thedrifter
08-11-09, 06:09 AM
DoD is working to develop stance on social Web sites
Comments 3 | Recommend 2
August 10, 2009 7:54 AM
AMANDA HICKEY
The Department of Defense has issued a study of social media Web sites and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is filling out waivers to keep theirs, Marine officials say.
Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III directed a study of social media sites — including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube — in hopes of establishing a policy by October, according to Associated Press reports. The study is being done to address security challenges and the communication value the sites have to the DoD.
Until the study is complete, there is not a department-wide ban of social networking and Web 2.0 tools, though restrictions may occur due to bandwidth or security concerns, according to the AP.
However, the Marine Corps banned Internet social networking Web sites from Marine Corps computers effective immediately on Monday, according to a directive posted on Marines.mil titled “Immediate ban of internet social networking sites (SNS) on Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) NIPRNET.”
The 24th MEU Public Affairs Office is currently using Flickr, Twitter, Ning, Facebook, Word Press and Skype to keep families and friends up to date on its activities, said Capt. Robert Shuford, 24th MEU spokesman.
“When we deploy it’s important for all the family members to be involved and stay updated and this is a way for the public affairs office to not only use the Marine Corps Web site (but other media as well). … If the family member is familiar with using Facebook but doesn’t know anything about these other sites, they can go to Facebook and see what their son and daughter is doing,” he said, explaining that the same is true for Twitter, Flickr and the other sites.
The MEU plans to complete a waiver process to update the social media Web sites from a government computer, but Shuford doesn’t think the process will slow the sharing of information.
“I can go to my home computer and update these Web sites no problem,” he said.
In order to be granted a waiver, units must submit an application that includes the operational need for the social networking site, operational impact without the site, the number of users and the number of times accessed weekly per user, according to the directive.
Gunnery Sgt. Robert Piper, with the 24th MEU, said they began integrating social media into their public affairs routine in March 2008.
“Everyone communicates through social media. There’s very little face-to-face communication … so it only made sense that if we wanted to send a message, if we wanted to share what we’re doing, we would do it through that media,” he said.
Piper said that not much is different since the social media sites were already blocked on the computers Marines use at work. He also isn’t worried about the MEU’s presence there since the Department of Defense is using social media, too.
The DoD is currently on Twitter, Flickr and Facebook, according to its Web site.
Public affairs aboard New River Air Station are sharing information solely through the base newspaper and corresponding Web site, said spokesman Sgt. Nikki Herman.
“We don’t have anything like that and it’s not even something that we are even considering looking into right now,” she said, adding that she was unable to explain why the air station is not looking into social media.
Like the air station, II Marine Expeditionary Force is sticking to its Web site.
“Whatever the status is of social networking sites, it doesn’t affect how we do business here because II MEF doesn’t use those sites,” said Capt. Timothy Patrick, II MEF spokesman.
He said that II MEF Marines typically use the Internet to obtain information, enhance skills or complete long-distance education.
“We use access of the Internet here when its use is related to the Marine’s specific task,” he said. “ … We use the Internet simply as a tool, the same way as we use a wrench to fix a vehicle or a rifle to shoot the enemy.”
Contact Amanda Hickey at 910-219-8461 or ahickey@freedomenc.com. Read the Lejeune Deployed blog at http://lejeunedeployed.freedomblogging.com.
Ellie
Comments 3 | Recommend 2
August 10, 2009 7:54 AM
AMANDA HICKEY
The Department of Defense has issued a study of social media Web sites and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is filling out waivers to keep theirs, Marine officials say.
Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III directed a study of social media sites — including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube — in hopes of establishing a policy by October, according to Associated Press reports. The study is being done to address security challenges and the communication value the sites have to the DoD.
Until the study is complete, there is not a department-wide ban of social networking and Web 2.0 tools, though restrictions may occur due to bandwidth or security concerns, according to the AP.
However, the Marine Corps banned Internet social networking Web sites from Marine Corps computers effective immediately on Monday, according to a directive posted on Marines.mil titled “Immediate ban of internet social networking sites (SNS) on Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) NIPRNET.”
The 24th MEU Public Affairs Office is currently using Flickr, Twitter, Ning, Facebook, Word Press and Skype to keep families and friends up to date on its activities, said Capt. Robert Shuford, 24th MEU spokesman.
“When we deploy it’s important for all the family members to be involved and stay updated and this is a way for the public affairs office to not only use the Marine Corps Web site (but other media as well). … If the family member is familiar with using Facebook but doesn’t know anything about these other sites, they can go to Facebook and see what their son and daughter is doing,” he said, explaining that the same is true for Twitter, Flickr and the other sites.
The MEU plans to complete a waiver process to update the social media Web sites from a government computer, but Shuford doesn’t think the process will slow the sharing of information.
“I can go to my home computer and update these Web sites no problem,” he said.
In order to be granted a waiver, units must submit an application that includes the operational need for the social networking site, operational impact without the site, the number of users and the number of times accessed weekly per user, according to the directive.
Gunnery Sgt. Robert Piper, with the 24th MEU, said they began integrating social media into their public affairs routine in March 2008.
“Everyone communicates through social media. There’s very little face-to-face communication … so it only made sense that if we wanted to send a message, if we wanted to share what we’re doing, we would do it through that media,” he said.
Piper said that not much is different since the social media sites were already blocked on the computers Marines use at work. He also isn’t worried about the MEU’s presence there since the Department of Defense is using social media, too.
The DoD is currently on Twitter, Flickr and Facebook, according to its Web site.
Public affairs aboard New River Air Station are sharing information solely through the base newspaper and corresponding Web site, said spokesman Sgt. Nikki Herman.
“We don’t have anything like that and it’s not even something that we are even considering looking into right now,” she said, adding that she was unable to explain why the air station is not looking into social media.
Like the air station, II Marine Expeditionary Force is sticking to its Web site.
“Whatever the status is of social networking sites, it doesn’t affect how we do business here because II MEF doesn’t use those sites,” said Capt. Timothy Patrick, II MEF spokesman.
He said that II MEF Marines typically use the Internet to obtain information, enhance skills or complete long-distance education.
“We use access of the Internet here when its use is related to the Marine’s specific task,” he said. “ … We use the Internet simply as a tool, the same way as we use a wrench to fix a vehicle or a rifle to shoot the enemy.”
Contact Amanda Hickey at 910-219-8461 or ahickey@freedomenc.com. Read the Lejeune Deployed blog at http://lejeunedeployed.freedomblogging.com.
Ellie