Facebook®, Twitter®, Flickr®, LinkedIn®, etc. - great ways to share memories, network, stay in contact with family and friends and they give you the ability to express your every thought - whether anyone wants to know.
In general, your life away from Anniston Army Depot is just that. However, social media and how you use it, on and off depot, can impact your job.
Of course, even if your organization has permitted you access to social media on a government computer for official purposes, it is highly recommend that you not access your personal social media on government time on a government computer.
The consequences of wasting government time and resources should be self-evident, but, in case they are not, remember they can lead to disciplinary action.
More intriguing issues today involve the balance of exercising your private citizen's right to free speech with avoiding unintended consequences for your job, family and future. Common sense resolves most concerns. Yet, many forget that once you post on the internet or create any writing, it may be forever available and in the public domain. Further, some people post or e-mail words, thoughts and pictures they would never say or do in person!
As you might suspect, the Army has social media policies and directives. Operation Security, or OPSEC, is a principal concern. For example, there is no good reason to privately post about the equipment, resources and assets at the depot on which you may be working or where you might be traveling for work. The wrong people are "mining" the internet for such information!
Posting threatening language about someone with whom you work is a certain way to call attention to yourself and for your job status to be analyzed.
While a manager "friending" a subordinate may seem innocent enough, it can give an appearance of favorable treatment or cause others to question the relationship.
A work-related link between your off-duty conduct and the performance of your job can lead to potential disciplinary action.
So, how can you balance the benefits of social media with your job? Some basic guidelines include:
1. Supervisors should not open the liability window by "friending" a subordinate.
2. You should only post pictures your mother or another loved one could see.
3. Choose profile settings that allows only approved users to view your content and requires you to approve anything to which your name is attached.
4. Do not post your location (or others' locations) when away on vacation or business -- that invites robbery or other criminal activities
5. Do not "friend" people unknown to you.
6. Do not post improper conduct in which you may have engaged.
7. Know and abide by the privacy policy of each social media site you are involved with
Further advice, guidance, and tips can be found in the Army Social Media Handbook, available on the Anniston Army Depot Intranet under Regulations and Policies at https://intra.anad.army.mil/RegsAndPolicies/SocialMediaHandbook/SocialMediaHandbook_Version2.pdf.
Enjoy social media for what it is, exercise discretion and avoid unintended consequences!
Social Sharing