As an employer I deprecate the use of socila media in work time (Facebooka nd Twitter etc). It diverts attention, creates inefficiency and, of course, makes me pay for the time my employees are spending doing leisure activities. Nobody got rich by giving money away.
But, US troops are being allowed to use Facebook and Twitter and even if there are risks to security, well, it appears, the benefits are greater. So, sites formerly classed as a security risk are being unblocked.
The US Southern Command has also used social media to help humanitarian tasks such as the earthquake in Haiti and perhaps even the recent one in Chile. Admiral Mike Mullen has more than 16,000 Twitter followers, proving that he is cool with the idea.
Some sites – notably pornography and gambling – are still banned and are likely to be for some time. But David Wennergren, deputy assistant secretary of defence for information technology asserts “we need to take advantage of these capabilities that are out there – this Web 2.0 phenomena”.
This will not apply, in the main, to my personal employees.
