916th launches on Facebook Published July 22, 2009 SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Communication is changing. Just ask any military public affairs office. In 2007, a push was made to do away with hard copy base newspapers to help save money and drive readers to base Websites. Due to the recent decline in the economy many large and small newspaper publishers are going out of business. Newspapers in America are dying a slow death as readers turn to other sources to get their news and information. That new source of information is the Internet, and not just Websites, but rather social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and blogs. And the military is trying to keep pace. Surveys show that within the past year nearly 40 percent of adults have used some type of social networking site and the officials at the Pentagon and across the spectrum of services have taken note. The 916th Air Refueling Wing is helping lead Air Force Reserve Command in this new direction. "For recruiting purposes it just makes sense," said Maj. Shannon Mann, 916th Public Affairs chief. "The 19-25 year olds aren't even reading news sites, they are getting their information through social networking, so it just makes sense that we need a presence there." Recruiters realized this awhile ago. Senior Master Sgt. Robert Spears, lead recruiter for the 916th, said his recruiters have access to texting via their Blackberrys because that's how they communicate with potential recruits. "Facebook allows us to have a more open dialogue too," Major Mann said. She was inspired by the Army's Facebook page where people could talk about initiatives, family support, deployments and offer suggestions to leadership. "If you can get people engaged in the conversation then hopefully they take more ownership in the wing and ultimately that helps morale and leadership keep track of the pulse of its members," Major Mann said. The evidence is clear as various commands have a strong social networking presence and it's now almost a prerequisite of general officers to have a blog. Major Mann also indicated that Facebook makes it easier to load information quickly and from remote locations. "We received video footage from our team at RODEO, but because we don't have the proper equipment in our office to open or convert the files for our Website, we just uploaded the video to Facebook." The public affairs chief said she is hopeful for the future of social networking at the 916th. "We're still in the infancy stages with our Facebook page," she said. "But we are there and we are growing and we hope our members and families will join in." The 916th Facebook fan page can be located under '916th Air Refueling Wing' at www.facebook.com