Navy Command Leadership 

Social Media Handbook

Fall 2012
2 Navy C ommand Leadership Social Media Handbook

From the Chief of Naval Information

“A few years ago, you could have said to yourself that you’re 

not going to participate... Well, I’m here to tell you that 

we’re at the stage now that we are participating. How much 

you participate is now the question. I strongly encourage you 

to participate as much as possible.”

Photo by MC3 Kenneth Abbate
Fall 2012 3

Table of Contents

I. Social Media Overview

a. Definition of Social Media

b. Department of Defense Policy

c. Department of the Navy Policy

d. Social Media and Your Command

II. Guidelines for Sailors and Navy Personnel

a. Communicating Expectations

b. Upholding Operations Security

c. OPSEC Checklist

d. Other Known Social Media Risks

III. Leadership Professional Standards Online

a. Frequently Asked Questions

IV. Guidelines for Command Social Media Sites

a. Setting Communications Objectives

i. Communicating with Families

ii. Content and Multimedia Strategy

b. Selecting and Managing Platforms

i. Establish a Single Command Presence

ii. Register Command Social Media Sites

iii. Develop a Plan for Managing Sites

iv. Abide by Records Keeping Policy

v. Ensure Information is Releasable

vi. Prepare for and Respond to Crisis

V. Appendix

a. DoD Social Media Policy

b. DON Social Media Policy

c. Sample Social Media Content Plan

d. Best Practice Examples

e. Additional Resources

ON THE COVER — The son of EM1 Randall White, 

assigned to USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), waves to 

his father’s ship as it transits San Diego Bay after 

departing Naval Air Station North Island on a 

scheduled deployment to the western Pacific region.

Photo by MC2 Trevor Welsh
4 Nav y Command Leadership Social Media Handbook

Social Media Overview

Definition of Social Media

Social media describes the different means by 

which people, enabled by digital communication 

technologies, connect with one another to share 

information and engage in conversations on topics 

of mutual interest. Social media is an umbrella term 

describing a variety of communication mediums 

and platforms including social networks, blogs, 

mobile applications, and others. The way people get 

information has changed and the desire to have real 

conversations with individuals, organizations, and 

government entities has increased. This presents a 

tremendous opportunity for all commands to more 

effectively communicate with sailors, Navy families, 

and the public.

Department of Defense Policy

Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 8550.01, 

released 11 SEP 2012, encourages the use of 

social media and provides guidelines for military 

use of social media. The instruction acknowledges 

that Internet-based capabilities are integral to 

operations across the Department of Defense. It also 

established a requirement that the NIPRNET shall 

be configured to provide access to Internet-based 

capabilities across all DoD Components.

Department of the Navy Policy

The Navy issued two ALNAV official guidance 

documents— ALNAV 056/10 and ALNAV 057/10—

to establish official guidelines for the official and 

unofficial (personal) use of social media. DTM 

09-026 identifies social media as primarily a public 

affairs function; therefore, all Navy Public Affairs 

Regulations and other Public Affairs guidelines 

also apply.
Fall 2012 5

Social Media and Your Command

Social media is one of the primary modes of 

communication for Americans. As of 2011:

•	 Over 65 percent of Americans use social 

networking sites (Wired PR Works)

•	 Each week on Facebook, more than 3.5 billion 

pieces of content are shared (HubSpot)

•	 1 in 4 Americans watch a YouTube video 

daily (The Growth of Social Media in 2011 

Infographic)

•	 There are 245 million Internet users in the 

U.S. According to Nielsen, social media sites 

and blogs reach 80 percent of all active U.S. 

internet users (PR Week)

Many of these trends point to a larger phenomenon. 

Individuals are changing their preferences for 

how, when, and where they consume information 

and connect with organizations. An ever-widening 

demographic of individuals is using social media 

sites to find and share content. They also prefer 

content presented in more social formats (including 

small, manageable, and re-sharable chunks). 

As a leader in today’s Navy, it is vital to understand 

these trends and incorporate social media into your 

command’s communication strategy in order to more 

effectively communicate when, where, and how 

your audience prefers to connect. Social media can 

provide a more direct and meaningful way of sharing 

authoritative information about your command while 

also expanding your reach by empowering both 

your internal and external stakeholders to re-share 

information with their own individual online networks 

(e.g., friends, family, and regional connections).

Photo by MC2 James R. Evans
6 Nav y Command Leadership Social Media Handbook

Benefits of communicating with your audiences 

using social media:

•	 Efficient: Leveraging social media allows you 

to publish once and reach many. Share key 

information and messages and instantly reach a 

worldwide audience. 

•	 Direct: We no longer rely solely on media to tell 

the Navy’s story. Social media enables Navy 

leaders to augment or amplify traditional news 

media efforts.

•	 Responsive: Most social media channels 

encourage users to provide feedback, share 

opinions, or comment on information, yielding 

rich insights for communications planning and 

decision making.

•	 Transparent: Engaging directly on an open, social 

platform builds a relationship between your 

command and the public. By listening, sharing 

and engaging with others online, social media 

provides a unique opportunity to build trust 

with your audience and present authoritative 

information about your command. 

As the command leadership team, you should incorporate social media into your command communications strategy in order to most effectively tell your 

command’s story and engage with your command’s 

audience where they have a pre-existing presence 

online presence. In addition, it is important to educate your sailors on safe and effective social media 

use in order to promote morale and readiness as well 

as avoid OPSEC violations or other risks that could 

compromise your mission or your sailors’ reputations.

Guidelines for Sailors 

and Navy Personnel

The Navy encourages service members to share their 

stories of service online with the American people. 

The Navy also encourages personnel to use social 

media to stay connected to loved ones. With the 

increased quantity and visibility of online information, 

it is all the more important to educate sailors and 

personnel about how to maintain integrity and 

security online.

Communicating Expectations

Command leaders should communicate expectations 

about online interactions with sailors and personnel 

regularly. Leaders should encourage personnel to:

•	 Identify themselves with by rank and/or position 

when commenting about Navy matters online 

and add a disclaimer that the opinions shared 

are their own and do not represent the command 

or Navy’s viewpoints;

•	 Uphold copyright and trademark laws in online 

posts unless one has written permission to 

violate from the copyright or trademark holder;

•	 Replace error with fact, and always try to avoid 

getting into an online argument; and 

•	 Admit mistakes and correct them immediately 

(make a note when information has been 

updated or edited so not to lose credibility with 

other community members).

Photo by MCC Joe Kane
Fall 2012 7

Upholding Operations Security 

Operations security (OPSEC) should be maintained 

online just as it is offline. OPSC violations commonly 

occur when personnel share information with people 

they do not know well or are unaware of loose privacy 

settings. Focus on communicating these four key tips 

with sailors and personnel to avoid OPSEC violations 

at your command.

1. Protect your families by limiting the amount 

and type of information you post about family 

members such as names, addresses, local towns 

or, schools.

2.Understand each of your social network’s 

security settings so you can make informed 

decisions about who is and is not able to view 

your information and/or photos.

3.Keep classified and sensitive information safe 

by not discussing critical information such as 

ship movements, deployments, personnel rosters, 

and weapons information.

4.If you hesitate when deciding whether you 

should share information, DON’T post it online!

