The New Generation of Bodyguard
The following blog is being written because of my love for the Executive/Personal/Close Protection & Bodyguard industry.
I always remember the words of my good friend Eric Konohia when he says “one day I woke up and didn’t recognize the industry that I fell in love with”.
I share those same feelings when I look around at the future of the industry and see the addiction to that powerful drug called “Social Media”.
The “SMB” or Social Media Bodyguard is the new generation of protector who believes in keeping their Principal safe from harm while at the same time reporting on social media how they did it.
The SMB keeps location services turned ON with their smartphones to make you aware of where they are at (city, state, and country) which is a breach to the secrecy of where they are at with the client.
The SMB takes pictures of the hotel at arrival before check in and post it on the internet to show you how fancy a hotel they are staying in, not realizing they just gave away where they and the client are sleeping at night.
The SMB takes pictures and video of the route planning, venues and buildings they are visiting and puts it on social media to show you that they understand route planning and motorcade operations.
The SMB does the occasional creation (lying) about a detail that doesn’t even exist, just to have something to write about on the next post on (Facebook or Twitter).
The SMB tells paparazzi where they are going to be at with the principal, so the reporter gets the best photos of the client and in return the SMB gets copies of the photos with them and the principle together (this has been confirmed by me with some major SMB firms.
The SMB does event security assignments and then stands next to clients that are not theirs and then posts on social me look at ME and my client or visits countries on vacation and claims they were working there.
I don’t blame the SMB they are caught up in a serious drug addiction called “Social Media” my hope is that all SMB’s realize that lives are on the line in our field and there can be no marriage of Personal Protection & Real Time reporting on Social Media.
The above blog was written by Avery Mitchell. Click on his name to see what the man behind this featured blog does.
10 comments
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S. Turner
May 28, 2013 at 8:23 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Good stuff my brother. Straight shooter and right to the point.
Yann A. Mouret, CPP
May 28, 2013 at 9:43 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
So true!
Having said that, I sometimes regret that I don’t have any pictures of some assignments done over the years with the specially nice clients, not for social media, but maybe to frame and hang in the office.
I’ve always been too busy doing my job or running my teams to have time to organise photo-opportunities. Now all that’s left are memories in my head.
My 2/100 from far, far away.
Yann
Eric Konohia
May 28, 2013 at 12:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yann
The only pics floating out there of me and a principal are from paparazzi on the Internet and those specific clients that had an official photographer documenting their event or travels.
I have taken scenic pictures of areas I’ve visited when I was off from a day of advances or after wheels up but not when I’ve been “HOT”.
Lastly, when I SEE authorized cameras taking pics I purposely get out of the shot. Hence the only shots of me it’s clear I am unaware of the telephoto lens
J. Miller
May 28, 2013 at 9:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Absolutely correct AM. We are trusted to be confidential, The Keeper of the Secrets! Even my family gets theinfamous (product of EK)….”NUNYA.”
Andre Glenn
May 28, 2013 at 9:58 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hit the nail on the head, it has become a real problem. Great work
Simon Philibert
May 28, 2013 at 1:46 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Great blog Eric. True that Social Media is an addiction and it’s the reason why it took me a very long time before creating accounts on Twitter/Facebook etc. Working as a Bodyguard and being active on SM can be possible but it’s the specialist job to know what to post/say and what not to.. About the picture subject, it happened to me once. The client had asked for it, I didn’t and would never ask for one. Our job is to keep it private, not to let everybody know what our client is doing or where he/she is going..
Avery Mitchell
May 28, 2013 at 8:57 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks for the compliment Simon I wrote the blog 🙂
Eric Konohia
May 29, 2013 at 2:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Simon
It is a great blog but all the credit belongs to Avery Mitchell whom I credited in the last line
Leon S. Adams
May 28, 2013 at 4:03 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Great article bro. Serious points that needed to be addressed!
rodney c. noel
May 30, 2013 at 7:26 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Great post, thanks for being a straight shooter.