Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities Internet use is prolific worldwide. There is a constant stream of movement to new and emerging media by the traditional media outlets, the American public and the military. At the same time, adversaries infiltrate these resources to counter our messages, intelligence and effective communications. Social media is a networked means of communicating. What follows is a primer for social media use and consideration. NOTE: Many of the "Social Media Handbook for Navy PAOs" references are also found in the remaining services' handbooks as well. Students familiar with their respective service handbooks should recognize the material.
To be successful at telling the DOD's story, you must take full advantage of all the communication tools at your disposal. People expect news to find them through social media platforms, which can be a valuable tool for your organizations. Effectively using IbC can help organizations and commands establish credibility, accessibility and authenticity. Understanding social media can help you excel as a DOD communicator. NOTE: For this lesson, the doctrinal term "Internetbased Capabilities" or "IbC" is used synonymously with social media, new media, digital media and emerging media.
Click link below to see Social Media Is Revolutionary video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCfFcchw1w
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Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Define IbC, to include current terminology and jargon One of the first things you need to realize is that doctrinally within DOD, social media is defined as "Internet-based Capabilities" or "IbC." IbC consists of all public information capabilities or applications available across the Internet from locations not directly or indirectly controlled by the Department of Defense or the federal government. Internet-based capabilities include collaborative tools such as social networking services (SNS), social media, user-generated content, social software, email, instant messaging and discussion forums. Official uses of Internet-based capabilities unrelated to public affairs are permitted. However, because these interactions take place in a public venue, personnel acting in their official capacity shall maintain liaison with public affairs, recognizing the importance of operations security. Use of Internetbased capabilities for official purposes shall:
Through social media, individuals or collaborations of individuals create and organize Web content, edit or comment on content, combine and share content and conduct conversations. Social media uses many technologies and formats, including Web feeds, blogs, wikis, photo and video sharing, podcasts, social networking, social bookmarking, mashups, widgets, virtual worlds, microblogs and more. NOTE: A one-stop resource for the latest guidance on DOD IbC can be found at: www.defense.gov/socialmedia/
● Comply with established OPSEC guidelines ● Be registered in the registration system hosted by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (PA) via defense.gov (DODI 8550.01, pg. 26). ● Ensure the information posted is relevant and accurate and provides no information not approved for public release, including personally identifiable information (PII) ● Provide links to official DOD content hosted on DOD-owned, -operated, or -controlled sites where applicable ● Include a disclaimer when personal opinions are expressed (e.g., “This statement is my own and does not constitute an endorsement by or opinion of the Department of Defense”). Social media is the umbrella term that defines various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the creation of words, pictures, video and audio through the Internet. Social media uses the opinions and wisdom of the online community to connect people to information in a collaborative manner online.
The DOD social media website is designed to help the DOD community use social media and other IbCs responsibly and effectively � both in official and unofficial capacities. The site has links to IbC/social media training videos and briefs, the latest official policies governing DOD's IbC presence and usage, as well as a compilation of all DOD-registered IbC official use sites.
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The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Identify target audiences within IbC Now that you understand what IbC is, let's look at who your target audiences are in these communication channels.
Your audiences can also include stakeholders, politicians, community leaders, the general public and adversaries.
Communicating with specified audiences in IbC or social media channels is no different than communicating in traditional public affairs channels: you have to know with whom you're trying to communicate. To remain relevant to our audiences, we must communicate with them in the channels and on the platforms where they get their information -- mainstream and social media alike. Today we are expected to be able to communicate on behalf of our organizations in the near-real time environment of social media, and be responsive to the comments and feedback we receive from our audiences. If we fail these expectations, our audiences will simply get their information elsewhere.
It is not sufficient to merely have an understanding that your audiences are both internal and external. There are many social media platforms your command can use to reach its target audiences, but to be effective you should carefully consider a select few platforms that will reach the largest percentage of your audiences and enable you to accomplish your communication goals. It is important to ensure our communications reach all relevant audiences without bias toward any one particular platform.
