social media for army families

Presented by Fort Campbell Public Affairs * (270) 798-3025

facebook.com/FortCampbell @FortCampbell Flickr.com/FortCampbell Youtube.com/FortCampbell101



Social Media for Army Families A guide for safe practices for garrison and deployed settings.





Agenda

• What is social media?

• What social media does Fort Campbell use?

• How can my Family and FRG use social media?

• What should I know about The U.S. Army and social media? – OPSEC concerns

– UCMJ violations

• Where can I learn more about social media and The U.S. Army?





What is social media?

A collective term which describes different web-based channels used to communicate or

interface with other web users.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a4kSMA2b5k

How we connect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a4kSMA2b5k





Facebook Timeline

All organization pages will switch March 30. Take the tour: facebook.com/about/timeline

Check out the Fort Campbell, Kentucky page which is Timeline Live now: facebook.com/FortCampbell





www.facebook.com/FortCampbell





@FortCampbell, #FortCampbell





www.flickr.com/FortCampbell





www.youtube.com/FortCampbell101





Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation on Facebook (MWR)

• There are three Facebook pages for info within MWR

• Fort Campbell MWR

• Fort Campbell CYSS

• Fort Campbell ACS

• All others will close before March 31, 2012

• MWR uses Facebook to announce free tickets, to distribute information about events and activities, and to answer YOUR questions. We do this every business hour of every business day.





How can my Family use social media?

• Social media is a great way for Families to stay in touch despite distances.

• Sharing photos, news and live chatting can help make a deployment or a PCS a little easier.

• Social media can also help you get connected to your new duty station and community. Does your FRG have a Facebook page?





How can my Family use social media?

• FRG connections

• News from the command

• Stay in touch with your deployed Soldier

• Home businesses

• Parenting support

• What else?





Despite the Distance

• Until we can bring you that “Welcome Home” moment, Family time will look differently during a deployment.

• Video chat sites: Skype, Gchat Video, Vimeo, oovoo, iChat for Mac…

• Suggestions?





Personal Safety Issues

• What kind of message are you sending?

• Do people really need to know that?

• Who can see my Facebook posts?

• Geotagging: What is it?





Personal Safety Issues

• Do you really want people to know that your children will be home with a sitter Friday night?

• Think twice before you share someone else’s dirty laundry.

• When love goes wrong, the fallout can live forever in social media land.





Libel, slander, cyber bullying/stalking

• Becoming more common in social media.

• What kind of image are you creating for your children? How would I feel if this was my Family?

• If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

• Admins: Don’t tolerate it. Disclose that people who cannot adhere to your ground rules as laid out in your “Info” or “About” section will be blocked from accessing the page.





Geotagging

• Be aware of the fact that your images can be geotagged.

• Many people are unaware of geotagging possibilities in the devices they own, while for others, they know about the capabilities but forget to disable them.

• If you don’t want the enemy to know where you are or where you have been, don’t tag your photos with locations.

• If you’re deployed, if you’re in transit to support a military mission, if you’re on a secret military installation, don’t use geotagging features. OPSEC should be your primary concern.





Know your privacy settings

• Facebook allows you to create custom lists for who can see what on your profile.

• This is a good way to keep work and social life separate.

• Remember-Facebook will share basic information about you if you do not restrict it.






These two options are some of the most important on Facebook’s privacy settings.






Who can actually see your profile or comments?





Who owns social media content?

• Often times, information and content published on social media platforms becomes property of that outlet.

• Check out your platform’s Terms of Service or User Agreement.

• Take in to consideration who ultimately owns the content. You no longer have control over the information once you hit “Share.”





Copyright Infringements

• If you are a social media admin for an FRG, pay attention to the artwork that you use. Is it copyrighted?

• Check out the Terms or Service for the platform which you are using.

• Give credit when using copyrighted work.





FRG Facebook Pages

• Facebook pages can really help an FRG communicate with each other and provide an open space to help each other plan events or lend support.

• When setting up a Family Readiness Group Facebook page, make sure to reference the standard operating procedure regarding official U.S. Army external online presences. http://slidesha.re/dkQ7u1

• If you aren’t sure how to go about setting up a page, contact your BCT or unit PAO.

• Make sure you have someone who is able to monitor the site frequently for proper usage.

http://slidesha.re/dkQ7u1





Facebook Closed Groups

• Pros: – Great for groups of limited

number of people – Maintains a less public image – Shields Gold Star Families,

SOS Families, SpecOps/SF Families from prying eyes

– Excellent way to reach your organization members en masse

– Great way to share information to specific audiences

• Cons: – Grants a false sense of

security because even if it isn’t public, it is not a secure channel

– Labor intensive for manager/admin to maintain lists of current unit/FRG members

– Can create an exclusive atmosphere

– Can become a rumor mill

• I recommend looping in your BCT PAO or organization leader to be sure information and content remains OPSEC violation free, etc.





