Book report of A Business Guide to Managing Policies, Security, and Legal Issues for Safe IM Communication, by Nancy Flynn.
full article on HBS Working Knowledge Technology July 26
To avoid electronic communication problems, Flynn has these eleven warnings and rules:
1. Instant messaging is a form of e-mail—written correspondence that creates a written record.
2. Take control of instant messaging risks today, or face potentially costly consequences tomorrow.
3. Assume that your employees are already using IM without your knowledge, authorization, rules, or policies.
4. Originally intended for home use, IM poses significant risks to business owners.
5. Apply IM policy, training, and technology solutions to user ID and domain name changes.
6. Unauthorized, unrestricted instant messaging use is simply bad practice.
7. Act now to uncover unauthorized IM use.
8. Ignoring instant messaging may cost you more than using it.
9. Don't rush in to ban IM.
10. IM productivity concerns may be overblown.
11. Don't rush in to standardize instant messaging. [Smart Mobs]