PA1 David J. Schuhlein, April 22, 2015 – Are you active on social media? Are you a collateral duty public affairs officer? Are you part of the leadership at your unit?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need a copy of the newest social media handbook!
The Coast Guard’s Social Media Team has officially released the 2015 Social Media Handbook for the fleet.
In it, you’ll find guidance and tips for conducting official, unofficial and personal use of social media as a Coast Guard member or employee. Also, you’ll find helpful checklists for commands and personnel as well as quick reference guides for Facebook and Twitter.
The handbook itself is intended to be a helpful guide to all members of the Coast Guard family. Everything from personal, professional and family use of social media to account safety and security can be found in the new handbook.
You may ask yourself… why do I need this? The short answer is, in an ever changing social landscape, questions and concerns will inevitably arise for you, your fellow Coast Guard men and women with whom you serve and even your family members. Having this handbook nearby or saved for easy access will help you address these questions quickly.
In addition, there is Coast Guard Commandant social media strategy within it to assist leaders and individuals in understanding why and what we’re doing as a military service on these social media platforms.
“Social media has advanced our ability to tell the Coast Guard’s story and has uniquely allowed us to engage in direct dialogue with our audience,” said Capt. Tony Hahn, Chief, Office of Public Affairs. He added, “Social media provides us an amazing opportunity to reach audiences that we have never been able to reach and your personal use of social media can be a big part of this.”
Download your own copy and check out some of the latest social media stats:
*Facebook: 1.39 billion active users worldwide.
*Instagram: fastest growing with 300 million active users worldwide.
*Twitter: 288 million active users worldwide, 65 million in the U.S. alone.
*YouTube: More than 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, with hundreds of hours watched daily on the Coast Guard’s YouTube channel.
*Flickr: 92 million active monthly users.