I’m still not even sure why so many people (particularly, those no longer in the military or those not even in the military) are up in arms about this new Op Sec policy.  Numerous people are coming forward in the news as spokespersons, but I have yet to see really any comments by bloggers who are in the military.  This latest news about YouTube, MySpace and other sites, is pretty much no different than network policies at most office jobs.  And typically, most workers follow the policy, unless of course they hate their job.  

Earlier in the week, I offered my thoughts on the situation because it was frustrating to hear all these bloggers, pundits and journalists, claim this was an end to milblogging, when I'm sitting right here typing a blog with the support of my chain of command.    And several soldiers in my Platoon, including my Platoon Sergeant are planning to do the same once we arrive in Iraq.

Mudville Gazette even took a shot at this website in their "Joke of the Week" in response to all the news about the Op Sec policy, claiming the low number of military blog readers, is due to sites like Milblogging.com using RSS feeds.  The very same feeds that bloggers make public to everyone.  I'm gonna clarify one thing - I only publish what bloggers allow me to.  Any time a blogger has written me requesting I remove their feed, I do so immediately.  Most of the time, bloggers are asking me to post their banners and update their feeds so they display properly on Milblogging.com.  

Via Mudville Gazette:

"I suppose part of that lack of readers could be due to the folks at milblogging.com ripping off the deployed guys via their rss feeds, but no one reads milblogging.com either."

I'm still confused. All this time I've been responsible for the low number of readers to milblogs?  You could've told me I was responsible for pimples or Paris Hilton, and that would make entirely more sense than this joke of the week. 

I'll be in Iraq soon enough, so for those of you who remember reading the Jerky Wars, it's game on.  Then again, no one really reads this milblog or any others.  So, I'm pretty much writing for family who are obligated to read (Hi Mom).

By the way, I only have 72 friends (that’s not a typo) on MySpace, which makes me the biggest loser in my Platoon.  I know cats and bums who have more MySpace friends.  In fact, I think there is a box of rabbits on MySpace that is more popular.  I'm pretty much worthless.

Here's an excerpt from the story regarding YouTube, MySpace and other websites:

(CBS 42, Austin, TX) Spc. Jean-Paul Borda, founder of military blog aggregator Milblogging.com, wrote that the latest policy announcement is unlikely to silence troops posting online: “...the fact that I’m blogging right now, pretty much speaks for itself.”

Read the entire story here.

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(Beltway Blogroll) Although sensationalized by fans of milblogs, the Army's guidelines on the Internet musings of soldiers are real. Now comes word from AP and Stars & Stripes that the Defense Department as a whole is taking other steps to control Internet access by soldiers.

Specifically, the department has blocked access to the YouTube video-sharing site, the MySpace online social network and 11 other sites that are popular among deployed troops who want to communicate with family and friends. Technology Daily mentioned cited AP this morning.

Read the entire story here.

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(CNN.com) Soldiers serving overseas will lose some of their online links to friends and loved ones back home under a Department of Defense policy that a high-ranking Army official said would take effect Monday.

The Defense Department will begin blocking access "worldwide" to YouTube, MySpace and 11 other popular Web sites on its computers and networks, according to a memo sent Friday by Gen. B.B. Bell, the U.S. Forces Korea commander.

The policy is being implemented to protect information and reduce drag on the department's networks, according to Bell.

Read the entire story here.

Thanks to Wendy for the tip.

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(BBC News - UK)The prize comes as the US government is clamping down on soldiers blogging without prior content approval.

"My War may be the last frank and open military blog blook", said Paul Jones, chair of the Blooker judges.

Arianna Huffington, columnist and blogger who was among this year's Blooker judges, said Buzzell's book was "endlessly surprising... delightfully profane".

She said it was "an unfiltered, often ferocious expression of his boots-on-the-ground view of the Iraq war".

Buzzell started blogging shortly after being posted to Iraq, writing his website from a cyber cafe in an army tent.

Read the entire story here.

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(SJ-R.com) I have found some soft shoulders on the Internet. Both www.milblogging.com and http://groups.yahoo.com /group/sgtmomsparents are comforting forums in which to vent and learn. The other mothers there have taught me how to order free flat-rate boxes from the post office, where to find help filing my son's income tax returns and what to say to another mother who has learned her uniformed son has had to kill someone.

