With the holidays approaching fast, many often turn their thoughts to friends and family that are far from home.  For those with loved ones in the military who are stationed overseas, this is especially true.

Thankfully, social media makes it easier than ever to keep families in contact with the sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers that can’t be home for the holidays due to a deployment.

A few years back, though, the Department of Defense was hesitant to allow the use of social media.  There was a fear that social media would cause more harm than good.  It was thought that soldiers tweeting or posting updates on Facebook could potentially give vital information to enemy forces, or that those same enemy forces could potentially impersonate key personnel.

In 2010, the Department of Defense ultimately decided that good did outweigh the bad, and the ban on social media was lifted as long as the social media networks were only accessed through the military’s non-classified computer network, NIPRNET (Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network.)  Of course, certain commanders still have the authority to reinstate the ban if they feel that it causes a security threat to their unit.

The U.S. Army has especially jumped on the social media bandwagon.  They now offer a social media handbook to military personnel, which offers tips from how to get started on social media to how to not to lose followers on Twitter.

Needless to say, this was a huge boost for soldiers and their families.  Now, friends and family can keep up with a soldier’s posts, which could ease the heartache for those that must spend the holidays apart from one another.