If you or another person identifies a potential OPSEC 

breech, document and remove it as soon as possible. 

Many times, OPSEC breeches are a result of error 

or ignorance, so it’s important to communicate with 

the individual who posted the information to inform 

him/her of the violation. Work with your public affairs 

officer and ombudsman to further communicate 

OPSEC guidelines with sailors and their families.

OPSEC Checklist

Take the following steps to avoid OPSEC breeches at 

your command.

9 Identify personnel authorized to post content 

to social media sites and ensure they are the 

only individuals with access to those sites.

9 Establish local procedures to ensure that all information posted on social media is releasable.

9 Ensure all information posted is in accordance 

with local public affairs guidance and Navy 

Public Affairs Regulations.

9 Monitor your command’s social media sites 

for posts that violate OPSEC and if there is a 

violation, document it; remove the information.

9 Conduct periodic training with sailors and 

families on appropriate versus inappropriate 

social media behavior.

Other Known Social Media Risks

•	 Impersonations

•	 Accidental geo-tagging (of images or posts)

•	 Non-secure privacy settings

•	 Posting sensitive personal, operational or 

geographic information

The key to mitigating these and other risks is 

educating sailors and personnel.

Photo by MC2 Kyle P. Malloy
8 Nav y Command Leadership Social Media Handbook

Leadership Standards While Online

Social media is practically void of organizational 

hierarchy, which can present new ethical issues for 

leadership conduct. In most cases, ethical issues can 

be managed using the same ethical guidance that has 

traditionally guided Navy leadership. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I friend or follow those in my command?

This depends on how you are using social media. If 

your social media presence exists solely to engage 

with people on a professional basis, then connecting 

directly with one or your sailors is not an issue. 

However, if you use a social media site to actively 

communicate with your close friends and family, then 

connecting directly with a sailor who works for you 

should be a very thoughtful decision. It is up to you 

to lead by example and ensure that the relationship 

remains professional and that deference to your rank 

and position is respected online as it is offline.

Is there a different code of conduct online?

When it comes to your position as a leader of 

your command, your online conduct should be no 

different than your conduct offline. You should also 

hold your sailors and personnel to the same standard. 

Does friending, following or, linking equal 

endorsement?

Linking to, “liking,” or following another organization 

on social media does not constitute endorsement. 

For example, liking a newspaper’s page on Facebook 

does not constitute endorsement, just as having 

a subscription to that paper would not constitute 

endorsement of that organization. However, posting 

content (including re-tweeting on Twitter) about a 

business, organization, media, or charity could be 

viewed as endorsement if there is no direct tie to 

your command. 

Can I promote myself?

Using your rank, job, and/or responsibilities as a 

means of promoting yourself for personal benefit is 

not appropriate and can tarnish your reputation and 

that of your command and the Navy.

Can I take payment for writing blogs?

It is against Navy Ethics regulations to accept 

compensation for blog posts. Treat all requests 

from non-government blogs as a media request and 

coordinate with your PAO or the next PAO in your 

chain of command for talking points and assistance 

in drafting your response.

Can I express my political opinion?

DoD and Navy policy as well as the ethical 

requirements state that Navy personnel acting in 

their official capacity may not “associate DoD with 

any partisan political campaign or election, candidate, 

cause or issue” (SECNAVINST 5720.44B). As a 

service member, you are permitted to express your 

political views within certain guidelines stated in the 

DoD Directive 1344.10, Title 10 of U.S. Code, Sec. 

888. Art. 88, and SECNAVINST 5720.44B. Keep in 

mind that because of your leadership position, what 

you say and do online may be more visible and taken 

more seriously than that of your personnel, even 

about issues that you do not intend to reflect upon 

your command or the Navy.

Photo by MC1 Peter D. Lawlor
Fall 2012 9

Guidelines for Command Social Media Sites

The Navy Office of Information (CHINFO) has 

established guidelines for Navy commands to follow, 

in accordance with DoD and Navy policy, in order to 

establish compliant and effective social media sites.

Setting Communication Objectives

Your social media sites should be an integral part of 

your command’s communications strategy. Before 

launching a social media site for your command, 

consider what you want to accomplish. What are your 

communication objectives and how do they move 

your command closer to achieving its mission?

You should also consider your command’s priority 

audiences. Do you most want to communicate with 

sailors in your command, command leadership, 

family members, the local community, a broader 

DoD audience, Congress, the American public, or 

another group altogether? 

Examples of measurable communications objectives 

with priority audiences identified:

•	 Inform our command’s sailors and family 

members of command news, announcements 

and accomplishments, to promote readiness of 

the command.

•	 Engage in a dialogue with the local community 

including Navy family members where our 

command is based, in order to build awareness 

and understanding about the Navy in the area.

•	 Achieve greater awareness and support for our 

command’s mission among the DoD community 

and Congress to ensure future funding.

Communicate with Families

For many commands, communicating with families 

will be a priority. Many Navy ombudsman and 

family readiness groups are also using social media 

to communicate with families. Command spouses 

and your ombudsman are an essential part of the 

command leadership team. As such, they should be 

part of your communications strategy. 

Reach to these family resources when developing 

your communications strategy to determine how 

you can best work together on social media. 

Some commands provide their ombudsman with 

administrative rights to their social media accounts. 

Others manage online presences in tandem and 

cross-promote content as appropriate. Others still 

use their main command page to communicate 

with family members and welcome discussion 

from families on their site. Whichever approach 

your command chooses, actively engaging with 

family members on social media will demonstrate 

a willingness to listen to families and amplify your 

leadership messaging across multiple communities. 

Photo by MC2 Josue L. Escobosa
1 0 Nav y Command Leadership Social Media Handbook

Content and Multimedia Strategy

Once you have set goals and target audiences 

for your social media outreach and who you want 

to communicate with, you must determine what 

your command should say. Content can include 

text, imagery, video, posters, and other forms of 

multimedia. The content your command produces 

and distributes sets the tone of your communication 

strategy and can determine the ultimate success 

of your efforts. Is your content relevant to your 

primary audiences? Will your primary audiences find 

it interesting? Will this content cause your primary 

audiences to take a desired action? These are the 

key questions your command needs to ask before 

determining how and where it will share its content.

Selecting and Managing Platforms

Depending on the type of content you have and want 

to share, different social media platforms may be 

more or less appropriate for your command. Flickr 

may be a good place to share command photos. 

YouTube may be a great place to host and share 

command videos. But you need to determine the 

best platform(s) for your command based on your 

communication objectives, audience preferences, 

and content available.

The key is to determine the best social media 

platform(s) based on where your primary audiences 

are already active online. You can find out this by 

asking them via formal and informal channels. Often 

times, you can also determine where your primary 

audiences are online by conducting web searches 

on sites like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and others. 

Once you have a good sense of where your primary 

audiences are active online, then you can make an 

informed decision about which platforms are right to 

achieve your command’s communications objectives.

Establish a Single Command Presence

There can be a tendency to create individual 

social media sites for each unit or office within 

a command. While this decision is ultimately 

up to command leadership, we discourage the 

creation of multiple social media sites on the same 

platform (e.g., Facebook). The leadership team is 

encouraged to have one voice for communicating 

with key audiences. Creating multiple Facebook 

pages for different units within a command can 

create confusion among personnel and command 

family members trying obtain information. It can 

also splinter your audience and hinder the important 

“network effect” that is part of the value-add of 

social media efforts.

