This is our 200th blog posting, coming just over six months since we launched this site. We have really enjoyed the dialogue and appreciate all of the apparent interest and growing readership (though we could always use more comments). As you hopefully know, iCommandant is just the tip of the iceberg for the Coast Guard's effort to leverage social media for the benefit of our mission execution and support, including our external communication and internal coordination. Since we initiated this effort, Team Coast Guard has stepped out aggressively to meet my intent. With social media really being about building networks, I thought I'd mark this milestone blog by sharing those sites that I read, both officially and unofficially. (This is not all inclusive, but a pretty good representation of some of the stuff I follow and/or find interesting).
The (ever expanding) Coast Guard Official Blogroll:
Coast Guard All Hands -- The voice of Master Chief Charles W. Bowen, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force, Jeff Smith.
USCG TRACEN Cape May - The blog of the Coast Guard’s Bootcamp.
iFORCECOM - The website of the United States Coast Guard Force Readiness Command, which is part of the Modernization Effort. The Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM) will become the Coast Guard's first command solely responsible for preparing forces to perform missions and execute them properly. FORCECOM will be charged with the current and future readiness of the Coast Guard's workforce -- Active Duty, Reserve, Auxiliary, Civilian and Contractor -- to ensure they will be ready when called to execute their missions.
Your Great Lakes Coast Guard -- a forum for the Ninth District Commander and members of his staff to share information about the U.S. Coast Guard's efforts as "Guardians of the Great Lakes."
Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach -- an official forum to share information about the U.S. Coast Guard's efforts as Guardians from Morro Bay, California south to Dana Point, California. Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach is responsible for Coast Guard operations, missions, functions, and responsibilities that include providing search and rescue, marine safety, security, and environmental protection throughout the harbors and waters of California.
USCG Pay and Personnel Center -- Military Pay, Personnel and Travel procedural updates for Coast Guard Servicing Personnel Offices and unit administrative staffs.
USCG Pacific Northwest - D13 - The official blog of the 13th Coast Guard District
USCGAlaska - D17 - The official blog of the 17th Coast Guard District
AMVER -- The official blog of the Coast Guard’s Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System
Coast Guard Auxiliary in the Pacific Northwest
Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 76
Some of my other reads (some official, some not, listed in alphabetical order. We do not endorse everything found on these sites):
An Unofficial CG Blog
BitterEnd
Bryant’s Maritime Blog
Casco Bay Boaters Blog
Christiaan Conover
Coast Guard News
Danger Room
DHS Leadership Journal
Dipnote
DOD Live
Eagle Speak
gCaptain
Hell of a Day at Sea
Information Dissemination
Kennebec Captain
Mad Mariner
Maritime Licensing Blog
Masters of Towing Vessesls Association Forum
The Monitor
National Journal Experts
Navagear
Ocean Lines
Waiting for Ships to Come In
Panbo
Puget Sound Maritime
Sea Fever
Security Debrief
Social Government
TSA
USNI Blog
Weekly Leader
The next couple of months will be pretty interesting on the social media front. We are gradually phasing in the social media-friendly new CG Portal and in May we intend to launch he official Coast Guard Service blog and completely 2.0 enabled online CG Magazine. Keep reading, and better yet, commenting!!
ADM A