Identify and prioritize the audiences with which you intend to communicate -- both internal and external. DOD's targeted IbC audiences include service members, veterans, DOD civilians and DOD families.
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Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Identify IbC outlets Remember the importance of knowing your audience in all communication efforts. Let's dive into the different kinds of social media platforms and the main categories that fall under social media. Here are the most commonly-used types of social media in government:
the act of writing extremely short blog posts, kind of like text messages, which are characterized as short conversations about listening to and sharing ideas. Users can read these messages online or have them sent as a text message to a mobile device.
● Blogs (e.g., WordPress) - A blog is an easy-toupdate website or webpage where authors write regular entries in a diary-like format. The most effective and interesting blogs allow readers to engage in conversations with the author and other readers.
NOTE: Twitter is currently the most popular microblog service and lets users post entries up to 140 characters long. NOTE: http://www.digitalgov.gov/category/ socialmedia/ offers advice on how to manage a government blog. ● Social Networks (e.g., Facebook) - Social networking sites are online communities where people can join (usually for free) and, at a minimum, establish a page with their profile, making it easy for members to connect with others who have similar interests or affiliations and establish contact networks. The most popular sites, like Facebook, also have groups, which are feature-rich chat boards for members where they can share comments, links, photos, videos, etc. LinkedIn offers sections for jobs, recommendations and questions. NOTE: Many Web 2.0 tools such as photo-sharing (e.g., Flickr) or location-based services (e.g., FourSquare) now incorporate social networking features. ● Microblogs (e.g., Twitter) - Microblogging is
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The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Identify IbC outlets (continued) ● Wikis (e.g., Wikipedia) - A wiki is a type of collaborative work space � a collection of web pages that encourages users to contribute or modify the content and can help a community collaboratively develop a document or web page from anywhere. Wikis can be public facing (anyone can see the content), open to only a defined community within or across organizations, open or closed. An open wiki allows anybody to make changes and view content. A closed wiki allows only community members to make changes and view its content. Some wikis allow anyone to view content, but only members can edit the content.
NOTE: Wikipedia is one of the most well-known public wikis. http://www.digitalgov.gov/category/socialmedia/ offers information about why wikis are important in government (knowledge sharing, collaboration across boundaries, engagement, transparency and efficient use of information).
Video - Short videos are used to communicate all kinds of information by way of websites and popular online video-sharing services. Short videos can be produced inexpensively and played on computers and many mobile devices.
“Podcasting” is a word that combines the words "broadcasting" and "iPod" and is a way of publishing MP3 audio files on the web so they can be downloaded onto computers or portable listening devices (iPods or other MP3 players).
NOTE: The term can be misleading since neither podcasting nor listening to podcasts requires an iPod or any portable music player. It’s another way to increase awareness of government information and more government agencies are using podcasts as a quick and easy way to distribute audio as an addition to existing text. ● Discussion forums � Discussion forums are places for online communities to discuss topics of common interest. Posts are organized into related threads around questions and answers or community discussions. These forums work like a bulletin board: you post a message and return later to see if people have responded. A forum helps create communities around shared interests. In a discussion forum, you can
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Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Identify IbC outlets (continued) search or browse through messages to learn more about a topic, post a question or answer a question. NOTE: Discussion forums are also known as discussion groups, community boards, message boards and online forums. Agencies use forums for a variety of reasons, including sharing tips or asking questions, finding people who deal with similar types of issues and creating a centralized place to answer questions, also called a Help Forum. ● RSS feeds - RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. It is a web content format which, when used with an RSS aggregator, can allow you to alert users to new or exciting content on your website. These news feeds enable users to avoid the conventional methods of browsing or searching for information on websites. The content they want is delivered directly to them. RSS feeds are commonly used on blogs, news websites and other places with frequently updated content. Once users subscribe to an RSS feed, they can gather material from websites of their choosing. It’s a very convenient format because it allows users to view all the new content from multiple sources in one location on their desktop. RSS can allow government agencies to more easily track updates to each other’s content. This offers potential for increased collaboration and information sharing between agencies that could reduce duplication and inconsistencies across government websites.
