Social Networking, and appropriate "friendships"

[Hawk200]

This was the topic of a recent discussion. I didn't participate in the discussion, but was curious as to what some other opinions were. Have my own thoughts, but wanted some others. Would it be OK for a senior to "friend" a cadet on a social networking site?

Posted as a poll so I could get specific and simple answers. Vote changes are allowed, and please read all options before voting.

[Eclipse]

I voted no.

There needs to be a bright line between cadets and seniors.  I have personally been witness to several cases where in appropriate
communications between cadets and seniors resulted in x-members.

[BuckeyeDEJ]

I don't have an issue with officers and airmen "friending" cadets on Facebook or Twitter.

The problem is in developing unprofessional relationships via those networks. And since the adult members are the accountable ones, it is they who should be responsible for misdeeds or hijinks online that affect CAP operations. Even though we just play Air Force on the weekends, and our rank and grade carries miniscule standing in comparison with Big Blue, it doesn't excuse that we conduct ourselves as officers and hold ourselves to the core values.

Integrity first.

[Major Carrales]

I voted no.

There needs to be a bright line between cadets and seniors.  I have personally been witness to several cases where in appropriate
communications between cadets and seniors resulted in x-members.

It depends on what the MYSAPCE, FACEBOOK or TWITER site is about.  If it is screened and only displays appropriate content...then there is no more problem in it than a cadet looking at a kiosk or seeing a Senior Member outside of CAP duties at a store, in passing or at some other non-CAP event.

If you are posting photos of binge-drinking or other "canoodling" (take that term in any context... to the Norwegians) then the answer is the other way.

[Eclipse]

I agree with that - official squadron and activity sites that are moderated aren't a problem, but I don't think that's what we're really talking about.

I have inactive personal twitter and other accounts that aren't public by any means, but can be found if you care to look.  I routinely get
requests to friend, follow, etc., from cadets who I barely know or have never met.  I have no idea why, but there you go.

I also know plenty of "adults" who have open / public accounts and routinely show themselves intaking adult beverages, using "colorful language", and generally exhibiting legal but not necessarily exemplary behavior.  Not a good idea.

[Майор Хаткевич]

I agree with that.

But who decides where the line is, or what it entails?

Is it ok for the SM to have pictures of having a few beers at a party? Is it ok to have pictures of the SM smoking Cigars/Cigarettes? What about the cadet? (Obviously not under age, but after 18, smoking would be legal). Should it affect the CAP relationship? Does it? 

Does either party care?

I have a number of SMs who are in my network on Facebook, but most of them have minimal activity on the page, and seem to have few instances of anything I mentioned.

What about political/religious views?

Personally, I don't care, but some might.

[jimmydeanno]

I have about 25 of my "former" cadets (they're still cadets, but I'm no longer in their units) as "friends" on my facebook friend list.  Because I care about my reputation and web presence, regardless of who is viewing it, it isn't an issue.  My updates, pictures and comments are nothing that I wouldn't show my priest.

I don't befriend a cadet simply because they're in my unit either.  It takes a bit of time for me to get to know them, and visa-versa and determine whether or not they are capable of understanding the difference and nuances of what that relationship should be.
Usually, they end up being the cadet commanders and upper staff.  Eventually, they phase out of the cadet program and you can keep up with how they're doing and where they end up.  It's rather neat, really.

As a CP guy, I see my role as a mentor to be greater than the 2.5hrs a week that we have with them.  As a DCC, I am not off limits to any cadet.  If C/Amn Snuffy needs to talk to me about something, go for it (doesn't mean that I'll tell them how to put their collar insignia on, etc - I still send them through their chain).  Despite my easy accessibility, friendly demeanor, participation in the stuff they do, etc there has never been a situation in which they thought I was their peer or treated me as such.

If anything, the above behaviors help to improve the morale of the unit, encourage progression and retention, improve communication and build a better squadron.  I think that I should be teaching them more about leadership than how to give direct orders and drill a flight. 

YMMV.

[Eclipse]

Despite my easy accessibility, friendly demeanor, participation in the stuff they do, etc there has never been a situation in which they thought I was their peer or treated me as such.

That's the line, but not everyone understands that.

[Daniel]

I have the facts and I'm voting yes..

I have almost the entirety of the missouri wing on facebook..

including atleast 10 senior members and 30 cadets. (I didn't count my mother, that would technically be eleven then)


I only ever really regretted adding one senior on FB because he decided to take it upon himself to inform me that  my language was rather colourful at one time, which would be all fine if I swore every other sentence but I don't.

I don't drink, I don't smoke ANYTHING, I don't have nude or almost nude pictures, or do anything ungodly, I just swore once.

I just feel comfortable adding senior members and my parents know that I do, and my mum even added one of them to her FB!

[tsrup]

Yes, but privacy settings are your friend. 

I have everyone CAP related in a CAP category on my FB account, I have the ability to exclude them from viewing anything I post, and regularly exercise that setting.  Be smart about what is seen by cadets and you should be fine.

[Major Carrales]

I agree with that.

But who decides where the line is, or what it entails?

Is it ok for the SM to have pictures of having a few beers at a party? Is it ok to have pictures of the SM smoking Cigars/Cigarettes? What about the cadet? (Obviously not under age, but after 18, smoking would be legal). Should it affect the CAP relationship? Does it? 

