Even the Military Loves Social Networking

November 12th, 2008

In honor of Veteran’s Day (ok - I’m a day late) I’d like to give a round of applause to TroopTube.com, a YouTube-like site that connects soldiers with families and friends, keeping them up to date on the little things in life.

In addition to those serving our country, members not in the military can create an account as a civilian friend or family member and can easily upload and share videos. TroopTube does say that members have the option to share videos with everyone or only with a select few, but I couldn’t really tell how a member chooses who can view the video, or if a member can have “friends” to choose from.

The site is only in its Beta version and was created by Military OneSource, an authorized Department of Defense program that provides support to Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, and their families. There are few videos, but I am sure that is only because the site just launched.

I love how social networking has made its way into every nook of society and even the armed forces see its value. I just hope as the hunt to monetize social media continues TroopTube is left alone. It embodies the core values social networking started with - finding a way to connect when you’re not there. To me, a TroopTube member is going to the site for one purpose, most likely with limited time, and wouldn’t be interested in anything other than new videos from friends and families, so what’s the point to try and monetize if they can’t be easily distracted? We’ll see what happens…..