Concerns that managers commonly note, besides lost productivity, include network security and viewing of inappropriate material. At times, managers can become caught up in one of these concerns, as if in one of Edward Lear's seives spinning in a whirlpool. If so, rather than ignoring the Internet, managers could at first implement limited access. Access limited to the domain of e-mail, or the even safer domain of telnet, may be a good way to begin. Defining some terminology may be helpful.
Software is necessary to use the various domains that make up the Internet.
The domains are commonly understood to include the World Wide Web, telnet, gopher, newsgroups or usenet, and e-mail. Broadly speaking, if one lacks the software on the desktop computer, the corresponding domain is inaccessible. Exceptions apply to this rule, but only when you get to the most open paradigm. Web browser software can go to gopher sites, and the latest versions have e-mail ability built in. Having clarified the technical concepts, the remainder of this article explains how they apply in the real world of legal organizations.