Canadian military boosts online presence
Aug. 20 2009 1:07 PM ET The Canadian Press
Article Link
Call it Canadian Forces 2.0.
First there were posters beckoning "Join Us," then television ads showing soldiers manning fighter jets and rescue ships. Now, how the military relays its message is changing ranks again -- embracing social media as its newest communication tool.
The arsenal of online offerings includes official pages on Facebook, podcasts accessible by iTunes, photos and videos on Flickr and YouTube, and several Twitter accounts.
Just like soldiers and camouflage, the burgeoning tech-savvy approach naturally mobilizes youthful reception.
"If it helps us reach an audience that, say, doesn't watch (CBC's) 'The National' or doesn't read the Globe and Mail, then I think we're doing a better job of communicating," said Capt. Andrew Hennessy, who mans a brand-new Facebook page and Twitter feed for Ontario's Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
"Which is ultimately the goal of all this."
As the 27-year-old public relations officer for the Ontario base, Hennessy began building its online presence after pondering the popularity of social media and realizing the widespread reach it could have. He now tweets updates and posts interesting links and news releases to the Facebook site.
"Maybe it generates more interest, which hopefully generates more traffic to our site, which hopefully generates more support for what we're doing," he said.
More on link
Aug. 20 2009 1:07 PM ET The Canadian Press
Article Link
Call it Canadian Forces 2.0.
First there were posters beckoning "Join Us," then television ads showing soldiers manning fighter jets and rescue ships. Now, how the military relays its message is changing ranks again -- embracing social media as its newest communication tool.
The arsenal of online offerings includes official pages on Facebook, podcasts accessible by iTunes, photos and videos on Flickr and YouTube, and several Twitter accounts.
Just like soldiers and camouflage, the burgeoning tech-savvy approach naturally mobilizes youthful reception.
"If it helps us reach an audience that, say, doesn't watch (CBC's) 'The National' or doesn't read the Globe and Mail, then I think we're doing a better job of communicating," said Capt. Andrew Hennessy, who mans a brand-new Facebook page and Twitter feed for Ontario's Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
"Which is ultimately the goal of all this."
As the 27-year-old public relations officer for the Ontario base, Hennessy began building its online presence after pondering the popularity of social media and realizing the widespread reach it could have. He now tweets updates and posts interesting links and news releases to the Facebook site.
"Maybe it generates more interest, which hopefully generates more traffic to our site, which hopefully generates more support for what we're doing," he said.
More on link
