They aren’t…
But email and sharepoint are.
Message came out on sharepoint 2 min after, so no excuses.
But social media IS NOT formally recognised.
Show me in B&W if you think otherwise.
Formally by whom? The officially verified RAFAC verified channels are recognised by HQAC and can be used to pass official information.
Formally for what? I fully agree that forcing announcements out on social media before everybody has been notified by internal channels is very bad practice, but its use in circumstances such as this where an immediate and urgent announcement needs to get to a large audience as fast as possible seems to me to be entirely legitimate. It should of course reference an internal announcement which has more details and is available immediately, but we probably need a communications manager for that!
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It wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular - I was just keen to drive home the point that I am not that sort, hunkered down in my toilet paper bunker waiting for the apocalypse as so many seem to be.
I like you have been following this and saw the writing was on the wall. Last weekend I was actually on a training area and had a chat with some REME reserves who were there refamming on green fleet, got a good indication then of how things were likely to progress in the coming weeks.
For my part it is being treated with the seriousness it deserves too.
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Seen someone post on that facebook group (and minutes later on twitter) encouraging Cadets and CFAV to get on their bike, or in their car, and help their community with shopping, prescriptions, things like that.
Makes me wonder why the powers that be wouldn’t make it a voluntary organised activity (ie no requirement to do it, but if people are interested the national, regional, and wing level organisation for it is there to support it)? The increased media coverage that would result would inevitably make it a more successful endeavor (it would be easier for people to know where to get the help they need if they’re stuck inside), and I think would be a powerful recruiting tool after the fact - proof that we do in fact develop our cadets into outstanding citizens!
I’m aware we have no call-up liability, hence it would have to be entirely at the individuals choice - how many of you think you would join in if such a plan was announced?
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Because it involves children who’d need to be supervised, and therefore exposing people to risk.
Soon as that R word gets mentioned, it’s game over in this organisation.
CFAVs could do it, but it would never be an official activity for the same reason.
If you want to do it, do it, but it won’t be an RAFAC activity.
If cadets want to go out and do stuff out of the goodness of their hearts with their parents’ permission then that’s great, but we can’t organise something - it’s difficult enough at the best of times, let alone now!
i know of a unit which has basically become a “food bank” for the those self isolating. all through the Cadets donating items but they are then set to deliver send items to those elderly members in the community to ensure no one goes without
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Yay! Lots of little infection vectors visiting the most vulnerable in society!
(only semi-joking!)
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The problem is that all of these unofficial messages then refer questions back to the official chain of command, before the official chain of command has actually sent out the information for us to answer the questions.
It happens time and time again, and it’s effing stupid.
Bring this on, I’d happily volunteer in any role to release regulars/reservists/police to front line roles. My job could easily be covered by others in my team. My sister-in-law (a doctor) is hoping she’s going to get a coronavirus medal to go along with her Ebola one. If they produced one though the numbers required would be astronomical
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Can they?
Where does it say that?
I’m not saying they cant at all.
But that sharepoint and email are the only formal way and so should be used first and always.
Nothing should come out on social media first or only on social media.
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If I have authority over you and I tell you a simple thing like this message, will you only accept it if I tell you by a specific method or will you accept that you have been told?
This is a little cheeky of me as I do tend to agree, but in this particular case with this particular message it should be taken as valid as it has come from a trusted source.
SM is an effective way to get important messages out fast and this is not a message that people should get butt-hurt about. Releasing large policy changes by Facebook is another matter entirely!
Also, it does really need backup in policy.
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I have read this argument of “official chains of communication first” with interest
what is considered first?
5 minutes?
5 hours?
5 days?
On the official post there is a WSC who commented and said as they were in a meeting at the time of the announcement then driving home for 1.5 hours and so would need at least 5 hours notice.
Based on the time of the announcement ~1610 5 hours later would put that at the start of the parade night for anyone parading Tuesday - kind of defeats the object of “stop all - but only if you have seen this already as some of you will not see this until you arrive at Squadron” announcement.
yes HQAC could have been quicker (why it took past lunchtime i don’t know) but i would like to know what kind of notice are the CFAVs who wanted “email first” to be…
Personally I found out via two Whatsapp groups within 15 minutes of the FB post, and by the time i got home another group and FB messenger group had reacted. by the time i finished dinner another FB messenger had reacted.
As there was nothing (and still is*) in my inbox at the usual check in the morning, lunchtime and prior to leaving work routine of my Bader inbox would have missed the email announcement until the following morning at the earliest unless it had been on a parade night.
so how much notice is “first”??
*from the top, only vai the CoC which has trickled down in the hours after
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The thing is, there is an announcement on Sharepoint which went up at the same time as the facebook post.
There used to be the facility either for the person posting on sharepoint to tick a box or the the post to be made in a specific place or category, and sharepoint would email it out to the whole organisation - does that not exist any more?
I’m as much a vocal opponent to Social Media as a primary release mechanism for information as many, but I said before that I have little problem here.
My issue is a news release backed up with “speak to your squadron staff” when there is nowhere yet for CFAV to obtain any more information.
There was no more information needed immediately, IBN was there shortly after anyway, and the priority was to get the message as far and wide as possible as quickly as possible - exactly what SM is good at.
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echoed, repeated and seconded!
my vet cousin has the same experience re Brexit and pet passports
Govt: “speak to your vet for more information”
Vets: “whaaa…but you have given us nothing, nowt, nadder, zilch”
all well and good directing the “customer” where to go to ask the question, if who they are being directed to has the answers!
Emergency legislation has been drafted and includes extra employment safeguards for volunteers to pause their main jobs for up to four weeks. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51964163
Might pave the way.
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Been sad to see all the squadron shutdown posts on Facebook - tho reassured that no two were identical! Pleasantly surprised that hqac seem to be trying to get some IT in place ASAP, just as the creative chaos was getting entertaining! Wish all the developing subgroups of (a) vulnerable, (b) cash-strapped, (c) extra-busy and (d) stuck/bored could all cross the barriers a bit more tho… Got quite nostalgic for Brexit at one point! Just been trying to teach my squadron the haka 
think we’re going to need it - long haul with no loo roll! Best wishes all, depwingchap
Cloths + bucket with napisan + washing machine. Works for washable nappies, same principle! 
Otherwise calculate loo roll usage!
I can remember going to one of my nan’s when I was little boy and she had cut up newspaper to wipe with in their outside toilet. There’s the solution the DT and ST at the weekend would sort you out for at least a week.