Earlier this month, the U.S. Army Social Media Handbook was released to the public.  It is a solid guide of practical tips for anyone engaging in digitally networked dialogue, whether for personal or professional use.

Many of the tips promote networking caution in the interest of saving lives on the battlefield (and at home) and also to save individual and troop reputation.  From a crisis management standpoint, I thought these eight tips were standouts:

1.  “All leaders must communicate social media expectations…” (p. 4)

So many organizations provide protocols that define out-of-bounds online behavior for social networking.  It’s probably equally beneficial to illustrate the expected behavior.  This approach provides the most clarity if the organization is pressed to take corrective actions.

2.  Warnings on geotagging and location-based social networking (p. 5)

These warnings may be obvious to protect troop locations.  Perhaps it is less obvious to consider how this seemingly innocent location-disclosure can harm personal privacy or sensitive corporate information.  As one example, keep in mind that hackers love to collect information – including where you’ve been and when – before they infiltrate.

3.  Online relationships – keep it professional (p. 6)

Following this very obvious guideline can keep many corporate executives out of HR trouble, or out of the courtrooms.