Proposal: Adoption of a Dedicated Email Domain for Official Telcoin Council Communications

Submitted by: Steven Bostic (CryptoSteveO), Telcoin TAN Council Member

Date: November 7th, 2024

Proposal Purpose: Establish a secure, professional, and recognizable email domain for official Telcoin Council communications.

  1. Abstract

This proposal advocates for the adoption of a dedicated email domain for the Telcoin Council’s official communications. Establishing a distinct domain for council use will enhance security, build credibility, and present a professional image to the Telcoin community, MNO’s, and external stakeholders.

By implementing a branded email domain, the Council can ensure secure and consistent communications that reduce the risk of phishing, streamline identity verification, and strengthen Telcoin’s community relations. This proposal outlines the benefits, recommended domains, implementation steps, recommending swift action to improve Telcoin’s communication infrastructure and support its mission of fostering transparency and trust.

  1. Rationale

As the Telcoin ecosystem continues to grow, it is essential to implement a standardized communication channel for Council members. A dedicated email domain would provide:

  • Enhanced Credibility: Using a professional domain reinforces Telcoin’s commitment to security and legitimacy, reducing risks of phishing and impersonation.
  • Security and Control: The Council can maintain tighter control over official communications, with the ability to manage and secure accounts, enforce password policies, and quickly deactivate accounts if needed.
  • Professionalism: A branded email domain distinguishes Council members’ emails from personal accounts, creating a polished and cohesive image.
  1. Recommended Email Domains

Here are some suggested domains for the Telcoin Council’s consideration:

@telcoin.network

  • This domain aligns with the decentralized and community-focused nature of Telcoin’s operations.
  • It suggests a secure and interconnected platform for council activities.

@telcoincouncil.org

  • This domain is simple and clearly identifies the council’s official communications.
  • The .org extension is commonly associated with trustworthy organizations and nonprofits

@telcoincouncil.com

  • This domain clearly indicates the council’s role and purpose.
  • The .com extension is widely recognizable and versatile.

In addition, open to council member suggestions.

  1. Implementation Requirements
  • Security Setup: Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password policies to ensure secure access to council email accounts.
  • Account Management: Establish guidelines on account creation, deactivation, and transfer to ensure only current Council members can access council-related communications.
  • Consistent Naming Convention: For example, format email addresses as first.last@telcoincouncil.com to maintain uniformity and professional appeal.
  • A direct email to which members can submit queries or comments - for example: info@ or help@
  1. Financial Considerations

Financial Resources and Budget outlining estimated costs, justifications, and a total funding request.

Estimated Cost Breakdown:

  • Domain Registration: $10–$50/year.
  • Email Hosting: $5–$30 per user/month (e.g., Google Workspace or Microsoft 365).
  • Security and IT Admin: $0–$500/year for setup, maintenance, and security.
  • Training: $0–$200 (one-time cost).

Requesting approval (based on users required) for the initial setup and one year of operational costs, with email hosting costs to be reviewed yearly.

9 Likes

Brilliant proposal Steve. Perhaps include in the proposal the financing of the domain etc.

It might also be worthwhile have a direct email to which members can submit queries, comments etc. for example: info@ or help@…

Otherwise well done!

2 Likes

Thanks for that, great point! I’ll get that edit in.

1 Like

Full support for this. While I don’t mind using some other email, I agree that formal communications coming from either my corporate email or from a gmail account is inappropriate.

This will also help us keep records as an organization- we can archive the email traffic.

1 Like

I fully support this.
Having an official registered email helps with authenticity when speaking to companies/exchanges and generally looks better with a uniformed approach.

Since it seems to have support, I’d like the appropriate council(s) to discuss this during their next meeting or meetings to begin moving this along and get it to a vote.

3 Likes

I’ve secured non-profit status for Telcoin Association for Google Workspace so we can provide emails with <NAME>@telcoin.org for free.

6 Likes

This is awesome! Thank you. Should I withdraw the proposal?

No, I think it’s well written. We’ll discuss this in today’s Platform/Treasury Council meeting. I’ll follow up here afterwards.

