That’s right - Internet blogging is indeed the 9th revolution.  I’ve done all the research and historians have succinctly reported that out of all the revolutions throughout history blogging is the 9th.  That or I made all that up just so I could continue my recent habit of song titles as blog titles - you’re call.  Number nine.  Number nine.  Number nine.  Number nine…

From the Wikipedia Blog page:  A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.  Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.

Current estimates say there are in the neighborhood of 15 - 20 million blogs out there for your enjoyment.  Teenagers have created the majority of blogs.  Blogs are currently the province of the young, with 92.4% created by people under the age of 30.  Half of bloggers are between the ages of 13 and 19. Following this age group, 39.6% of bloggers are between the ages of 20 and 29.  ([1] http://www.caslon.com.au/weblogprofile1.htm)

If you are even marginally in touch you’ve no doubt heard of the problems the military has had with military based, military support and personal blogs of military throughout the blogosphere.  Thousands of bloggers are putting information out there that from an OPSEC, or even a common sense perspective, should not be there.  On the plus side, the majority of these blogs are now espousing OPSEC and demanding that sensitive information not be put in comments on the blog.  Certainly this is a very good thing and while we’ve still got some problems out there it is good for an old OPSECer to see that the problem is correcting itself.  Here are some examples:

“The U.S. Army has ordered soldiers to stop posting to blogs or sending personal e-mail messages, without first clearing the content with a superior officer, Wired News has learned. The directive, issued April 19, is the sharpest restriction on troops’ online activities since the start of the Iraq war. And it could mean the end of military blogs, observers say. “  By Noah Shachtman

Operational Security:  If you know where a soldier is deployed, the return date, or any other information, please never give this information out to anyone, ever. The enemy loves to search for pieces of the puzzle of how to hurt us any way they can. Never post last name, location, contact information, unit details, morale status or even rank of someone you know who’s deployed. In today’s world of terrorism, this is especially important.  [2] http://www.honorguardbugler.com/2008/04/notes-on-opsec.html

I think it’s worth reminding OmniNerd users (many of whom have military affiliations through service, family or acquaintance) to be cognizant of the information posted.   OmniNerd received a news post on 5 August from the Army of the Mujahideen containing links to graphic videos depicting death and violence to US service members. This means OmniNerd’s content was profiled by terrorists either for the user base or the types of hosted discussions. While initially rejected, I posted the content here to serve as a reminder of who may be reading your posts and the threat still facing Western states.  [3] http://www.omninerd.com/blogs/OPSEC_Awareness

OPSEC is the reason that organizations like Soldiers Angels or Anysoldier.com  don’t just post the addresses of deployed soldiers for everyone in the blogosphere to see. You have to join those organizations and be approved by them, to receive addresses.  OPSEC is the reason that I did not post the address of my fiancee’s son on this blog, when he deployed.  The people who wish to support him (and our unending Thanks! to all those great folks who have been sending him letters and care packages! are people I know, and feel comfortable giving his address.  OPSEC is the reason that Soldiers Angels says “Please do not post the name, etc. of your soldier, without his permission.” And it’s the reason that I usually redact the identifying information from any part of a note I receive that I do repost on here.  [4] Http://journals.aol.com/kasee267/SupportingtheTroops/entries/2008/01/28/just-a-reminder…opsec/1542

And finally:  We’ve had quite a bit of OPSEC violation on the community recently. Just a reminder that you just can’t post dates, times, travels, discuss particulars about weapons, locations, etc. here. There ARE people out there who join communities like this to gather information. Don’t kid yourself.  Will it get someone killed? You don’t know. The safest bet is just don’t do it. If you’re not sure if you should say it, err on the side of caution and just don’t say it.                                                                                         So here’s a basic list of what not to say or do: 

DON’T post specific dates your SO goes on deployment, leaves for R&R, redeploys, PCS’s, or moves from one place to the next.

DON’T post specifics discussing weaponology, though that has not been an issue here, I’m just saying.

DON’T post where your husband is stationed if he is in a combat zone (i.e. what base he’s at in Iraq or Afghanistan).

DON’T post the times your husband will be in transit from base to base in a combat zone, or travel times, period.

DO black out or otherwise blur nameplace, unit and branch patches if posting pictures.

Those are the main infractions.

FROM HERE ON OUT I WILL DELETE WITHOUT WARNING ANY POST THAT VIOLATES OPSEC TERMS. 

I’m tired of reminding people. Call me bitchy, I don’t care. Read and follow the rules.   [5] http://community.livejournal.com/militarylove/706293.html

Keep the Faith!

Revelator