“IDF Ranks” game is meant to influence online media discourse and deliver messages via non-traditional media means
Date: 03/07/2012, 7:15 PM
Author: Jonatan Urich
The Interactive Media Department of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has launch its first online application designed to encourage the participation of the public and enlist the public’s support in the distribution of messages on social networks.
The rationale behind “IDF Ranks” is to get web users to influence online media discourse and deliver messages through non-traditional media means.
The new game was launched this week on the IDF’s official English blog.
“Have you ever wanted to join the military and fight to defend Israel? Well, now you can, with IDF Ranks - embedded directly in all IDF social platforms!”, the blog said. “IDF Ranks promotes you for your activities around IDF-related material. Your every action - commenting, liking, sharing and even just visiting - rewards your efforts, as well as helps spread the truth about the Israeli army all over the world.”
“Simply continue your regular browsing on the IDF blog, and your every activity will reward you with points. Collect them to climb the ranks the IDF, and know that your activities help us show what’s really happening in Israel.”
Captain Tzachi Biran, head of the Interactive Media Department, said that this is a revolutionary approach that places internet users at the center of the IDF Spokesperson Unit’s agenda. “We believe that it is possible to change the online discourse and that, in the age of Twitter and Facebook, the web surfer does not just read headlines, but is also able to influence them and write them,” Captain Biran said.
Lieutenant Sacha Dratwa, head of the New Media Department in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, said that public relations efforts are a key part of the modern battlefield.
“Sometimes we deal with a hostile and complex audience and the new application allows us to enlist new and diverse forces to move our messages into the realm of public opinion,” Lieutenant Dratwa said.