Great points all, but I would like to expand on them just a little. Not all that long ago TAW had PIO’s (Public information Officers) and that position was at the division Level, where their responsibilities (amongst other things) were to make sure all relevant information was getting to SOCOP to post on our media platforms. Then that position was downgraded to PIA (Public Information administrator) and placed it at the battalion level beneath the HDI. This move in my opinion basically killed the importance of what this position could do for the Division. First of all, no one wanted the position; you couldn't even give it away. Even now as I have spoken to many, it is believed to be a dead go nowhere position that requires too much work and in some cases a position used as a holding area where you don't have to do anything. Back then when this new position emerged, SOCOP tried their best to organize the newly formed position and hold PIA meetings, seminars, etc. virtually no one would show up. By the way, kudos to Sloan and Arianna (DC/DO) during this period when they provided the leadership and the means, but still the media platforms went mostly unused. Frankly, if it had not been for the hard work by SOCOP physically going out and pulling content from all over TAW the platforms would hardly be relevant.
All of this back ground has brought us to the present. Almost 7 months ago, SOCOP was completely restructured to better reflect the needs and goals of this community. With an emphasis of making the PIA and the Division they represent much more able to utilize the media platforms we have in TAW. At the forefront of this change was the transferring of permissions and responsibilities to our media platforms to the PIA. This meant the PIA could at will post and make use of our platforms. This is a complete break away from the past when everything had to pass through SOCOP to be posted. In short, SOCOP has now provided the tools, the training and the support from which the PIA could do their jobs effectively for their respective Divisions. Likewise, our Educational Division (EDU) has included a class and updated it to provide firsthand information about the position and its importance and responsibilities. In fact this course is a requirement before SOCOP grants permissions to post on our media platforms.
One would wonder when given all the information, what else can be done to perpetuate the flow of content to our media platforms. Maybe, just maybe the position itself should be re-evaluated and realigned to better reflect its importance, its responsibilities and the hard work needed to properly administer this position. I am sure some will say “Sounds like the carrot on the stick thing,” I say the end justifies the means in this case. A good PIA, and yes we have several really good PIA’s in TAW and they fully understand the scope of their ability to spotlight their Division’s successes, events and recruitment needs, they understand it is their job.
In closing, when we look at where the PIO started and where the PIA position is today, their purpose largely remains the same if not more important. As Rekon so wisely said, “PIA’s have always been one of the most underrated positions in TAW and never utilized properly.” This has to change.
