Social Media: Is Defense Unique?

The Defense Department on Friday unveiled its new policy allowing military members and civilians to access social media Web sites from the agency's unclassified network. Price B. Floyd, principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense for public affairs, said last week that the new policy is an attempt to change the culture at the department, particularly as young people, many of whom have grown up using social media sites like Facebook, join the military, the American Forces Press Service reports.

"I think we have work here to do at the Defense Department," Floyd said. "People who are coming into the military take all of this for granted. They can't imagine a world where one didn't have access to these sorts of sites. For those of us who are a little longer in the tooth, it's only been in the past few years that we've seen these developments and discovered how useful they can be. So we have some education and cultural shifting to do."

It's encouraging to see a federal agency committed not only to changing the overall culture and work environment, but also recognizing the value of social media in meeting its overall mission.

In many ways, however, the Defense Department is unique. It employs thousands of service members and federal civilians who are never off-duty, so helping to balance their work and family/social lives in part through social media is key to recruiting and retaining a top-notch force. So will other agencies, which may not have the same incentive for implementing social media, follow suit? How crucial will social media policies play in recruiting and retaining the current and future generation of federal workers?