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e-policyBy Michael R. Overly A book review by Jim Frazier I picked this book up because it is positioned as a guide to creating email and Internet usage policies. In that it did not fail. However, if you're reading it to get a comprehensive understanding of the tricks, traps, foibles and bad things associated with email and Internet usage, this book won't be enough. While it does provide a good overall perspective, it isn't exactly full of fun and scary stories. But back to its main intent. Author Overly reviews the various basic issues involving email from a highly legalistic perspective. He is a lawyer, so I would expect nothing less, particularly since the main purpose of the book is to provide wording for a formal usage policy. And he does provide some useful nuggets of new information. I highly recommend this book and feel that giving you some commentary on each chapter would be helpful in understanding its value: 1. General overview - Don't buy the book for this section. It gives you a nice overview but merely serves as a preamble. 2. Privacy - This covers the expectations that your employees should have along with your rights. 3. Labor Organizing - If this is an issue in your company, buying this book is a no-brainer. For example, tolerance of any personal Internet or computer use could open the door for the use of your systems for union activities. That's probably not what you had in mind when you invested in the network. 4. Harassment - If your staff engages in harassment, whether by hanging up dirty pictures or sending dirty email, you could be held liable. 5. Copyright - The Internet offers enormous opportunities for copyright violations. If your employees aren't educated about the risks, it could cost you money. 6. Defamation - My Momma told me never to say anything bad about people. She didn't know about email, but the rule also applies here. 7. Spamming - Make sure your marketing plans, or uninformed employees, don't get you into trouble. 8. Trade secrets - Email gives your staff such an easy way to leak proprietary information, either intentionally or accidentally, that special care should be taken to protect these assets, and your rights. 9. Attorney-client communications - While this particular area wasn't on my radar screen at all, if you use email to discuss extremely sensitive information with your mouthpiece, you'd better beware. 10. Security - Most of the discussion is on setting password policies and encryption. If your employees use encryption, and you don't know the password, you could be in a heap of trouble. 11. Non-productive use - This covers a few of the time-wasters, including list servers and chain email. 12. Six essential ideas - If you read no other part of this book, this chapter covers the most important ideas. 13. Employee compliance - Education and written acknowledgment are the recommendations. The appendix includes a complete usage policy, and each individual chapter also includes suggested policy wording. If your company doesn't have an email and Internet usage policy, and you offer your employees access to these resources, you're opening yourself up to enormous problems. Get a policy in place right away. While much of the language in this book is the type that only a lawyer could love, it does provide an excellent start, particularly for the actual wording of the policy.
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