Ray,

I did catch the guidance from the CSA, and I plan to pass it along to help other leaders understand their influence extends into the cyber domain.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to use social media, your organization will and at some point, as we have all seen with trolling and other acts, it can become a leader’s decisive point.

I first received social media training at the company commander and first sergeant course at Fort Stewart, GA.  There were many points made about usage, but the big take-away for me was: If you don’t tell your unit’s story, someone will.  This was a point regarding unit Facebook pages, as some company commanders felt they were not needed.  I created my unit Facebook page and invited every member of my Troop to include their families.  The act of creating an official Troop government page allowed me to control the information regarding what the unit was accomplishing each week to inform families and Soldiers no longer with the unit.

The message of dignity and respect on the Troop page allowed me to influence ethical behavior on social media throughout my organization.  I recommend all current company/troop commanders take the opportunity to create a unit page if they have not already in an effort to set the standard for social media use; in tandem with the latest message from the CSA.

-Ab