Register Command Social Media Sites

DODI 8550.01 requires that all social media sites 

used in an official capacity be registered with the 

Department of Defense (DoD). CHINFO submits 

these sites to DoD based on the Navy’s Social 

Media Directory. All official Navy social media sites 

must be registered with the Navy Social Media 

Directory located at www.navy.mil/socialmedia. 

Before submitting a site to be registered, you must 

ensure your site meets all requirements for an 

official command social media presence (checklist 

below and also available here: www.navy.mil/media/

smrChecklist.pdf)

OFFICIAL COMMAND SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE 

REQUIREMENTS:

•	 Have the commanding officer or public affairs 

officer approval

•	 Have a valid .mil email address

•	 Link to an official DON website URL

•	 Include Include endorsement disclaimer text

•	 If the site allows comments, include a user 

agreement establishing criteria for posts

•	 Clearly identify the site as “official”

•	 Be unlocked and open to the public

•	 Be labeled as “organization-government page” 

on Facebook
Fall 2012 11

Develop a Plan for Managing Sites

The plan to manage command social media sites 

should be coordinated with command leadership, 

public affairs, and other personnel who may be 

generating or publishing content to the site. The 

management plan should be led by a command 

spokesperson and should include the following 

elements:

•	 Site administrators: Who has access to 

administer the page? Grant permission to 

multiple administrators to ensure there is no 

single point of failure.

•	 Objectives for the site: What do you hope to 

accomplish by communicating on this site?

•	 Target audience/s: Who are you trying to reach?

•	 Type and frequency of content to be posted: Will 

you share news stories, images, original content, 

or information about local events? What’s 

important and interesting to your target audience? 

See a sample content plan in the Appendix.

•	 Comment policy: Why will posts be removed? 

Will comments be moderated or automatically 

published? See the Navy’s Facebook comment 

policy as an example at Facebook.com/USNavy

under the “info” tab.

•	 Monitoring policy: How often will you monitor the 

page for comments? Will you respond and engage 

in a dialogue with your community members?

•	 Transition plan: When personnel change over, 

how will you transfer administrative rights and 

the plan over to new personnel?

Photo by MC2 James R. Evans
1 2 Nav y Command Leadership Social Media Handbook

Abide by Records-Keeping Policy

All federal public websites must comply with existing 

laws and regulations related to the management of 

public web records, including the NARA guidance 

related to Web records issued on December 17, 

2005. Organizations should review existing laws 

and regulations, and other guidance, to ensure their 

public websites are in compliance:

•	 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 

1220-1238

•	 E-Gov Act of 2002, Section 207(e), “Public 

Access to Electronic Information”

•	 End-of-Administration Web Snapshot

•	 National Archives and Records Administration 

Web Harvest Background Information

•	 Federal Agency Records Officers, by Agency

•	 NARA Guidance for Implementing Section 

207(e) of the E-Gov Act pf 2002

•	 NARA Guidance on Managing Web Records

(January 2005)

•	 NARA Guidance on Managing Records in Web 

2.0/Social Media Platforms (October 2010)

•	 Implications of Recent Web Technologies for 

NARA Web Guidance

Ensure Information is Releasable

According to the DTM, official use of social media is 

a public affairs function. Any command use of social 

media must remain in compliance with Navy public 

affairs policy. Any content posted to an official social 

media presence must either be already in public 

domain or approved for release by the commanding 

officer, public affairs officer, or other personnel 

with release authority on behalf of the command. 

Commands are ultimately responsible for official 

content posted on their social media sites as well 

as those sites run by other parts of their command. 

Contractors may help manage a social media 

presence, but they cannot serve as a spokesperson 

for the Navy. Also, to the maximum extent possible, 

any content released by the command must also be 

present, in some form, on the command website.

Prepare for and Respond to Crisis Situations

Due to the speed, reach, and direct nature of social 

media, these channels have proven to be effective 

for use in crisis situations. In recent crises, social 

media has facilitated the distribution of command 

information to key audiences and media while 

providing a means for dialogue among the affected 

and interested groups. You can’t surge trust 

following a crisis, so the best course of action is to 

consistently engage your social media community 

before a crisis occurs. Use this checklist to prepare 

and respond to a crisis using social media before, 

during, and after a crisis occurs.

BEFORE

•	 Establish a command presence on relevant 

social media platforms

•	 Plan and train multiple people at your command 

to communicate on your social media platforms 

during a crisis

•	 Identify keywords that may be used when 

communicating about your command in a 

potential crisis (e.g., crash, collision, evacuation, 

humanitarian assistance)

•	 Identify key audiences such as sailors, family 

members, local citizens, media, etc.

•	 Post regular, relevant content to your command’s 

social media sites to alert key audiences that 

your page is an authoritative and consistent 

resource of information about your command

•	 Establish a list of alternative communication 

methods such as text messaging, Twitter, and 

Facebook 
Fall 2012 1 3

DURING

•	 Use all available communication channels to 

distribute information to affected audiences

•	 Communicate relevant and timely information 

as it is released—even if you only have part of 

the full story, it is beneficial to the safety and 

security of others to release in segments rather 

than waiting until you have the entire story (at 

which point, it may be too late)

•	 Listen to what people are saying about the 

topic by monitoring your social media sites, 

and answer questions as accurately and 

quickly as possible

•	 To identify and correct misinformation, identify 

other channels to use for distributing information, 

and to reach audiences you may not be reaching 

with existing efforts, query relevant keywords on 

social media and search engines

AFTER

•	 Thank community members for their assistance 

in disseminating information, answering each 

other’s questions and supporting one another 

through the crisis

•	 Ask designated communicators for lessons learned 

and incorporate changes into your crisis plan

•	 Continue to provide updates and information 

to audiences to maintain interest in your social 

media sites

Photo by MC2 Paul D. Williams Photo by MC2 Michael L. Croft Photo by MC2 Josue L. Escobosa
1 4 Navy Command Leadership Social Media Handbook

Department of Defense 

INSTRUCTION

NUMBER 8550.01

September 11, 2012 

DoD CIO 

SUBJECT: DoD Internet Services and Internet-Based Capabilities 

References: See Enclosure 1 

1. PURPOSE. This Instruction, in accordance with the authority in DoD Directive (DoDD) 

5144.1 (Reference (a)) and DoD Instruction (DoDI) 5025.01 (Reference (b)) and the 

requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-05-04 

(Reference (c)): 

 a. Incorporates and cancels Deputy Secretary of Defense (DepSecDef) Memorandum 

(Reference (d)), and Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 09-026 (Reference (e)).

 b. Establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and provides instructions for: 

(1) Establishing, operating, and maintaining DoD Internet services on unclassified 

networks to collect, disseminate, store, and otherwise process unclassified DoD information. 

(2) Use of Internet-based capabilities (IbC) to collect, disseminate, store, and otherwise 

process unclassified DoD information. 

