Does an email account constitute a "letterhead"? (was Re: [LINK]Licences required for IPTV)

[Webb, KerryA]

Stil wrote:
> 
> The dialog below raises an interesting point. If someone 
> *does* write from an email account that belongs to an employer, 
> is that equivalent to writing a letter on the employer's letterhead? 
> Or is it just the equivalent of stealing stationery?
> 

Good questions - and it highlights that we're still trying to work out how this Internet thingy functions.

1. A letter written on an employer's letterhead may impress you, but before you make any big decisions based on it, you'd better be sure that the author had the authority to write what they did.

2. The stealing stationery thing is an example of how similes don't necessarily work between the real and the virtual world.

> 
> Kerry, for example, is either: (1) writing on behalf of the 
> ACT government, because that's where the email has come from -- and the 
> legalese of the disclaimer makes is clear that this isn't a personal 
> communication; or (2) act.gov.au is just the ISP.
> 
> It *does* make a difference.
> 

Agreed.  In our case, though, we have permission to use our employer's e-mail accounts to engage in work-oriented lists.  As I said, the footer is applied to all outward e-mails.

> If I receive an email from an organization, I feel I should 
> be able to trust it and act in good faith on the information. For 
> example, if I ask a question about a product and receive the answer, then 
> I'd like to be able to trust that answer. But some companies have a disclaimer
> which says that all email is not defining company policy -- effectively 
> saying we'll say whatever we like in email but won't stand behind it.
> 

I think that's bad practice.

> Should I therefore insist that all emails be confirmed "in 
> writing" before I act upon them? 
> 

If you have any doubt, you should get something "in writing", or at least an e-mail that explicitly affirms its authority.

> (The wording of Kerry's disclaimer is also interesting. "If 
> you are not the intended recipient..." How do I know whether I'm the 
> intended recipient or not? How can I divine the intent of the sender 
> -- apart from noting that the email has arrived in my mailbox and 
> therefore must be for me?)
> 

There are two Kerry Webbs in the ACT Government, and it's usually pretty clear when I get mail intended for her.  But it can be confusing.

Kerry
(talking for myself, on this occasion) 
  
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