Who Thinks It's Time For A RallyPoint Virtual Town Hall Meeting?

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 13:54:10 -0400

Over the past couple of weeks, there has been a considerable amount of turbulence over precisely what RallyPoint is, vs what it was envisioned to be, vs what it may or may not be morphing into. We have cracked down on "meme madness", wrestling with the eternal questions of the propriety of females in Ranger School, 2LTs saluting 1LTs, SGMS standing at parade-rest for CSMs, and dogs and cats sleeping together. In between, we have managed to have some outstanding conversations about a wide range of interesting topics.

That being said, there still seems to be some considerable and mounting resentments over matters like who can decide to delete or merge discussion threads, what are the consequences for inappropriate/unprofessional behavior on the threads, and really, what is it that the founders intended RallyPoint to be, and where are we headed?

I am not an internet tech guru, but I reckon there are a few in the RP S6 shop. I am confident we can pull this off, and I think it is imperative for us all as RP clients to hear from leadership, and equally important for leadership to hear from us. What say you all?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2015 2:01 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 14:01:01 -0400

I would be interested in being a part of this.

Response by 1LT Nick Kidwell made Mar 13 at 2015 2:15 PM

1LT Nick Kidwell — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 14:15:40 -0400

I would like to know what RP was intended to be rather than what I see it as now.

In general, unmoderated or loosely-moderated online venues tend to degenerate towards the lowest common denominator unless 1) the community self-polices, 2) the admins conduct directed and progressive moderation techniques, or 3) both.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2015 2:18 PM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 14:18:00 -0400

I'm with SSG James J. Palmer IV and MAJ Private RallyPoint Member . I don't like all the personal attacks I've been seeing and I'd rather it be a more professional forum. If there is a way to help I will. I would like to hear from the founding fathers.

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Mar 13 at 2015 3:07 PM

TSgt Joshua Copeland — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 15:07:41 -0400

If RP doesn't have the built in capes, setting up a Google Hangout is easy and would allow for a true virtual town hall with video face-to-face(s) interaction.

Response by SSG Robert Burns made Mar 13 at 2015 3:57 PM

SSG Robert Burns — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 15:57:12 -0400

I would say this was a great idea...if I had thought of it. But I didn't. So it's aight.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2015 4:16 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 16:16:23 -0400

You asked for opinions, so that is what I am giving, my opinion. Which I know will be stomped on pretty hard, because that is what I see happens here.

When I first encountered RP I found a community of like minded (most opened, some closed) individuals who had a desire to connect/reconnect and share their thoughts, memories, skills, stories and what have you.

As I engaged more and more, I perceived that many used rank to influence opinions in the threads. The influence often times devolved to veiled threats. And sometimes those veils were dropped completely.

As has been debated and hopefully clarified, this is a social networking site. For all its intents and purposes the social aspect is that we are all part of the same social group; which just happens to be the military. The military as we have all been indoctrinated to understand is built with hierarchy and dependent levels of authority.

When you couple these factors with the blurred lines between professional and personal conduct on the site, you have recipe for explosive and catalytic situations.

The founders can choose a direction if they wish, the admins can manipulate the path as they will; however the strength of the body comes from the membership who will shape how the social engagement is conducted.

That being said, if you discount the social group and how they are arranged you will not fix the problem. The root is in the membership. Fix the root to change the perception.

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Mar 13 at 2015 4:31 PM

LTC Yinon Weiss — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 16:31:55 -0400

Fellow RallyPoint members,

As CEO of RallyPoint, I am always excited and motivated to see so many of our members take an active role and interest in the growth of our platform. RallyPoint's mission is to improve the lives of our service members and veterans, and to provide them one network for a lifetime of service.

The above means very different things to different people, as some want to focus on items related to their immediate professional task, some use it as an outlet to stay connected with the broader community, while others use it to stay in touch with past colleagues or to find new ones. At RallyPoint, we continuously evaluate how we can structure the platform to provide the best experience for our members, who are united by our service, yet have distinct personal goals. I think we have come a long way since launching a little over two years ago, and continue to make great progress. It is easy to forget what Facebook had to offer in 2005 or what Apple computers were like in 1977; the point is that great companies continue to learn, iterate, and improve. For this reason I am extremely excited by the incredible things that we have planned for the RallyPoint community. The entire RallyPoint Answers feature was only introduced 18 months ago from a standing start, so just imagine where it will be in another 18 months!

