March 12

E-mail Protocol

2013
E-mail guidelines & policies

The email-protocol (commonly known as IMAP) is an application Layer Internet protocol that allows an e-mail client to access e-mail on a remote mail server.

E-mail Protocol

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Legal Policy ................................................................................................................................................. 3 City of Kelowna policy........................................................................................................................... 3 Why is an E-mail Protocol Needed?......................................................................................................... 4 Email Etiquette ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Formatting ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Keep the content Professional ............................................................................................................. 4 Make the "Subject" line informative. .................................................................................................. 4 Responding to an e-mail ....................................................................................................................... 5 Attachment in Email .............................................................................................................................. 5 Organizing................................................................................................................................................ 5 Calendar................................................................................................................................................... 5 Signature .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Email Privacy .............................................................................................................................................. 6 Email Encryption ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Encrypt a single message ...................................................................................................................... 6 Encrypt all outgoing messages ............................................................................................................. 6 Suspicious Email ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Message Format .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Avoid slowing down the transmission of information: ..................................................................... 7 Limit size of attachments ..................................................................................................................... 7 Desktop messaging for urgent and important messages ..................................................................... 8 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 9

E-mail Protocol

Introduction
Email is a fast and efficient communications tool, but we have to be careful that we are using it legally, efficiently, appropriately and securely. With ever increasing volumes of email, users of Kelowna Airport email system are finding it more and more difficult to remain in control of their inbox. Email senders should be aware of this before dispatching emails to large numbers of people or copying users into messages unnecessarily. There also needs to be an understanding that staffs have different work patterns, so while some may be able to respond immediately, other staff may often be out of the office or spend large parts of their day in meetings and other airport duties. Equally, email recipients need to manage their inbox effectively, prioritizing responses according to their importance, rather than feeling under pressure to reply to all messages immediately. The purpose of this document is to provide a framework within which email can be used to its full potential within certain parameters. It is divided into different sections, like policies (things that you must do when using Kelowna Airports email system), and guidances (best practice that you should seek to follow wherever practical).

Legal Policy
E-mail is subject to the freedom of information and protection privacy act.

City of Kelowna policy

If the information contained in an e-mail message is of value to the organization and is to be retained, it must be filed on the appropriate physical (paper) file within the records management system. The same retention principles that apply to regular mail should apply to the disposal of email.Junk mail, for example, is disposed of on a regular basis. Some e-mail is more relevant to your professional activities and may be stored in an e-mail folder. Some e-mail contains significant statements about strategies or decisions and must be printed and retained in the relevant file. Please note that when you are requested by the FOI Coordinator to produce records in response to a request, it is expected that you will also include any and all relevant e-mail records in your possession.

E-mail Protocol

Why is an E-mail Protocol Needed?

With many compelling reasons to monitor and control internal email why arent the majority of enterprises already doing it? There are two main reasons: a) In truth, many organizations are only beginning to understand the necessity, and b) There are only a handful of solutions available that are capable of internal email monitoring and control functions. One of the goals of this report is to educate users on the need for internal email control and help them understand how internal email monitoring and control is intricately bound to comprehensive, proactive compliance best practices.

Email Etiquette
Formatting
Use short paragraphs Keep line length under 75 characters Keep message under 25 lines Use plain text

Keep the content Professional

Write with the same respectful tone you use in verbal communications. Exhibit a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the content Use terms that are consistent with other forms of business communications Check spelling, grammar, and re-read for context before sending Be careful with humor and sarcasm; the reader cannot hear the tone of your voice nor see the expression on your face.

Make the "Subject" line informative.

Put the action required of the receiver on the Subject line State the subject of the message clearly. Receivers are more likely to read messages they can easily identify and prioritize For very short messages, consider putting the message on the Subject line with two asterisks in front and two in back. This will tell the receiver that the entire message is here and there is no need to open the message. Example Subject: **Ops Meeting Cancelled (24/5/2013), 10.30am **

E-mail Protocol

Responding to an e-mail
E-mail should be viewed and responded in a timely fashion (preferably within 24 hrs) during regular business hours. Set e-mail to auto reply if you cannot respond within 24 hours. Should you receive an email outside of duty day, it is appropriate to respond during normal business hours unless you feel that the reply is of high priority.

