Troops encouraged to tweet by MoD

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New guidelines from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are encouraging troops to use social networking sites to talk about what they do, within certain boundaries.

The new document entitled “Online Engagement Guidelines” suggests that MoD personnel should talk about the role they play and take advantage of the ease of contacting friends and family through social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook.

It even goes as far as suggesting the use of sponsored blogs to discuss their roles and duties within the Armed Forces in more depth.

However the document is also very clear about the limitations.

It said that no clearance from superiors was needed if discussing “factual, unclassified, uncontroversial non-operational matters” but when it came to deployments, operations or making personal opinions about the Armed Forces, MoD or political matters soldiers must check with their line of command before posting.

The 13-page document supports being “open and honest” but makes a point that the difference between comment and fact must be made clear.

The guidelines conclude: “Enjoy yourself – You have a great story to tell, and are the best person to tell it.”

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