Last summer we held our inaugural RallyPoint conference, called RPx. We intend to have our second conference later this year. In the meanwhile, the RallyPoint management continues to read each and every piece of member feedback, and take incredible care in prioritizing the scarce resources we have on our still small team to achieve maximum positive impact for our members.

To be most successful, RallyPoint needs our members to continue to engage, challenge, and develop the community. We also need our members to have faith in RallyPoint and our mission, and to be patient as we continue to build and develop a platform which will have far reaching benefit to all those who serve or have served.

There are a lot of exciting features and ideas that are in the works and many others we have not yet thought of. Not all will be realistic, so I don't want to over promise... but the more you engage with RallyPoint the more you will see our passion for continuous improvement. I'm grateful for having such strong supporters along this journey as we build the network that our military members and veterans so greatly deserve.

Response by GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad made Mar 13 at 2015 4:44 PM

GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 16:44:44 -0400

Count me in MAJ Private RallyPoint Member!

Response by SP5 Michael Rathbun made Mar 13 at 2015 5:09 PM

SP5 Michael Rathbun — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 17:09:08 -0400

There are things that look broke to me that others consider valuable. I'm sure the reverse is true. There are no doubt things that nearly all of us might consider broke, but we don't see them every day.

Careful attention to the strategic goals while making no sudden changes to things that don't amount to a fire in the engine room is what I believe I observe from RP management. I trust that I am right.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Mar 13 at 2015 6:00 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 18:00:02 -0400

I'm a big fan of "Azimuth Checks."

Sometimes it's just a good idea to find out if everyone is on the same map, and going the same direction.

That doesn't mean anything is wrong, or everything is right, just testing the waters.

Much like the town hall meeting the SGM Army had and Tattoos came up. Is the policy going to change? Who knows? But he can gauge reaction and provide feedback, both up and down the chain much like Maj Weiss has done for us.

I'm sure there are features we would like to see, adjustments we would like made, etc. And sometimes the best way for that to happen is to get as many folks in one place at one time.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Mar 13 at 2015 7:10 PM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 19:10:25 -0400

Please make sure we consider adding this outside the six week training cycle so we can get it on the training schedule MAJ Private RallyPoint Member.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2015 8:11 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 20:11:09 -0400

I think this is a good idea. I would also propose a discussion on the consequences-both positive and negative-to unit morale, professional, and career development while using RallyPoint. As many others have stated, I've been shocked to read what some have posted.

Negative, derogatory comments in a unit can erode morale. Expand that to the digital space of RallyPoint and a negative person has the potential to infect the service far beyond what used to be a small scope of influence.

The scenario I keep running in my head is what happens when a name pops up on the incoming gains roster during a command & staff and that SM is searched on RallyPoint by a future supervisor? I'm sure it already happens to an extent. It would unfortunate to see an SM's opportunities within a new unit dwindle because of an inappropriate overshare or some heated argument. It's important for everyone to remember that once you put something out into the digital world, it never disappears completely.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 14 at 2015 7:39 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 07:39:33 -0400

I am down but, only if I can have my lawyer present during questioning.

Response by CPT Richard Riley made Mar 14 at 2015 7:45 AM

CPT Richard Riley — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 07:45:18 -0400

The old comment "it ain't broke, don't fix it" is not quite accurate here, yet neither is 'throw the baby out with the bath water'. Individuals are free to debate any specific attribute of RallyPoint they choose to pretty much without restriction.
My perception of a part of this problem seems to be that so many tend to take things personally and therefore are quick to offend or be offended. Very little here on this site - or any other for that matter - effects my personal life. I accept it for what it is, enjoy the time I spend, comment where I choose to, vote my conscience, and go from there.
I have renewed some friendships and made many more here. For me, the site revolves around the ability to get valuable resources to those who need it. I leave it at that and move on.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 14 at 2015 1:43 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 13:43:51 -0400

The situation now is strikingly similar to that in the 70s and 80s, except now it is much worse. We have civilians who have no idea of what the military is like and why it has been so successful. One analogy could be used is that of sports. Knute Rockne and his rah rah speech to the Fighting Irish or any contemporary team is full of mission first, do-or-die rhetoric. That is meant to psyche a person up to do their best.

On the otherhand, we have what is tantamount to having a person who has never played sports competitively telling athletes to hold hands and sympathize with your opponents. If they ask you to give them your chinstrap, you give it to them or maybe your mouth piece too.