Attachment in Email
Do not attach large files to an e-mail. Instead, consider saving the file to the P- drive, and direct the receiver to the file. This will save space in your Outlook account and will reduce unwanted bandwidth usage. If you receive a large file in your inbox, save the file to the computer and delete it permanently from your Outlook. This will save space in your Outlook account.

Organizing
Archive your email quarterly to save space in your Outlook account. Learn to use Outlook rules and filters effectively to keep your inbox uncluttered.

Calendar
When sending calendar appointments, use Outlook scheduling assistant to see if everyone invited is available. Do not send an appointment to someone if their timeslot is already filled. Do not schedule back-to-back appointment( always provide 30minutes of buffering time)

Signature
Include a signature file in your email that lists your contact information. You may use the default format in your outlook account (or) Include a LinkedIn tab (this can be obtained from linked in website) as a signature.

E-mail Protocol

Email Privacy
Email messages are official documents and should reflect this perspective. Email communications can be offered as evidence in court and can be legally binding. Before sending an email, you must consider how it reflects on the Service's image and take into account privacy, records management, and security factors. The privacy of email cannot be guaranteed and is easily compromised. Messages can be forwarded to unintended recipients (sometimes outside the airport).

Email Encryption
At times when you want an e-mail to be more secure, we can use encryption on Microsoft outlook. Encrypting an e-mail in Outlook converts the message as cipher text (scrambled). Only certain users who are given access can decode the message for reading. Any user without the access will see only scrambled text. From Microsoft office help: Encrypt a single message a. In the message, on the Message tab, in the Options group on the ribbon, click the Encrypt Message Contents and Attachments button Encrypt all outgoing messages .

a. b. c. d.

On the Tools menu, click Trust Center, and then click E-mail Security. Under Encrypted e-mail, select the Encrypt contents and attachments for outgoing messages check box. To change additional settings, such as choosing a specific certificate to use, click Settings. Click OK twice.

Suspicious Email
Individuals seeking to commit fraud often engage in social engineering, wherein they use an alias and seemingly innocent cover story in order to gain the victims confidence and gather

E-mail Protocol

sensitive information. Such scammers may use email, and try to trick you into reveling your password, or personal email. a. b. c. Do not open any attachments. Do not reply. Forward the email to junk and also report the issue to the administrator, so that they cut the source of the e-mail and prevent further emails coming through. Delete the email after forwarding.

d.

Message Format
Avoid slowing down the transmission of information:
a. b. c. Use Arial or another simple font on a plain background Do not use animations, fancy backgrounds as a part of your message format. Use the follow-up flag feature to identify items with required follow-up dates.

Limit size of attachments

a. Large attachments can completely slow down, the systems efficiency, so you should limit the transmission of large files. Consider alternatives for attachments larger than 5 MB:
If ... Then ... Have it posted to inside ylw site for retrieval, and Include the hyperlink in the email message.(or) Save it to P drive, and Include file and path name in the email message. Zip large files for faster transmission. If possible, remove graphics, borders, pictures and non-standard fonts. Send it only to people who need to use or see the actual file. Convert the information to a text file for those who only need the information. Zip the file. Have it posted to inside ylw and email the hyperlink.

b.

"Attachment" has widespread impact and a shelf life

"Attachment" does not have widespread impact and/or a shelf life

"Attachment" is a large graphic presentation (i.e., PowerPoint, screen shots, scanned documents)

E-mail Protocol

c.

If you are responding with an attachment, use "Forward instead of "Reply" because attachments do not stay with replies. If you want to save the email message but do not need the attachment, follow these instructions: Open the message, Right click the attachment icon, and Select remove from the menu. Close file. Select "yes" at the "Do you want to save changes?" prompt. This will save disk space.

d.

Desktop messaging for urgent and important messages

Desktop alerts are a good format for internal communications. Advantages of using desktop messaging; a. Direct-to-desktop messages are created in HTML, so they can contain full-color text and graphics, java scripts, and even audio and video. Unlike e-mail messages, which can look different depending on what e- mail software we are using, you have total

E-mail Protocol

control over the look and feel of each message you send. And because any attached files are "embedded" within your message, you won't ever have to worry about your subscribers seeing "broken" image links -- even if they're viewing your messages while offline! b. Your messages are delivered instantly to each users desktop, so you can grab their attention, they will see your message even before they open their e-mail browsers or download email. Ensure that internal communication channels provide reporting options which will allow you to see exactly what employees are reading and what is being ignored. Refine and improve your communication based on the reports.

c.

Conclusion