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Blog Call

We’re accepting submissions for guest bloggers on the Blog Brigade!

Blog Call

Each winter, it’s important to get vaccinated to protect yourself from the flu, but amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s essential. Share how you’ll be protecting your MilFam against both viruses this year.

Deadline for submissions is  November 16, 2018.

Disclaimer

As a guest blogger for the Blog Brigade, you take personal responsibility for your comments, your username, and any information you submit. Publication on the Blog Brigade does not constitute official endorsement of personal blogs or websites on behalf of the Department of Defense.

The “Do”

Do adhere to our blogger guidelines. Be sure to carefully read and follow these Blogger Guidelines before submitting a blog post. If you do not immediately meet the criteria listed, we encourage you to submit posts at a later date. Blogger Guidelines are subject to change without notice. It is the blogger’s responsibility to ensure they submit posts that fall within the guidelines.

Do submit inspirational stories. We are looking for posts with a “wow” factor and that provide useful information to other military spouses! Don’t be afraid to share your personal stories that will make people laugh, cry, or leap to action. We know you have amazing stories that will inspire other spouses through sound advice and relevant experiences! We want to hear them!

Do write well. We are looking for posts that are grammatically correct and free of spelling and punctuation errors. Write well-structured sentences. Clearly illustrate your ideas. Avoid clichés and jargon. By the time the blog post comes to The Blog Brigade, it should be ready for publication.

Do write about the blog call topics. We are working hard to ensure we offer a variety of topics to write about. Only blog posts addressing the blog call topics will be considered for publication. Topics change frequently and are updated regularly on our Military OneSource Facebook page. You can also find the current topics at the top of this page. Be on the look out!

Do give credit where credit is due. You are encouraged to quote, republish, or share any Blog Brigade content on your own blog, website, or other communication/publication. If you do so, please credit the The Blog Brigade and/or the person who authored the content as a courtesy.

Do submit photos. Personal photographs can be used if they do not contain personally identifiable information or geographically identifiable information. PAO reserves the right to decline photographs submitted for the Blog Brigade.

Do include your biography. Blog bios should be no more than 3 to 5 sentences in length. Do not include rank in your biography, unless you are a service member. An alternative would be, “Jane is a proud military spouse.” Indicate the number of years you have been associated with the military and in what capacity (military child, spouse, etc.). Include any topic areas you think you might cover in your blogs. Do not include links to your personal blogs or websites. 

Do submit the blogs that keep on giving. All guest bloggers are encouraged to submit material that can be used any time of year. When submitting articles for specific events, such as the holiday season, bloggers are encouraged to keep dates as general as possible. For example, instead of writing, “It’s mid-November,” write, “Just a few weeks until…”

The “Don’t”

Don’t submit blogs posts from organizations. We do not accept blog posts from organizations, but we recognize that some milspouses write for multiple websites. If you are a milspouse blogger who writes for multiple publications, please include the link to your personal blog or to your personal portfolio website (i.e., www.janedoe.com) containing links to your writing with your submission.

Don’t self-promote. We recognize that as talented military spouses, you are eager to share success stories about blogs you’ve started, businesses you own or are a part of, or other ventures in which you are involved! Your stories can be very inspirational! However, rather than focusing on the ventures themselves, we encourage you to share the intangible benefits of your successes. What hurdles did you overcome to get where you are? How have these ventures empowered you? How can you inspire others to be successful? Keep the emphasis on your personal journey, rather than on the ventures themselves.

Don’t use rank in your post. Keep the content focused on experiences as a military spouse or family member, and not on the rank of the service member. We discourage the use of rank when including content about service members or other family members.

Don’t include statistics. We understand that statistics can be powerful, but they are also hard to verify. We encourage you to find other ways to illustrate your point.

Don’t include brand names. References to brand names will not be accepted. Include generic references like “cola” or “mobile device” versus “Coke” or “IPhone.”

Don’t violate social media guidelines. We want you to write in your own voice. Each blogger provides a unique perspective that can enrich the lives of other milspouses. The Office of Military Community Outreach, Military Community and Family Policy’s (MC&FP) has established some basic guidelines that every voice must follow. Be mindful that the Blog Brigade will not accept blogs that contain the following:

  • profanity, graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments
  • solicitations or advertisements (this includes promotion or endorsement of private businesses, or any financial, commercial, or non-governmental agency)
  • classified, For Official Use Only (FOUO), pre-decisional, proprietary, or business-sensitive information (this includes personally identifiable information, personnel lists, rosters, organization charts, or directories)
  • suggest or encourage illegal activity
  • links to sites other than .gov, .usa, or .mil. If blogs include links to other sites (e.g., .com, .edu, or .org), they will be reviewed and may be removed at the direction of the MC&FP Public Affairs Office

As a blogger for the Blog Brigade, you take personal responsibility for your comments, your username, and any information you submit. In that spirit, bloggers are asked to also adhere to the Department of Defense User agreement found at the following link: http://www.defense.gov/socialmedia/.

The Submission Process

Submit blogs via the Submit Your Blog Post link found at the bottom of this page. Once a blog is submitted, the Military OneSource team will review it.

Blog submissions must include the following:

  • First and last name (legal name)
  • Contact email
  • Preferred handle
  • Service affiliation
  • Blog biography not to exceed 3-5 sentences (see examples from Our Bloggers)
  • 250­­-1,000 words per post (we appreciate variety in length)

Optional information includes the following:

  • Blog link (blog links must be for personal blogs or personal websites. Blog links to organizations will not be considered.)
  • Blogger photo or avatar (at least 200 x 200 pixels in jpeg format)
  • Twitter handle and Facebook page (if applicable)

If a blog post is approved, Military OneSource will send a notification to the blogger indicating the estimated date that the blog will post to the Blog Brigade.

The Bling

Guest bloggers will be authorized to use the Military OneSource Blog Brigade button provided by Military OneSource on their personal blogs or websites. Use of the Military OneSource Blog Brigade button does not constitute official endorsement of personal blogs or websites by the Department of Defense.

Submit Your Blog Post!