Thirty-Two Instant Messaging Rules:
Best Practices to Keep You in Business and out of Court
Obviously some of the above don't apply to libraries but most do.
Flynn, Nancy. "Thirty-Two Instant Messaging Rules: Best Practices to Keep you in Business and out of Court." E-Policy Institute. 2004. Web.
2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.epolicyinstitute.com/imr/32rules.pdf>.
IM Rule - 1: Instant Messaging Is a Form of E-Mail—Written Correspondence That Creates a Written Record.
IM Rule - 2: Take Control of Instant Messaging Risks Today, or Face Potentially Costly Consequences Tomorrow.
IM Rule - 3: Assume That Your Employees Are Already Using Instant Messaging—Without Your Knowledge, Authorization, Rules, or Policies.
IM Rule - 4: Originally Intended for Home Use, Instant Messaging Poses Significant Risk to Business Users.
IM Rule - 5: Apply Instant Messaging Policy, Training, and Technology Solutions to User ID and Domain Name Challenges.
IM Rule - 6: Unauthorized, Unrestricted Instant Messaging Use Is Simply Bad Practice.
IM Rule - 7: Act Now to Uncover Unauthorized Instant Messaging Use.
IM Rule - 8: Ignoring Instant Messaging May Cost You More Than Using It.
IM Rule - 9: Don’t Rush to Ban Instant Messaging.
IM Rule -10: Instant Messaging Productivity Concerns May Be Overblown.
IM Rule -11: Don’t Rush to Standardize Instant Messaging.
IM Rule -12: Meet Your Employees in the Middle with Corporate Technology That Supports Personal Instant Messaging Tools.
IM Rule -13: Limit Instant Messaging Access to Employees with a Legitimate Business Need.
IM Rule -14: Don’t Allow IT (or Legal, Records Management, or Human Resources) to Dictate Your Instant Messaging Management Solution. Work as a Team.
IM Rule -15: Instant Messaging Policy, Education, and Enforcement May Provide a Defense Against Vicarious Liability Claims.
IM Rule -16: Protect Your Organization’s Assets, Secrets, and Future by Monitoring Instant Messaging.
IM Rule -17: Watch Your Language! Confidential Information and Intellectual Property Can Leave Your System—Instantly.
IM Rule -18: Notify Employees That They Have No Reasonable Expectation of Privacy—Even When Using Personal Instant Messaging Software.
IM Rule -19: Use Instant Messaging Policy to Provide Clear Guidelines for Employees’ Personal Use.
IM Rule -20: The Easiest Way to Control Instant Messaging Risk Is to Control Written Content.
IM Rule -21: Instant Messaging Rules and Policies should Guide Technology, Not Be Guided by It.
IM Rule -22: Instant Messaging Creates Business Records. Treat It Appropriately.
IM Rule -23: Retain Business Record Instant Messages According to Clear Rules and Written Policies.
IM Rule -24: Retain Only Business Record Instant Messages. Delete Messages That Are Personal or Lack Value as Business Records.
IM Rule -25: Be Strategic. Manage Instant Messaging with Litigation and Regulatory Investigations in Mind.
IM Rule -26: Beware: Destroying Instant Messaging Evidence After a Lawsuit Is Filed Is Illegal.
IM Rule -27: You Cannot Hide from Instant Messaging Discovery. Be Prepared.
IM Rule -28: Training, Training, and More Training.
IM Rule -29: Continuing Education Is Directly Linked to Successful Instant Messaging Risk Management.
IM Rule -30: As Wall Street’s Use of Instant Messaging Grows, Regulatory Oversight Grows Right Along with It.
IM Rule -31: Install the Right Technology to Ensure Regulatory Compliance.
IM Rule -32: Instant Messaging Compliance Impacts a Broad Range of Industries, Not Just Wall Street.