New rules for recruiters using networking sites

[unhappycamper]

Corps crackdown
New policy effective by the end of February


New rules for recruiters using networking sites
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 26, 2009 5:54:18 EST

The Corps will soon roll out new rules allowing recruiters to use social networking Web sites to correspond with recruits, but will define what the Marines’ pages look like and allow commands to monitor their online activities.

Effective by the end of February, officials said, the new policy arrives just months after two male Marine recruiters were charged with having sexual relationships with underage females they met on the job in high schools. In both cases, authorities said the Marines used MySpace.com to arrange meetings with the teens.

“It’s not going to be the Wild Wild West, where everyone can do their own thing,” said Maj. Chris Devine, spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command. “We want them to develop a difference between their own personal sites and their professional sites so they can do their duties as a Marine recruiter.”

The new rules aren’t aimed specifically at preventing inappropriate relationships or the use of social networking sites on the job, Devine said. Instead, it will give recruiters access to the sites on MCRC computers for the first time, but require them to use official Marine recruiter profiles with an approved template rather than profiles they have set up on their own.

Previously, MCRC had blocked access to social networking sites on its computer network, Devine said, leading many recruiters to use laptops not connected to the MCRC network to reach poolees and check profiles of possible recruits.


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/01/marine_recruitingrules_012609w/%2e