DoD Still hasn't figured it out...

According to an article from FederalComputerWeek the DoD still hasn't come up with a social media policy. However, it is rumored that sometime this month they'll be meeting to make the final decisions. The article states that the DoD is recognizing six key points when writing up the policy:

• Sharing information “relentlessly” and securely.
• Keeping up with technological advances.
• Changing the existing model for information sharing.
• Recognizing that “the future has happened" and making full use of the technologies.
• Behaving like an enterprise.
• Doing everything possible to be transparent.

For the most part I agree with these six points. As I've said before, the military does need to come to terms with the fact that they are "behind the times". It'll be very important to embrace the technology of social media, because the younger generations of soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors will be using these technologies. 

While we need to embrace the good things about utilizing this technology, we can't ignore the fact that some young men and women may not use these advancements responsibly. There are safety/security issues to take into consideration, but if we're trusting these men and women at war, can't we learn to trust them on the internet? I don't think we'll have issues with people posting direct locations of where they're stationed, they're smart enough to keep that kind of information to themselves. If we can do a better job of explaining to them what is and isn't appropriate to talk about through social media (which we kind of already do but just in the case of e-mail and phone conversations) then I think they'll catch on, and in the long run just "know better". 

We have to express to everyone what the bigger picture is when using social media. The use of social media allows our troops to stay in contact with the world while deployed and overseas. We can't ignore the fact that they deserve the time to make those connections with friends and family. Using social media also allows our troops to keep their family and friends updated on their safety in a timely and effective manner. Instead of writing 20 letters to let everyone know your safe, it'd be much easier to get on Facebook or Twitter and update your status.