New Board?

[smegforbrains]

Would a new board be possible to Fame and Shame various LFS and other suppliers?


It would help people choose a supplier based on other member's experiences.

 

[JenCliBee]

if not already somewhere on here think it could be a good idea

 

[chesterscot]

sounds like a good idea to me
scot

 

[rdd1952]

It's been mentioned many times (search for "legal" or "review") before but there are certain legal issues that could come from "shame" reviews. That is probably more of an issue across the pond than in the US (freedom of speech) but you can still get sued for liable over here too.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

Would a new board be possible to Fame and Shame various LFS and other suppliers?


It would help people choose a supplier based on other member's experiences.

i dont think its a good idea in this .

and if members wonder aboutaan lfs they can easily ask about it , and people can give their opinions.

a fame and shame board, is very biased and to controversial so not a good idea!

 

[Ace Of Spades]

Would a new board be possible to Fame and Shame various LFS and other suppliers?


It would help people choose a supplier based on other member's experiences.

i dont think its a good idea in this .

and if members wonder aboutaan lfs they can easily ask about it , and people can give their opinions.

a fame and shame board, is very biased and to controversial so not a good idea!

+ Legal Implications

 

[smegforbrains]

Legal implications???



I am a member of several forums who have a Fame or Shame board. No-one has ever made any bones about legal implications.

 

[rdd1952]

I may be wrong but I think William has been through it before.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

I may be wrong but I think William has been through it before.

Indeed he has

 

[andywg]

Given that most of the users on this board who flame lfs actually have next to no experience of keeping fish and are keyboard warriors only understanding one narrow way of keeping fish, I for one would prefer this suggested board not to exist.

As an example, many people will complain on this forum that an lfs stocks heavier than 1" per gallon forgetting that the fish are only temporarily in the tanks and not understanding the concept of centralised filtration.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

Legal implications???

I am a member of several forums who have a Fame or Shame board. No-one has ever made any bones about legal implications.

I too am a member of several forums and have never once seen one with a name or shame section, perhaps you could point me in the direction of these ones?

 

[andywg]

Legal implications???

I am a member of several forums who have a Fame or Shame board. No-one has ever made any bones about legal implications.

The legal implications are initially related to ongoing (as far as I understand) litigation in the States where a businessman is suing the owners of a forum regarding comments thereon. Even though he will almost certainly lose, does William have the funds to instruct solicitors and counsel to defend such an action?

In the most part there is no risk of being sued, but it is down to the individual (William) to decide if they want that risk.

Intriguingly, according to a legal discussion forum in UK law it would appear that one does have to be very wary of libel on fora.

When someone "shames" a shop the chances are that they will not collect and present evidence and (going on the experience of what most people who complain about lfs on this site post) will present conjecture and opinion. This will allow some defamation to take place. At this point William starts to become at risk of an action.

A bigger point is that the lawyers are unlikely to attack William first, but rather they will go to the ISP and get the site shut down.

As a final point, consider the Gina Ford v Mumsnet action which was ended with an apology and the adminsitrators paying over a five figure sum to Ms Ford.

Having now looked into the potential pitfalls and libel areas around fora I can fully understand William's stance. Rather than him being overly cautious it would more appear that the other sites people talk of are leaving themselves open to problems.

 

[backtotropical]

Thats very interesting, Andy. You seem to be a bit of a legal bod?

Isn't William at risk purely by owning the rights to the website? Lets face it, whether or not there is a 'Name and Shame' section, it occurs anyway, just on other areas of the boards.

....or does the 'Name and Shame' section imply that William is allowing and condoning these comments?

Also, are the individual members liable for their comments, or does the responsibility lie squarely with the Admin?

Cheers

BTT

 

[rdd1952]

I'm certainly no legal expert but I would think that having a special section for fame & shame would make William much more at risk as he would be condoning it by having a place for it. Obviously, in the US, you can pretty much sue anyone for anything. There are frivilous lawsuits filed every day. That's not to say you will win but you can cause some a lot of grief and lost funds of which I'm sure William has neither he wants to lose.

 

[cheesy feet]

With the number of idiots on this forum I wouldn't trust any of it, if there were one...Would be a section with plenty of 'friendly debates' which turn into arguments anyway.