For the first time ever, the U.S. Navy will take civilian bloggers out for a ride on a submarine.
The trip, planned for Friday in San Diego, will take eight bloggers on an all-day embark aboard a fast attack submarine.
It’s part of an ongoing distinguished visitor embark program that has been reaching out to community bloggers as a way to communicate U.S. military missions to a whole new audience.
“The Navy recognizes the importance and the reach of social media,” said Capt. Brett Genoble. “Taking out this group of San Diego-based bloggers is a great communications opportunity.”
“It’s a new way for us to show what we do and how we do it,” said Capt. Genoble.
Local blogger Jenn Van Grove, who has taken part in two previous embarks on USS Nimitz and USS Green Bay, saw first hand the value of having civilians report to their followers and their community about their experiences with military life.
“Before I went on the Nimitz, my perception of the Navy was not great,” she said. “I don’t think that I had really respect or appreciation for what our Navy does. From the minute that I set foot on the Cod, that whole perception started to change.”
Local
“I’ve already seen with past visits that people are envious and curious about what I’m doing which has to be good for the Navy’s bottom line,” said Van Grove.
Also invited are @ginatrapani (Gina Trapani ), @chriscantore (Chris Cantore), @techlifeweb (Scott Kingery), @thepegisin (Peggy Gartin), @downtownrob (Rob Marlbrough), @aaswartz (Angie Swartz) and @mitchwagner (Mitch Wagner).
What will the experience be like? Genoble tried to paint a picture for us. Take a 2000 square foot home, put a lot of valves and pipes in it, shut all the blinds and invite about 100 of your friends in, and you can imagine the experience, he said.
The group will not only send several Twitter updates to followers during the trip but will also take hundreds of photo and publish multiple blog posts after returning.