● Social media releases - A social media release (SMR) is an extension of a traditional print press release. Posted online, it includes links to the content about which the release has been written. You can also incorporate multimedia features including, but not limited to: photographs, videos, podcasts, RSS feeds, and social bookmarking. NOTE: Social media releases allow your readers to not only learn about the topic, but experience it through other channels. Add interactivity by allowing readers to offer their feedback directly on the release. An SMR can also include a "comment" field where readers can post their thoughts about the content. ● Photo sharing (i.e. Flickr and Instagram) - Photo sharing has become a key part of the social media landscape, since photos can now be so easily shared on sites like Flickr, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
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The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Explain tactics, techniques and procedures Armed with an understanding of the different social media categories, let's examine what to do when operating in those channels.
● Positive attitude: Just like in interpersonal relationships, people using social media want to interact with others who help create solutions, not problems.
You will execute specific social media tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) in future blocks of instruction. What we will discuss now are common approaches, or TTPs, that your respective services recommend and employ across the spectrum of IbC platforms.
● Sincerity: Be yourself and be genuine. Social media is conversational, and it is appropriate to show some personality, even in an official capacity. You do not need to be a disembodied voice of the organization.
Social media principles (Army/Navy/Marine Corps social media handbooks) � No matter which platform you use in social media, the basic principles of transparency and authenticity should apply to your communication. Powerful advantages of social media include that it is unmediated, it provides feedback, and it promotes trust. These are only achieved by applying the following principles: ● Authenticity: It is critical that people know who you are in social media. If they can’t be sure who you are, then they won’t trust you and won’t form a relationship with you.
● Humor: While we take what we do seriously, don’t take yourself, your content or others’ criticism too seriously. Social media users expect and approve of levity and humor. Know where the line is between appropriate and inappropriate, and use humor when warranted, but never lose your professionalism. ● Respect: Social media is a flat environment. You and your organization are not above the collective or individuals. Respect others’ opinions, even when you don’t agree with them.
● Transparency: In social media, there is more than an expectation of transparency � there is a demand for it. Attempts to hide embarrassing information or avoid unpleasant topics will not only be ineffective, they will likely be counterproductive and draw more attention. ● Consistency: Your stakeholders using social media will quickly go elsewhere to meet their information needs if you are erratic with your participation. Decide how much time you will dedicate to your social media effort and stick to it. A burst of activity will be wasted if it is followed by a long period of absence. Make a plan.
Photo courtesy of www.nationalguard.mil
● Responsiveness: Social media, even more so than traditional media, requires responsiveness on the part of the organization. Answer questions. Acknowledge concerns. Thank people who offer suggestions. This is a two-way medium, and you are talking with your stakeholders to build understanding. Home | Definition | Target Audiences | IbC Outlets | Tactics | Personal v. Professional | Measurement Tools
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Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Discuss differences between personal and professional IbC engagements Applying those basic TTPs is important, but an area that has given many military PAOs issues as social media has grown in popularity is knowing the difference between personal and professional conduct. When considering the differences between personal and professional IbC engagements, remember your job as a DOD spokesperson does NOT end when you go home at close of business. The people you associate with and connect to already know or can quickly find out about you. When communicating publicly in any manner, you always represent the military to some degree because the people you are communicating with are your family, your friends or your coworkers, and they already know about your affiliation with the military. As the DOD's corps of professional communicators, the public affairs community has a distinct responsibility to the DOD, our commanders, the public and ourselves. As the communicators, spokespersons and storytellers of the military, you have a privileged role within your service. You are privy to information that is often available only to the most senior levels of command and must be able to represent your commanders and the DOD to a global audience. As such, you are held to a higher standard than your peers and must be vigilant that what you say and do online and in social media not only follows the previously stated guidelines but also does not interfere with your ability to serve as the spokesperson for and adviser to the commander.
