USWN Index Kevin Wolf & Associates Internet Strategic Planning Facilitation Metadata

Policy Development on Organizational Use of the Internet by Kevin Wolf      It may just be the nature of bureaucracy, but written policies on using e-mail, surfing the Web, communicating with news groups and just about anything to do with the Internet are proliferating. A primary issue in policy development is the preventative value of strict restrictions versus the learning and skill development benefits of more open use policy.      At the recent Internet policy workshop, "On-line Meets the Bottom Line", hosted by the Association of California Water Agencies, the panelists acknowledged that their agency policies were new, and in some cases written before any problems had developed. Preventative measures through strict limits on use was the theme.      Yet an opposite view of Internet use by staff is expressed in the draft policies of the California State Water Resources Control Board and the Library of Congress. Their theme is to provide staff with an understanding of acceptable and non-acceptable use, but to allow them wide use of their agency Internet accounts for personal work on personal time.      Becoming proficient in the use of the Internet and learning how the medium is developing may take more hands-on practice than is afforded in a stricter, "job related work only" atmosphere. Fear of violating a restriction may limit a staff persons’ ability to fully utilize the power of the Internet for their job.      Exploration through the uncharted web of cyberspace is often the best way to find valuable work-related information. In the process, a staff person may link into websites that have nothing to do with their work. A strict policy with serious consequences for "inappropriate use" will dampen some staff’s willingness to enter unexplored web territory.      Here are examples of differences in policies:      The SWRCB draft polices would "Allow personal use of the Internet by Board staff on personal time and from home." Preceding this is the statement "Use of the Internet is a privilege , not a right, which may be revoked at any time for inappropriate conduct." The draft policies go on to clarify what is considered unacceptable use (eg. unlawful or malicious activities, abusive or objectionable language, misrepresenting oneself or the Board, sending chain letters, or activities that cause congestion or disruption of the network).      More typical are the policies of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. Their staff can "only utilize Internet resources for the exchange of information directly related to scientific, governmental or business purposes of the MPWMD." The main concern driving this restriction is the desire to balance the "threat of loss or destruction of data stored on our server." It will be interesting to see if that policy changes after security concerns are resolved through firewalls, backup systems, virus scans etc.      Some organizations attempt to define a middle ground. Many lead off with language clarifying who owns the information that is being sent and received. This alone should be enough of a warning to staff to be careful in what they do with an agency provided Internet account.      For example, the California Integrated Waste Management Board policies include this statement in the first paragraph.      "All e-mail messages, regardless of content are the property of the State of California and are archived by Information Management Branch as part of their standard disk backup process. Access to archived files is only granted to the staff person who created the file and his/her management after they have formally requested this access via memo and (the explanation appears justified)."      The East Bay Municipal Utilities District in the San Francisco Bay Area also has strict restrictions against personal use of district-provided Internet accounts. They place special emphasis against the non-authorized acquisition of software via the Net.      Between the different internal policies I reviewed, including the one sent from the City of Bellevue in response to my last column, there is a rich set of guidelines that are useful to anyone using the Internet. Some of the better ones include: Check e-mail daily. Use signature blocks at bottom of your e-mail message. Limit line length to less than 80 characters because many systems cannot display longer lines. Include only relevant portions when quoting from a previous message. Retain the welcome message and information file from mailing lists to which you subscribe. E-mail distribution should be limited to those who have a legitimate interest in the topic or content of the message. Do not assume that the person who gave the data to you has the distribution rights; when in doubt ask. Internet Planning, Training and Web Development Kevin Wolf and Associates has helped some of the largest (and smallest) water agencies and consulting firms in all areas of the Internet. WWW page planning, hosting, and maintenance, strategic planning, training and more. Kevin Wolf & Associates 724 N Street, Davis, CA 95616 Phone (530) 758-4211      Fax (530) 758-2338 kjwolf@dcn.davis.ca.us     http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/go/kjwolf/