Someone told me this week that the reason military spouses do not hold positions of power in military programing is because they don’t get the right entry level jobs. That kind of comment used to make me wanna grind my teeth.
Not anymore. Because in the age of Social Media, I know that the entry doors to careers aren’t the only way military spouses enter the Halls of Power. There are backdoors propped open for us. Windows left ajar. Fire escapes. Helicopter pads. I personally owe my entire career to crawling through the job equivalent of a bathroom window.
One of those windows to influence is open right now. Military.com is sponsoring their MilBlog Conference to be held May 11 and 12 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel in the Washington DC area. Military.com is advertising it as the premiere event for the military blogging community comprised of service members, veterans, military spouses, military parents and military supporters.
That sounds all worthy and everything, but I see it as opportunity for the rest of us professionals. One of the major focuses of the conference is how social media is being used by military members in the field, how families are using it at home, and how it is changing the face of modern warfighting. I don’t know of a modern military family that does not use social media—Facebook or Twitter or Pintrest or Spousebuzz—to inform and expand their military life. What better way to influence that future than partake in an event where you bring your interests and questions to a group that writes about military life for a national audience every day?
That’s why I am going. I am moderating the panel of bloggers who have had a real impact on the world through their blogs. We’ll talk to key bloggers about their process, the roadblocks they faced from the military and how they evolved as writers and newsmakers in their own right. Hear from Alex Horton (VA), Matthew Burden (Blackfive), JP Borda (Milblogging.com), Matt Gallagher (IAVA), 1st Lt. Hannah He (US Army) and one of my favorite military spouses of all time Tara Crooks founder of the Army Wife Network.
We SpouseBuzzers will also be gathering at lunch to do some networking and see how we can help each other move forward. So come sit next to me at the MilBlog Conference. I’ll leave the light on for you.
Navy wife Jacey Eckhart is Editor of SpouseBuzz and author of I Married a Spartan?? The Care and Feeding of Your Military Marriage available on iTunes, Amazon, and on www.jaceyeckhart.com.