with people who know of your affiliation with DOD, the probability you’ll be discovered is high. Conduct yourself online with the understanding that what you say and do doesn’t just reflect on you but also reflects on DOD. It's equally important to ensure all members of the command engage in IbC appropriately. PAOs should seek their commander's support to proactively train the members of the command. You must also be disciplined in keeping your opinions to yourselves when there is a possibility that they could be used in a different context to discredit your role as spokesperson and adviser. ● Watch what you say. Do not post anything that can be seen as defamatory, libelous, obscene, abusive, threatening, racially or ethnically hateful, or otherwise offensive or illegal. ● Correct the record professionally and respectfully. If you see something written about the military online that you know is inaccurate, then you should engage with that person and correct the misstatement or misunderstanding professionally and respectfully. Fewer and fewer people in the U.S. have a direct connection with the military, and when you correct this person in public, this may be the only reflection some people have of the military. If you choose to correct someone, do so courteously. To do less is to jeopardize your ability to effectively communicate on behalf of your command and the DOD.
This means that you must be judicious in what you say online and where you say it. You are responsible for your actions online. There is no free pass to your conduct online. If you say or do something online that violates the law, the UCMJ, and/or DOD policy, you can be held accountable when it is discovered. And since you are connected Home | Definition | Target Audiences | IbC Outlets | Tactics | Personal v. Professional | Measurement Tools
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The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Identify various IbC measurement tools Most of our discussion so far has been on big picture challenges in social media channels. Let's take a look at some specific practices from DOD commands that work. Why measure? By measuring the success of a social media presence and by listening to the online conversation, your organization can effectively determine how organizational messages are received. Measurement is about more than just numbers. It’s about social media trends and human feedback. NOTE: All information in the measurement section of this lesson is attributable to the Army Office of the Chief of Public Affairs Online and Social Media Division, although there is complementary/additional measurement guidance in the other services' social media handbooks. Determining what to measure ● Specifying organization objectives, drafting themes and preparing messages help determine the metrics an organization will focus on and analyze. Consider the organizational objectives related to stakeholders and their priorities. Social media objectives consider such factors as information distribution, community building, sentiment, conversation and family connections. AFTER considering organizational IbC objectives, then set metrics to measure success. Using organic analytics tools ● Nearly all of the most popular social media platforms offer analytics tools for users. Using the analytics tools of each platform can help an organization measure and demonstrate the usefulness of a social media platform or highlight the success of a specific social media campaign. In Facebook’s insights tab, an administrator can review total interactions, impressions, number of “likes,” number of comments and a wide variety of other valuable metrics. These numbers help administrators view what messages are resonating and how the page following is growing.
Flickr provides metrics that help administrators evaluate what photos are performing well. These numbers help administrators get a better feel for what photo subjects pull in views. NOTE: Social Media Fact: Flickr is a great resource for gaining new visitors who are intrigued by a compelling photo and want to learn more. A good way to capitalize on this curiosity is to provide a link to a related Army story on the organization website or the Army.mil website. YouTube’s “insight” function helps show more than just how many views a video receives. It shows what days the video received the most views, and it can also illustrate where in the world the video was viewed. Twitter performs a more basic function compared to other social media platforms, so its metric tools are limited. With each tweet, administrators can determine how many people retweeted the content. But to truly evaluate the reach of a tweet, one should use URL shorteners or other external measurement programs. Other analytics programs Social media teams are not required to rely primarily on organic analytics tools provided by social media platforms. Dozens of sites are dedicated to helping users find out what people are talking about. These sites can help administrators gauge the success and reach of their social media message. Some examples include SocialMention, TweetReach, Google Trends, Klout and Twitalyzer.
