Soldiers in the Blogosphere: Using New Media to Help Win the War for Public Opinion

The activities and networks that constitute what is referred to as "new media" or "Web 2.0," such as blogs and virtual communities, have become a significant part of the culture of the new generation of Soldiers and are becoming increasingly common among more senior Soldiers. The Army has recently relaxed its policy on blogging, but still bans the use of community networking sites such as MySpace on government computers. The Army has practically ignored these new media sources to get its story told. In order to win the war for public opinion, both domestically and internationally, the Army must create policies that not only allow Soldier's use of new media but encourage it within the context of strategic communications. In this paper, three alternative solutions are investigated concerning how the Army can best capitalize on the use of new media by individual Soldiers. This paper is not focused at public affairs professionals or organizations. Rather, it presents solutions that apply to all Army units, all Army leaders, and every Soldier. The goal of this paper is to provide a viable solution that improves strategic communication, ensures OPSEC, and takes advantage of the many benefits offered by new media technologies.

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