Commentary: Networking Sites Allow Friends and Family to Stay Connected

By Larry Florino

Keeping in touch with families and friends who serve in the United States military has always been a challenge.

Often times, phone calls or letters are few and far between, so families and friends began relying on networking Web sites to stay in touch.

Networking sites such as MySpace.com, YouTube.com and PhotoBucket.com have allowed families and friends to stay connected with loved ones overseas. With these Internet sites, a military parent could witness a daughter’s birthday party or friends at home could picture what their military comrades were doing in the Middle East.

However, on Monday the Department of Defense blocked access to all of these networking sites along with similar sites.

Other sites included in this ban reach beyond social networking sites and include video-sharing, photo-sharing and music sites Metacafe, IFilm, StupidVideos, FileCabi, BlackPlanet, Hi5, Pandora, MTV, 1.fm and live365.

According to the Department of Defense, the decision to ban such sites has been made in an effort to protect classified information which can be sent through digital media and reduce Internet drag on the military network.

The concept of banning Web sites as a way of protecting information is not a new concept to the military. In the past, many communication channels have been restricted or banned in the interest of security.

In addition, several corporations in the U.S. have also taken up bans against media-heavy sites, such as the ones above, due to the drag on computer networks and the loss of productivity.

As military troops and their families and friends adjust to the communication differences, new communication possibilities are sure to arise. Many other Web sites cater to the same networking needs previously relied on through the now-blocked sites. With some research and a little bit of creativity, families and friends will find successful ways to stay connected.

Larry Fiorino, the founder and chief executive of G.1440, a Baltimore-based e-solutions firm, writes every week for The Daily Record. The opinions expressed are his own and not necessarily those of this newspaper. He can be reached at 410-843-3800.

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