Social Media as Defense Strategy
According to an article on Nextgov, the National Defense University is about to release a research paper saying that the US Department of Defense must adopt a comprehensive social media strategy in order to improve national security. From Nexgov:
“This is not just techie-geeky stuff, but serious stuff with national security ramifications,” said Linton Wells, a distinguished research professor at NDU who co-wrote the report. “We can’t ignore [social media] if other nations are using it, both friends and adversaries. If the government keeps not making use of these technologies, we’ll fall behind and be unaware of things that could affect us.”
Dividing social media into four categories, researchers recommend several ways to improve security through social media communication channels:
- Inward sharing: sharing information within the agency or department
- Outward sharing: sharing information with other agencies and external groups
- Inbound sharing: obtaining information and input from the public and outside organizations
- Outbound sharing: sharing information with people outside the government, including the public and other nations
It’s only a matter of time before most government agencies begin to utilize the power of social media to gather, share and deliver information. As I prepare for a panel next week on social media and product recalls, I can only hope that businesses and government (most particularly the FDA, CDC and their food and pharmaceutical constituents) begin to engage in the work of collaborating together in the social media realm for the greater good (and safety) of consumers.
Stay tuned for more from the SOCAP (The Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business) Symposium in Chicago next week, where I’m appearing on a panel about Leveraging Social Media in Product Recalls… I’ll be Tweeting about it as well, tune into #symp09…
Thanks, Janet - that is exactly how my mind works. For the client we’re working with right now, I think we should list for them exactly what we’re doing in each of those 4 categories (inward, outward, inbound, outbound). I think an organized, clear list like that shows the value of (and need for) social media and should even be included in future client proposals.
Not a bad idea - especially since there are so many questions as to who benefits from what social media activity.
People consume and learn in different manners, so it’s always good to spell things out in several different ways!
Thanks. As an editor of a Software that enable a group of people to influence communities, I definitly see how powerfull social media participation could be in Defense.
Janet. Great post. Social media security is a topic we’re monitoring closely in the public relations industry. PR firms like LT Public Relations who provide crisis communications work, will need to be on alert for social media infringements.
On another note, looking to attend your May 12th event. Hopefully will see you there!
I will be there at the Link for Women on the 12th, you bet. Am very much looking forward to it. See you there, and feel welcome to pipe up and contribute to the conversation! Thanks for doing so here…