While social networking is more commonly used to stay connected with friends and family, the U.S. military uses it for communicating vital information during American wars. The New York Times reports that U.S. intelligence officers are using social networking skills to locate insurgents and save American lives in Afghanistan. According to the article, although more than 7,000 miles away, analysts are able to sign in and out of military chat rooms to inform Marines about possible dangers such as roadside bombs and Taliban gunfire. Earlier this month, for example, analysts helped guide Marines into Marja in southern Afghanistan with minimal causalities by utilizing data about nearly 300 possible roadside bombs.
