Commanders and Cyber Chat: Should More Guidance be Provided for Social Networking Sites

Social networking websites have emerged as the new meeting place in the twenty-first century. Cyber chat connects people with shared dialogue, information and pictures in public communities with hundreds of members. Recognizing the significance of this information tool, the Pentagon has allowed all soldiers to utilize social networking sites on the militarys non-classified computer networks.1 Multiple military leaders have even started their own social blogs on Facebook or Twitter to share information and garner feedback from their troops. 2 Risks are inherent to public websites, and a certain amount of privacy is sacrificed in virtual societies. The limited guidance provided by higher headquarters regarding social networking responsibilities is lacking and fails to answer important questions that put the reputation of commanders and supervisors in jeopardy. Will accepting a friend request lead to perceptions of unprofessional relationships between supervisorssubordinates or officersenlisted To what extent are local commanders responsible for determining the participation in groups or the meaning of context posted by users of their Facebook pages