52nd Fighter Wing to gain social media site access

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kali L. Gradishar
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  The 52nd Fighter Wing network will soon open up social media and networking sites in line with other Air Force bases around the world.

Air Force officials began a two-week phased opening April 26 of access to social media sites Air Force-wide, and U.S. Air Forces in Europe users should start gaining access beginning May 1, according to an Air Force link article.

"The Air Force policy has changed to allow access to social media sites from .mil computers during duty time. There will obviously be some policy guidance from USAFE, and we'll follow whatever policy guidance that is," said Col. Tip Wight, 52nd FW commander.

"Our people have to be smart. We've got a great job to do. We can't spend all day social networking to the exclusion of our missions," he added. "However, there is value-added to being able to access social information networks from .mil sites."

With Facebook, Twitter, a commander's blog, and spouses' Web site, Sabers have several outlets to search for information about the base, activities, news and other Sabers. Currently, the commander's blog and spouses' Web site are the only social media tools accessible on .mil computers.

The commander has been blogging for almost a year, and it can be accessed via any government computer by common access card users.

"I do the blogging, and I can access that whether I'm at home or on the road," the commander said. "I directly blog with Airmen and receive questions. When they have questions, we'll get them answers. And when it's suggestions for improvement, we'll put those through the chain of command and see whether it's doable or feasible or not.

"We have a variety of topics - everything from wing policies, such as what's the current policy on uniform wear, to suggestions for improvement - such as fixing the base running trail or changing a process to make things better," he added. "It's really spanned the spectrum."

Along with the commander's blog, there is also the spouses' site, which was created nearly two years ago. The Web site is geared toward family members to provide information about programs and activities available to them.

Subsequently, the wing started a Twitter account to relay up-to-date information on wing happenings, as well as a Facebook page for past, current and future Sabers to interact with one another.

"Sabers have kind of been on the leading edge with social media in USAFE. Airmen can interact any time they choose, kind of like a 24/7 Airmen's call," Colonel Wight said.

There are a number of ways providing access to information on social media and networking sites benefits Airmen and their families.

"It's just another tool in the toolbox to communicate with our Airmen and fellow Sabers. It's another way to get the word out, and it's another way to see what's on Airmen's minds," the commander said.
It's not just the younger, more junior Sabers or even people located at Spangdahlem, he said. "We get a lot of people coming into the Facebook page that haven't arrived at Spangdahlem, trying to get a feel for the wing and see what's out there."

While Spangdahlem is moving forward with electronic communications, the commander emphasized maintaining "good old fashioned face-to-face communications."

"It's important to realize that this doesn't replace the chain of command. If you have a question, problem or concern, obviously go to your chain of command first to get the answers there if you can," Colonel Wight said. But if you have an appropriate idea, question or concern, "don't hesitate to pass that on. We want to make contact with all of our Airmen, get their opinions and insights, and find out what's going on and how we can make their lives and jobs better.

"These tools just give us another way to access those Airmen," he said. "It's great in a wing that works 24/7 and is spread across six separate European host-nation countries. It gives everybody in our geographically-separated units access to what's going on."

To access the 52nd FW on Facebook, search for "Spangdahlem Air Base." To access the commander's comments on Twitter, search for "SaberCC." To access the spouses' Web site, visit www.saberspouses.com. The commander's blog can be accessed via a link at www.spangdahlem.af.mil or through the Air Force portal communities link by typing in "52d" in the search field.

Admission to each of the wing's social media and networking tools will vary until Spangdahlem receives access to the sites in accordance with recent Air Force guidance.