2. APPLICABILITY. This Instruction: 

 a. Applies to OSD, the Military Departments, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs 

of Staff and the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Office of the Inspector General of the 

Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, and all other 

organizational entities within the DoD (hereinafter referred to collectively as the “DoD 

Components”).

 b. Applies to DoD Internet services and use of IbC provided by morale, welfare, and 

recreation (MWR), military exchanges, and lodging programs for use by authorized patrons. 

 c. Applies to contractors and other non-DoD entities that are supporting DoD missionrelated activities or accessing DoD Internet services or IbC via DoD information systems, to the 

Appendix

DoD Social Media Policy 

www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/855001p.pdf
Fall 2012 1 5

Department of the Navy Social Media Policy

https://www.chinfo.navy.mil/socialmedia/alnav057-10--internet-based_capabilities_guidance-unofficial_internet_posts.pdf

https://www.chinfo.navy.mil/socialmedia/alnav056-10--internet-based_capabilities_guidance-official_internet_posts.pdf

 (6) DON PERSONNEL SHOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT USE OF THIRD PARTY APPLICATIONS 

ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES, SINCE SUCH APPLICATIONS OFTEN HAVE 

ACCESS TO A USER'S PERSONAL INFORMATION. 

 (7) DON PERSONNEL ARE ENCOURAGED TO LEARN ABOUT AND USE THE PRIVACY 

SETTINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, IN ORDER TO LIMIT THE INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BE 

UNINTENTIONALLY SHARED WITH "FRIENDS" AND THE BROADER SOCIAL NETWORKING 

COMMUNITY. 

 (8) DON PERSONNEL SHOULD REVIEW THEIR ACCOUNTS ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR 

POSSIBLE USE OR CHANGES BY UNAUTHORIZED USERS. 

 (9) DON PERSONNEL SHOULD REVIEW OTHER RESOURCES FOR SAFE USE OF SOCIAL 

NETWORKING SITES, AVAILABLE FROM HTTP://WWW.IOSS.GOV/SNS_SAFETY_CHECK.PDF, AND 

ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE MANDATORY ANNUAL INFORMATION ASSURANCE (IA) TRAINING, WHICH 

PROVIDES ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE, DIRECTION, AND BEST-PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE 

USE OF IBC. 

4. THERE IS VALUE TO THE ACCESS AND USE OF IBC. FOLLOWING THE ABOVE GUIDELINES 

WILL HELP PREVENT THE COMPROMISE OF THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF MISSIONS, 

PERSONNEL, AND NETWORKS. 

5. RELEASED BY RAY MABUS, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.//

BT

(FOR EXAMPLE, TACTICS, TROOP MOVEMENTS, FORCE SIZE, WEAPON SYSTEM DETAILS, ETC). 

THIS POLICY APPLIES NO MATTER HOW DON PERSONNEL COME INTO POSSESSION OF THE 

INFORMATION OR DOCUMENT. EXAMPLES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, MEMOS, EMAILS, MEETING NOTES, MESSAGE TRAFFIC, WHITE PAPERS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS GUIDANCE, 

PRE-DECISIONAL MATERIALS, INVESTIGATORY INFORMATION, AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. 

DON PERSONNEL ARE ALSO PROHIBITED FROM RELEASING OTHER THAN THEIR OWN DON E-MAIL 

ADDRESSES, TELEPHONE NUMBERS, OR FAX NUMBERS NOT ALREADY AUTHORIZED FOR PUBLIC 

RELEASE. WHEN IN DOUBT, DON PERSONNEL SHOULD CONTACT THEIR OPERATIONS SECURITY 

OFFICER, INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) OFFICIAL, OR 

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER FOR GUIDANCE. 

 E. WHEN CORRECTING ERRORS AND MISREPRESENTATIONS MADE ABOUT THE DON, 

PERSONNEL ARE ENCOURAGED TO BE PROFESSIONAL AND RESPECTFUL. DON PERSONNEL SHOULD 

REFER TO THE CHAIN OF COMMAND OR PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR GUIDANCE

THE NEED FOR, OR APPROPRIATENESS OF, A RESPONSE. 

IF UNCERTAIN ABOUT 

 F. DON PERSONNEL SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE INTERNET IS OFTEN USED TO GAIN 

INFORMATION FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS IDENTITY THEFT. BY PIECING TOGETHER 

INFORMATION PROVIDED ON DIFFERENT WEBSITES, CRIMINALS CAN USE INFORMATION TO, 

AMONG OTHER THINGS, IMPERSONATE DON PERSONNEL, STEAL PASSWORDS, AND COMPROMISE 

DON NETWORKS. THEREFORE, WHEN USING THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA, DON PERSONNEL 

SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS AND GUARD AGAINST CYBER CRIMINALS AND ATTACKERS BY ADHERING TO 

THE FOLLOWING SECURITY PROCEDURES.

 (1) DON PERSONNEL SHOULD BE MINDFUL OF RELEASING PII THAT COULD BE USED 

TO DISTINGUISH THEIR INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY OR THAT OF ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL. EXAMPLES 

OF PII INCLUDE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, ADDRESS, BIRTHDAY, BIRTH PLACE, DRIVER'S 

LICENSE NUMBER, ETC. 

 (2) DON PERSONNEL SHOULD BE CAREFUL WHEN RESPONDING VIA EMAIL TO IBC 

AUTOMATIC NOTIFICATIONS, SINCE THIS MAY INADVERTENTLY EXPOSE PERSONAL AND WORK 

RELATED CONTACT INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE EMAIL SIGNATURE LINE. 

 (3) DON PERSONNEL SHOULD NOT CLICK LINKS OR OPEN ATTACHMENTS UNLESS THEY 

TRUST THE SOURCE. CYBER CRIMINALS OFTEN PRETEND TO BE PEOPLE THEY ARE NOT IN 

ORDER TO DECEIVE INDIVIDUALS INTO PERFORMING ACTIONS THAT LAUNCH CYBER ATTACKS, 

DOWNLOAD VIRUSES, AND INSTALL MALWARE AND SPYWARE ONTO COMPUTERS. TO HELP 

MITIGATE THESE THREATS, DON PERSONNEL SHOULD INSTALL AND MAINTAIN CURRENT ANTIVIRUS AND ANTI-SPYWARE SOFTWARE ON THEIR PERSONAL COMPUTERS. MILITARY

CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES OF THE DON MAY OBTAIN ANTI

AND 

-VIRUS SOFTWARE FOR HOME USE, FROM 

HTTPS://INFOSEC.NAVY.MIL/AV OR 

HTTPS://WWW.JTFGNO.MIL/ANTIVIRUS/ANTIVIRUS_HOMEUSE.HTM

SITES FROM A .MIL DOMAIN. 

. YOU MUST ACCESS THESE 

 (4) DON PERSONNEL SHOULD ALWAYS USE THE STRONGEST PASSWORD COMBINATIONS 

ALLOWED, COMPRISED OF AS MANY OF THE COMBINATIONS OF LOWER

LETTERS, NUMBERS, AND SYMBOLS POSSIBLE. CHANGE PASSWORDS FREQUENTLY. USE 

- AND UPPER-CASE 

DIFFERENT PASSWORDS FOR BANKING AND FINANCIAL SITES AND PERSONAL WEB

THAN THOSE FOR ANY OTHER SITE. 