Does either party care?

I have a number of SMs who are in my network on Facebook, but most of them have minimal activity on the page, and seem to have few instances of anything I mentioned.

What about political/religious views?

Personally, I don't care, but some might.

It is each individual CAP officer's or cadet's responsibility to police themselves.  When the incidents that violate the core value of Integrity occur they can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis using existing protocols for inpropriety.

If someone has a problem with an other's religious or poltical views, that problem exists and rests in the individual reading the page.

How would one posting their religious and political views be any different that a cadet seeing a Senior Member exisiting a house of worship of their choice or at a political rally for their candidate?

[davidsinn]

I make it a personal policy of adding my cadets on facebook and myspace simply so I can see if they are doing something stupid with it and then I can point that out to them. Mainly it ends up being PERSEC issues such as name and school and what not. I pointed out to one of mine that from just her name and school I could track all the way back to her mother's maiden name and if I were bad I could use that info and go farther and really use it against them.

[JoeTomasone]

I generally don't add Cadets, but I do accept requests from those I know.   I chat with them and keep up with them, counsel them if appropriate on CAP matters...   I don't see a problem with it as long as it's an extension of the same type of behavior you would conduct in front of the Cadet's parents.   

[Star-Maker]

Hmm.  I've added a couple of cadets on Facebook -  cadets who helped teach me at our wing's ground team trainings, with whom I was impressed and enjoyed interacting.

However, there's nothing on my Facebook that I would be uncomfortable with showing my parents, my squadron commander, or my 12 year-old brother, for instance (in fact, I have most of these people friended on FB).  Or an investigator for security clearance candidates, or whatever.  You could get a decent sense of my politics from looking at what groups I belong to, but other than one time when I lost my temper, I don't post politics in my status updates.

[NIN]

I voted no.

There needs to be a bright line between cadets and seniors.  I have personally been witness to several cases where in appropriate
communications between cadets and seniors resulted in x-members.

yeah, that email can be quite the career killer. Just like the phone was, too.

[NIN]

<snip>
YMMV.

This.

I have a number of cadets on my friends list on FB.  Since I'm not in CAP actively anymore, its not that much of a factor, but when I was the squadron commander,  I had a lot of my troops on my CAP friends list.

However, in EVERY instance of a cadet in CAP or the USAC on my FB friends list, they are a part of my "Limited Profile" groups as well. IOW, they can't see very much about me or my activities (I need to double check, but I think I have limited profile unable to see my status and a bunch of other things).

But I can see them and what they're up to.

Now, former cadets who are no longer in CAP or the USAC? Yeah, they can see more cuz eventually I take them out of the limited profile group.  At least,  most of them I do.

[Eclipse]

I voted no.

There needs to be a bright line between cadets and seniors.  I have personally been witness to several cases where in appropriate
communications between cadets and seniors resulted in x-members.

yeah, that email can be quite the career killer. Just like the phone was, too.

Obviously we're not talking about email here, though anything in "writing" can potentially cause issues.

We're talking about situations where seniors were engaged online in public forums using profanity, disparaging their commanders, exposing their questionable personal activity choices to cadets, and, as mentioned above, interactions between adults and teenagers as if they were peers.

The single biggest risk of the internet is access.  As a paramilitary organization we put in place some barriers between commanders and
rank and file members for a reason, the same goes for the corporate manager/employee relationship.  Since CAP is all-volunteer, those
barriers tend to be softer than the military, but they are still there for a reason.

No one with a lick of common sense would go up to a Region commander in person for a quick "holla back", same goes for most bosses, but people think nothing of doing that sort of thing through FB, etc., then they wonder why the cohesion of their units is suffering.

That doesn't even address the collateral damage of trying to be treated like a professional when your online presence is "CAPESHOTTIE", etc.

The there is the further collateral damage of whom yo associate yourself with online.

Great, you're stand-up guy, all professional, pics in perfect uniforms and nothing that could be remotely construed as anything but a
straight arrow - but unless you have a separate profile for CAP (a god idea), you have no control over what others do on their profiles,
and by the time you realize that you have a problem, it may be too late.

Then there's the privacy aspects and whether they actually work - NIN thinks he probably has things set properly.  Hope so.  And hope even more that FB doesn't decide tomorrow that you have need to be more "open" and reset all your setting to allow more advertising.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/05/11/businessinsider-facebooks-response-to-privacy-concerns-if-youre-not-comfortable-sharing-dont-2010-5.DTL

Or twitter burps and exposes your "private" profile to everyone,but that would never happen, right?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/7713392/Turkish-student-apologises-for-bringing-down-Twitter-but-denies-being-a-hacker.html

[Fifinella]

Like others above, I have cadet and former cadet "friends", but they have limited access to content.  It is a convenient way to mentor and stay in touch.

[jimmydeanno]

...disparaging their commanders...

Maybe the commanders should take not of the actions that are getting them disparaged and see if it's legitimate.  Might be a good catalyst for change.   

[tdepp]

Yes, but privacy settings are your friend. 

I have everyone CAP related in a CAP category on my FB account, I have the ability to exclude them from viewing anything I post, and regularly exercise that setting.  Be smart about what is seen by cadets and you should be fine.

Rupster:
PM me when you get a chance on how to set that up.  Sounds like a good solution.
Todd