Great Video & eBook of the U.S. Air Force using New/Social Media

This video features the creative and unique ways the U.S. Air Force is using New/Social Media to communicate and collectively generating ideas, experiences and knowledge with each other, family and friends as well as the public.  Its truly an inspiring example of how we could use new/social media when we start using these tools with our head and heart rather than using policies or rules and regulations as our starting point.  For me, new/social media can only be successful when it has or creates and invigorates meaning in our lives and to the lives of people who use them. And most important of all, the value of social media lies in the people, not the technology. Then the connections made and communities created will then generate greater services and value than we could ever think of.  The key is to monitor and be aware of the values created and encourage it by engaging with it instead of passively deploying it.

Saying that, I found this video on the GoverningPeople.com website (a website that is meaningful to me as a great online community for advocates of smarter government) which was apart of a post by Mike Kujawski, who I believe is the social media in government ‘Go to Guy in Canada’.  I actually discovered him long time ago when I stumbled upon his great social media presentation on slideshare (below).  His blog is an absolute goldmine for those interested in social media in government.  His posts are fresh and he writes with passion and a lot of enthusiasm, which makes his blog that much more interesting to read. I’m loving his Government 2.0 Best Practices Wiki. I hope to create a similar one for the UK soon. Hope nobody beats me to it (or probably already has!). Thanks for the insipiration Mike!

Here’s a little snipet from Mike’s blog (about section) as an introduction. You can check out his blog here and follow him on Twitter here @mikekujawski.

What exactly do I do for a living?

I am a passionate marketing & social media strategist interested primarily in helping public sector and non-profit organizations find ways to achieve their objectives more efficiently and effectively. In 2005, I helped launch the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM), where I now lead the development of major national, provincial and municipal, public sector & non-profit client marketing strategies. My specific niche is strategic engagement through social media and the study of the broader cultural-anthropological changes taking place thanks to these channels.

In addition to consulting, I am also an international speaker and workshop facilitator on the topics of social media and government 2.0. I currently teach the social media module in the Professional Certificate for Public Sector & Non-Profit Marketing program at Carleton University and have previously taught the Small Business Development Course at Heritage College. I hold a Bachelor of Commerce degree with concentrations in Marketing & International Business. You can download my complete CV here.

Ok, NOW you can enjoy the video! ;p

And here’s the presentation I was talking about.  Here’s a link to Mike’s other slideshare presentations.

Hope it was useful!

Here is the link to the post where Mike originally picked up this video, which includes a free social media book! What a Bonus!

Free social media ebook and video: New Media and the Air Force