With the explosion of social media sites like USAWTFM, Terminal CWO, the Salty SPC, etc: Are they effective?

CSM Carl Cunningham — Thu, 06 May 2021 12:42:36 -0400

Do you feel that they are actually solving problems, or are they causing more problems? Are senior leaders using it appropriately to handle potential problems? Or do you think they are preaching a party line and clueless as to what is really happening with Soldiers?

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made May 6 at 2021 12:51 PM

SFC Casey O'Mally — Thu, 06 May 2021 12:51:41 -0400

I must caveat that I am not on ANY of those sites. RP is literally my only social media. That being said, my personal opinion is that if leadership is needing to rely on these sites for "ground truth" with their Soldiers, then there is a lot more wrong with the situation than how they do or do not respond to those sites.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2021 12:53 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 06 May 2021 12:53:07 -0400

CSM Carl Cunningham - I think that the WTF page has brought to light a lot of issues that were being ignored and did get them addressed. Also they will often post Go Fund Mes or other things to help out veterans, active duty etc. They will put out calls for veterans who have died and may not have family so people are there at the funeral.

When my daughter needed a transplant and I was looking for living donors, they posted her story to their site. I had a lot of people messaging the page I made for her with interest in being a donor, how to get tested. Ultimately, none came through and she ended up with a deceased donor kidney. But it got her story out there to more people. They do things like that quite often and I think they have helped a lot of SMs and veterans.

I think sometimes you have once in awhile misinformation spreads through texts and then they post it. They're not perfect, they are human.

I don't know about the other pages. I also know that the SMA is very active on Twitter and he addresses a lot of issues or even any misinformation. I don't think a lot of SMs realize how big of a presence he has on Twitter and interacting with Soldiers.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2021 1:04 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 06 May 2021 13:04:23 -0400

Regardless of a website’s slant be it (ostensibly) official or otherwise, at the end of the day most (but not all) folks know who and what = really *Up Front* irrespective of the *party line*-speak du jour be it left/right/blue/red/green/right/wrong or maybe. And —-> some Mark Twain.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made May 6 at 2021 2:51 PM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Thu, 06 May 2021 14:51:43 -0400

If anyone is expecting these sites to "solve problems" I think that would be an unrealistic expectation. They are silly sites meant to raise moral and create laughter. I know some sites have evolved beyond meme generation but it is whatever they want it to be. I would also think calling them disconnected from their target demographic or clueless would also be false as most content creators are within the target demographic as well. Their opinions may not be popular but there is generally a reason they have them and that reason is usually first hand experience.

I agree that sometimes folks can get in hot water with what they submit to the page but people have been getting flagged for social media content for almost 2 decades at this point

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made May 6 at 2021 3:03 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Thu, 06 May 2021 15:03:32 -0400

US Army WTF is doing a lot more than the IG ever did. Most of the high visibility issues the Army is currently dealing with were known about for years, but only dealt with as a result of social media exposure...

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2021 4:28 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 06 May 2021 16:28:48 -0400

I went a bit longer with this one than I originally intended.

It's an interesting issue to explore. Military social media, whether Veteran or currently serving has become a playing field to vent about issues with the chain of command or about an installation; in addition to of course memes and a variety of other topics. It doesn't always provide help, but it does make many feel that they can lend a voice to an issue whether right or wrong.

So if we have, and I know in many cases we do, service members going to social media to vent their issues instead of their chain; the chain has already failed. We've already seen this with U.S. Army WTF Moments and a few other pages where issues become high profile whether it's the VA or an active post. We've seen senior leadership getting busted for committing crimes or being directly detrimental to the morale and welfare of those under their charge.

Do these pages have dirt bags, unnecessary or pointless complaints, general razzing, and unprofessionalism? Of course, but so does the motor pool on Monday. Are these sites going to solve problems? Maybe for an individual with Veteran fundraising and the like, but for the military as a whole I think the best they do is highlight issues that have been ignored or swept under the proverbial rug.

General Powell once said, "The day the Soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership."

Not every service member is going to go to their leadership about every little thing, sometimes they just want a community to vent with. That said, if it's a serious legitimate issue and they went to social media instead of the chain then a link in that chain failed somewhere. Some people may bristle at this but if this is the case then they don't view you as a leader they can come to, they view you as a bad joke with rank.

I think military social media pages and websites should be observed, and of course taken with a grain of salt. People in leadership positions should be asking if the things they're seeing on these pages are happening in their units or on their installation. They then have to ask themselves the hard question, are they part of the problem? What can they do to address issues in the ranks?

I'm just some guy on the low end of the pole here, so take my opinion and explanation with a grain of salt too; but also take a good hard look at the people around you. If you're in charge, are you doing what's best for them? Some of the best leaders I've had didn't always make me happy, sometimes they frustrated the hell out of me; but I knew they were there for me and they would fight for me if I needed it. I've also known people in charge that I wouldn't go to for a damn thing, I'd call Joe Snuffy before I ever called on them.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2021 6:07 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 06 May 2021 18:07:05 -0400

What is the goal that they should be rated against?
My guess is their founders goals and the services goals may not align.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2021 10:29 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 06 May 2021 22:29:04 -0400

IMO, these sites show leaders that things can always be improved upon, by addressing a problem that occurs by not trooping the line within the ranks CSM. Although some of the situations are funny, it just goes to show that leaders are developed and if they’re not, then technology makes them a walking meme.

Response by CPL Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2021 1:07 AM

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 May 2021 01:07:29 -0400

A lot of it honestly funny. These aren't confidential reporting sites.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made May 7 at 2021 10:49 AM

SSG Edward Tilton — Fri, 07 May 2021 10:49:50 -0400

Advice is worth what you paid for it

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 9 at 2021 1:25 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 May 2021 13:25:28 -0400

I don't know about the other pages but I have seen USAWTFM expose some problems and get them fixed. There was a couple times some soldiers were getting leave denied for seemingly ludicrous reasons. The page exposed it, and the soldiers got their leave. There were a few other examples I can't think of off the top of my head that the page solved so I think at least that one is helping those in need, if not making a difference.