On Monday May 14, it was announced the U.S. Defense Department blocked access to MySpace, YouTube and a host of other such sites on official department computers worldwide, in an effort to boost its network efficiency. The DOD has made this effective for the Pentagon and all other military networks. The DOD states that this was done in response to security issues, as well as technological issues, since  the videos and other streaming components of such sites eat up a lot of network bandwidth.

Was this wise to do? Are these the DOD's real reasons? Are there management problems in the U.S. military? Should YouTube and MySpace be concerned? How do businesses adjust to such outside forces as bans on their products? What measures really work to increase employee productivity?

This week, the authors of the Know More Media network weighed in on this topic, attempting to answer these—and other—questions. Let’s see what they had to say…

Maria Palma on CustomersAreAlways.com feels that the ban is doing a disservice to the military personnel, and that these types of actions by management will cause resentment in an organization, thus worsening that company’s customer service.

Ujwal Tickoo on TheBizOfCoding.com thinks the ban will hurt military morale without boosting productivity, and that in today’s society, Internet connectivity is not a luxury but a fundamental service that people expect to have.

Susan Gunelius on MarketingBlurb.com relates what a person with both a military and information technology background has to say on the legitimacy of the DOD’s stated reasons; and she feels these blocked sites cannot ignore the effect this ban will have on their financial bottom lines.

Bill Belew on TheBizOfKnowledge.com offers 6 reasons why the DOD is justified in blocking such sites.

Bill Belew on TheBizOfKnowledge.com also gives 5 reasons why the DOD should NOT block such sites.

Stan DeVaughn of BrandingPost.com says that the military shouldn’t squander bandwidth on these sites; the USA is at war and soldiers need to be tough enough to sacrifice their access to these sites.

George Parker at AdHurl.com doesn’t accept the lack of bandwidth reason and believes giving access to these sites is one of the least things the DOD could do to help the soldiers out in the field.

Carolyn Manning at ProductivityGoal.com thinks the military may have a valid reason, but feels the soldiers need some sort of diversion; she also points out the interesting observation that the military is currently accelerating its YouTube campaign to appeal to a younger audience.

Linda Chan on CompanyCounselor.com asks poignant questions about the legal issues and social issues behind social networking sites, and society’s use of them.

What do you think? Where do you weigh in?