--- title: Armed with Social Media – The U.S. Department of Defense image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1603997811-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e20120a6349ef5970c-120wi.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2009/10/us_dod_social_media.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Armed with Social Media – The U.S. Department of Defense October 13th, 2009 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1603997811-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e20120a6349ef5970c-120wi.jpg?width=120&height=122&name=6a00d83451f23a69e20120a6349ef5970c-120wi.jpg) [![Dod](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/file-1603997811-jpg/blog-files/6a00d83451f23a69e20120a6349ef5970c-120wi.jpg)](http://freshspot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f23a69e20120a6349ef5970c-pi) During [my visit to The Pentagon](https://www.webinknow.com/2009/10/the-us-department-of-defense-communications-arsenal.html) on Friday, I had the pleasure of spending time with Roxie Merritt, Director of New Media Operations at the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of Defense. While she is the top social media person at the U.S. Department of Defense, she also has an extensive background working with mainstream media to get the story out. It was interesting to spend time discussing how new media is being used in conjunction with mainstream media within the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines. Video is about 8 minutes. Filmed with [my Flip HD video camera](https://www.webinknow.com/2009/05/a-flip-video-camera-in-every-marketers-and-customers-pocket.html) and edited on iMovie. [Direct link to the video here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpVPNbrrQYs) My favorite (lightly edited) quote: *"I don’t have to do anything [to correct a blogger who gets something wrong]. Other bloggers who were in the same conversation with the subject matter experts will say 'hey you got it all wrong.'... It's not about controlling the message any more. It's about giving people as much information and resources and facts as they can." * **:00 – 2:40** What the department of defense is doing to reach out to bloggers and how building relationships with bloggers is similar to media relations. **2:40 – 5:00** How the social media community is a self-correcting mechanism and how to lose control of the message. **5:00 – 5:30** On the decentralization of social media at the DoD. **5:30 - 6:00** How to reach the 65 percent of service members are digital natives. **6:00 – 7: 40** The immediacy of news and the importance of fact checking. Watch this blog the rest of the week for a video interviews with Brian Natwick, General Manager of the Pentagon Channel and Colonel Kevin Arata, US Army, Director Online & Social Media. [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Social Media ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/social-media) [ Case Studies ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/case-studies) [ Media Relations ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/media-relations) [ Brand Journalism ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/brand-journalism) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Artemis%20earthset.jpg?width=5568&height=3712&name=Artemis%20earthset.jpg) ### Nasa’s Artemis II Lunar Mission: A PR Triumph for the USA April 11th, 2026|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/nasas-artemis-ii-lunar-mission-a-pr-triumph-for-the-usa) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Moltbook.jpg?width=1536&height=1024&name=Moltbook.jpg) ### Moltbook: A Social Network for AI Agents Where Humans Can Only Watch February 3rd, 2026|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/moltbook-a-social-network-for-ai-agents-where-humans-can-only-watch) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-10-29%20at%2010.27.19%20AM.png?width=835&height=466&name=Screenshot%202025-10-29%20at%2010.27.19%20AM.png) ### Don’t Fly Wizzness Class Video from Dave Carroll October 29th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/dont-fly-wizzness-class-video-from-dave-carroll) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Chef%20Todd%20Edwards.jpg?width=1500&height=1010&name=Chef%20Todd%20Edwards.jpg) ### Pulling Back the Curtain to Show What Happens Behind-the-Scenes October 15th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/pulling-back-the-curtain-to-show-what-happens-behind-the-scenes) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DMS%20BM%20hybrid%202004.jpg?width=1432&height=966&name=DMS%20BM%20hybrid%202004.jpg) ### The Fandom Playbook: My New Book and Companion AI Chatbot September 24th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-fandom-playbook-my-new-book-and-companion-ai-chatbot) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Stefano%20Paciotti.jpg?width=1500&height=1084&name=Stefano%20Paciotti.jpg) ### The Ham Whisperer of Rome: How Stefano’s Honest Videos Won the World’s Heart June 24th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/the-ham-whisperer-of-rome-how-stefanos-honest-videos-won-the-worlds-heart) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LinkedIn%20comments.jpg?width=1114&height=737&name=LinkedIn%20comments.jpg) ### Comments Are the Key to LinkedIn Engagement January 29th, 2025|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/comments-are-the-key-to-linkedin-engagement) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kolkata%20Chai%20Ani%20and%20Ayan.jpg?width=1236&height=858&name=Kolkata%20Chai%20Ani%20and%20Ayan.jpg) ### Brewing Authenticity: How Kolkata Chai Co. 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