@CryptoSteveO Great job with this proposal! I’d like to move forward by bringing it to a vote as outlined in the section titled TIP: Process towards the bottom of the page.

The next step is to submit the proposal to the Platform Council Snapshot page. I’m ready to do that as a member of the TAO, but I want to clarify some amendments to your proposal before I submit.

  • All council emails will use @telcoin.org domain
  • Council members may choose their preferred email prefix. Email prefixes based on council member names are recommended, but anything “within reason” is allowable to accommodate privacy considerations and personal preference.
  • Email prefixes must be professional as they represent the councils and the association at large. The compliance council will have final say if there’s any issues with questionable email prefixes.
  • Individual council members will be added to email groups that correspond to their council. For example, my email will be added to “treasury-council@telcoin.org” group. If anyone emails “treasury-council@telcoin.org”, I will receive the email. If I reply to the email, it will come from my personal “grant@telcoin.org” email.

With these amendments in place, I would appreciate the community’s final review before submitting this proposal to snapshot:


TIP-1

Establish a secure, professional, and recognizable email domain for official Telcoin Council communications.

Abstract

This proposal advocates for the adoption of a dedicated email domain for the Telcoin Council’s official communications. Establishing a distinct domain for council use will enhance security, build credibility, and present a professional image to the Telcoin community, MNO’s, and external stakeholders.

By implementing a branded email domain, the Council can ensure secure and consistent communications that reduce the risk of phishing, streamline identity verification, and strengthen Telcoin’s community relations. This proposal outlines the benefits, recommended domains, implementation steps, recommending swift action to improve Telcoin’s communication infrastructure and support its mission of fostering transparency and trust.

Specification

  • Security Setup: Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password policies to ensure secure access to council email accounts.
  • Account Management: Establish guidelines on account creation, deactivation, and transfer to ensure only current Council members can access council-related communications. Workspace admins managed by the TAO will oversee all account managements.
  • A direct email to which members can submit queries or comments - for example: info@ or help@
  • All council member emails will use @telcoin.org domain
  • Council members may choose their preferred email prefix. Email prefixes based on council member names are recommended, but anything “within reason” is allowable to accommodate privacy considerations and personal preference.
  • Email prefixes must be professional as they represent the councils and the association at large. The compliance council will have final say if there’s any issues with questionable email prefixes.
  • Individual council members will be added to email groups that correspond to their specific council, as well as the general info@ or help@ prefixes

Rationale

As the Telcoin ecosystem continues to grow, it is essential to implement a standardized communication channel for Council members. A dedicated email domain would provide:

  • Enhanced Credibility: Using a professional domain reinforces Telcoin’s commitment to security and legitimacy, reducing risks of phishing and impersonation.
  • Security and Control: The Council can maintain tighter control over official communications, with the ability to manage and secure accounts, enforce password policies, and quickly deactivate accounts if needed.
  • Professionalism: A branded email domain distinguishes Council members’ emails from personal accounts, creating a polished and cohesive image.

Implementation

  • Workspace admin ensures all security measures are in place (MFA, account password requirements, etc. outlined above)
  • Upon TIP-1’s approval, council members will receive an email from “compliance@telcoin.org” requesting their preferred email prefix. Council members must reply to this email in order to receive a “@telcoin.org” email. The council member’s preferred email prefix will be used unless there is an issue. All correspondence regarding setting up the council member’s email will be between compliance and the council member’s personal email they provided during the KYC process. Council members will receive login instructions through their personal email as well.
  • The Telcoin Association currently has access to free emails for council members. If the Google Workspace non-profit status changes or the workspace is upgraded or any other fee becomes associated with maintaining council member emails, another TIP is needed to fund these changes. However, for now there is no financial obligation needed to carry out this proposal.
  • All data and emails through official “@telcoin.org” emails are property of the Telcoin Association. Council members caught abusing their official email will immediately lose access to their account. Further action may be taken as deemed necessary.
  • Council member accounts are archived after failing to be re-elected. The council member will have access for 24-hours after the elections are closed to access and backup any data before losing access.
2 Likes

Great additions!

Does anyone have any recommendations, suggestions, or proposed changes to discuss?