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Think before you share
How an MOD campaign is helping the Armed Forces Community stay safe online

With Twitter users sending 200 million tweets per day and over 700 billion minutes per month spent on Facebook, Social Media tools have become the quickest way to share information across the world.  But who are you sharing information with?

If you use social media as a way to stay in touch, then the online guidance produced for the MOD’s Online Security Awareness Campaign – Think before you share . . . – may be useful for you to enjoy the benefits of sharing information while staying safe online.  

In the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency’s (SPVA) latest podcast, presenter Joanne Lowe interviews Pippa Norris from the Directorate Media and Communications to find out more about the campaign.

Pippa said:

“Our campaign is for all the Armed Forces Community. We want people to enjoy using social networks but we also want to ensure they have all the information to protect themself online.  The information would benefit any member of the Armed Forces Community, so please take a listen to the podcast today”

Laurie Manton, SPVA Spokesman said:

“As part of the MOD, we at SPVA have a responsibility to raise awareness of the guidance so that wider awareness can be spread among members of the Armed Forces Community.  Our own staff use social media as a way to raise awareness of our services, so we have found the guidance useful and it will help us stay safe online too.”

The podcast and other SPVA social media products are available to access on the SPVA Social Media Hub via the Veterans-UK website, www.veterans-uk.info , and on various social media sites such as iTunes and YouTube.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

1. Veterans-UK was launched by the Ministry of Defence in April 2007 to provide a focal point for veterans to access services from the many different sources of help available.  The Veterans-UK helpline, 0800 169 2277 and website www.veterans-uk.info are the main contact points.  
2. The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency is an Agency of the Ministry of Defence and provides essential support functions to the Armed Forces and veterans communities.  These include Forces pay and HR, issue of all medals, casualty repatriation and compassionate services, pensions, injury/bereavement compensation and veterans welfare support.
3. A veteran is anyone who has served in HM Armed Forces, regular or reserve including National Servicemen, former Polish forces under British command and Merchant Mariners who have seen duty in military operations (e.g. the Falklands Conflict). Veterans, who can be aged from 18 to well over 80, along with their families and dependents make up the veterans community and all are entitled to our services.
4. SPVA prides itself on its communication with the Service and Veterans community. By embracing Digital and Social Media, it will be able to reach an even wider audience.  The SPVA podcasts were launched in February 2010 followed by the first SPVA videocast launched in May 2010.  SPVA now also has a blog and you can follow SPVA on Twitter - @SPVAmod.
5. Using Digital and Social media products, SPVA aims to keep service personnel and veterans up to date with the latest happenings within the Agency and how they may impact on the wider Armed Forces community. 
6. SPVA podcasts and videos are now available on the SPVA Social Media Hub that can be accessed via the Veterans-UK website - http://www.veterans-uk.info - and are also syndicated via iTunes, the SPVA channel on YouTube and MOD Social Media Hub http://www.blogs.mod.uk/homepage.html  

For Further Information

Please contact Laurie Manton Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, on 07795 970407