Public affairs uses variety of channels to get the word out

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Jason Haag
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  In today's world of instant communication via the Internet, e-mail and cell phones, it still remains a challenge to reach an audience of more than 10,000 people who have different preferences of how they receive information.

A recent example of the importance of timely information flow was the winter-weather closures that impacted Offutt. Because many people depart early in the morning for work, it was vital they were notified of their duty status quickly to avoid putting them at an unnecessary risk by being on the roads.

"In a situation like weather delays, closure or emergency situations, the primary and most reliable source of information is unit recall procedures," said Miles Brown, 55th Wing Public Affairs director. "All other avenues are supplemental to recall efforts."

Besides recall notifications, there are other sources of information. Information on the snow line and Offutt's social media Web sites is updated by public affairs and can be considered official information.

The snow line (232-2653) allows people to call in and hear a recorded message of the reporting status. On days of adverse weather, it can be difficult to get through to the recording because the number of incoming phone lines are limited. This also hampers public affairs' ability to update the recording.

"We had a case where our on-call representative couldn't get through to update the message due the high volume of people trying to call for updates. This created some confusion for those who were able get in as the information was out of date," said Mr. Brown.

Probably the quickest sources of information are the Offutt social media Web sites. The wing public affairs office currently maintains a Twitter feed, along with a Facebook fan page and MySpace page. Although the sites are mostly used for putting out routine information, they also give public affairs the ability to disseminate information within minutes of receiving it.

"After receiving the call from the command post, our on-call PA representative immediately updates those sites, providing almost real-time information," Mr. Brown said.

Both Twitter and Facebook allow people to sign up for mobile alerts, so updates to those sites can be sent directly to a text messaging-enabled cell phone. Standard text messaging rates apply. Government issued cell phone holders shouldn't set up their phones to receive these updates, as it's an added cost to the government.

Team Offutt can also tune into local TV and radio stations for delayed reporting updates, but people need to remember those outlets aren't considered an official source of information and exercise caution when acting on that information, especially when only one station is reporting a delay, according to Mr. Brown

There have been two instances lately of a local media outlet displaying inaccurate delayed reporting messages. PA is working with media outlets to prevent this from happening in the future.

"If a delay or closure appears on one station, I would recommend checking another station as well. Ultimately, if you aren't sure, contact your supervisor or unit for guidance," said Mr. Brown.

Beyond weather delays and other time sensitive information, public affairs also is responsible for communicating routine information to the base and has a number of different outlets available to do so.

The social media sites are combined with other mediums to ensure information is getting out the most effective way possible. These include the marquees at the gates, Offutt Update recording, Offutt Web site and the Offutt E-News.

"When somebody submits something to public affairs, we look at the information and decide the best way to get it out to those who need it," said Debbie Aragon, wing PA chief of internal information.

"While something may be good to record for the Offutt Update, it might not work on the marquees," Ms. Aragon added. Each method of putting out information has limitations on how it can be used and sometimes even includes a character count limit in the message itself. Twitter, for example, only allows messages of 140 characters or less.

"The best way to get your message out is to e-mail it to us. From there, one of our public affairs specialists will evaluate the item to decide which communication channels to use for dissemination," Ms. Aragon said.

One source of information that many people rely on for information is not actually produced by public affairs. The Base 68113 newspaper is distributed on base, but is edited and produced by a local company.

"We stopped producing an official base newspaper (Air Pulse) in April of 2008 and now use the Offutt E-News and Web site as primary means to get information out," Ms. Aragon said. "Most of the information in The Base 68113 comes from our Web site and other Air Force news sources, but the paper is considered a media outlet. People should consult with public affairs before contacting them with story ideas."

With all of these different sources of information available to people on base, Ms. Aragon said it's important to make sure people aren't overloaded and start blocking information out and miss something important.

"Our job is to evaluate each piece of information that comes in and determine how it can best be disseminated to the audience it needs to reach. Sometimes that's through multiple sources and other times it may be just one source," Ms. Aragon said.

People who want information publicized should begin by calling public affairs at 294-3663 or e-mail the information with contact phone number to news@offutt.af.mil.

Here's a brief overview of the mediums used by public affairs to help keep Team Offutt informed.

Facebook page:
55 WG/PA maintains a "fan page" through the popular social networking Web site Facebook. The page provides quick news updates, photos and let's people comment on what is happening around Offutt. The Offutt "friends" page is being terminated, so those using that page are encouraged to join the fans page. Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Offutt-Air-Force-Base-NE/Offutt-Air-Force-Base/216195223792?ref=ts

MySpace page:
The 55 WG/PA MySpace social media page provides quick news updates, photos and lets people comment on what's happening around Offutt. Link: http://www.myspace.com/offuttafb.

Twitter:
Twitter is another social media site that lets users communicate through a series of short, or micro blog, messages. Public affairs uses Twitter to get out quick messages to subscribers and also to link to longer news stories found on the Internet. Link: http://www.twitter.com/Offutt_AFB

Marquees:
The marquees are electronic signs visible to traffic entering and exiting Offutt through the SAC and Kenney gates and are designed for informational messages. Common messages include safety reminders, event notices and welcome messages for distinguished visitors. Public affairs has a template people can fill out which shows the exact number of character space available.

Offutt Update:
The Offutt Update is a recording produced each workday by public affairs that includes information about base activities and other important news. The update is heard on the base phone system when a caller is placed on call. People can also call in to hear the entire recording by dialing *55 from a base phone and 232-2525 from any phone.

Offutt Web site:
The Offutt Web site includes longer news and feature stories along with photos, as well as other Offutt information, such as fact sheet, biographies, videos, unit information and links to other Air Force Web resources. Link: http://www.offutt.af.mil.

Offutt E-News:
The Offutt E-News is an electronic newsletter that is e-mailed to all 55th Wing and Air Force Weather Agency users on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, excluding holidays. It's also provided to U.S. Strategic Command public affairs for dissemination as they see fit. It is used for sending out announcements and other short bits of information.

Commander's Access Channel:
Public affairs formerly maintained a Commander's Access Channel (Channel 22) available on the local cable system. As of Feb. 1, that channel has been replaced by the Pentagon Channel full time.