-BASED EMAIL 

 (5) DON PERSONNEL SHOULD BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHO THEY ALLOW TO ACCESS 

THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES (E.G. "FRIENDS" OR "FOLLOWERS" ON SITES SUCH AS 

FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, OR TWITTER) AND THUS ALLOW ACCESS TO THEIR PERSONAL 

INFORMATION. DON PERSONNEL SHOULD ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT SOCIAL NETWORK "FRIENDS" 

AND "FOLLOWERS" MAY POTENTIALLY CONSTITUTE RELATIONSHIPS THAT COULD AFFECT 

DETERMINATIONS IN BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS AND PERIODIC REINVESTIGATIONS 

ASSOCIATED WITH SECURITY CLEARANCES. 

 C. OFFICIAL INTERNET POSTS INVOLVE CONTENT THAT HAS BEEN RELEASED IN AN 

OFFICIAL CAPACITY BY DON PUBLIC AFFAIRS PERSONNEL OR COMMANDERS DESIGNATED AS 

RELEASING AUTHORITIES. 

 D. "UNOFFICIAL INTERNET POSTS" IS DEFINED AS ANY CONTENT ABOUT THE DON OR 

RELATED TO THE DON THAT IS POSTED ON ANY INTERNET SITE BY DON PERSONNEL IN AN 

UNOFFICIAL AND PERSONAL CAPACITY. CONTENT INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, 

PERSONAL COMMENTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEO, AND GRAPHICS. INTERNET SITES INCLUDE 

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES, BLOGS, FORUMS, PHOTO- AND VIDEO-SHARING SITES, AND OTHER 

SITES, TO INCLUDE SITES NOT OWNED, OPERATED OR CONTROLLED BY THE DON OR 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. UNOFFICIAL INTERNET POSTS ARE NOT ENDORSED BY ANY PART OF 

THE DON OR REVIEWED WITHIN ANY OFFICIAL DON APPROVAL PROCESS.

2. PER THE GUIDELINES PROVIDED IN THIS ALNAV, DON PERSONNEL ARE ENCOURAGED TO 

RESPONSIBLY ENGAGE IN UNOFFICIAL INTERNET POSTING ABOUT THE DON AND DON-RELATED 

TOPICS. THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS PERFORM A VALUABLE SERVICE AROUND THE WORLD 

EVERY DAY AND DON PERSONNEL ARE FREQUENTLY IN A POSITION TO SHARE OUR SUCCESSES 

WITH A GLOBAL AUDIENCE VIA THE INTERNET. 

3. GUIDELINES. DON PERSONNEL ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL DON-RELATED CONTENT THEY 

PUBLISH ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES, BLOGS, OR OTHER IBC AND SHOULD ENSURE THAT 

THIS CONTENT IS ACCURATE, APPROPRIATE AND DOES NOT COMPROMISE MISSION SECURITY OR 

SUCCESS. IN ADDITION TO ENSURING DON-RELATED CONTENT IS ACCURATE AND APPROPRIATE, 

IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT DON PERSONNEL BE MINDFUL ABOUT THE NON-DEPARTMENT RELATED 

CONTENT THEY POST SINCE THE LINES BETWEEN PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES OFTEN 

BLUR IN THE ONLINE SPACE. ALSO, DON PERSONNEL MUST BE AWARE THAT ONCE THEY POST 

CONTENT TO THE INTERNET, THEY LOSE CONTROL OF IT; MANY SOCIAL MEDIA SITES HAVE 

POLICIES THAT GIVE THEM OWNERSHIP OF ALL CONTENT AND INFORMATION POSTED OR STORED 

ON THEIR SYSTEMS. THUS DON PERSONNEL SHOULD USE THEIR BEST JUDGMENT AT ALL 

TIMES AND KEEP IN MIND HOW THE CONTENT OF THEIR POSTS WILL REFLECT UPON 

THEMSELVES, THEIR SERVICE, AND THE DON. THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES ARE ESTABLISHED 

TO ASSIST WITH THIS RESPONSIBILITY:

 A. DON PERSONNEL ENGAGED IN UNOFFICIAL INTERNET POSTING ABOUT THE DON MAY 

IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS DON PERSONNEL BY RANK, BILLET, MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL 

SPECIALTY, AND STATUS (ACTIVE, RESERVE, CIVILIAN, ETC.) IF DESIRED. HOWEVER, IF 

DON PERSONNEL DECIDE TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS DON PERSONNEL, THEY MUST NOT 

DISGUISE, IMPERSONATE OR OTHERWISE MISREPRESENT THEIR IDENTITY OR AFFILIATION 

WITH THE DON. WHEN EXPRESSING DON-RELATED PERSONAL OPINIONS, DON PERSONNEL 

SHOULD MAKE CLEAR THAT THEY ARE SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES AND NOT ON BEHALF OF THE 

DON. 

 B. USE OF PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESSES IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED WHEN ENGAGING IBC 

FOR UNOFFICIAL PURPOSES. THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, REGISTRATION WITH 

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND COMMENTING IN FORUMS AND BLOGS. WHEN IT IS NOT 

FEASIBLE TO MAKE USE OF PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR THESE PURPOSES, DON 

PERSONNEL MAY USE THEIR DON PROVIDED EMAIL ADDRESSES. 

 C. AS WITH OTHER FORMS OF COMMUNICATION, DON PERSONNEL ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR 

ADHERING TO DON REGULATIONS AND POLICIES WHEN MAKING UNOFFICIAL INTERNET POSTS. 

DON PERSONNEL SHOULD COMPLY WITH REGULATIONS AND POLICIES SUCH AS PERSONAL 

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT, OPERATIONS SECURITY, INFORMATION ASSURANCE, PERSONALLY 

IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION (PII), JOINT ETHICS REGULATIONS, AND THE RELEASE OF 

INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC. VIOLATIONS OF REGULATIONS OR POLICIES MAY RESULT IN 

DISCIPLINARY ACTION. SEE REFS B AND C. 

 D. THE POSTING OR DISCLOSURE OF INTERNAL DON DOCUMENTS OR INFORMATION THAT 

THE DON HAS NOT OFFICIALLY RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC IS PROHIBITED. THIS INCLUDES 

CLASSIFIED, CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI), OR SENSITIVE INFORMATION 

**************** UNCLASSIFIED// ****************

Subject: INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES GUIDANCE - UNOFFICIAL INTERNET POSTS

Originator: /C=US/O=U.S. 

GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ORGANIZATIONS(UC)/L=DISTRICT OF 

COLUMBIA/L=WASHINGTON/OU=SECNAV WASHINGTON DC(UC)

DTG: 192031Z Aug 10

Precedence: ROUTINE

DAC: General

To: /C=US/O=U.S. GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ADDRESS LISTS(UC)/CN=AL ALNAV(UC)

 /C=US/O=U.S. GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=AUTODIN PLAS/OU=AIG 6-AZ/OU=ALNAV

cc: /C=US/O=U.S. GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ORGANIZATIONS(UC)/L=DISTRICT OF 

COLUMBIA/L=WASHINGTON/OU=CNO WASHINGTON DC(UC)

 /C=US/O=U.S. GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ORGANIZATIONS(UC)/L=DISTRICT OF 

COLUMBIA/L=WASHINGTON/OU=SECNAV WASHINGTON DC(UC)

--------------------------------------------------

UNCLASSIFIED//

FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC

TO ALNAV

BT UNCLAS //N05230//

ALNAV 057/10

MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/AUG//

SUBJ/INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES GUIDANCE - UNOFFICIAL INTERNET POSTS//

REF/A/DESC: DIRECTIVE-TYPE MEMORANDUM (DTM) 09-26/DEPSECDEF/25FEB2010//

REF/B/DESC: DOD REGULATION 5500.7R/GC, DOD/23MAR2006//

REF/C/DESC: SECNAVINST 5211.5E/DNS-36/28DEC2005//

REF/D/DESC: SECNAVINST 5720.44B/OI-5/1NOV2005//

NARR/REF A IS DOD POLICY FOR THE RESPONSIBLE AND EFFECTIVE USE OF INTERNET-BASED 

CAPABILITIES. REF B IS THE DOD JOINT ETHICS REGULATION. REF C IS THE DON PRIVACY 

PROGRAM. REF D IS THE DON PUBLIC AFFAIRS POLICY AND REGULATIONS.//

POC/ANN ANDREW/CIV/DON CIO/TEL: 703-607-5608/EMAIL: ANN.ANDREW(AT)NAVY.MIL//

POC/ALAN GOLDSTEIN/CIV/CHINFO/TEL: 703-695-1887/EMAIL: 

ALAN.P.GOLDSTEIN(AT)NAVY.MIL//

POC/RAY LETTEER/CIV/HQMC(C4)/TEL:703-693-3490-

X128/EMAIL:RAY.LETTEER(AT)USMC.MIL//

POC/JULIANA ROSATI/CDR/OPNAVN2N6C3/TEL: 703-601-1717/EMAIL: 

JULIANA.ROSATI(AT)NAVY.MIL//

GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. THIS ALNAV PROVIDES GUIDANCE TO ALL DEPARTMENT OF NAVY (DON) 

PERSONNEL REGARDING UNOFFICIAL POSTS ON THE INTERNET, INCLUDING THOSE PERTAINING 

TO DON-RELATED CONTENT AND DISCUSSIONS. IT ALSO PROVIDES GUIDANCE ABOUT BESTPRACTICES FOR USE OF INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES (IBC) IN A PERSONAL CAPACITY. A 

SEPARATE ALNAV PROVIDES GUIDANCE FOR EXTERNAL OFFICIAL PRESENCES ON IBC ON BEHALF 

OF THE DON.

 A. "DON PERSONNEL" IS DEFINED AS ACTIVE-DUTY AND RESERVE COMPONENT SAILORS 

AND MARINES AND CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES OF THE DON. 

 B. PER REF A, IBC ARE DEFINED AS PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION 

CAPABILITIES AND APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE ACROSS THE INTERNET IN LOCATIONS NOT 

OWNED, OPERATED, OR CONTROLLED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OR THE FEDERAL 

GOVERNMENT. IBC INCLUDES COLLABORATIVE TOOLS SUCH AS SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICES, 

SOCIAL MEDIA, USER-GENERATED CONTENT, SOCIAL SOFTWARE, WEB-BASED E-MAIL, INSTANT 

MESSAGING, AND DISCUSSION FORUMS (E.G., YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, TWITTER, 

GOOGLE APPS). 

 (2) MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO DISGUISE, IMPERSONATE OR OTHERWISE MISREPRESENT 

THE IDENTITY OR AFFILIATION OF THE AUTHOR. ANONYMOUS POSTS ARE PROHIBITED.

 (3) BE TRUTHFUL, ACCURATE, AND WRITTEN IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER, 

INCLUDING CORRECT SPELLING AND GRAMMAR.

 (4) NOT VIOLATE APPLICABLE U.S. NAVY REGULATIONS REGARDING COMMENTARY 

REFLECTING ON A SUPERIOR OR RELEASE OF INFORMATION ABOUT PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS. 

 (5) IN CASES NECESSITATING A CORRECTION OF A PREVIOUS POST BY ANOTHER 

CONTRIBUTOR TO THE INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITY, BE DONE IN A RESPECTFUL, CLEAR AND 

CONCISE MANNER. PERSONAL ATTACKS ARE PROHIBITED. 

4. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE USE OF INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES FOR 

EXTERNAL OFFICIAL PRESENCES AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS POLICY, GUIDANCE, TRAINING, AND 

RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICES IS AVAILABLE AT 

(NAVY) OR WWW.MARINES.MIL/SOCIALMEDIA

WWW.CHINFO.NAVY.MIL/SOCIALMEDIA.HTML

USE OF INTERNET

(MARINE CORPS). FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING THE 

-BASED CAPABILITIES, NOT RELATED TO PUBLIC AFFAIRS ACTIVITIES IN 

THE DON, PLEASE CONTACT THE AFOREMENTIONED DON CIO POC. 

5. RELEASED BY RAY MABUS, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.//

BT

 E. EXTERNAL OFFICIAL PRESENCES SHALL LINK TO THE COMMAND/ACTIVITY'S OFFICIAL 

WORLD WIDE WEB SITE. 

 F. COMMANDS/ACTIVITIES MUST DEVELOP AND PUBLISH LOCAL PROCEDURES FOR THE 

APPROVAL AND RELEASE OF ALL INFORMATION, OF ANY MEDIA, POSTED ON COMMAND/ACTIVITY 

OFFICIAL USE OF INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES TO ENSURE POSTED INFORMATION MEETS 

REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH IN REFS (A) THROUGH (K).

 G. COMMANDS MUST ACTIVELY MONITOR AND EVALUATE OFFICIAL USE OF IBC FOR 

COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITY REQUIREMENTS AND FOR FRAUDULENT OR OBJECTIONABLE USE.

 H. OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIONS MAY BE POSTED ONLY BY THOSE AUTHORIZED TO 

RELEASE OFFICIAL INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC. THIS MAY INCLUDE AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS POSTING UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THOSE AUTHORIZED TO RELEASE OFFICIAL 

INFORMATION. CONTRACTED PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL 

ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO PUBLISH CONTENT TO A COMMAND/ACTIVITY EXTERNAL OFFICIAL 

PRESENCE UNLESS A DON OFFICIAL WITH THE AUTHORITY FOR PUBLIC RELEASE OF 

INFORMATION APPROVES AND CONTROLS THE CONTENT. 

 I. INFORMATION POSTED IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY TO ANY INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITY MUST NOT INCLUDE:

 (1) CLASSIFIED INFORMATION, PRE-DECISIONAL INFORMATION, PROPRIETARY 

INFORMATION, BUSINESS SENSITIVE INFORMATION, OPSEC INDICATORS, INFORMATION 

DESIGNATED AS FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (FOUO), OR PRIVILEGED INFORMATION, UNDER 

APPLICABLE LAW.

 (2) INFORMATION PROTECTED BY THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 OR THE HEALTH 

INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA) OF 1996.

 (3) INFORMATION, OTHER THAN AUTHORIZED RELEASES, ABOUT CASUALTIES PRIOR 

TO OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION THAT NEXT OF KIN HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND A COMPETENT 

AUTHORITY AUTHORIZES PUBLICATION OF SPECIFIC CASUALTY INFORMATION. COMMANDERS 

ARE REMINDED THAT CASUALTY INFORMATION IS TO BE TIGHTLY CONTROLLED AND HEAVILY 

SCRUTINIZED.

