Ah, MySpace the bane of the Internet's existence. A web site full of posers, tweens, and perverts (according to some) is now the recruting ground for the United States Marines, Hu Ahh!
Not like there is anything wrong with using MySpace for recruiting purposes. I mean we can always get a kid with thirty nose rings to serve as a gunner in the leading fighting force in the world. Um, probably not, all of that metal will probably be picked up on somebody’s spy satellite.
The approach by the military is tempered. Instead of actively recruiting people to join the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines (Some have profiles, some advertise, the Navy is not yet on board), some branches of the service merely have profiles and ask that people add them as a friend. It's the same idea as some bands and actors who build up huge buddy lists, which they can use for marketing purposes. The Marines have netted 430 recruits (with only 170 considered as "leads").
While the military is having trouble recruiting (and with the current situation in Iraq, I'm not surprised) the military is not all fun and games, people actually die. I've played America's Army, a game developed as a recruiting tool for the Army, and I liked it. It was a full-featured FPS (First-Person Shooter) that was free (well, my taxes paid for it) and it was designed as a recruiting tool, but it was a game, not reality. It had a few boot camp type levels to sort-of show you the experience.
In this day and age the Military has to keep up with the Joneses. With MySpace and America's Army they are trying to do that. But "Buyer Beware," while the Military is a great place to develop leadership skills (many members of my family have proudly served) get all the facts before your blinded by the flash of a MySpace page or a free video game. If you decide to serve, wear the uniform with pride and respect, don't do it because it looks "cool."