Today we have mercy rules to show our sensitivity to being a good sport and a tie game is really not so bad. But we are getting that today through people who run our services and they care little about unit effectiveness and more about whose bathrooms transexuals want to use. We are told in effect that we have to not only tolerate but open embrace lifestyles we may or may not agree with.

We are cutting back jobs in the services because of the lack of perceived threats by the same ones who design SHARP and social actions committees telling us how to feel. I personally feel fairly open-minded to many of these social causes but I also believe people are being shaped to believe as they do. I resent the fact that anyone is going to tell me that a treasonous traitor has to be called a woman and forbidding him to be called a man. And that we have to pay for it with tax dollars? Oh hell no!

Yes, be nice to each other but do not expect a team to be a team when there are so many disparate parts, each according to their own accord and with their own agenda. We have people on this site who are not veterans but act like they are. They are so patently obvious in their inconsistencies and multiple accounts and they jump into the fray using other people's accounts are they are non-verified.

So, yes we should always be kind to one another. We should not make anyone feel unwanted or harassed and at the same time, realize there are times in which uniformity and standards make the military what it is.

Response by Sgt Pj O'Malley made Mar 15 at 2015 12:43 PM

Sgt Pj O'Malley — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 12:43:12 -0400

If I wanted Facebook, I would have joined, well...Facebook. I didn't expect a hefty amount if banter and "My branch of service is better than your branch", and the whole rank structure with the points system. We are all ONE. Why create segregation if connection is the goal? I am really confused. I joined because I read a news article describing this site as a "Business leader and veteran connection hub". If this will evolve further into a Miltary Facebook, I don't want any part of that culture.

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Mar 16 at 2015 8:41 AM

Capt Jeff S. — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 08:41:14 -0400

RP has some soul searching to do. I've seen a lot of Christian bashing and was blocked for a week by RP moderators who accused me of bullying for expressing my heart felt beliefs about transgenders and gays serving openly. Sorry if I don't meet the RP community standard for political correctness but PC isn't in my vocabulary.

I come from the old school where you call a spade a spade and tell it like it is, and while I'm not a Vietnam Vet, the Sergeants who trained me were. You had to have thick skin to be around them because they didn't mince words. If you were screwed up, they'd let you know in no uncertain terms and they didn't care if they hurt your feelings. What they cared about was teaching you to think and be responsible, as well as be able to perform under pressure so that you could stay alive. Excuses weren't tolerated.

Frankly, I don't know what's happening to our military. I see changes and while I'm retired and unaffected by the changes, I can't say that I like what I'm seeing. I see a lot of tolerance for disrespect and a very loud and whiny minority imposing their [im]morality on the majority. These same preach their messages about gender neutrality and tolerance with hate speech and attempt to get those whom they disagree with banned from RP. Any resistance to their ideology is met with tag team coordinated complaints. I see in a lot of young officers and enlisted a willingness to compromise standards [and integrity] for the sake of political correctness.

Granted, today's military is still doing its job and for the most part, a very fine job at that, but I see that changing as standards are lowered to accommodate the gender confused PC crowd that feels our military needs to be turned into a full blown social experiment. That's bad news for our service men and women in uniform and great news for our Islamic terrorist enemies who look forward to engaging and defeating our kinder, gentler, transgender and openly gay military -- one, which they can not respect because they view its members as vile and evil. These changes will most certainly assist in their recruiting efforts as well. It's a tougher world out there and with each defeat or success, our enemies learn from their mistakes and figure out how better to beat us. They are getting more sophisticated and they are getting their hands on our equipment. We are teaching them how we train and fight. They want nothing better than to draw us into a conflict so they can bloody our nose. And with today's current Administration trying to make deals with a soon-to-be nuclear Iran, prospects for the future aren't looking too bright.

Is RP jumping on the PC bandwagon? Well, based on my own recent experience, I'd have to say they already have.

I find myself spending a lot less time on RP because the topics are getting less interesting. You can only debate how 2LTs should or shouldn't salute 1LTs for so long... It churns my stomach to see so much support for women who want to be spec ops combat soldiers, and gender confused people that want to be military. These folks need to sort out their personal issues outside the military instead of joining and then making demands that the military accommodate them. The only way they'll be able to keep these wannabe grunts and gender confused people around and keep them competitive is to lower standards and based on what I'm seeing in many of your responses, it's just a matter of time before that happens. If things continue to go the direction they're going, you're only kidding yourself if you think it's going to be the same elite military it once was.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 17 at 2015 12:29 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 00:29:17 -0400

I would participate. I would be most inclined to listen to what RP leaders and members have to share.