8/3/2019 Tool Kit: Social Media

1/210 FEBRUARY 2012

IN

FRONT

By JENNIFER MATTSON NCO Journal

Facebook, witter, Flickr, Vimeo, Picasa, Skype andYouube provide outlets or Soldiers and NCOs toshare their Army experience.

Putting Soldiers stories out on these orums allowsthe general public to connect and experience the Army.But Soldiers should use caution when using these web-

sites and ensure they are ollowing sound operationssecurity measures.

Sta Sgt. Dale Sweetnam works in the online andsocial media division at the Armys Oce o the Chieo Public Aairs. Every day, he works to keep the Armyup-to-date in the latest public online orums as well asmonitor those orums or abuse.

Social media is denitely a big part o our cultureright now, Sweetnam said. It goes beyond just Soldierscommunicating with their amilies. Army organizationsare using social media to communicate with external

audiences as well as their internal audiences. Social media use is becoming incredibly prevalent, and the Armunderstands that its not going away. Its important orSoldiers and organizations alike to embrace what sociamedia can provide or you as an individual as well asyou as an organization.

Practicing good opsec

Social media allows Soldiers and units to interactwith each other, amily members and the general pub-lic. It also allows the Army to have a presence in orumthat most Soldiers are amiliar with, but care must betaken.

Our Soldiers now, the majority o them, havegrown up using social media and the Internet, Sweet-nam said. Soldiers coming in now have done this oryears beore joining the military, so theyre pretty savvas ar as what they can and cant do. But still, to this daon Facebook, on witter, on Foursquare and so orth,

theyre making mistakes.

Teyre giving too muchinormation.Soldiers arent the only

ones giving away too muchinormation, Sweetnam saidOfen its the amilies o Sol-diers who post status updatethat violate opsec.

Te biggest issue isstill the violations o opsecthat occur not just with theSoldier, but with the amily,

Using social mediasafel, effectivel

Sgt. 1st Class Antonio For-ward, an instructor/writr for

t Advancd Ladr Cours

at t U.S. Srgants Major

Acadmy at Fort Bliss, Tas

ccks out Facbook during

brak. T popularity of socia

mdia mans NCOs nd to

tac Soldirs t importanc

of practicing oprational scu

rity wil onlin.PHOTO BYSPc. david m. gaFFOrd

TOOLKIT

8/3/2019 Tool Kit: Social Media

2/2 NCO JOURNAL 1

Sweetnam said. Te amilies dont get the same opsec trainingthat the Soldiers do. Our main concern on a daily basis is tomitigate the opsec risk.

Fakes on Facebook

While Americas enemies might use inormation ound inonline orums to harm Soldiers downrange, theres a prevalentdomestic threat as well, Sweetnam said.

As social media evolves, youre nding individuals whowish to do people harm nding new ways to accomplish thosemeans, Sweetnam said. For example, we have general ocersand high-ranking ocials people will go out there and makeake Facebook pages and pretend to be these people. Tey dothat mostly or personal gain.

Te best guidelines when interacting on these orums are toknow the people with whom youre interacting, he said. Dont

reveal any inormation online that you wouldnt in person.Its advised when youre on Facebook in particular, when

you make riends, [ensure] youve had physical contact, youveshaken their hand, youve met them in person, Sweetnam said.Tere are a lot o issues with the privacy settings on Facebookwhere people can access your inormation, and you dont knowthat theyve accessed your inormation or who they are. Knowwho you are riending and lock down your privacy settings.

NexT MONTh: VOTING IN eLeCTIONS

When using social media outlets, NCOs can practice operations securit b

following a few guidelines:

Dos and donts

CHANGE PRIVACy SETTINGS

to riends only.

DISABLE GEOTAGGINGon cam-

eras and smart phones, especially

when deployed or during training.

REVIEW PHOTOSbeore they

are published online.

MAINTAIN PROFESSIONAL

relationships with subordinates,

including relationships online.

TALK TO yOUR FAMILy and

close riends about operations

security when it comes to posting in

online orums, so they know what is

at stake with their posts and why they

might not be appropriate.

DONT REVEALsensitive

inormation.

DONT TAG photos with

geographical location, especially

during deployment or in training cycles.

DONT VIOLATE COPyRIGHT

or trademark material by using a

song or linking to unattributed artwork.

DONT USE RANK, job or

responsibilities to promote

yoursel online or or fnancial gain.

DONT VIOLATE the Uniorm

Code o Military Justice by

commenting, posting or linking to

material that violates the UCMJ or basic

rules o Soldier conduct.

Social media:Arm resources

Arm Social Media

Director:www.army.mil/

socialmedia

STRATCOM Social Networktraining:www.stratcom.

mil/snstraining

Responsible and Effective

Use of Internet-based

Capabilities:www.dtic.mil/

whs/directives/corres/pdf/

DTM-09-026.pdf

AKO Social Media Portal:

https://www.army.mil/suite/

page/505262

DOD Social Media Hub:

http://socialmedia.defense.gov

Source: U.S. Army Social Media

Handbook, January 2011

Fixing unsafe posts

Toug social mdia outlts, spcially Facbook and

Twittr, ar grat ways to kp in touc wit frinds

and lovd ons, not kping in mind simpl oprations

scurity guidlins can rval too muc information

about you, your unit or your family. hr ar ways to

dit sampl posts to mak tm safr:

UNSAFE

Im in the village o

Hajano Kail in Arghandab

district in southern

Aghanistan.

I will be leaving Kuwaitand heading to Iraq in

three days at 0815.

Im coming back at 0200

on Wednesday.

My amily is back in

Dubuque, Iowa.

SAFER

Im in Aghanistan.

I deployed this week.

I will be home this all.

Im rom the Midwest.