Defense Department Launches Official Military Blogging Platform

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service

May 20, 2009 - The Defense Department has unveiled "DoDLive," a centrally linked and unified platform from which services can create and maintain blogs. "This blogging tool allows all branches of the military an opportunity to establish an official blog about their command, organization or unit," said Brian Natwick, acting director of the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate and general manager of the Pentagon Channel.

This tool will enable Defense Department organizations to communicate on a more personal level, and can be used as an extension to their Web sites.

"Having a central blogging capability means that not only can readers know they're receiving reliable content, but it enables conversations through which the Department of Defense can learn and grow," Natwick said.

Beta testing of the platform began in January. Since its soft launch, the Air Force and Army added service-specific blogs, and the Coast Guard is expected to join in soon.

The department's official blog is at http://DoDLive.mil and is managed by the emerging media directorate. Posts will cover a spectrum of content, including first-person updates from Pentagon Channel reporters and senior Defense Department officials, "DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable" content, internal messages for military audiences and updates on military news stories. The blog also will showcase the department's other social media products such as the Wounded Warrior Diaries, "DoDvClips," and the "Armed with Science" and "Dot Mil Docs" audio webcasts.

"We recognize our servicemembers and organizations are blogging already, and we encourage that," said Les Benito, director of the department's public Web site. "What 'DoDLive' gives us is the top-down support that will help the department dispel any lingering doubts about blogging and security and whether organizations should or shouldn't engage. We hope the conversation expands because of it."

The emerging media directorate was established in October 2006 to educate Defense Department organizations about new media tools and applications, encourage their use throughout the department, and to communicate department messages and priorities more effectively with the public.

(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves with the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)