The new face of The Flyover for 2011

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Shawn M. Walleck
  • 911 AW/PA
PITTSBURGH IAP ARS --  Since the base's inception in the 1940s, the 911th has used a newsletter, which then morphed into 'The Flyover' magazine. With the explosion of computer technology, how we communicate and receive information has changed dramatically. Where we once waited for the morning paper or a monthly magazine to arrive in the mail, we can now get the most up-to-date information by simply browsing the web at a cyber café while sipping our morning mocha, or from a smart phone while riding along in the commuter carpool.

Because of this cultural shift in how people access information, in December the 911th
Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office will transition how the wing communicates with Reservists and their families between Unit\ Training Assemblies, from the monthly mailed 'Flyover' magazine to a newly created 'facebook' page.

"By using this new communication tool, it will significantly improve the speed and frequency at which we disseminate information," said Lt. Shawn M. Walleck, 911th Public Affairs Officer. "The formal process of magazine production usually takes three weeks, from production to your mailbox. Now we have the capability to deliver information within minutes," the Lieutenant added.

Here's how it works: Unit members and their families must set-up a personal facebook account. The initial set-up process to get an account takes between five to ten minutes. From here, users must type 'Pittsburgh Iap Ars' into the 'FIND' box to locate the wing's page. A note of caution: there are other sites on facebook that have similar names and these are unofficial sites. The only official site for the 911th is 'Pittsburgh Iap Ars' so be sure to type the name exactly as it appears here. Once the page is located, users must send a 'friend request.' A verification message will come to your individual page asking a couple of specific questions. Please reply to this message and from there the PA office will cross reference the 'Alpha' Roster along with an active global e-mail account to grant access. In the case of family members, the unit member must validate on your behalf.

"The page is structured this way for one reason only...SECURITY," said Lt. Walleck. "As members of the military we understand that Operational Security and privacy remain paramount to mission success,"

"The site was built in a unique way in order to address and manage these concerns up front."

In an effort to help users better understand how to control their privacy on facebook, the Public Affairs office will conduct one-hour training seminars beginning with the December UTA and offer training for full-time personnel during the week as well. Even those savvy facebook users should still consider attending the training as the privacy and security settings on a personal account are continually changing and being updated. The training will also go over some facebook etiquette and address the Department of Defense's policy on social media usage.

"Change is inevitable, and for most leveraging facebook is part of everyday life," said Col. Jeffrey T. Pennington, 911th Airlift Wing commander. "There will be a bit of a transition for all of us, especially for those who are still catching up to the social media scene, but know that by participating in an interactive forum like facebook will create a stronger sense of community within our Reserve family, which is our goal."

In addition to providing a forum for unit members to communicate with one another between UTAs, the page will also be a resource for unit news and community information.

"With winter upon us, the unit decided to leverage this new capability as part of our inclement weather base closure and delay plan," said Lt. Col. Pat Ryan, 911th Mission Support Group commander. Our main source is the base's hot line; however, our facebook users will have the convenience of accessing the same information just by checking out our facebook page.

"Timeliness, convenience and community are the Wing's goals of keeping unit members informed in today's fast-paced information age," said Lt. Walleck. Facebook provides today's most popular social media platform to meet the Wing's communication needs. Give it a go and we hope to see those friend requests piling up," concluded Lieutenant Walleck.