Be careful what you say online

That's why I never post as myself.

I am Sac Arrow and I approve of that message.
 
Jaybird180 said:
This just in....
http://www.wtop.com/149/3144092/Defamation-suit-raises-questions-about-online-reviews

Saw it on the local news today and HAD to find something to post
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Hmmmmm...

The easier way out of that fiasco would be for Dietz to claim he NEVER did the work the woman is complaining about... All he has to say is "show me a canceled check where you paid for the shoddy work?:yes::eek:;)




Christopher Dietz filed a $750,000 defamation suit against Jane Perez of Fairfax.
She posted a Yelp review of Dietz Development, saying it didn't do its job and damaged her home. Dietz tells The Washington Post he did the work and was never paid
 
No, I meant I thought it interesting and I couldn't post my TV
 
I'm local to this case, so I may see when it's on the docket and watch it.

In my opinion, because of the permanence of online reviews and their wide availability, theres a difference between telling your neighbors "that contractor sucks" and posting on Yelp. But I don't think they rise (liability-wise) to the level of a review in a newspaper or magazine, by someone who is paid to be a critic.

If one clearly distinguishes between facts and opinion when writing a review, and sticks to the true facts, one should not have to worry.

Example:
Mr. Smith was frequently late, arriving after 10 AM on most days. The toilet initially delivered was not the toilet I had specified. I was not happy with the quality of the installation of the plumbing fixtures.

Two facts and an opinion, and it's pretty easy to tell which is which. As long as I can back up the facts, I should prevail.
 
This is why I use a handle and never post my real name or the name of my employer.
 
cowman said:
This is why I use a handle and never post my real name or the name of my employer.
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And to additionally throw them off, you actually live in New Hampshire! Smart man!
 
I had a lady blasting me on facebook claiming we held down and tortured her kid. She had the wrong dentist and we could confirm we never saw her child. FB did nothing and the lady never removed the post. I could not post a rebuttal because I was not one of her "friends." It was easier to just let it die than cause a stir over it.
 
I attach my name to pretty much everything I post online...

It is called accountability.

Cool concept.
 
teethdoc said:
I had a lady blasting me on facebook claiming we held down and tortured her kid. She had the wrong dentist and we could confirm we never saw her child. FB did nothing and the lady never removed the post. I could not post a rebuttal because I was not one of her "friends." It was easier to just let it die than cause a stir over it.
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She posted on your Facebook page or her own?
 
geneseib said:
Most reviews are posted by whiners.
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And YELP and Google are constantly change their algorithyms (sp) so that people that pay for them get the "good" reviews on top and the "bad" ones at the bottom.:mad2: People will say anything on a review because it doesn't require their actual name to be posted. I have one currently that a lady posted a bad review because her car didn't come with rear floor mats or a cargo cover. First she accused us of taking them out when we cleaned it up for delivery and when we showed her that the model she bought doesn't come with the mats or cover, she trashed us on a review. :mad2:
And yes I could give her $150 worth of extras for free, but that isn't the point and the review would still be up. :mad2:
 
What makes you think that posting under a pseudonym is going to help?
You don't think that a lawyer can make the sites involved give up your identities.
 
Depends on how worried you are about it. I just don't want a clever google user to locate me.

If I was paranoid I'd use a proxy or anonymous browsing service. If you know what you're doing, it is easy to make yourself untraceable for all practical purposes.
 
cowman said:
Depends on how worried you are about it. I just don't want a clever google user to locate me.

If I was paranoid I'd use a proxy or anonymous browsing service. If you know what you're doing, it is easy to make yourself untraceable for all practical purposes.
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That's exactly where I'm coming from. If Internet message boards weren't searchable, I probably wouldn't have a huge problem posting as me on message boards. The fact of the matter is, I don't WANT my friends, family, coworkers, wives, girlfriends, pets, parole officers, accountants and attorneys knowing what I'm up to at any given time!
 
