By Luke Waack
GUIDON staff

The Army recently made available several social media Web sites within the army.mil domain.

The move is designed to support the intent of senior Army leaders to allow Soldiers to spread their Army stories using Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and other Web forums.

“We are supporting the Army’s leadership in their efforts to ‘tell the Army’s story’ to the public at large.  

This provides our servicemembers the opportunity to do this on popular public access sites,” said Kathy Kerns, Directorate of Information Management director.

The Army now has profiles on the newly accessible domains, Kerns said.

“The Army has established a presence on these selected Web sites through the Army’s official Web site, www.army.mil. We are providing the means for unit leadership to access those sites to participate in this initiative,” Kerns said.

New sites do not mean new rules for content. Army standards for computer use still apply when accessing social media, Kerns said.

When Army users sign the Acceptable Use Policy, they agree to restrict communication of sensitive information and this applies to public Web sites and personal e-mail.

“We expect our users to remember the Acceptable Use Policy and act responsibly in the Army’s best interest,” Kerns said.

Operation Order 9-14, Web Filtering Standard, May 18, established the new policies and procedures for the use of social media Web sites from Army computer systems.

To allow the work force to access these sites, all DOIM offices have been directed to lift blocks to Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Delicious, Vimeo and all Web-based e-mail. Users may access these sites from desktops, laptops and Blackberries.

Many social media Web sites will remain off limits, to include but not limited to; YouTube, Photobucket and MySpace.

Pvt. Chancelor Crabtree, Warrior Transition Unit, uses Facebook.

“It helps me keep in touch with some of the guys I deployed with, and they are spread across Missouri. You can also keep in touch with your old friends from school, college and old co-workers,” Crabtree said.

It will be a benefit for deployed Soldiers, Crabtree said.

“If Soldiers over there are able to access Facebook and keep in touch with families, then it would be one more tool for communication,” he said.

Those interested can add Fort Leonard Wood to their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Search Facebook for Fort Leonard Wood and add the search result with the Maneuver Support Center logo. Find the installation on Twitter at “fortleonardwood.”