Rumor Control

• One of the pitfalls of a closed group can be the forum for a rumor mill and gossip hub.

• Think twice before you repeat something you heard, it might contribute to an already confusing or difficult situation.

• Realize what you are reading might not be the truth or official information.





Rumor Control

• Address the rumors or misinformation with the truth.

• You can’t win them all and sometimes it is best to not engage an antagonistic online personality.

• Often times other online users will correct the instigator.





Page Management

• Deleting posts looks a little different with the new Timeline. Use this to remove advertisements or solicitations.

• Deleting comments on a thread is similar to before the change to Timeline.

• Try not to delete comments simply because they express a dissenting opinion. Let people have a say. However, if someone is unreasonably maligning another user, consider removing it. Do not allow profanity to remain on your walls either.





What should I know about The U.S. Army and social media?

• Official DoD pages cannot support advertising or solicitation.

• We constantly monitor for OPSEC violations.

• UCMJ: Social media is covered under the UCMJ

• Want to learn more? Check out OCPA’s Social Media Roundups: – www.slideshare.net/USArmySocialMedia





What is Operations Security (OPSEC)?

• It’s important to recognize that much of the enemy’s actionable intelligence is acquired through open sources like social media.

• Never post: – Troop movements – Specific locations of Troops or

missions – Advance disclosure of VIP visits

• If you aren’t sure if your Soldier’s photos from downrange are geotagged, don’t share them.

• Don’t perpetuate what Public Affairs won’t release and don’t speculate about upcoming deployments.





OPSEC

All the catchy phrases are true. Protect our Soldiers by leaving information about missions,

operations, locations and events downrange off your social media channels.





OPSEC

What about Welcome Home ceremonies? You may post information about return flights once they

have been cleared for public release. When they show up on the flight tracker at campbell.army.mil, they are

cleared for public release.





FRG OPSEC

Items not authorized to discuss on social media platforms

Pride and support for service, units, specialties, and service member

Generalizations about service or duty

General status of the location of a unit (“operating in southern Afghanistan” as opposed to “operating in the village of Hajano Kali in Arghandab district in southern Afghanistan”)

Any other information already in the public domain posted by official sources

Items authorized to discuss on social media platforms

Descriptions of overseas bases

Unit morale

Future operations or plans including deployment dates

Results of operations

Discussions of areas frequented by service members overseas

Daily military activities and capabilities

Technical information

Details of weapons systems

Equipment status

APO addresses for units





Social Media and the UCMJ

• Article 88 – Contempt toward officials

• Article 89 – Disrespect toward superior commissioned officer

• Article 91 – Insubordinate conduct toward warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer

• Article 133 – Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman

• Article 134 – General Article

Takeaway: Do not “vent” on social media outlets.





Social Media and the UCMJ

• Soldiers using social media must abide by the Uniform Code of Military Justice at all times. Commenting, posting, or linking to material that violates the UCMJ or basic rules of Soldier conduct is prohibited.

• Social media provides Soldiers the opportunity to talk about their interests and keep in touch with friends and family. However, Soldiers are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice even when off duty, so appropriate social media conduct is expected of all Soldiers. Talking negatively about supervisors or releasing sensitive information for example, is punishable under the UCMJ.

• Determining how to punish or reprimand Soldiers is ultimately up to command leadership.

• The UCMJ should be used as a guide in determining the appropriate level of punishment, but it should not be the only document referenced.

• It is also advised that leaders get JAG officers involved early in the disciplinary process to make sure all legal aspects of social media misuse are handled appropriately.





KIA Notifications

• DoD Notification process needs to take place before KIA information can be publicly released.

• Rumor control

• Who else is watching your Facebook profile?





Crisis Communications

• Here at Fort Campbell we will direct you to www.facebook.com/FortCampbell

• Do not add to misinformation, rumors. If you manage a page for an FRG, refer people seeking more information to the Fort Campbell Facebook page.

• Try to remain patient. • Be prepared and remain calm

while waiting for information. • Check out the Fort Campbell

Notes section on our Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/FortCampbell





How can I learn more about social media and The U.S. Army?

The U.S. Army Social Media Handbook, available for download at:

www.slideshare.net/USArmySocialMedia

www.army.mil/media/socialmedia

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/USMilitary

Social Media Guide for Blue Star Families

Mashable.com:

http://mashable.com/social-media/





Questions?

Fort Campbell Public Affairs-Social Media Team (270) 798-3025



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