John Mellencamp sang about
the walls tumbling down and this week's press release by the U.S. Army telling
bases to stop blocking Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr Army Allows Access To Social Media Websites
should be proof enough for anyone.
Following the US Navy US Navy Web 2.0: Utilizing New Web Tools
and the US Air Force's New Media and the Air Force lead, it appears that the US military has realized
the value of social media not only as a tool for boosting morale but also "to
facilitate the dissemination of strategic, unclassified information."
Wow. Who would have ever thought that the
stodgy old military would get on board with something so...hip and revolutionary? What's next, Elvis is really alive and
Robert Plant is singing country music (thanks Mike)? Actually, I'm not all that surprised. The military has always been out in
front with technology, it's just the "non-traditional" stuff like allowing
Sailors, Airmen, Soldiers, and Marines to communicate in informal channels
using the evolutionary brilliance of user generated
content that breaks tradition.
Should we be scared? I
don't think so. Web 2.0
technologies provide a different means of communicating and distributing
information but the risks have always be there, they're just a little more "out
there" now.
One thing the military is great at is training
and I think they'll be very proactive in making sure members of the military
understand their responsibilities when Tweeting, blogging, and posting up on
Facebook. The
challenge now will be to instill discipline in communications to everyone, not
just those with a security clearance.
While the military is the latest
non-traditional organization to publicly endorse social media, throughout
government it's become business de jour and it's all about transparency.
President Obama's (our) new federal CIO Vivek Kundra built his professional reputation
on breaking out of the traditional IT mold and using new technologies to share
information with his constituents.
In California, Governor Schwarzenegger has appointed a "New Media
Director" to
broaden and improve the state's way of communicating with the public. Across the country, states and local
governments are rushing to give the public more of what they want...information,
and Web 2.0 technologies are how they are doing it.
Anyone
who thinks social media is just a fad isn't paying attention. It's a trend and it would behoove those
of us in the security business to jump on the train and start thinking of
solutions to the existing security issues and the new ones that are
coming. If security becomes the
party pooper (thanks Dan) on implementation of social media in our
organizations, it will be disastrous for our profession. The horse has already left the barn, we
just need to make sure the saddle's tight. What do you think?
Leave a comment