Read the entire story here.

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(Beltway Blogroll)  Several days ago when I wrote about how blogs blow things out of proportion, I based my analysis on the latest netroots attack against Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn. That prompted one reader to ask, "Any evidence from the popular blogs of the right on this?"

As if on cue, right-wing bloggers answered for me that very day, in the form of hysteria about the Army allegedly trying to shut down blogs by active-duty military personnel.

Reacting to a melodramatic Wired article about broad "operations security" regulations that included references to blogs, the fans of milblogs (and the military) decried the Pentagon as a would-be censor whose dimwitted attempt at regulating free speech would kill the best public relations tool the Army has in the war against terror.

Read the entire story here.

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Over the past week I posted links to stories here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here about the new Op Sec policy, which if you ask me, really isn’t all that new.  I’m still blogging and so are a lot of my battle buddies and we have alot of support.  I even plan to blog from Iraq when I arrive.  I know there’s been a lot of discussion, but I have to ask – why the sudden interest by so many? And why haven't more military bloggers - who are deployed - been interviewed for these stories?  

I’d defend some of the complaints printed in the news by pundits and others, but even The President of the United States supports milbloggers.  The only other person who could provide more support to milblogging would be Chuck Norris.  Or maybe ninjas.  Lots and lots of ninjas.  

I’d offer more of my thoughts on the policy and all the outside discussion that’s been swirling around by many who are not in the Active military, but the fact that I’m blogging right now, pretty much speaks for itself.

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If you have photos of the Second Annual Milbloggies from the 2007 Milblog Conference, please send them to milblogging@gmail.com, so I can update the Milbloggies Home page with photos of all the winners and attendees.

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The War In Iraq: A Soldiers Perspective - Watch more free videos

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(FOXNews)  The military blogging community is abuzz over the perceived crackdown on bloggers, who Army officials readily admit are providing firsthand accounts that the media generally miss in daily reporting from the war zone.

The bloggers are now awaiting word on whether the Army will make permanent changes to regulations issued last month that attempt to limit the details offered by soldiers writing from the frontlines.

"The regulation was either poorly written or intended to crack down on bloggers," said Matthew Currier Burden, a former defense intelligence officer who runs Blackfive.net, one of the most widely read military blogging sites.

"I've been threatened on numerous occasions — two threats in the last two months alone — to be booted out of Iraq," said Michael Yon, a former Green Beret now in Iraq who frequently reports for FOXNews.com. "Bloggers who express independent views are seen as a threat, while (pro-military bloggers) seem to be viewed as tools. The military is simply trying to keep the tools and mitigate the threats but in doing so caused quite a stir.

Read the entire story here.

Thanks to Wendy for the tip.

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(ZDNet)  Last week, we wrote that the Army had issued new, restrictive rules around so-called milblogging, rules that forbid blog or photo posting without prior approval from a commander. And the rules applied to family members and private contractors, as well as active personnel.

Now it looks like the Army is backpeddling and Congress is even getting involved. David Axe wrote on Wired's Danger Room blog that the Army has issued a clarification that assures:

In no way will every blog post/update a Soldier makes on his or her blog need to be monitored or first approved by an immediate supervisor and Operations Security (OPSEC) officer. After receiving guidance and awareness training from the appointed OPSEC officer, that Soldier blogger is entrusted to practice OPSEC when posting in a public forum.

The statement establishes three conditions for unsupervised blogging:

The blog’s topic is not military-related (i.e., Sgt. Doe publishes a blog about his favorite basketball team).

The Soldier doesn’t represent or act on behalf of the Army in any way.

The Soldier doesn’t use government equipment when on his or her personal blog.

Read the entire story here.

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(Wired News) Some military commands are busy shouting about how the press -- and its own soldier-bloggers -- are "threats" for leaking vital battlefield information.  Let 'em scream, DJ Elliot, a former Navy intelligence analyst, says over at The Fourth Rail.  The Pentagon's own public affairs officers are some of the worst violators of operational security (OPSEC) of all. 

Read the entire story here.

