AFRC hosts PA Conference

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jeff Walston
  • 917th Public Affairs
Barksdale AFB, La. --  Almost 170 public affairs professionals attended the Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs Conference 2010 in Minneapolis, Minn., July 19-22.

The conference, which is hosted every two years, "allows PA representatives from throughout the AFRC to meet over a three-day period and receive training they can't get anywhere else," said Chief Master Sgt. Howard Smith, public affairs functional manager, Air Force Reserve Command.

Maj. Gen. Martin M. Mazick, vice commander, Air Force Reserve Command, addressed the group at the beginning of the conference and presented the command focus.

The workshops, activities and speakers at the conference were designed to help the attendees sharpen their skills and expand their networks of like-minded professional communicators.

"It's important to be familiar with co-workers from other bases and areas," Chief Smith said. "Our ultimate goal is to tell the reserve command story ... document the day ... inform the world."

A major theme of the conference was social media. And although it is just one of the internet based capabilities the Air Force Reserves now has at its fingertips, it is shaping up to become a major addition to the more traditional ways the Air Force has used to get its story out to the public.

The Air Force Public Affairs Agency Emerging Technology Division submits that research shows traditional journalism is shifting and now uses Web as a primary resource for information. Air Force Public Affairs must be proactive; ensuring the truthful representation of the Air Force is conveyed online.

Technology and additional training like that experienced at the conference is bringing more responsibility and abilities to the individual Public Affairs Airman in the field.

Social Media's growth and employment has increased the Air Force's ability to be more proactive. Now, the term 'public affairs professional' is almost an institution of one. They can write it, shoot it, edit it, and post it to the web.

"The challenge is going to be there for all of us," General Mazick said. "There is going to continue to be change, but we will always strive to maintain tier one capabilities in the Air Force Reserve community - - adapt to the new technology and use it to tell our story."

"As (Public Affairs) your message to the world ... we're still hiring," the General said.

The conference also included problem solving workshops and lectures on new programs and networks available to Airmen to enhance the performance of their duties.

One of the biggest advantages of the conference was the ability of all attendees to learn from the experiences of those around them while sharing ideas with members of other units. Learning from each other and creating networks to solve problems that might occur in the future is invaluable to a Public Affairs profession.

Bringing these Airmen to one central location for training also saves time and money.

"The mere cost involved is less expensive than (instructors) going to each base to train our personnel," said Chief Smith. "The professional contacts and lessons learned here will last for the rest of their careers."