ADMIN UPDATE: Members MUST Read ASAP: Updated RULES.

[Navy for Moms Admin]

Hello N4M Members!
I don’t often start threads and put them on the top of the page like this but it’s important and I need everyone to read it. We’ll be enforcing some new rules starting today per direction of the Navy. No need to get upset or panic… okay? I like to call this the growing pains of getting bigger and needing to become a bit stricter about a few things.

1. So, Navy saw it as a breach of security on N4M’s when members were telling other members how to bend and break the rules (IE get into PIR w/o a parking pass). Thus, any tricks like that can’t be talked about. We don’t want to jeopardize the safety of our recruits. This also includes, “I have more than 4 people that want to attend PIR”. If we see that question- the response should be something like:
“Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, IL is the homeport for all Navy recruit training. If you have specific questions regarding Boot Camp, Pass-in-Review (graduation) or a recruit, please visit http://www1.netc.navy.mil/nstc/rtcgl/family/index.html. If you cannot find the answer there, please phone RTC Public Affairs on 847-688-2405 or email on [e-mail].”

2. Sailor last names are not allowed to be posted. We know in this day and age, that often your children have different last names than you. So, it’s up to you on if you want your last name on here or not, but the Navy is telling us- Do not post sailors last name. You can say my son’s name is John. Just not John Smith.
For people that want to now change their user name... you can find out how to do it here.

3. Remove physical addresses of sailors. (Exception to the rule is FPO address).
It’s not necessarily that our sailors don’t want to be contacted by our sweet Navy Members…it’s more that we have to be sensitive to their privacy. Even if you wanted to post your sailor’s address or your sailor’s friends address, please don’t.

4. Please do not post any names/numbers of the RTC Staff.

So, obviously- easy quick changes on your end. Please go through your profiles, posts, photos, groups, events and videos to make sure the above is deleted and/or edited out. Obviously, I’ll be going through and deleting things as well but it’s helpful if you look over your own stuff.

Thank you for reading this and editing/deleting any of your comments in advance.

Elle

[Melissa (Tucson)]

What does the Navy/OPSEC say about PM and email? Couldn't this site be hacked and the PM's exposed? Since none of us Navy Moms have secure internet connections how can our personal email be secure? When the term "internet" is used, doesn't that include PM & email? Just curious....

[shell]

a lot of bases will give the public or military familys a class on this subject too.

[shell]

does this mean that all ship groups will be deleted?

[Melissa (Tucson)]

In my opinion, all the groups should be overhauled....what's your opinion, Steve's Mom?

[shell]

I think that the Navy is going to step up and start monitoring their site a lot more now that it is not in the testing phase. As for the groups, I am not sure what harm can come when I tell you Billybob is serving on it. But, I am a new Navy Mom, and Billybob is not a seal, or rescue swimmer, and I want to try to keep all of our sailors safe. I do know that scammers have been known to call and try to have you wire them money.
When David and other family members were in Iraq last time (not in the Navy) , we could post or blog photos of them, but not show the living quarters, vehicles, weapons, or any group of buildings or landmarcks. Nor other people unless we had their permission. We could blog and say Iraq but not specificaly where in Iraq. Now when you hit youtube, blogs, town pages or facebook you can see all that stuff. Apo addresses can be figured out as to where the mail is going.
At one time the airforce had a fit about together we serve website and told everyone to get off it, but has since backed off about being so anti website about them.
At the last class I took, I was told pretty much what we say here. If it is in the main stream news, it can be spoken about. Avoid specific details of movements, and use or remember basic online saftey for yourself and your military loved one.
Navytimes often showcases sailors, and Great Lakes bullitin always has the recruits of the week with full names, hometowns and other information. Once some thing is posted public, on other blogging sites (non-military blogs and what not) it is generaly okay to repost it with permission. Acording to the new rules, we can not even talk about the Mom who got a surprize visit from her sailor (in person!) that was set up by the site, during a N4M sponsored activity.
I am curious if the Navy's concern is more because the parents from the site know more on how to handle issues at Great Lake. I do know that the web buzz was pretty intense a bit ago (when we went national) with other military websites saying they wanted this one shut down. Maybe there was a mass of complaints sent out, with some of them being legitament (ship locations being posted) and some not.

[shell]

Cher, I was responding to Melissa, on how and what I have expierenced, and my opinions. I have been a military wife, niece,sister, auntie and mom for a long, long time.

[Melissa (Tucson)]

Steve's Mom: I also have been a military wife, niece, sister, auntie, cousin and mom, but for much longer than you.....lol (You know I have a daughter your age)

[shell]

:P I know that. My comment was trying to answer the question about groups being changed, but of course I went off on a tangent. It was deaming to me to be told how I should talk about Iraq, when I don't post anything about it :)

[Melissa (Tucson)]

What are your thoughts on PM and email? Not of that is secure.

[shell]

well, I have two computers hooked up at home for work stuff, so my pc is a little bit more secure (but not perfect) then most. I usualy filter my emails through hotmail and then into my personel email. I also do not hide my ip address, which is something a lot of other people do.
To be extreemly private, I would say no to pm and email, no to im or private group chats and no to any conversation on a cell phone. Myspace has been around a lot longer then this site, and it has been hacked into quite a bit, so nothing is ever completly secure.
But, I do talk on my regular phone about stuff, and I say little on my cell about specifics (like where a sub mite be). And I share more through my private email then I do the email provided by this site. However, Ning is a very good social network and their tech staff that is responsible for stuff like hacking are excellent at what they do. I kind of look at it as what would any terrorist want with my little bit of info, and what could a scammer get from this information.

btw...I am old, so you are really old :P

[C from T]

Hummmmmmmmm Steves Mom: Mine is still in Looneyville Utopia...is that okay to say??? HAHAHAHA

[Julie (Beth's mom)]

Wow. I'm starting to feel really paranoid about all this. The last thing I want to do is endanger my or anyone else's kid. I almost feel like this site isn't such a good thing anymore if it is putting someone in jeopardy.