You don’t often hear a three-star general using the word “friend” as a verb. But for Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley and other Army brass, a new era has brought a new language — and new tools like online social networks Twitter and Facebook — for seeking out young recruits and spreading the military’s message.
Freakley, who heads the Army command that oversees recruiting, says social networking sites offer another way to reach tomorrow’s soldiers.
“They live in the virtual world,” Freakley said. He cited Facebook as a key component in targeting 18-to 24-year-olds. “You could friend your recruiter, and then he could talk to your friends.”
The Army isn’t the only branch of the military with Facebook friends or that has a following on Twitter. The Air Force has also established a Facebook page, Twitter feeds and a blog, while the Marine Corps is using various networking sites mainly for recruiting purposes. The Navy is “experimenting” with several forms of online media, and some of its commands are using Twitter, a spokesman said.
Even the Coast Guard commandant regularly updates his Facebook status while traveling.
The Army has also added to its Web site video games, a virtual recruiter and clips that answer commonly asked questions about life in uniform.
Showing off the videos during an interview at his office at Fort Monroe, Freakley said some of the questions are surprising: Can I have a dog in the Army? Can I buy a truck in the Army? Can I be married in the Army? The Army, Freakley said, wants to answer those questions.
The Coast Guard also maintains a presence online. Adm. Thad Allen, Coast Guard commandant, routinely updates his own Facebook status from his cell phone while traveling. He also posts video blogs from overseas, said a spokesman, Lt. Tony Migliorini, who called it an effort to collaborate with the public in real time.
According to Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, director of the Army’s newly formed social media division, the services’ presence beyond their Web sites represents a “culture shift.”
“I’m sure there was the same pushback years ago when somebody invented the telephone. ‘Ooh, you can’t talk there because somebody might hear you.’ Well, that’s the whole point. We want people to hear us.” (STAFF WRITER WITH AP)
你很少會聽到一位三顆星的將軍說「交友」這個詞。但對陸軍中將班傑明．菲力克里和其他陸軍軍官而言，新時代的來臨帶來了新的語言──還有像Twitter和Facebook這類社交網站新工具，可以讓他們用來招募新血及傳遞軍方訊息。
菲力克里統領負責募兵工作的陸軍司令部，他表示這些社交網站是另一種招募未來士兵的工具。
菲力克里說：「他們存在虛擬的世界裡，你可以把招募者加入朋友，他就可以和你的朋友交流。」他指出，Facebook是個能鎖定十八到二十四歲族群的重要工具。
陸軍並不是美國軍方唯一在Facebook上交友或在Twitter上有網友追蹤的單位。美國空軍也開了Facebook專屬網頁、Twitter帳號和部落格；海軍陸戰隊也特地使用多種社群網路招募新兵。海軍發言人說，海軍正在「實驗」數種不同類型的線上媒體，部份海軍部隊也已經在使用Twitter了。
就連海岸防衛隊指揮官在巡航時，都會定期上Facebook更新狀態。
陸軍也在其網頁上放了電玩遊戲、一位虛擬招募人員，還有解答軍旅生活常見問題的影片。
菲力克里在他門羅堡的辦公室受訪時放映了這些影片，他說其中有些問題讓人跌破眼鏡：軍隊裡可以養狗嗎？我可以在軍中買一輛卡車嗎？已婚者也可以從軍嗎？菲力克里說，陸軍希望解答那些疑問。
海岸防衛隊也在網路上「駐軍」。海岸防衛隊指揮官泰德．艾倫上將巡航時，習慣透過手機在Facebook上更新他的狀態。他也會從國外張貼影片網誌，海防隊發言人東尼．米格里歐瑞尼上尉說這是為了即時和大眾交流。
陸軍新成立的社交媒體部門主任凱文．亞瑞塔中校說，他們成立的社交網站還象徵一種「文化移轉」。
「我相信這就和數年前電話發明時一樣，『噢，你不能在電話裡說，因為別人可能會聽到。』不過重點就在這裡，我們就是要大眾聽到我們的聲音。」
（翻譯：袁星塵）
After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican’s papal conclave on May 8 elected a new leader for the Catholic Church. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who chose to be called Leo XIV, became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. But what exactly does a pope do? Here is a rundown of his main responsibilities. CATHOLIC LEADER The word pope comes from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father, patriarch,” which is why believers call him the Holy Father. He is considered the successor of St Peter, to whom Jesus Christ is said to have entrusted
If you could nominate any toys for the Toy Hall of Fame, what would they be? Iconic playthings like yo-yos, toy cars, or video games seem like obvious __1__. Classic toys such as jacks, playing cards, and board games like Chess, Monopoly, and Uno have brought endless joy to generations. Overall, there are countless toys that __2__ in the Toy Hall of Fame. The National Toy Hall of Fame was __3__ in 1998 at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The Toy Hall of Fame aims to __4__ items that have been cherished for generations, and several
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang However, not every toy has its moment. Some fans were __8__ that simple classics like balloons—a universal symbol of celebrations—haven’t made the cut yet. With their lightweight charms and transformative puffs of air, balloons have __9__ millions for decades and will have to wait at least another year for a chance to be inducted. As the Toy Hall of Fame continues to celebrate toys that __10__ creativity and joy, we can only wonder which treasures will earn a spot next. Will the widely adored balloon finally take its place in 2025? Only time will tell, but one thing is
Have you ever wondered who decides what we see in a museum or how one artwork seamlessly connects to the next? Behind every thoughtfully arranged gallery space stands a curator, a skilled professional who combines art and storytelling to craft meaningful experiences. The term “curator” originates from the Latin word cura, meaning “to care.” Curators were originally caretakers of museum collections, but over time, their role has grown to include a broad range of responsibilities that extend far beyond preservation. Today, curators manage, organize and interpret collections in cultural institutions like museums and libraries. They research, acquire and catalogue
RSS