What is the actual purpose of having Civilian Supporters and military family Members sign-up on RallyPoint?

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 10:27:23 -0400

This question is for the RP Executives, Administrators, Support Staff, and RP Members (all branches and statuses). If Civilian Supporters that I’m connected with have suggestions please send them to me as well. I hope you can share with the group openly and honestly (unless its a business secret)!

I see a lot of Civilian Supporters and Military Family Members signing up on RallyPoint. I have some questions that I would like to see the answer to for General Purposes (GP) only and get some thoughts from other RP Members on how they can or can't contribute in the future:

I personally have connected with a lot of Civilian Supporters that work in different industries that I'm interested in or would like to network in and I have exchange some really good dialogue with a few on comments they had some of the discussion questions.

I'm sure there are brighter people than me that developed RP and have the answers to all these questions, but I would like to hear the "why", "What if", "Suggestions from RP Members", and "what the future holds" for RallyPoint with regard to Civilian Supporters and Military Family Members!

Questons:

1. I would like to know "why" they are allowed to sign up in the first place?

2. Secondly, what is the benefit to RallyPoint?

3. Does this provide additional advertising to members that can't provide input for outside companies & financial contributors to RP?

4. Was this just an after thought when non-military veterans started signing up through invitations?

4. Could military spouses provide valuable feedback on RP or would that be a waste of time?

5. How many of you have had good dialogue with Civilian Supporters via messages, because that can't reply, post a discussion, and don't have any access to voting, etc...?

6. Should we allow limited access to Civilian Supporters (say so many characters to post a reply or thought), special voting rights, or special characters to add to a post or discussion just to know they are there watching and reading the discussions?

7. Should we give them any "rights" on RallyPoint except for "view" only?

8. Should we give them their own section to post stories or post questions that we RP Members can't jump in on, so they feel welcome?

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Jul 11 at 2015 10:47 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 10:47:10 -0400

The VFW / AL have Auxiliaries.
Perhaps there should be one here in RP
Common discussion areas and private areas for each.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 11 at 2015 11:07 AM

COL Charles Williams — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 11:07:18 -0400

I don't know, and see no reason to allow or want that. Want I liked about this, RP, was it was only for Veterans.... The .45%... COL Mikel J. Burroughs

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 11 at 2015 12:02 PM

PO1 John Miller — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 12:02:33 -0400

Sir I have the same questions and would even take it a step further and ask why foreign military members and young people in DEP are allowed to sign up for RP. Some of the civilian contributors I can understand as they are RP staff. But other than that, I haven't seen any benefit from having them on the site?

Response by SSG Izzy Abbass made Jul 11 at 2015 12:04 PM

SSG Izzy Abbass — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 12:04:34 -0400

As much as I like talking to current service members and Veterans, others including civilians and definitely family members can share some great insight. One of the big goals of RP as i see it, includes transition and employment support. This critical component is greatly facilitated by civilians who may not have served. I'll give you a specific on that. I was the Director of the Boots to Suits program at the University of Colorado Denver. We matched student Vets up with mentors in whatever sector they wanted to go into during their Junior and Senior years. We had a 94% success rate in placements within 90 days of graduation and a 97% retention rate in school if they had not met grad requirements. I had students mentored by energy companies, accounting, human resources and even in the arts. Fantastic program and one thing I used to comment on was that some of our best mentors were non-vets as they forced students to talk in language which the 99% speak in Great program.

In regards to families, I'm a huge believer that the entire family served, one just happened to wear the uniform. They have endured many hardships and made sacrifices to support their husband/wife.

Finally, one thing I would say that we all need to do is break down the divide between civilians and service members. It makes the fabric of our nation stronger. As the Commander of VFW Post 1, we removed the bar for this very reason. Why segregate Veterans away from society? There are 2,500 bars in Denver and we could go to any of them with 20 Vets and get a hell of a discount. What our Post should do is serve as a bridge between the SMVF (Service Members, Veterans and their Families) community and the wider community.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2015 12:53 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 12:53:08 -0400

I used to be very active here until I started seeing non-military/veterans and international members. I think the solution is #8: “give them their own section to post stories or post questions that we RP Members can't jump in on, so they feel welcome.” I’m not even in support of giving them general “view only” rights. I prefer that when a military member starts a discussion, the default should be that it excludes civilians and the asker would have to actively opt them in to allow them even see the threads. It allows me to know/control when I am interacting with these types of members. I also think their ability to become “contacts” should be in some way different. My participation will be much more limited until this is resolved. I do not think RP should be so eager for growth as to get away from its core mission. I have a LinkedIn account. I’m not looking for a second one.

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Jul 11 at 2015 1:18 PM

LTC Yinon Weiss — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 13:18:02 -0400

Hi, here is what is going on with RallyPoint and civilians.

RallyPoint is a site for those who serve and have served, and will remain so. RallyPoint is also a place for networking, for learning, and for career progression. There are times when civilians can contribute in these areas to your benefit, and we plan to create compartmented groups within RallyPoint where this professional interaction can take place. To be clear, these interactions will be compartmented to just their own subject areas, and will not cross over into the rest of RallyPoint. Examples:

- Corporate recruiters who want to help you with your resume, job search, or job application.
- Military families who want to learn from each other and how to better support their units and spouses (any potential "drama" will be kept separate from the rest of RallyPoint).
- Potential recruits interested in joining the military, and want to learn more about opportunities besides just what their local recruiter can tell them.
- Employees of various local businesses who want to help veterans in their job search and transition.

