Social Media

Government may have been in the slow lane to accept social media as a viable conduit for sharing information, but agencies are now coordinating their efforts to ensure messages going out to the public can be trusted. Members of a panel discussing its uses at the AFCEA International Homeland Security Conference said the technologies that facilitate ubiquitous communications among the public are merely another change in generations of changes.

Channel surfing gets social. The free Peel app for iOS and Android makes personalized recommendations for TV shows based on your viewing history and what your friends are watching.

U.S. federal agencies conducting the 2011 test of the Emergency Alert System saw results and failures, and are working to coordinate improved social media connection and involvement.

The problems that the military is facing as personnel make greater use of social media are the same that it has confronted with earlier communications technologies. And, the solution may be the same: greater education on, and adherence to, security guidelines.

The possibility of classified or sensitive information being leaked to social media websites is an increasing concern for government and military officials, but two products-Vantage and Unified Security Gateway (USG)-may help plug the leaks. Vantage supports a variety of platforms, including Microsoft Lync Server, Office Communications Server, IBM Sametime, Cisco Unified Presence, Jabber, and public instant messaging platforms, including Skype and Web conferencing tools. Vantage ensures a scalable, secure, managed solution is available for any of the leading platforms, according to officials at Actiance Incorporated, Belmont, California, the maker of both products. USG is a secure Web gateway to combine feature and content controls of social networks with the monitoring, management and security of Web 2.0 applications. It provides granular control of websites and applications as well as content posted to blogs, wikis, Webmail and social networking sites. USG reduces outbound data leakage and enforces compliance with regulatory and legal discovery, and corporate policy requirements by moderating, monitoring and logging content posted to popular social networks.

Members of today's industry panel at LandWarNet discussed many of the issues that have long been a source of consternation to military contractors including the need for a level playing field and better, more agile acquisition policies especially for information technology. However, one person added a slight twist to the discussion by stating that not only do many in government not understand the acquisition process and its difficulties, but industry does not do a good job educating them.

As the U.S. Coast Guard examines new ways to consolidate its logistics systems into a single business model, it is using social media platforms to open a dialogue with government and industry.

The U.S. Army's updated Social Media Handbook is now available on the iPhone.

The changeover to another generation of IT professionals is inevitable; it's happening right now. But does the federal IT community have a handle on just what this transition entails, and have the Defense Department and other organizations prepared adequately to take on the changes consistently and effectively? Will they end up with a deer-in-the-headlights look, or will they be able to adjust without a hitch? Discuss your ideas and suggestions here.

Social media use by federal employees and contractors increased dramatically in the last year, but many people still wonder if it is safe and business savvy to jump in to online networking, according to a recent survey.