Move over Shaq and Ashton, it looks like Robert Gates and the Pentagon crew are about to get in on the Twitter bandwagon. According to the New York Daily News, the Army has decided to use social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook in an attempt to reach out to web-savvy recruits.
"We know that our ability to share the Army story is shaped by how we tell it and where we tell it," Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, head of the Army's Online and Social Media Division told the News. "Using social media platforms allows us to tell our story where we know people are at and are listening."
All is not well in the world of buzz cuts and combat boots however. Some armed forces personnel have expressed frustration about the Army's Internet access policies in regards to everything from video sharing sites to Twitter, this being a subject that OhMyGov! has recently explored. One anonymous Army civilian employee let loose to Wired's Danger Room blog about their aggravation regarding the Army's policy.
"The Army has reached new levels of incoherent in its information security policy as its Public Affairs Office begins a Twitter based campaign while its Information Technology office blocks Twitter from Army computers," the employee claimed. "This continues a pattern of bizarre behavior such as promoting blogs while blocking them, and blocking access from Army computer networks to the American Enterprise Institute, the Stanley Foundation, Russian government sites, bin Laden's fatwahs, and firearm manufacturers."
Lindy Kyzer, who is in charge of creating the Army's Twitter posts and recently challenged Ashton Kutcher to a contest to see if the Army could add more friends on Twitter than the ubiquitous trucker hat enthusiast, blamed the access problems on directives coming from DoD that have deemed certain social networking sites to be a potential source of viruses and intrusions.
"While as a social media evangelist I would love to see everyone within the Department of Defense have access to the sites, I understand that security is paramount and hope that individuals would take advantage of these sites at home or in internet cafes," Kyzer went on to tell Danger Room.
Of course when one is on active military duty, access to Internet cafes or (especially) home isn't exactly something that is taken for granted. However, Kyzer does make a valid point in adding that security must be, and should be, the number one concern when it comes to the Internet access for both uniformed and civilian military personnel.
The Army's new love affair with Web 2.0 has great potential for not just opening the lines of communication between the sometimes-misunderstood military and civilians back home, but in being the most effective recruiting tool the Army has had since the debut of Uncle Sam. Of course, much of that potential hinges on the twin issues of accessibility and availability. If those quagmires -- yes that word was used on purpose -- can be worked out, then the Army's Internet ventures can prove to be groundbreaking in their effectiveness.
The question then becomes whether the Army is using new social networking efforts as a means to provide open access to recruits, personnel, and their families, or if it is simply just a recruiting and marketing tool. If it is the latter, then the Army doesn't really need to worry too much about access. Once a recruit becomes official personnel, the rules change and security becomes a top concern. If the motive is the former, and that seems to be the case, then the Army has some serious policy work to do.
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