VA is launching its first official blog

– Online Communications Tools Between VA and Veterans About to Increase –

VA is launching its first official blog, opening a new line of communication between the Department and its stakeholders.

The debut marks VA’s latest outreach effort aimed at improving the way VA and its clients engage online. Called VAntage Point and edited by VA’s Director of New Media Brandon Friedman, the blog will launch with two primary features: A main column of articles written each day by VA staff and a section comprised of guest pieces submitted by other employees, stakeholders, and the general public. Readers will be able to comment and participate on all articles.

VAntage Point’s guest pieces will essentially function as “letters to the editor”. Whether from a VA physician, a student going to school on the Post-9/11 GI Bill or a representative from a Veterans Service Organization, all pieces will be considered for publication based on their rationale and reasoned points—not on how closely their views align with those of the Department. The VA blog is expands VA’s social media reach, adding to its presence on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube. Each VA administration has its own Facebook page and Twitter feed, and these platforms are being adopted by VA medical centers. Currently, 51of 153 VA medical centers maintain a presence on Facebook and 27 are operating Twitter feeds. The Department currently has the largest Facebook subscriber base among cabinet-level agencies with over 68,000 subscribers. To view the blog, visit http://www.blogs.va.gov. For more information, visit http://www.va.gov.