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(NPR – USA) Bloggers who focus on military matters — known online as "milbloggers" — have been up in arms over new Army regulations about blogs published by active duty troops.

Some fear the new rules could end up silencing first-person web journals published from combat zones.

The uproar circles around an Army regulation issued April 19 which updates earlier language about operational security (or "OPSEC") and blogs.

Paragraph 2-1g says Army personnel must "consult with their immediate supervisor and their OPSEC Officer for an OPSEC review prior to publishing or posting information in a public forum."

The regulation applies to e-mail, blogs, message board, and other forms of digital communication.

The new orders were a hot topic over the past weekend, when milbloggers gathered in Arlington, Va., for the second annual Milblog Conference.

In a taped message played during the event , President Bush thanked military bloggers for their contributions; but the president's upbeat message felt to some like a contradiction with the actual regulations.

Read the entire story here.

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Reports are now coming in about the 2007 Milblog Conference.  And no, I couldn’t attend this year’s Conference, but I heard it was awesome.  My brother, sister-in-law, and my Mother attended.  I sometimes wonder what it would be like to attend the conference, since I still haven’t been able to attend the first two. My fantasies of the Conference are probably a little odd, because my plan for arriving at the conference, would be pulling up in a stretch limousine with ninjas and pirates as my body guards.  It’s tough enough looking like Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise, but combine that with stunning intellect and style, and I suspect it might be too dangerous for me to attend the Third Annual Conference...that, or I'll still be in Iraq.

President Bush Remarks at the Milblog Conference (Euphoric Reality)
2007 Milblog Conference Update (The Thunder Run)
Reports of the 2007 MilBlog Conference (Blue Star Chronicles)
Shout Out to the Milbloggers! (Not Exactly Rocket Science)
The Wide World of Military Bloggers (Bluey Blog)
Milblog Madness (The Weekly Standard)
The 2007 Milblog Conference – Flash Report (Blackfive)
President Bush Addresses the 2007 Milblog Conference (Gateway Pundit)

There are a ton of stories about the conference on the internet.  Please add your trackback below if you have an update.

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Courtesy Gateway Pundit

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While I’m in training for my deployment to Iraq, there will be times when I cannot write for several days.  Also, if there are website problems, I can’t address them immediately when I’m in the field.  The server that hosts this website is still experiencing problems, and as a result, you will not receive an email when you register for a new account or attempt to recover your password.  I also can’t send out any newsletters.

I’m kinda hoping the problem will correct itself, but I guess the only way we'll know for sure is to wait until the password recovery/email activation begins working, or, judging by the number of problems, waiting for your computer to explode in your face when you log on to Milblogging.com.  I really have no idea what’s going on, so we’ll just assume the problems are being caused by the total awesomeness of this website. 

Note:  I will continue to manually activate accounts until the server problems are fixed.  As of today, all new member accounts have been activated.  In the meantime, if you need to reach me about any problems, shine the Bat signal into the sky, or, alternatively, send an email to milblogging@gmail.com 

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(The Washington Post) President George W. Bush -- appearing via remote broadcast on two large television screens -- on Saturday thanked a roomful of military bloggers in Arlington, Va., for their service to the country.

"America's military bloggers are also an important voice for the cause of freedom," Bush said in the taped message to the group, which was gathered in Northern Virginia for the 2007 MilBlog Conference. "You understand that defeating the terrorists requires us to defeat their ideology of hatred and of death with a more powerful vision, a vision of human liberty."

Read the entire story here.

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(The Washington Post) When Capt. Danjel Bout lost three comrades in a single day while on an October 2005 mission in Baghdad, he stifled his grief and remained focused on what seemed to be the longest day of his life.

The next day, he let it out.

He went to his computer and wrote a detailed and emotional account of the losses in his blog, " 365 and a Wakeup."

For Bout, blogging was a way to get some emotional relief from the hardships of war; it was an "online therapy session" of sorts. For the more than 750,000 viewers of his blog, it has been a way for them to read a firsthand account of the Iraq war, according to Bout.

Read the entire story here.

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(Wired News) David Axe here. I thought you might want to read the full text of the Army's reply to the (justified) fuss Noah has been raising about the service's new restrictive milblog rules.

Read the entire story here.

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