Forces encouraged to blog, tweet and engage online
6 Aug 09
Service and MOD personnel are being encouraged to talk about themselves and their work online within new guidelines which give advice on how they can protect their security, reputation and privacy.
Paul Kelly (right), a Synergy engineer, during a deck call-out to assist Warrant Officer Class 2 Ian Hirst in the Staff Headquarters of the Joint Force Logistic Component
[Picture: SAC Insley RAF, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
Social media - such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube - are an increasingly important way for Forces and MOD personnel to do business, engage with the public and keep in touch with family and friends.
New 'Online Engagement Guidelines', published by the MOD today, 6 August 2009, make clear that Forces and MOD personnel can make full use of websites such as Facebook and YouTube as long as they: follow the same high standards of conduct and behaviour online as would be expected elsewhere; always maintain personal information and operational security and be careful about the information they share online; and, get authorisation from their chain of command when appropriate.
Under the new guidelines, Armed Forces and MOD staff can talk about their work online without prior authorisation from their chain of command, as long as they stay within the advice. This is an important change over earlier rules, under which personnel always needed to seek authorisation before publishing any work-related material.
Service and MOD staff are also being asked to volunteer to operate social media presences as part of their official duties, to help explain their work to the public.
The new guidelines can be found at Related Links >>>
The new guidelines are aimed primarily at Commanding Officers and Line Managers so that they can advise their teams, but will be incrementally worked into standard training for all Forces and MOD personnel.
The existing MOD rules on contact with the media and communicating in public will be updated to reflect the new guidelines.
At the same time as releasing the new guidelines, the MOD is actively seeking feedback on how they can be improved. If you have a comment or suggestion concerning the MOD's Online Engagement Guidelines please use the 'contact us' link at the top of this page or leave a comment on the relevant thread of the Defence News Blog. See Related Links >>>
The new guidelines are part of MOD's ongoing digital engagement work, which recently saw an Armed Forces Day Facebook page attracting over 170,000 fans.