Suzanne Quigley <[log in to unmask]>  wrote 01/09/96 08:29pm


>> There were two questions in the "HELP?!" column of the most recent
>> issue of Spectra...
>>
>> 1.  We are just getting interoffice email.  Does anyone have any policies
>> on email etiquette within an institution?  Can anyone post anything to
>> anyone he or she wants?  Is Henry allowed to clutter everyone's mailbox
>> with a notice that he is selling his car?  Can the systems administrator
>> delete my old mail whenever she wants to?

Suzanne,

This is the document which was sent to all users of EMail here at the
Getty...

xoxo,

b


Electronic Mail Usage and Etiquette Guidelines

Introduction

The following guidelines cover the sending of electronic mail. They include
behavior considered prudent and good manners as well as the rules for
appropriate use of the Getty EMail system, the Internet and commercial
on-line mail systems.

The policies outlined in this summary are written in conjunction with the
established principles and guidelines as stated in the Staff Handbook.

Access and Use

The EMail system is for Getty business only. It is not acceptable to use the
system for advertising, consulting for pay, sales of merchandise or services,
expression of political or religious views, or personal business of any
nature. It is acceptable to use the system for communication and exchange
for professional development, to maintain currency within the discipline, to
debate issues in a field of knowledge, and for professional association
purposes.

Obey copyright laws.

Attribute quoted material.

EMail takes up local and network disk space; it is best not to keep every
message you receive.

Do not attempt to send anything but plain ASCII text as mail unless you
know the recipient has the capability to read your attachments.

Exercise judgment when forwarding messages.

Make sure the subject of your material is clear in the ?Subject:? line.

Watch spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Be careful when sending replies to a group. Make sure you are only  sending
to those you wish to receive the material.

Be careful when creating auto-responses and vacation rules. It is easy to
?flood? your or someone else?s mailbox.

Getty staff should advise Information Resources of violations and potential
loopholes in the security of its computer systems or networks to protect the
security and integrity of network resources.

Privacy

EMail is not confidential, but is not routinely monitored. It will be accessed
only by authorized individuals for legitimate work-related purposes.

Disclosure

The contents of EMail may be disclosed within the Getty without the
permission of the employee.  External disclosure must be with the consent
of the message sender, subject to State and Federal laws.

EMail Accounts

Only full time Getty employees will be granted permanent Getty EMail
accounts. Long-term on-site consultants, guest scholars and other term
employees will be issued term Getty EMail accounts. All accounts for
consultants and other temporary employees will be set to expire on a given
date, which must be provided when the account is requested. External EMail
communication with the Getty is provided through the Internet.

Only on-site consultants under the direct supervision of Getty staff may be
granted an account. All accounts for other than permanent Getty staff must
be sponsored by a permanent staff person with the authority to do so, who
will be accountable for the responsible use of the account. Consultants'
accounts may only be used internally, and they may not send Internet mail
through them; a staff member should communicate with external sites for
them should that be necessary.

In no instance may external (off-site) consultants be given an account on the
Getty mail system. Under no circumstances may any consultant be given
software to use on external equipment. Consultants will not be allowed
remote access and may not be given the phone number or connection
information for the remote gateway.

All other usage guidelines apply to all account holders.

Commercial EMail accounts for Getty staff are arranged as with any
subscription service, i.e. through the appropriate department?s
administrative procedures.

Internet Mail Guidelines

In addition to the guidelines covering Getty EMail, the following guidelines
apply to Internet mail:

Mail on the Internet is not secure.  Never include information in an EMail
message anything which you want to keep private and confidential, such as
details of your credit card. (Please remember that the Getty EMail system
does not create an expectation of privacy, either.)

Actively disclaim speaking for the Getty. Note, however, that the Getty name
is carried along with what you post, and disclaimers are meaningless if the
reader finds the material offensive. Exercise prudence. Note examples of
unacceptable activities, below.

Respect other people?s time and bandwidth.  Remember other people may
have to pay for each character of information they receive.  Keep messages
to the point, without being so terse as to be rude.

Be careful using auto-reply features in mail when you belong to a mailing
list, such as an electronic discussion list on a ?listserv?.  These replies are
often sent to the entire list.

Clients who join listserv lists are advised to consider the value of joining
when weighed against the amount of time and disk space required to sort
though the messages.  While most discussion lists create a manageable
amount of correspondences, some can create as much as 500 messages a
day.

Unacceptable Use of the Getty EMail System

The following behaviors are examples of actions or activities which can
result in disciplinary action.  Because all actions cannot be contemplated,
the list is illustrative of the type of activity prohibited in these guidelines.

Unauthorized attempts to break into any computer, whether at the Getty or
another organization.

Extensive use for private or personal business, or any for-profit activities.

Fundraising or public relations activities or advertising.

Sending racially, sexually or religiously harassing messages .

Placing information, files or software on any Getty system which could be
deemed offensive or defamatory.

Duplicating copyrighted materials without permission, or failure to abide by
copyright laws in general.

Any use which would be considered academic misconduct (research fraud,
plagiarism, etc.)

Sending confidential materials to unauthorized personnel.

Lobbying activities of any nature.

Refusing to cooperate with a security investigation

Unauthorized use of an ID not assigned to you, or any access which is not
authorized.

Attempt to circumvent data protection schemes or break security.

Testing the security mechanism of another Internet node.

Actions which interfere or negatively affect the operation of computers or
networks, such as sending chain letters through EMail, creating unnecessary
network traffic, or interfering with the work of others on the network.

Attempting to monitor another?s communications; or read, copy, change or
delete another?s files or software without the permission of the owner.
Electronically eavesdropping or intercepting data transmissions not
addressed to you.

Failure to abide by the terms of all software licensing agreements.

Offering to release or releasing malicious or destructive programs.

Any use for which Getty incurs fees, user charges, or other costs which have
not been previously approved.

Any use which violates federal, state or local laws or regulations.


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.....................
Brenda Podemski
Registrar's Office
The J. Paul Getty Museum
[log in to unmask]

                         "I never utter the word ART unless
                               referring to Mr. Linkletter."
                                                        - John Waters

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