Marketing and all things related

This week, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced they will block access to MySpace, YouTube and many other similar websites on all official department computers throughout the world.  The DOD claims this action is necessary to boost network efficiency and security.  From a marketing perspective, MySpace, YouTube and other blocked sites will undoubtedly suffer from a drop in traffic as military men and women worldwide will no longer have access to these sites. 

I was interested in hearing some other perspectives on this issue, so I asked someone I know who has both a military and information technology background for his thoughts on the DOD's decision.  He provided three different responses:

1.  From an information technology standpoint, he indicated that he could understand the need to conserve bandwith on the DOD network to ensure mission-critical systems are responsive and to minimize the risk of introducing malicious programs into that network.

2.  From a military standpoint, he mentioned there is always the risk that someone could inadvertantly or purposefully release content that puts existing military operations at risk.  He mentioned this risk is not a new one.  During World War II, posters were printed using phrases like, "Loose lips sink ships," to remind people, especially those in the war industry, not to reveal any information that could be used by the enemy. 

3.  From a liberal citizen standpoint, he mentioned that some people might assume this is a poorly-veiled excuse to prevent military personnel from releasing content that could undermine the war effort by conflicting with the "facts" as reported through official channels.

I think each of these views has merit.  I don't think it's a secret that visiting websites of any kind can pose a security risk, and social sites like MySpace and YouTube are certainly sites where you can stumble upon viruses, spam and other things that can cause your virus protection software to kick in.  I'm sure, however, that the marketing people at MySpace and YouTube are scrambling to combat the impact the DOD's decision will have on their bottomline.

There are so many angles and perspectives to analyze this event from.  What are your thoughts?

Related articles from the Know More Media network of business blogs: 

6 Reasons Why the Department of Defense Should Ban Youtube and MySpace

5 Reasons Why the Department of Defense Should NOT Ban Youtube, MySpace and Other Social Media Sites

Freedom's Just Another Word for Irresponsibility

Department of Defense Convinced MySpace and YouTube are Run by Bin Laden