Re: Justifying Internet Access

[Ken d'Albenas <kendal -at- AUTOTROL -dot- CUC -dot- AB -dot- CA>]

LaVonna Funkhouser asks,

>  Have you ever been in the position to have to
>  justify having Internet access?  If so, how did you do it?  If you
>  are a manager, what benefits do you see in letting your workers have
>  the ability to communicate on a global network?

>  ... Because I don't want to appear
>  devious, I am preparing a memo to tell my manager what I am using
>  the Internet for and what its benefits are -- which leads me to the
>  above questions.

>  Background info:  My manager ... has also said, "All the information you
>  need can be found within this department," which I think was a hasty
>  statement because it cannot be possible.
>  ...
>  Help me if you can.


(1)
Keep the memo short.  Nothing flowery.  No arm-waving.  Nothing fuzzy
or sociological.  Don't even try to be comprehensive.  Just a few
solid nuts and bolts.  ("When the going gets tough, the tough get
empirical" - Jon Carroll)

Better yet, why a memo?  Why not skip the paper chase and just have
a little chat?   Unless boss is a bureaucrat.  ("Hell hath no fury like
a bureaucrat scorned." - Milton Friedman)


(2)
Just off the top of my head, I'd say that the information we've been
getting on copyrights is a good example of the value of the Internet to
you.  Mike Showalter mentioned that a whole FAQ on copyrights was available
by FTP.  I wrote to him that I can't FTP, so he kindly beamed the FAQ to
me across the net.  The contents of that FAQ were more valuable than the
info I received when we retained a copyright law specialist last year,
and he cost us big bucks plus a lot of my time (no extra bucks - I'm
salaried).


(3)
If you want to be comprehensive, get a copy of the Whole Internet Guide
and plunk it down on boss' desk.


(4)
DO NOT talk about how the Internet helps you do volunteer executive work
for your STC chapter unless that's in your job description.



Cheers,

Ken d'Albenas
(-::
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