Should NCOs and OICs be monitoring subordinates on FB?

2014-10-21T01:28:49-04:00

Do you feel it's right to check on troops/soldiers personal FB?

Response by Sgt Arthur Went made Oct 21 at 2014 1:32 AM

2014-10-21T01:32:31-04:00

I believe it's personal and has nothing to do with your job. It would be like your NCO's opening your personal mail before FB was around. Down right wrong!

Response by MSG Wade Huffman made Oct 21 at 2014 7:54 AM

2014-10-21T07:54:04-04:00

While anything you post online should be assumed to be 'public', I do not believe there is a reason to cyber stalk your soldiers. If there was a report of impropriety of some type, that would change the dynamic (as well as the response), but as a general rule, I would say no. Everyone is entitled to a degree of privacy in their lives.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Oct 21 at 2014 8:38 AM

2014-10-21T08:38:43-04:00

While I don't think it should be mandatory for leaders to check the Facebook page of their soldiers, I certainly don't see anything wrong with it. They posted it on a social media site, therefore they apparently don't care who sees it. (Of course, they can still control who sees what by using the privacy settings in Facebook).

Likewise, soldiers can just as easily check NCO and officer Facebook pages, as well.

The same is true for RallyPoint and other social media sites.

Response by LCpl Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2014 3:21 PM

2014-10-21T15:21:37-04:00

This is the perspective of an older junior Marine...I feel that I'm mature enough to know what's appropriate to post. However a lot of the younger guys don't really 'get it' yet with regards to what's acceptable, especially when it comes to pics and what not in uniform. That's why pages like JTTOTs and what not are so popular, because Marines (and others) put stupid pictures up with them doing inappropriate things in uniform, or wearing it wrong. I'm not friends with any NCOs or officers on FB anyway, so that kind of mitigates the issue for me. However, I think an occasional spot check is acceptable, or if an NCO sees something wrong, he needs to say something to that SM and persuade him to see why it's not a good idea to post that. I always think that you can catch more flies with honey. Tell him why it's wrong/ a bad idea but don't put him on blast or embarrass him.

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Oct 21 at 2014 3:40 PM

2014-10-21T15:40:50-04:00

Unless I were a member of a unit group/page of FB, frankly it is none of anyone's business but my own, and I as a leader would never have even considered attempting to monitor my Soldiers' Fb activities without any outright evidence of wrong doing that would be detrimental to the good order and discipline of the unit and/or Army.

Response by SSgt Salvador Martinez made Oct 22 at 2014 6:18 AM

2014-10-22T06:18:56-04:00

I think we have more important things to do than snoop around our people