Internet
Sites
If you
are using information from an Internet site for strategic Agency
business decisions, you should verify the integrity of that information.
You should verify whether the site is updated on a regular basis
(the lack of revision date might indicate out-of-date information)
and that it is a valid provider of the information you are seeking.
Just because it is there does not mean that it is accurate or valid.
Our agency
has no control or responsibility for content on an external server
not under the control of the Agency. Information may be offensive
and/or unsuitable for dissemination.
Electronic
Mail (E-mail)
The
following guidelines apply to the use of e-mail.
MAIL ON
THE INTERNET IS NOT SECURE. Never include in an e-mail message anything
that you want to keep private and confidential because e-mail is
sent -- unencrypted and is easily read.
Management
has the right to access all e-mail files created, received or stored
on Agency systems and such files can be accessed without prior notification.
Be careful
if you send anything but plain ASCII text as e-mail. Recipients
may not have the ability to translate other documents, for example
Word or Word Perfect documents.
Be careful
when sending replies - make sure you are sending to a group when
you want to send to a group, and to an individual when you want
to send to an individual. It is best to address directly to a sender(s).
Check carefully, the "To" and "From" before
sending mail. It can prevent unintentional errors.
Include
a signature (an identifier that automatically appends to your e-mail
message) that contains the method(s) by which others can contact
you. (Usually your e-mail address, phone number, fax number, etc.)
For important
items, let senders know you have received their e-mail, even if
you cannot respond in depth immediately. They need to know their
e-mail is not lost.
Watch punctuation
and spelling. It can reflect on your professionalism. Use automatic
checking programs if available.
Internet
Mailing Lists and Usenet News Groups
The
e-mail guidelines apply here as well.
Be sure
to change your mailing address if your account changes. Do not simply
forward your e-mail from your old account to your new one. This
creates a burden on the Agency 's information systems. Be careful
when using auto-reply features in e-mail when you belong to mailing
lists. Auto-reply replies are often sent to the entire list indiscriminately
and your reply may not be important to all on the list; e.g. most
do not care that you are on vacation, and worse, your message may
have been intended for only one recipient.
As a new
member of a news group, monitor the messages for a while to understand
the history and personality of the group. Jumping right into the
discussion may make you look foolish if you lack background information.
Do not
re-post any messages without permission. Even messages may have
copyright protection.
Do not
post personal messages to a mailing list or USENET news group.
If you
survey the group, as a courtesy, post a summary of the results.
Be sure
to properly acknowledge with quotations any material borrowed from
others. Be careful of plagiarism.
Do not
post any messages anonymously. The professional community views
this practice as bad form. As a matter of policy the USENET community
and system managers are asked to track down offenders.
Be careful
when you re-post any requests. Some requests are fraudulent.
State the
subject of your message clearly in the subject line.
Before
joining mailing lists and news groups give thought to how much time
these activities require. Also, for Usenet, look at the news.announce.
newusers group. It contains information to assist you.
Be sure
to read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for your group(s).
Never send
angry messages (flames). If you receive a "flame," do
not over react. Remember that not everyone is as polite as you are.
FTP
(File Transfer Protocol)
These guidelines
cover use of FTP (or download) sites.
Downloaded
files may contain viruses. Scan all downloaded files with the Agency's
standard virus prevention software.
Do not
FTP during your site's prime hours due to network impact on other
users.
Look locally
before downloading a file from a geographically remote site. Your
system manager can help you find the closest site.
Do not
download on the off chance you will "need it someday.'' Conversely,
do not search for "neat stuff" to FTP. If you discover
that you do not need what you have downloaded, delete it. You can
always get it again if you discover you need it later.
Observe
any posted restrictions on the FTP server.
Login using
your real user name and node address as your password on anonymous
FTP servers.
Netiquette
These are
Netiquette (see Glossary) guidelines:
Be cognizant
of system etiquette. The computer you use may have limits regarding
disk space usage. E-mail takes up space; therefore, you should regularly
delete and/or archive any messages you wish to save.
Remember
that the recipient is a person with feelings. Since they cannot
see you, they may not know when you are joking. Be sure to include
visual or verbal clues. Convention indicates the use of the smiley
face. :) (Look sideways).
DO NOT
SEND MESSAGES ALL IN CAPITALS. It looks as if you are shouting.
Use initial capitals or some other symbol for emphasis. For example:
That IS what I meant. That *is* what I meant.
Remember
that some people have to pay for each byte of data they receive.
Please keep messages to the point without appearing terse or rude.
Glossary
Domain
Name: A domain name is the way to identify and locate an address
on the Internet. The domain name is used to send e-mail, make FTP
requests, etc. Before any message is sent on the Internet, the domain
name is converted internally to a numerical address, an Internet
protocol address, which is the what computers on the Internet deal
with directly.
Electronic
Mail: Electronic Mail (e-mail) may include non-interactive communication
of text, data, images or voice messages between a sender and designated
recipient(s) by systems utilizing telecommunications links. It may
also include correspondence transmitted and stored electronically
using software facilities called "e-mail,"" "facsimile,"
or "messaging" system; or voice messages transmitted and
stored for later retrieval from a computer system.
FTP:
file transfer protocol; a program that allows you to transfer data
between different computers on a network.
Guidelines:
Recommendations derived from experience and which should be used.
Hacking:
Attempting to break into another system on which you have no account
or authorization. .
Internet:
a worldwide network of networks, connecting informational networks
communicating through a common communications language, or "protocol".
Mailing
List: A service that sends e-mail to everyone on a list whenever
e-mail is sent to the service, permitting a group of users to exchange
e-mail on a particular topic.
Netiquette:
A combination of "network" and "etiquette."
It is the practice of good manners in a networked environment.
News
Groups: Discussion groups with common themes on USENET.
TELNET:
A program that allows remote login to another computer.
TCP/IP:
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol; the communication
protocol used by computers connected to the Internet.
USENET:
A collection of computer discussion (news) groups.
Users:
The public and Agency employees.
Vendors:
Any private person or business enterprise.
Internet
Policies and Guidelines
I have
read and reviewed the Internet Policies and Guidelines (Guide).
By signing this form, I agree to abide by the Guidelines currently
in place and I agree to review periodically any changes or modifications.
I recognize that the law and associated policy regarding the use
of Internet, electronic mail and the Agency's information systems
are continually evolving. Therefore, I understand that my regular
review of policy is required.
Print Name:______________________________________________________
Signature:______________________________________
Date:_____________
To be included
in employee's personnel file.
Source: Jack Fries, Fries & Fries Consulting
For more information, contact:
Jack Fries
Fries & Fries Consulting
907 Stewart Place
Morgantown, WV 26506
(304) 598-2995
Fax: (304) 598-3245
www.jackfries.com
jfries@jackfries.com
