The Best FRG Meeting

Just a few hours ago I was sitting in my commander’s kitchen on Facebook with a beer in my hand. My FRG co-leader was also there typing away. We cracked a couple jokes back and forth and vented about the spouses and family members that were driving us crazy. Yes folks, this was our FRG meeting.

It wasn’t just us though. We actually had 30+ people join in on the meeting. All through Facebook. Parents who are across the country were able to log on and see what was going on in the life of their Soldier. The mom with a handful of kids was able to put them to bed and finally get to participate without worrying about daycare. Wives who had just had babies were able to stay home and comfort their newborns. Those who find it difficult to speak in public were able to post behind a name and profile pic.

This was our second time doing a Facebook meeting while the unit has been deployed. It’s worked out great for us and makes the meeting available to those who other wise not get the information. The fact that it’s on Facebook makes it easily accessible to anyone who’d like to participate. For that reason, we are careful not to break OPSEC. It’s easy to find and since most people are on Facebook around that time anyway, it makes sure that they get the information.

For our online Facebook meetings, I type out everything ahead of time so that once it comes time for the meeting, I can just copy and paste the info in. I post one comment on the unit’s Facebook page and then comment with all of the info below that. We are able to take attendance, tally votes, and fill up sign-in sheets all with the click of the “like” button. No one has to leave home or even put on pants, and I get to enjoy a nice grown up drink.