JB MDL surpasses another social-media milestone

Published Feb. 25, 2013
By Senior Airman Bryan Swink
87 Air Base Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst official Facebook page hit another milestone Feb. 24, 2013, by reaching 10,000 fans.

The JB MDL Facebook page officially launched July 27, 2010, and has earned recognition as one of the top Facebook pages in Air Mobility Command and one of the largest wing pages in the Air Force.

The Joint Base Public Affairs team keeps the community updated on-base events and happenings via Facebook. The frequent posts allow service members, families, friends and community members to interact.

"Our goal has always been to provide the JB MDL community with a quick resource for news and information regarding the base and its activities," said Angel Lopez, JB MDL public affairs chief.

The social media site was also an integral tool to keep the joint base community up to date during storms Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The storms both had a direct impact on the mission and caused extensive damage to the local area.

"During the storms, people turned to us for support and though the circumstances were unfortunate, it was rewarding to bring solace to the JB MDL community," said Lopez. "The page made it easier for us to provide immediate responses to our community when they needed it most."

Road openings, restoring power to housing and base cleanup updates kept the Facebook followers informed in a timely manner. Many expressed their gratitude for the hard work and dedication of the cleanup crews.

"Way to go JB! Thanks to all who made it happen! Proud to be here with you all," said Steve Pesut, via Facebook post.

The JB MDL Open House & Air Show also brought more than 200,000 people to the joint base in May 2012. Many of the visitors from across the East Coast used the JB MDL Facebook page as a resource for information and updates. Fans posted more than 250 questions and comments on Facebook before and during the two-day event.

Often touted as a 'new media,' Facebook has changed the way joint base representatives communicate with the public. It provides a setting for people to communicate - literally at their fingertips - with joint base officials.

With the news of recent changes to the operating schedule of gates located throughout the installation, the community took to Facebook and began a discussion that led to more than 75 comments seen by base leadership.

"We want to provide as much information as possible," said Lopez. "Our main goals are to keep the JB MDL community up to date on anything occurring on base and to promote a sense of community."

The public affairs career field is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the public and will take every opportunity to find creative ways to reach the community.

"Achieving 10,000 fans shows how much our community has come together since we developed the Facebook page," said Lopez. "Public affair is all about engaging the community and hearing what they have to say. We hope that by promoting our page we will encourage more people to come online to join in the conversation to let us know how we can better meet their needs."

Call 754-2104 or post a question at www.facebook.com/JBMDL for more information.

(2nd Lt. Alexis McGee contributed to this article)

Facebook page reaches 10,000