CONCORD – In the past week, 50 people have joined the New Hampshire National Guard's Facebook page (click to view it), swelling its "fan" base to 520. Since it went live in July, the site has averaged more than 100 new fans a month.

"It has exceeded our expectations," said Maj. Greg Heilshorn, public affairs officer for the NH Guard. "We see social media as an obvious way to complement our mission of informing our members, our families, and our public. Not only can we provide a better platform, but we have a way of getting instant feedback." Two years ago, the New Hampshire Guard hired Sanger Communications based in Portsmouth to help develop a branding strategy, which was anchored in a strong Web presence.

"Steve (Sanger) helped us write a playbook for the way ahead," Heilshorn said. "It was clear we needed to embrace new media." The N.H. Guard, which is Twittering and using YouTube, is in the final stages of redesigning its public Web site. It is also in the second year of publishing a quarterly news magazine online and in print.

A 36-page, full-color publication, the New Hampshire National Guard Magazine has received critical praise for its unflinching coverage of NH Guardsmen.

"We are a different organization since 9/11," Heilshorn said. "We are no longer a reserve force in the traditional sense. Nearly half of the deployed force in Iraq and Afghanistan is made up of National Guard and Reserve. The fact that we are community-based organization makes it even more imperative that we get our story out there. Our communities are our support base. Our families and our neighbors need to understand our role. We are the only branch of the service that has a state mission and a federal mission."