedia.asp
• Air Force Live Blog. http://airforcelive.dodlive.mil
• Facebook ®. http://facebook.com/usairforce
• Flickr®. http://www.flickr.com/airforce
• Twitter®. http://www.twitter.com/airforce
• YouTube \({ }^{\mathrm{TM}}\). http://www.youtube.com/afbluetube
• Vine® (for mobile iOS & Android devices). @usairforce
• Instagram. http://instagram.com/officialusairforce