 (4) INFORMATION, OTHER THAN AUTHORIZED RELEASES, REGARDING EVENTS OR 

INCIDENTS CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION.

 (5) INFORMATION THAT IS UNDER COPYRIGHT OR TRADEMARK, WITHOUT PERMISSION 

OF THE HOLDER.

 (6) UNIT OR OTHER PERSONNEL LISTS/ROSTERS, CHARTS OR DIRECTORIES, WITH 

THE NAMES, ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS OF UNIT MEMBERS. THIS PROVISION DOES 

NOT APPLY TO THE NAME, RANK, OR BUSINESS CONTACT INFORMATION FOR A CO, XO, CMC OR 

COMMAND OMBUDSMEN OR AS OTHERWISE REQUIRED IN THIS DIRECTIVE. 

 (7) MATERIAL THAT IS POLITICAL IN NATURE OR TENDS TO ENDORSE POLITICAL 

PARTIES, CANDIDATES, CAMPAIGNS, REFERENDUMS, BALLOT INITIATIVES, OR OTHER 

POLITICAL CAUSES. 

 (8) MATERIAL THAT ENDORSES/PROMOTES NON-FEDERAL ENTITY (NFE) PRODUCTS, 

NFE SERVICES, OR NFE ENTERPRISES OTHER THAN THOSE OFFICIALLY ENDORSED BY THE 

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY. 

 (9) POSTED LINKS TO COMMERCIAL CONTENT WHICH MAY IMPLY ENDORSEMENT. THIS 

INCLUDES THOSE TO COMMERCIAL ENTITIES, CHARITIES OR CAUSES (EXCEPT THOSE 

AUTHORIZED BY STATUTE OR REFS C AND E). 

 J. LINKS TO ARTICLES OR POSTS ABOUT THE DOD, THE DON OR ANY COMPONENT 

THEREOF ARE PERMITTED. 

 K. INFORMATION POSTED IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY TO ANY INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITY MUST:

 (1) BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED AS BEING MADE BY AN AUTHORIZED MEMBER OF THE 

COMMAND/ACTIVITY TO INCLUDE NAME, RANK, AND TITLE OF THE AUTHOR UNLESS POSTED BY 

AN ADMINISTRATOR, WHERE IT IS CLEAR THE POST IS OFFICIAL IN NATURE. 

 A. INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES (IBC) -- PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION 

CAPABILITIES AND APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE ACROSS THE INTERNET IN LOCATIONS NOT OWNED, OPERATED, OR CONTROLLED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OR THE FEDERAL 

GOVERNMENT. INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES INCLUDE COLLABORATIVE TOOLS SUCH AS 

SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICES, SOCIAL MEDIA, USER-GENERATED CONTENT, SOCIAL 

SOFTWARE, WEB-BASED E-MAIL, INSTANT MESSAGING, AND DISCUSSION FORUMS (E.G., 

YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, TWITTER, GOOGLE APPS). 

 B. OFFICIAL USES OF INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES

 (1) EXTERNAL OFFICIAL PRESENCES -- OFFICIAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS ACTIVITIES 

CONDUCTED ON NON-DOD SITES ON THE INTERNET (E.G., THE 'U.S. NAVY' AND 'MARINE CORPS NEWS' FACEBOOK PAGES, INDIVIDUAL COMMAND TWITTER ACCOUNTS). THESE PRESENCES FUNCTION AS EXTENSIONS OF, NOT IN LIEU OF, OFFICIAL DON WEB SITES. 

 (2) OFFICIAL REPRESENTATION -- ACTIVITIES SUCH AS AUTHORIZED COMMAND 

REPRESENTATIVES COMMENTING IN AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY ON FACEBOOK FAN PAGES, MILITARY INTEREST BLOGS (MILBLOGS), AND SIMILAR IBC.

 (3) NON-PUBLIC AFFAIRS USE OF IBC -- OFFICIAL USE OF AN IBC IS PERMITTED 

TO SUPPORT MISSION RELATED FUNCTIONS (E.G. USE OF A WIKI OR OTHER IBC FOR COLLABORATION WITH PARTNERS EXTERNAL TO THE DOD).

3. GUIDANCE.

 A. PER REF A, OFFICIAL DON INFORMATION MAY BE DISSEMINATED VIA INTERNETBASED CAPABILITIES, PROVIDED SUCH DISSEMINATION IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH REFS A THRU K. THE DON RECOGNIZES THE VALUE OF THESE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS IN POSTING CURRENT INFORMATION FOR OUR VARIOUS CONSTITUENTS AND SUPPORTING THE MORALE OF PERSONNEL, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. THIS FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION CONTRIBUTES 

TO LEGITIMATE TRANSPARENCY OF THE DON TO THE U.S. PUBLIC WHOM WE SERVE. 

 B. THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (DON CIO), CHIEF OF INFORMATION (CHINFO), MARINE CORPS DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS (DIRPA), DEPUTY DON CIO (NAVY) AND DEPUTY DON CIO (MARINE CORPS) WILL COORDINATE A DETAILED POLICY SPECIFYING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO ENSURE THE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE 

ADMINISTRATION OF OFFICIAL USE OF INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES TO INCLUDE EXTERNAL 

OFFICIAL PRESENCES. THIS WILL INCLUDE A CONSISTENT PROCESS FOR THE REGISTRATION, 

REVIEW, APPROVAL AND MONITORING OF ALL DON OFFICIAL PRESENCES ON INTERNET-BASED 

CAPABILITIES.

 C. CURRENTLY, CHINFO AND USMC DIRPA MAINTAIN REGISTRIES OF EXTERNAL OFFICIAL 

PRESENCES ON INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES FOR NAVY AND USMC RESPECTIVELY. THESE 

REGISTRIES INCLUDE A PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE DIRECTORY OF VALIDATED DON OFFICIAL EXTERNAL PRESENCES. UNTIL FUTURE POLICY IS RELEASED DETAILING A DON IBC REGISTRATION AND APPROVAL PROCESS, NAVY COMMANDS MUST SUBMIT THEIR EXTERNAL 

OFFICIAL PRESENCES FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL TO WWW.NAVY.MIL/SOCIALMEDIA. USMC 

COMMANDS MUST SUBMIT THEIR EXTERNAL OFFICIAL PRESENCES FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL TO 

WWW.MARINES.MIL/SOCIALMEDIA. 

