Photo By Terrance Bell | 1st Sgt. Lauren Flores, first sergeant, 111th Quartermaster Company, has used the...... read more read more
FORT LEE, Va. (May 7, 2019) -- First Sgt. Lauren Flores said her unit’s pre-COVID social media presence was not much more than a photo scrapbook.
“Our Facebook page basically consisted of us doing cool stuff,” observed the 111th Quartermaster Company’s senior enlisted Soldier. “It was us training – on the obstacle course or on planes loading pallets. It was like, ‘The 111th did this today.’”
Since the coronavirus has spread its tentacles throughout the Army, however, things have changed. Flores noted how her unit’s page has morphed into a training platform and a quasi-company bulletin board, among other purposes.
“It has been a magnificent tool to get things out to these (young Soldiers) – the 18-24 year-olds – giving them the information they need while maintaining social distancing,” she said.
The 111th leadership team is among many across post that have turned to social media to disseminate information and engage with the rank and file in ways deeper than ever before. Challenged by stay-at-home orders and the need for social distancing, they’re leveraging the Web applications that close distances and reach large audiences almost immediately.
A look at unit Facebook pages here reveals the depth of engagement since the installation implemented strategies to “stop the spread.” The discontinuation of guest attendance at CASCOM student graduations and other events were the undercurrent pushing page administrators to up their presence as a way to keep families informed and address their uncertainties.
Staff Sgt. Ebony Harris, 262nd Quartermaster Battalion Facebook administrator, said her job became exponentially more important due to the crisis.
“Soldiers are not immune to feelings of frustration and nervousness about this crisis, and that tends to bring forth confusion and tons of questions (from family members),” Harris said. “We had to find a way to keep our families at ease because, oftentimes, they get information quicker than the students who don’t always have their phones and (therefore) access to social media. So, when they get the opportunity to call home, mom is asking, ‘What’s this or what’s that?’ Our challenge was finding a way to quickly post updates to help family members remain calm and save their Soldiers the stress and nervousness in an already difficult time.”
Harris and her commander strategized how the unit would respond in the turbulent first few weeks of the crisis.
“We were already doing certain things, so there was some business as usual,” she said. “She wanted me to, however, monitor the (Facebook) pages of CASCOM, Department of the Army and DOD for anything that was pertinent and relating to the pandemic so we could post those updates.”
Harris said she also relied on the ArmyFortLee Facebook page because it regularly posted installation closings and how “changes were directly affecting post.”
To balance the steady doses of COVID-19 information, Harris said the battalion never got away from “good news” items and features celebrating the achievements of Soldiers and cadre.
“A lot is going on due to the restrictions we have,” she said. “Families and friends may not be able to physically see their Soldiers, but by posting their stories and pictures, it gives them a sense of relief and comfort knowing they’re being taken care of while we’re fulfilling the mission of training future sustainers.”
An example is the weekly “What’s Your Warrior” video that allows the battalion to “highlight the great things Soldiers are doing,” Harris said.
Official events such as changes of command and weekly installation town halls also are featured on the battalion page. It gives a sense of order and contributes to the overarching image the 262nd QM Bn., wants to project during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That we are safe,” Harris punctuated. “Everything is OK. We’re safe and, above all, your sons and daughters are safe, and their well-being and morale is most important. At the end of the day, we’re nothing without our Soldiers.”
The 262nd QM Bn. Facebook page has increased its followers by 15 percent since mid-March, according to Harris.
Sgt. 1st Class Chad Kenney from the Joint Culinary Center of Excellence has the job of promoting the enlisted aide segment of the culinary career field. He had what equates to an epiphany a few weeks ago when it occurred to him Soldiers attending the Logistics Noncommissioned Officer Academy were distance learning and not in classrooms.
“We realized the importance of flooding the forces with information so they could make informed decisions,” Kenney said. “Everybody is at home looking at laptops on their couches or working in makeshift offices.
They’re scrolling and fully engaged in social media; more so than they would be in their operational jobs. We decided to capitalize on that.”
Kenney’s office produced a short video promoting opportunities for enlisted aides. In roughly two weeks, it received more than 8,000 views.
“I have received five inquires (regarding enlisted aide positions), and I’m hoping for more to come,” he said. “I also hope other programs will see benefits as well.”
The other opportunities in the program are senior executive dining facility positions as well as those for executive aircraft.
Kenney, who said he is not a big social media user on a personal level, can now see how it can be an effective tool to broadcast and convey messages. He said his office has crafted a long-term strategy as a result of the video’s success.
“I am coordinating continuously with other enlisted aides in the force,” he said. “In fact, we have successfully conducted our (the Army’s EA Program’s) first Microsoft Teams Meeting in which we had 34 attendees. ... I am very interested in other platforms as well.”
Flores, also not a big user of social media pre-COVID, similarly noted how Facebook exceeded her expectations, particularly as a training platform. She has involved her Soldiers in coming up with content. She remembered how some of them stepped up when she expressed interest in the project.
“I gave an E-5 and three E-4s some creativity time,” she said in reference to making a summer safety video. “I told them to ‘do what you want,’ but I want to see the product (before posting). It was awesome. They were creative and got the message through by doing the research themselves. They became this independent cell, and they did fantastic.”
Flores also likes how social media – with its ability to highlight – lends itself to positivity. She said she regularly posts Soldiers’ achievements with the residual intent to reinforce positive behavior.
“If a Soldier scores 300 on the PT test, the first sergeant and the executive officer will post it and tag mom and dad to say, ‘Look what I’m doing.’ Soldiers also react favorably to positive social media. Those are instances when they become more productive and make better individual decisions. First sergeants love that.”
Flores loves all the merits of social media to the extent she has no plans to abandon her unit’s online presence when the COVID-19 threat passes.
All organizations at Fort Lee are reminded that social media pages must be registered and there is a training requirement for administrators. For further details, read the social media memorandum available at home.army.mil/lee/index.php/about/policies-and-regulations (Installation tab, Personal Conduct menu option). The Army Social Media Handbook is available at www.army.mil/socialmedia.
| Date Taken: | 05.07.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2020 14:45 |
| Story ID: | 369451 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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