The U.S. Department of Defense recently released its official policy on social media, proclaiming that “the default for the DoD non-classified network (the NIPRNET) is for open access so that all of DoD can use new media.” The new policy also allows “[s]ervice members and DoD employees … to use new media to communicate with family and friends” at home or abroad, but cautions that safety is a top concern.
The DoD even has a social media hub to facilitate discussion and to share resources.
Hey, if the Defense Department, of all agencies, is cool with allowing its 3 million-plus employees to engage in social media, isn’t it time for our organizations to loosen up a bit? David Meerman Scott puts it in perspective in his recent Huffington Post blog: “What’s fascinating about the DoD Social Media Policy is how far out in front the military is compared to many U.S. corporations.” And, we might add, U.S. colleges and universities.
The other fascinating thing, from my perspective, is that the official policy is only 9 pages long. Pretty impressive for a government bureaucracy. (My university’s social media guidelines document is a mere 4 pages.)
Let’s take a cue from the DoD and move forward with social media.
(Hat tip to @chrisbrogan, who pointed me to Scott’s post on the DoD over the weekend.)
Higher Ed Marketing 
Agreed on this. I was really impressed with how the DoD has approached social media in the past year or so, with sophisticated policies and a pretty good understanding of how it can be a boon to them. I think colleges and universities can learn a ton from the military in this regard.