When reporters in June asked the Pentagon's two senior leaders if they have Facebook pages, Defense Secretary Robert Gates (right) chuckled, "Absolutely not!"
But Adm. Mike Mullen (left), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he did, and explained why he felt it was important that Pentagon leaders know and understand how the kids these days were communicating with each other, with the Twitter and the MySpace and the whatnot.
Within hours of his comments, however, Mullen's spokesperson sent out a slight correction: The nation's top military man did NOT have a Facebook page. He had a Twitter account.
Oops.
His staff, the aid said, was still working on "developing" the Facebook page.
Oh.
Now, you can see it here.
More and more, the communities who thrive on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace -- including yours truly (Twitter me at: StripesBaron) -- have taken notice when famous people come to play, too. It's a democratizing forum, and one that brings superstars and world leaders into some accessible realm of "one of us".
Actor Ashton Kutcher famously challenged CNN with the bet that he could reach 1 million Twitter followers before the world's most popular TV news channel. He won. Alyssa Milano is an obsessive Twitterer, sending out dozens of notices daily ranging from links to Iran election protest updates, life on the set, to her loyal Dodger fan information. Shaquille O'Neal heard via his Twitter page that he was traded to Cleveland.
Some pols seem to have figured something out. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, has built a loyal following on Twitter for her frank and unedited Tweets on issues, hearings, and her travels. Karl Rove frequently posts his whereabouts and thoughts or links to articles on top issues.
Sen. John McCain also has an avid Twitter account. Recently, he said in a Twitter message that the USS John S. McCain was the US ship that was following a North Korean vessel, before the Pentagon would even confirm any US ship was following anything.
Though there is speculation among Washington reporters over Twitter at how much of McCain's - and other politicians' -- tweets are really from his own hand, or his staff's.
That's the main complaint, from Twitterville. I don't know if there's a catchy name for it, but people increasingly frown on Facebook/MySpace/Twitter accounts of politicians and military officers that have zero resemblance to "real" accounts.
These pages actually are run by staffers, press officers, or communications directors.
Fair disclosure: I have a team of Oompa Loompa's run my Twitter.
Gen. Ray Odierno, the U.S. commander in Iraq, wooed Pentagon reporters this spring about his Facebook page, saying his kids bullied him into creating one, and that it was a way "to put out some information that's not normally seen on the news."
But reporters quickly discovered that his Facebook page was really a "fan" page, and amounted to little more than press releases and good news events highlighting the country's normalization and improved security - a neighborhood pool reopens, a highway opens, a market reopens - mostly presented in the third person.
A glance at Adm. Mullen's new Facebook page reveals a similar format: video and audio clips pulled from the Pentagon television channel, and a posting of Mullen's official July 4 message to the troops.
No word yet on the admiral's favorite movies, his score on Mafia Wars, or the results of his quiz on which Jonas Brother he is.
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