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Lessons on Social Neworks From the Pentagon ... Benefits & Risks
Colleagues,
In an interesting, and thought provoking article from Government Computer News, they have assembled a team of experts to describe both the advantages and risks of social networks.
The article analyzes these benefits & costs within the context of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). But many of these lessons apply to any social network, including ours here at MedTech-IQ.
Social networks are a great development. They vastly improve our ability to efficiently communicate & collaborate. But, like many power tools they must be used with caution. Use common sense to protect your privacy and identity. Harvest the advantages of these emerging technologies while guarding yourself against the risks. Read on, its a good article.
ENJOY & BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!
CC
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5 reasons why DOD should embrace social media …
Debate continues to rage at the Defense Department over the use of social-media tools. We asked some experts to present the arguments on both sides of the debate. Here are the pros.
1. Web 2.0 technology improves collaboration.
The information-sharing culture that is central to social media can open doors to joint efforts. For example, DOD Techipedia lets scientists, engineers, service members and others collaborate and share information...
2. It streamlines internal and external communications.
Speedy communications define the modern business era, and DOD’s mission makes it even more of a candidate for streamlining the process. For example, the Intellipedia wiki — which allows federal agencies and national security organizations, including combatant commands, to share sensitive information with one another — “offers one centralized place everyone can get to rather than playing e-mail games back and forth,” said Brock Webb, a computer engineer at the Defense Information Systems Agency...
3. It costs little or nothing to use.
Many organizations are drawn to social-media technology because of its low overhead. At NASA, scientists developing Ares, the new manned spacecraft, use Facebook to collaborate with colleagues at different locations — for free. NASA also created an inexpensive in-house tool called Spacebook using many open-source applications...
4. It has the potential to attract to young recruits to DOD.
Social networking’s explosive popularity has outpaced traditional recruiting strategies. “Social media is gradually, but at an increasing pace, becoming the default for information exchange,” said Les Benito, public Web director at DOD’s Defense Media Activity.
5. It’s highly portable.
Concerns about the disruptions caused by natural and man-made disasters, including a potential swine-flu outbreak, are prompting DOD and other agencies to explore ways for employees to work from home. Web 2.0 technology is an obvious solution. For example, if employees use a wiki to collaborate on a project, they can access that application anywhere via the Internet...
… and 5 reasons why it shouldn’t
1. Sensitive information is on the public Internet.
In an increasingly network-centric government and military, a single information leak could jeopardize homeland security on a grand scale...
2. The tools can make it difficult to comply with federal regulations.
One advantage of Web 2.0 technology is that customers do not have to manage the software or hardware it runs on. But that lack of control is also a hurdle for complying with federal regulations...
3. The technology lacks standards.
Web 2.0 is more of a philosophy than an architecture. Standards are emerging, but they are far from mature...
4. Sharing personal information can put employees at risk.
Tools like Techipedia give users the ability to quickly share information and ideas. However, allowing employees to post to public sites such as Twitter and Facebook without some kind of parameters is dangerous, said Ali Manouchehri, chief executive officer of MetroStar Systems... “Protecting your privacy is certainly an aspect to take into account"...
5. The tools demand a lot of bandwidth.
All the tools require access to the Internet, and some of the newest ones can be bandwidth hogs...
Read the full article at: http://gcn.com/Articles/2009/09/10/DOD-and-Web-2.aspx?s=gcndaily_110909&Page=4
In an interesting, and thought provoking article from Government Computer News, they have assembled a team of experts to describe both the advantages and risks of social networks.
The article analyzes these benefits & costs within the context of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). But many of these lessons apply to any social network, including ours here at MedTech-IQ.
Social networks are a great development. They vastly improve our ability to efficiently communicate & collaborate. But, like many power tools they must be used with caution. Use common sense to protect your privacy and identity. Harvest the advantages of these emerging technologies while guarding yourself against the risks. Read on, its a good article.
ENJOY & BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!
CC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 reasons why DOD should embrace social media …
Debate continues to rage at the Defense Department over the use of social-media tools. We asked some experts to present the arguments on both sides of the debate. Here are the pros.
1. Web 2.0 technology improves collaboration.
The information-sharing culture that is central to social media can open doors to joint efforts. For example, DOD Techipedia lets scientists, engineers, service members and others collaborate and share information...
2. It streamlines internal and external communications.
Speedy communications define the modern business era, and DOD’s mission makes it even more of a candidate for streamlining the process. For example, the Intellipedia wiki — which allows federal agencies and national security organizations, including combatant commands, to share sensitive information with one another — “offers one centralized place everyone can get to rather than playing e-mail games back and forth,” said Brock Webb, a computer engineer at the Defense Information Systems Agency...
3. It costs little or nothing to use.
Many organizations are drawn to social-media technology because of its low overhead. At NASA, scientists developing Ares, the new manned spacecraft, use Facebook to collaborate with colleagues at different locations — for free. NASA also created an inexpensive in-house tool called Spacebook using many open-source applications...
4. It has the potential to attract to young recruits to DOD.
Social networking’s explosive popularity has outpaced traditional recruiting strategies. “Social media is gradually, but at an increasing pace, becoming the default for information exchange,” said Les Benito, public Web director at DOD’s Defense Media Activity.
5. It’s highly portable.
Concerns about the disruptions caused by natural and man-made disasters, including a potential swine-flu outbreak, are prompting DOD and other agencies to explore ways for employees to work from home. Web 2.0 technology is an obvious solution. For example, if employees use a wiki to collaborate on a project, they can access that application anywhere via the Internet...
… and 5 reasons why it shouldn’t
1. Sensitive information is on the public Internet.
In an increasingly network-centric government and military, a single information leak could jeopardize homeland security on a grand scale...
2. The tools can make it difficult to comply with federal regulations.
One advantage of Web 2.0 technology is that customers do not have to manage the software or hardware it runs on. But that lack of control is also a hurdle for complying with federal regulations...
3. The technology lacks standards.
Web 2.0 is more of a philosophy than an architecture. Standards are emerging, but they are far from mature...
4. Sharing personal information can put employees at risk.
Tools like Techipedia give users the ability to quickly share information and ideas. However, allowing employees to post to public sites such as Twitter and Facebook without some kind of parameters is dangerous, said Ali Manouchehri, chief executive officer of MetroStar Systems... “Protecting your privacy is certainly an aspect to take into account"...
5. The tools demand a lot of bandwidth.
All the tools require access to the Internet, and some of the newest ones can be bandwidth hogs...
Read the full article at: http://gcn.com/Articles/2009/09/10/DOD-and-Web-2.aspx?s=gcndaily_110909&Page=4
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