Just days ago, Barack Obama officially announced the end of the Iraq War. Today Facebook launched its social media guide for military families, which outlines how family members can connect with loved ones who are stationed far away. To find it on Facebook, go here. This guide provides tips for staying in touching via Facebook, detailed information about uploading photos, status updates, sending messages, groups and pages and using chat and video chat.
Military personnel and their families must be extra careful of the types of information they share. The social media guide outlines ways to maintain operational security (OpSec), which is essential for all service members and their families.
Not all information is sharable, especially when it comes to troops’ unit locations and activities. Using social media calls for a heightened awareness on the part of both military personnel and their families, especially in regards to the following:
- Unit activities, either deployed or at home
- Facebook posts about a service member’s activities, including troop movements, homecomings and deployment date – this information should not be shared
Here are a few more common misperceptions and the reality behind what’s acceptable on social media sites:
The guide also outlines ways to maintain personal security (PerSec), including creating friend lists, accepting requests only from people you know, enabling secure browsing, learning how to use privacy settings and understanding privacy online.
What about vets that are already back home? They’re facing an unemployment rate of more than 11%. Just before Veteran’s Day, Google created a job search engine for vets. LinkedIn launched a veterans microsite, and began tagging job postings that seemed like good fits for vets.
How do you feel about using Facebook to stay in touch with friends or family in the military? Give us your take in the comments.
