I n t e g r i t y - S e r v i c e - E x c e l l e n c e

Headquarters U.S. Air Force

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Navigating the Social Media

Landscape

Capt. Chris Sukach, Chief Emerging Technology

Air Force Public Affairs Agency

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Global & continuous Real-time, future

speculation possible Unlimited access

Continuous news, blogs, camera phones, …

Our engagement Constrained, slow,

coordinated Adversaries’ engagement

Unconstrained; autonomous, proactive

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Local news = global news

Local news = global news

Media competition

builds pressure

Media competition

builds pressure

Insatiable media

appetite

Insatiable media

appetite

WWW: 6,366 newspapers

online

WWW: 6,366 newspapers

online

185M blogs, 175,000 a day 185M blogs,

175,000 a day

CNN effectCNN effect

The Information Environment

Constantnews cycleConstant

news cycle

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CBS Morning Show25th Anniversary“How the Media

LandscapeHas Changed”

Changing Media Landscape

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93% of teens use the Internet regularly, primarily for social interaction

Generation ‘We’

Internet is primary source of info for people born after 1987

75% text message

41% picture messaging

28% created their own blog 19% growth since 2004

27% have personal Web pages

40% of Air Force is under 26

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In 2008, Internet surpassed newspapers as main source of info 40% get news from

Internet (16% increase from 2007)

35% get news from newspapers

70% get news from TV

Internet Overtakes Newspapers:The Shifting Communications Model

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Top 10 Newspaper Web Sites for 2008 (% increase from 2007)

1. NYTimes.com 33%

2. USATODAY.com 12%

3. Washingtonpost.com 19%

4. LA Times 54%

5. Wall Street Journal Online 60%

6. Boston Globe 22%

7. New York Post 30%

8. Chicago Tribune 34%

9. New York Daily News 68%

10. San Francisco Chronicle 10%

Newspapers Web Sites

NY Times.com method to online classified ads

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Sales of U.S. magazines fell 12% (Q1 & Q2 2009) Celebrity/women's titles getting hit especially hard

383 folded in 2009 (Q1-Q3), 525 in 2008, 591 in 2007

Magazines

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People create new behavior by adopting new tools

They are empowered and are organizing to drive the issues, stories and agendas If the mainstream won’t

pick it up, the people will

As a result, people are creating their own ad hoc organizations to accomplish what they want

The Audience Will Drive the Story

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1. Facebook 11. Multiply

2. MySpace 12. Friendster

3. Twitter 13. Meetup

4. Linkedin 14. BlackPlanet

5. Classmates 15. Gaia Online

6. Ning 16. Piczo

7. Bebo 17. Orkut

8. Hi5 18. FotoLog

9. Tagged 19. Skyrock

10. MyYearbook 20. Badoo

Social media use rose 27% among adult users (2005 – 2008)

Top 20 Social Sites

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22% of adult social network users have a profile on Facebook, 6% on LinkedIn

Facebook has 300 million active users (If it was a country, would be 4th largest in the world) 70% of Facebook users are outside of the US

LinkedIn has 50 million active users Half are from countries other than US

Median age: LinkedIn: 39; Facebook: 33

Social Sites: Some #s

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75% want info by email

Often less than 1 paragraph(140 characters)

75% read 1 blog for research

33% read 5 blogs for research

33% visit social media sites weekly

Journalist Habits, Preferences

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Microblogging (Twitter), apps (iPhone) impacting Air Force/world communication Pew: 11% of US microblog Twitter user: median age 31

Video YouTube

More content

on YouTube today

than entire Internet in 2000

Hulu Truveo, etc.

Socially, What’s Next?

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Socially, What’s Next?

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Emerging Technology

Goal: Creating and fostering an open and transparent dialogue between multiple users with Web 2.0 applications which benefit military objectives and are in line with overall U.S. Air Force communication strategy

Anti-propaganda Real-life stories of Airmen Conversation Must be transparent Presence doesn’t have

to be robust

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%

Academic 59

Financial Analyst 47

Person like yourself/peer 47

NGO Rep 38

Regular Employee 30

CEO 29

Government Official 27

Corporate Communications 26

Company Website 24

Advertising 13

Trust Barometer 2009

It’s About WOM!

Society trusts people like you & me

Where do Airmen fit in?

Let Airmen make the narrative

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Talk! Peer-to-peer dialogue can be more

influential than mainstream media

Be transparent & honest

Participate by enabling the conversation

Network, extend your personal conversation

Networked Rumor Control

Make Sharing Easy

Ask People for Feedback

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Engage the Conversation

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Find us online

http://www.af.mil/news/newmedia/index.asp

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usairforce

http://www.af.mil/socialmedia.asp

http://www.youtube.com/afbluetube

http://www.facebook.com/usairforce

http://airforcelive.dodlive.mil

Twitter: @afpaa, @airforce,

@usafband, @US_Air_Force,

@airforcenews, @USAFThunderbird,

@airforcelive, @usairforce

More Info

@afpaa http://airforcelive.dodlive.mil

Take a little risk, have some fun!

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Engage