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Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Identify various IbC measurement tools (continued) Researching trends and determining how often your organization’s message is repurposed can be incredibly valuable when measuring the success of a team’s social media presence. There are both free and paid measurement services out there. Some measurement sites help determine how far a tweet travels, because it’s not about how many retweets a tweet gets, it’s about how many people follow the user who retweeted the content. If a tweet is retweeted by someone with 10 followers, its impact is minimal, but if a tweet is retweeted by someone with 30,000 followers, the reach is substantial. Others sites can help users determine which topics are gaining the most traction online. Using URL Shorteners URL shorteners serve multiple purposes. URL shortener applications shrink a URL so it’s less cumbersome and more visually appealing. Shortened URLs provide for more space in a post and also help Twitter users to fit commentary within the 140 character limit of a tweet. In addition to leaving more space on a tweet or a post, websites that offer URL shorteners provide valuable metrics. URL shorteners like Bit.ly and goo.gl provide detailed analytics that can complement the metrics collected on social media platforms.
Listening to the public through social media platforms can assist administrators in determining what the public is most interested in. Organizational social media posts should be a balance between “fun” posts and command message posts, but all should contain key organizational themes. Keep in mind that not all feedback will be favorable. Sometimes, if a message is pushed too hard, the public will kick back with negative feedback. This indicates that it’s time to change a social media approach. Presenting data Collecting data helps social media managers evaluate the success of their social media efforts, but the real challenge is presenting this data in a digestible and visually stimulating manner. The social media movement is already generating leader buy-in, but leaders want to see results. Creating an effective social media measurement slide is critical in explaining the results of a social media campaign. When creating a social media measurement slide, it’s important to include numbers, but it’s equally as important to explain what the numbers mean. Not everyone digests information the same way, so it’s important to present social media analytics in a clear and concise manner. With all the measurement tools at the disposal of social media managers, it’s possible to create a comprehensive overview of all social media efforts.
Measuring sentiment While measuring site traffic or photo views is easy, measuring sentiment can be slightly more difficult. Sentiment is more about user feedback than numbers. If properly executed, organizational messages and themes will appear in all posts, tweets, video posts and photo posts. When measuring sentiment, administrators need to post content that reflects unit messages and then watch user comments and posts to determine how the messages are resonating with the online population. Home | Definition | Target Audiences | IbC Outlets | Tactics | Personal v. Professional | Measurement Tools
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The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Identify various IbC measurement tools (continued)
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Final Review TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Instructions: From the information in this lesson, you should be able to answer the following questions. Q: How does DOD define "Internet-based Capabilities?" Q: What are specific examples of audiences you will communicate with through IbC? Q: Identify and explain one of the eight principles PAOs should apply to achieve the advantages unique to IbCs? Q: When does a PAO’s role as an official spokesperson end? Q: Why is it important to be able to effectively present measurement data?
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The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
TPFN: DINFOS-PAQC-ADL-001-001-001
Conclusion Using IbC does not advocate a major shift in resources from traditional media. Rather, it endorses the belief that digital communication provides a new toolset that commanders can use to achieve military objectives. PA is encountering a new world of communication. Because troops are the voice of the organization, PA has the responsibility to tell the military story in a thoughtful, engaging manner
to enhance DOD's ability to engage the public in discussion across many audiences. Imploring troops to use social media with guidelines accomplishes just that. The use of social media, along with the continued use of traditional media, represents a revolutionary change to the way commanders can communicate with target audiences.
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Public Affairs Qualification Course
Introduction to Internet-Based Capabilities
References and Additional Resources DODI 8550.01 -- DOD Internet Services and Internet-Based Capabilities (Sept. 11, 2012) DOD Website Administration Policies and Procedures (http://www.defense.gov/webmasters/policy/dod_web_ policy_12071998_with_amendments_and_corrections.aspx#part1) Social Media Handbook for Navy PAOs, August 2011. The Social Corps, Oct 2011, USMC Social Media Principles. United States Army Social Media Handbook, August 2011. Navigating the Social Network, March 2012, The Air Force Guide to Effective Social Media Use. U.S. Coast Guard Social Media Handbook, May 2012. Army Office of the Chief of Public Affairs Online and Social Media Division Resources for understanding and implementing Section 508 (section508.gov). HowTo.gov -- Social Media -- http://www.howto.gov/social-media; June 2012. Editors Course Textbook. Fort George G. Meade, Md.: Defense Information School (2008).
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The Center of Excellence for Visual Information and Public Affairs