If the above is not of interest to a RallyPoint member, then you do not have to engage in any of it, or even see it. Civilians cannot post to you, and cannot initiate a contact request (but you can initiate one to them). Helping military members advance their career both inside and outside the military is one of our primary missions, and to support the "outside the military" piece of it, allowing civilian recruiters and supporters on the site that can help you, if you seek it, is part of the way we intend to help military members in their transition.

Your feedback is very important to us and we are definitely interested in your input. This is part of the reason we are being very deliberate in how we approach introducing this resource.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jul 11 at 2015 9:04 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 21:04:05 -0400

Some of the civilian supporters on here are in fact RP staff. I have met some of them in person and they are great people. I had the same misgivings when the topic was initially brought up fearing that non-vet civilians would get involved in military discussions and we'd get bad mouthed for our points of view or worse. Thanks to the rules/safeguards in place in place I have never seen that happen. I have seen the posts that have been put up here by the staff and other civilians and they are mostly career/job related and often very useful. The civilians I have had contact both RP staff and others have been very respectful and supportive.

Response by Lisa Schuster made Oct 8 at 2015 2:09 PM

Lisa Schuster — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 14:09:05 -0400

I signed up as a military family member in order to find out how to properly assemble my son's new blue service uniform. My son was severely wounded in Iraq and isn't able to do so himself. I found the help I needed and I appreciate it very much. That being said, I understand the point of the question and I do think that the civilians and families should not have access to everything service members post. Perhaps there should be an option for posts to be shared with "everyone" or "military only." We have a private brain injury caregiver support page and I wouldn't want just anyone reading what we post on there when things are rough!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 21 at 2015 3:34 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 15:34:43 -0500

I enjoy the fact we have a well balanced group and there are experts in many fields. I especially like the new concepts, ideas, and angles that describe new and old problems.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made May 19 at 2017 11:03 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Fri, 19 May 2017 23:03:31 -0400

I am responding late to this conversation COL Mikel J. Burroughs. Originally I was puzzled when civilian supporters responded. I have been used to explaining military history, actions, policy, and terminology to people unfamiliar with it over the years so I tried my best to answer serious questions and in some cases point out errors in understanding or terminology.
I support having civilian supporters including family members on this net.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made May 19 at 2017 11:14 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Fri, 19 May 2017 23:14:34 -0400

COL Mikel J. Burroughs This is a Great Resource and I'm a big believer in "Sharing" That Vast Knowledge Data Base that can be Tapped here. Why Not Allow Others with Questions like Families and Others Thinking About Joining the Military to be able to Reach Out and Get Their Questions Answered by Subject Matter Experts. It is Good that we are Here for Our Brothers and Sisters in Arms but always good to branch out to the Larger Community.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made May 20 at 2017 1:21 PM

Sgt Kelli Mays — Sat, 20 May 2017 13:21:53 -0400

COL Mikel J. Burroughs I signed up with RallyPoint because it is a Military/Veteran site with no civilians. Keeping it Military oriented is what makes it special. I'm not to keen on letting civilians on the site....then it'll just become like any other site.... Just my two cents.

Response by MAJ Keira Brennan made May 21 at 2017 11:45 AM

MAJ Keira Brennan — Sun, 21 May 2017 11:45:25 -0400

Sir - "click bate..." Marketing / Advertisement and corrolation between "clicks" equals revenue. No, I wasn't a marketing major, just something I remember from my PSYOP course.

Response by PO1 John Miller made May 21 at 2017 2:41 PM

PO1 John Miller — Sun, 21 May 2017 14:41:44 -0400

Perhaps things have changed since you first posted this, but I see non-military types (civilian supporters) posting and commenting quite a bit. Has this changed or are they only allowed to post/comment on certain topics?

Response by CPL Dave Hoover made Nov 28 at 2017 10:09 AM

CPL Dave Hoover — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 10:09:46 -0500

COL Mikel J. Burroughs I like seeing Family Members on Rally Point. I was married before entering active duty, so as I moved from duty station to duty station she was part of this. There was a number of times I came home, was gone in a day and my wife was now mom and dad, dealing with everything. Her attitude and conduct allowed me to do my job, bring my soldiers home and return myself. I always felt she had the harder job.

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made Mar 8 at 2018 10:28 PM

SSgt Boyd Herrst — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 22:28:28 -0500

I thinkit’sgood to have the civilian supporters and family members.. It ‘s nice to know We Veteran’s have some support in the community. As for family members.. it’s good to hear their comments of what they see in the Military community..

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2019 4:21 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 17 May 2019 16:21:26 -0400

I was sort of wondering about "civilian supporters" after being "trolled" by an immature (assumed to be ) male a month or so ago. Until that experience I was ignorant of their presence on Rally Point. I doubt these individuals would like to merely sit back and read without being able to reply or post their opinions. I have read posts from military spouses which could benefit active duty members, but for the high school kid who's a "wannabe" soldier, sailor, marine, airman, etc, I doubt these could contribute much to the overall membership, or receive much benefit from belonging. Another way to put it I guess is, for whom was Rally Point established? I was of the impression it was for actual members or former members of the military services.