Content awareness important for Facebook users, Family members

Servicemembers as well as their friends and Family members need to be mindful of what they post on their Facebook profile pages.

Soldiers are personally responsible for all content they publish on social media sites, blogs or other websites, but a Soldier’s friends and Family members also need to be aware of what they post.

A friend or Family member’s post can put a Soldier and his/her unit in danger. It could also potentially damage the Soldier’s career so it’s up to the Soldier to properly educate Army Families on appropriate social media use.

"Families and friends must understand operational security," said Staff Sgt. Dale Sweetnam, Online and Social Median Divison, Office of the Chief of Public Affairs. "They need to know what they can and cannot post."

The releasing of information the Army, itself, has not released to the public is prohibited amongst Soldiers. Examples of this are information regarding casualties, detainees or military operations.

"Soldiers are prohibited from sharing this information because it can jeopardize operational security," said Sweetnam. "It can also provide more motivation for the enemy to do harm to our military forces and homeland."

Sharing what seems to be even trivial information online can be dangerous to loved ones and fellow Soldiers.

When using social media, avoid mentioning rank, unit locations, deployment dates, names, equipment specifications and capabilities or anything that can give the enemy an advantage.

Expressing personal opinions on Facebook and other social media sites is allowed amongst Soldiers, but they need to make sure to make it clear they are speaking for themselves and not the Army. This is to ensure the Army maintains a fair and unbiased image at all times.

Army leaders need to be aware of what they post on social media sites, too.

Although social media has improved the way everyone communicates, it presents some dilemmas for Army leaders.

How an Army leader communicates with his or her subordinates is up to his or her discretion, but online relationships need to remain professional.

By using social media, leaders are essentially providing a permanent record of what they say, so if a leader wouldn’t say something in front of a formation, don’t say it online.

"Leaders don’t want to give Soldiers any reason to question their orders," said Sweetnam. "They also don’t want to give Soldiers any reason to feel that they can get away with certain things because they have a personal relationship with their leader."