The Department of the Navy Chief of Information has created a guide detailing recommended Facebook privacy settings and how to achieve them. The guide provides step-by-step instructions to help Facebook users create a balance between safeguarding their privacy and enjoying the benefits of social networking online.

The Department of the Navy Information Technology Conference will be held Monday, Jan. 23, to Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Ca. No conference fee will be assessed for the DON IT Conference, but registration is required. Advance registration is now closed, but attendees may register on-site at the convention center any day of the conference.

1/19/12 UPDATE: The Under Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Robert Work, plans to take the opportunity to address the Navy Echelon II and Marine Corps Major Subordinate Command IOs at the DON IT Conference. In order to accommodate his schedule, the Command IO session has been moved to 9:30 - 10:30 am on Thursday, Jan. 26. This is a closed session; attendance is restricted to command IOs or their representatives only. The DON IT Efficiencies/DON IT Way Ahead Discussion will now begin at 10:45 am. This session is open to all conference attendees. An updated descriptive conference schedule may be downloaded below. The schedule is subject to change at any time so please check back for updates.

The Navy Command Social Media Handbook was developed by the Chief of Information's (CHINFO) Emerging Media Integration Team and is intended to provide the information needed to more safely and effectively use social media.

This ALNAV provides guidance to all Department of the Navy personnel regarding unofficial posts on the Internet, including those pertaining to DON-related content and discussions. It also provides guidance about best practices 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.

This ALNAV provides guidance to all Department of the Navy personnel regarding official posts on Internet-based capabilities. A separate ALNAV provides guidance regarding unofficial posts on Internet-based capabilities.

In February, the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO) launched the Pulse, a collaborative Web site for members of the DON information management/information technology (IM/IT) community. With its launch, DON personnel have the opportunity to shape the direction of the organization.

During the past few months, collaborative media has become a topic of interest and debate in both the Department of Defense and Federal Government. As a result of this interest, collaborative sites restricted to myriad combinations of defense, intelligence and Federal Government communities have begun to see a rise in participation. Some of them, such as Intelink, are sponsored by government agencies and limited to a select subset of the Federal Government, while others, like GovLoop, aim to connect employees at the federal, state and local levels. Below is a selected overview of a few of these tools.

The Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer has launched the Pulse, a restricted-access collaborative website for members of the DON information management and information technology community. DON personnel who join the Pulse have the opportunity to shape current and future IM/IT initiatives.

Historically, each generation expands the use of the communication inventions from the previous generation. Communication has evolved from cave drawings and carvings, to smoke signals and music (such as drumbeats, chants and yodeling); to written inscriptions; to letters distributed by foot, horseback, ships and railroad. Morse code revolutionized communication through the telegraph and line-of-sight light flashes.

The use of social media has become a popular topic within the Department of the Navy, Defense Department and across the federal government. As agencies begin to venture into this media, whether it is creating an agency Facebook page or updating constituents via Twitter, precautions must be taken and risks should be assessed. While these tools open up many avenues for broader communication and collaboration, they also come with threats to network security.

The use of social media for federal services and interactions is growing tremendously, supported by initiatives from the administration, directives from government leaders, and demands from the public. This situation presents both opportunity and risk. Guidelines and recommendations for using social media technologies in a manner that minimizes the risk are analyzed and presented in this document. This document is intended as guidance for any federal agency that uses social media services to collaborate and communicate among employees, partners, other federal agencies, and the public.

Over the past few years, the use of Web 2.0 tools has increased in the Department of the Navy. Many of these tools present both opportunities and challenges. This column will focus on educating readers about the myriad tools available for use within the DON, Department of Defense, and federal government, as well as the challenges they present. Topics will range from new applications to safe use and cultural changes that occur as a result of Web 2.0 collaboration. In the interactive spirit of Web 2.0, your comments and suggestions are encouraged.

This memo outlines the governance for the Navy Marine Corps Portal (NMCP). It also states the vision for the NMCP, which is to provide the ability for DON users to securely access, via single sign-on, the DON trusted network environment (i.e., NMCI, IT-21, OneNET and MCEN) and have seamless connectivity and access to vital DON warfighter and business information and services within the Navy Enterprise Portal, eUSMC (the Marine Corps portal), and SECNAV portal from any DON computing asset.

This memo directs the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer to present to the Secretary of Defense the threats and benefits, as well as policy and processes, to ensure the responsible and effective use of emerging Internet-based capabilities.

To ensure Department of the Navy Information Management and Information Technology (IM/IT) policies fully support the needs of the warfighter and all levels of the supporting establishment, the DON Chief Information Officer has begun to pilot the use of the Intelink wiki (Intellipedia) as a tool to assist in the development of proposed updates to existing policy.

There are a few frontiers left to explore: space; the world's oceans; Earth's inner space; microscopic and nano inner spaces; and cyberspace. Exploration in these areas is led by many Federal agencies such as NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation and the departments of Commerce, Defense and Homeland Security. Each of these frontiers relies on the advanced tools of cyber technology to facilitate exploration. In this article, we will explore cyberspace and discuss the changes that brought us to the use of Web 2.0 in the Federal government.

NMCI has begun deploying software associated with collaboration tools offered through the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The software is being delivered to users via a Radia software push. As a result, users will begin to see Jabber and IBM Sametime chat programs in their “start programs” menu. These tools are intended to increase connectivity and collaboration across the DoD enterprise. Users who do not see these programs in their “start programs” menu are in line to have them pushed shortly.

On October 20, 2008, the Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer released a memo providing initial guidance to all Navy and Marine Corps commands regarding the use of Web 2.0 tools. "I wanted to provide guidance and encourage its [Web 2.0] use among Navy and Marine Corps commands," Robert Carey, DON CIO said. "Web 2.0 tools present many opportunities for collaboration and information sharing. They are becoming vital to keeping pace in today's environment."

The Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer has released a memorandum providing initial guidance for all Navy and Marine Corps commands regarding the use of Web 2.0 tools to facilitate collaboration and information sharing within the Department of the Navy.

As outlined in a recently published memo, the Department of the Navy endorses the secure use of Web 2.0 tools to enhance collaboration, streamline processes and foster productivity.

The purpose of this memo is to provide initial guidance for all Navy and Marine Corps commands regarding the use of emerging web tools to facilitate collaboration and information sharing in the Department ofthe Navy. These tools, described in enclosure (I) include wikis, blogs, mash ups, web feeds (such as, Really Simple Syndication and Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds), and forums, which are often referred to as components of "Web 2.0" and can significantly enhance mission effectiveness through collaboration. The Department endorses the secure use of Web 2.0 tools to enhance communication, collaboration and information exchange; streamline processes; and foster productivity improvements. However, their application must not compromise data confidentiality and integrity.

Information sharing, the drumbeat phrase of national defense for seven years, is being matched these days with technologies capable of elevating it from a bumper-sticker slogan to a tool of great power — and commensurate risk. View entire GCN article.

The vision of adapting next-generation Internet technologies in the Defense Department is gaining new urgency as businesses, and employees, increasingly embrace Web-based social networking applications. But the horizon for what some call the Defense 2.0 era appears a long way off as culture, inertia, and IT security concerns that grow only more complicated in a Web 2.0 world, continue to challenge military IT leaders. View entire GCN article.

The Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer unveiled its newly redesigned web site this week. In addition to its updated look and feel, the web site's organization and underlying technology have been improved to better equip users to locate information in just one or two clicks.

This memo established the requirement for a Navy and Marine Corps Portal environment designed to provide a single integrated enterprise portal framework.