 D. COMMANDS MUST DESIGNATE ADMINISTRATORS FOR OFFICIAL USE OF IBC TO INCLUDE EXTERNAL OFFICIAL PRESENCES. THE ADMINSTRATOR IS RESPONSIBLE TO ENSURE POSTINGS TO THE IBC COMPLY WITH CONTENT RESTRICTIONS AND THE IBC IS CONFIGURED SECURELY IN COORDINATION WITH THE COMMAND INFORMATION ASSURANCE MANAGER (IAM). COMMANDS THAT PERMIT POSTINGS BY OTHERS (E.G. FANS) MUST ENSURE THE SITE CONTAINS AN APPROVED USER AGREEMENT DELINEATING THE TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT ARE UNACCEPTABLE FOR 

POSTING TO THE SITE AND MUST REMOVE UNACCEPTABLE CONTENT. AT A MINIMUM, THE DON'S CURRENT SOCIAL MEDIA USER AGREEMENT IS REQUIRED. THIS AGREEMENT IS FOUND 

AT WWW.CHINFO.NAVY.MIL/SOCIALMEDIA/USER_AGREEMENT.DOC (NOTE UNDERSCORE BETWEEN 

THE WORDS OF THE FILE NAME). 

**************** UNCLASSIFIED// ****************

Subject: INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES GUIDANCE - OFFICIAL INTERNET POSTS

Originator: /C=US/O=U.S. 

GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ORGANIZATIONS(UC)/L=DISTRICT OF 

COLUMBIA/L=WASHINGTON/OU=SECNAV WASHINGTON DC(UC)

DTG: 192027Z Aug 10

Precedence: ROUTINE

DAC: General

To: /C=US/O=U.S. GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ADDRESS LISTS(UC)/CN=AL ALNAV(UC)

 /C=US/O=U.S. GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=AUTODIN PLAS/OU=AIG 6-AZ/OU=ALNAV

cc: /C=US/O=U.S. GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ORGANIZATIONS(UC)/L=DISTRICT OF 

COLUMBIA/L=WASHINGTON/OU=SECNAV WASHINGTON DC(UC)

 /C=US/O=U.S. GOVERNMENT/OU=DOD/OU=NAVY/OU=ORGANIZATIONS(UC)/L=DISTRICT OF 

COLUMBIA/L=WASHINGTON/OU=CNO WASHINGTON DC(UC)

--------------------------------------------------

UNCLASSIFIED//

FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC

TO ALNAV 

BT UNCLAS //N05720//

ALNAV 056/10

MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/AUG//

SUBJ/INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES GUIDANCE - OFFICIAL INTERNET POSTS//

REF/A/DESC:DIRECTIVE-TYPE MEMORANDUM (DTM) 09-026/DEPSECDEF/25FEB2010//

REF/B/DESC:DOD DIRECTIVE 5230.09/DA&M, DOD/22AUG2008//

REF/C/DESC:DOD 5500.7-R/GC, DOD/23MAR2006// REF/D/DESC:SECNAVINST 5720.44B/OI5/1NOV2005//

REF/E/DESC:SECNAVINST 5720.47B/CHINFO/28DEC2005//

REF/F/DESC:SECNAVINST 5211.5E/DNS-36/28DEC2005//

REF/G/DESC:SECNAVINST 5239.3B/DON CIO/17JUN2009//

REF/H/DESC:DODMAN 5205.02-M/USD-I/03NOV2008//

REF/I/DESC:5 U.S.C. 552a, THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974-AS AMENDED//

REF/J/DESC:U.S. NAVY REGULATIONS//

REF/K/DESC:DOD DIRECTIVE 1344.10/USD(P&R)/19FEB2008//

NARR/REF A IS DOD POLICY FOR THE RESPONSIBLE AND EFFECTIVE USE OF INTERNET-BASED 

CAPABILITIES. REF B IS DOD POLICY FOR CLEARANCE OF DOD INFORMATION FOR PUBLIC 

RELEASE. REF C IS THE JOINT ETHICS REGULATION. REF D IS DON PUBLIC AFFAIRS POLICY 

AND REGULATIONS. REF E IS DON POLICY FOR CONTENT OF PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE WORLD 

WIDE WEB SITES. REF F IS DON PRIVACY ACT PROGRAM. REF G IS THE DON INFORMATION 

ASSURANCE POLICY. REF H IS THE DOD OPERATIONS SECURITY (OPSEC) PROGRAM MANUAL. 

REF I IS THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED. REF J IS U.S. NAVY REGULATIONS. REF 

K IS THE DOD POLICY FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITIES BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.//

POC/ANN ANDREW/CIV/DON CIO/TEL: 703-607-5608/EMAIL: ANN.ANDREW(AT)NAVY.MIL//

POC/ALAN GOLDSTEIN/CIV/CHINFO POLICY/TEL:703-695-1887/ EMAIL: 

ALAN.P.GOLDSTEIN(AT)NAVY.MIL//

POC/JULIANA ROSATI/CDR/OPNAVN2N6C3/TEL: 703-601-1717/EMAIL: 

JULIANA.ROSATI(AT)NAVY.MIL//

POC/GREG REEDER/CIV/UNIT: DMA (MARINE CORPS)/TEL: 703-602-2001/EMAIL: 

GREGORY.REEDER(AT)AFN.DMA.MIL//

GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. THIS ALNAV PROVIDES GUIDANCE TO ALL DEPARTMENT OF NAVY (DON) 

PERSONNEL REGARDING OFFICIAL POSTS ON INTERNET-BASED CAPABILITIES. A SEPARATE 

ALNAV PROVIDES GUIDANCE REGARDING UNOFFICIAL POSTS ON INTERNET-BASED CAPABILTIES. 

2. DEFINITIONS: PER REF A, THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS APPLY:
1 6 Nav y Command Leadership Social Media Handbook

Sample Social Media Content Plan
Fall 2012 1 7

Best Practice Examples

Overall Command Presences

Chief of Naval Operations Facebook page, Twitter 

account, and blog communicate his key messages 

across a variety of platforms. His public affairs team 

also leverages many other Navy media resources 

to extend the reach of his messaging such as the 

@USNavy Twitter account, NavyLive blog, 

Livestream, and Navy.mil.
The USS Carl Vinson’s social media presence welcomes 

Sailors, families, veterans, and fans alike. Anchored by 

their website (www.vinson.navy.mil), their command 

social media sites include Facebook, Twitter, a Tumblr 

blog, and links to Navy.mil stories and photos related to 

the USS Carl Vinson. Ombudsman contact information is 

prominently featured on sites providing families with the 

information they need, when and where they want it. The 

Tumblr blog features personal stories from Sailors aboard 

USS Carl Vinson (CVN70) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 

throughout their 2011-2012 West-Pac deployment. All 

content is cross-promoted across their platforms and via 

CHINFO channels regularly.

1 8 Navy Com mand Leadership Social Media Handbook
Specific Content that Works

High intensity videos of real operational activities 

such as this video footage of Catapult and arrested 

landing POV footage from USS Enterprise: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBGAsi0Nnfk

Personal accounts of real sailors and family 

members such as this blog post featuring military 

spouses on the Wheel of Fortune: navylive.dodlive.

mil/2012/02/09/wheel-of-fortune-spouses-it-up

Authentic leadership videos or images of leaders in 

a real setting speaking in a conversational manner 

such as this video of Secretary of the Navy, Ray 

Mabus, announcing the next LCS: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N04h4GBoWc

Compelling imagery that tells a story and is 

responsive to fan feedback like this cover photo from 

the Navy’s Facebook page that was a direct result of 

fans asking to see more submarines on the page. 

Additional Resources

For additional resources and links to all policies 

referenced in this handbook, please visit 

www.chinfo.navy.mil/socialmedia. 

Fall 2012 1 9