Long ago I stopped checking what is said about me on line. People rarely will rave about you on line, and will always complain about you when they can. It is just the way things are. As to the contractor suing this lady who claime he did bad work, I would suggest that by suing her and making this a public thing he has probably hurt himself much more than if he just let it go. Personally, my experience with contractors has been less than pleasurable, after hurricane charley hit I had some damage to my house. My wife hired a contractor about 4 months after the hurricane. A year later he finally replace my roof tiles which had shifted during the hurricane but never leaked with a new roof. He became upset when my mortgage company held off releasing funds to pay him and after cashing a check for the roof abandoned the job. He sued me for $600,000 and 7 years later and over $100,000 in lawyers fees I am still fighting the lawsuit. Such is life.
 
I think Yelp is worthless, anyway. Every time I read a restaurant review, they never mention anything about the food. Or, they'll give a one star rating because of poor service, but then say the food was outstanding. Seriously?? Listen, I don't go to a restaurant for service or ambiance. I go to eat some food. If the food is good, I will go. If it is bad, I will not. It's pretty binary. I don't care if the service was bad or the decor is from 1973. I want food, dammit!
 
Kelvin said:
I attach my name to pretty much everything I post online...

It is called accountability.

Cool concept.
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Same here. If you're afraid of the reaction to what you say, you probably shouldn't say it...
 
Kelvin said:
I attach my name to pretty much everything I post online...

It is called accountability.

Cool concept.
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Yeah, well life's all beer and skittles until the psycho ex starts ignoring the restraining order. Then it's nice to have an anonymous online cave to escape to.
 
catmandu said:
Yeah, well life's all beer and skittles until the psycho ex starts ignoring the restraining order. Then it's nice to have an anonymous online cave to escape to.
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Your IP address is traceable.

Don't worry, you can be tracked remarkably easily. :yes:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Your IP address is traceable.

Don't worry, you can be tracked remarkably easily. :yes:
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The ISPs I have used provide dynamic IP addressing unless you pay extra. How would someone track you in that case?
 
Palmpilot said:
The ISPs I have used provide dynamic IP addressing unless you pay extra. How would someone track you in that case?
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What Kelvin said. And for more details, ask Jesse.
 
They keep a log of what IPs are mapped to which equipment. It's part of the way network devices function; inherent.
 
geneseib said:
Most reviews are posted by whiners.
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I have not done any exhaustive research about negative vs positive reviews, but I post positive reviews frequently.
 
Do you really want the nutjob you just had a big online argument with on a forum to have your real name and location? Do you really want your employer knowing all of your, possibly different, political views? I'm always amazed that anyone would put their real name out there on a public forum. It seems like you're just begging for trouble.

Accountability? Well even with a handle you build a reputation on a discussion forum. On most of the communities I've been in, most of the regulars end up knowing each other outside the board and knowing each other's real identities.

And yes, IP addresses whether static or dynamic can normally be traced back to their owners. There are ways around that however. Here's one example among many: https://www.torproject.org/

I would also argue that a degree of anonymity online can be a good thing for discussion in general. There are a lot of things we all hold back in person out of either politeness or a fear of being judged harshly by others. A degree of anonymity can make people more likely to ask a question or find out that others share the same opinion of something. Yes, some go too far with that sometimes but that's what moderators are for.
 
Kelvin said:
I attach my name to pretty much everything I post online...

It is called accountability.

Cool concept.
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As one of the few persons on this board who actually has been sued for things said online, I have to agree. Using a handle, if they track you down, makes you look very suspicious. If they track you down, they'll also try to put blame you for ALL the anonymous comments.

I don't object to handles per se, as long as it's just a wish for casual anonymity and not a shield to hide behind when attacking someone.

Ron Wanttaja
 
Kelvin said:
I have a dynamic IP at home that has been the same for four years...
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Mine seems to change whenever I power-cycle my DSL modem, and they don't seem to be able to keep the power on here for four years at a stretch!

On the other hand, if ISPs are keeping a permanent record of dynamic IP address assignments, then the above is a moot point.
 
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I can see going online and posting a bunch of lies about a company being a problem. Or, posting information based on hearsay. However, if you have hired or done business with a company and you are giving your opinion of the experience. There is nothing that company can do. They can TRY to sue you. If they tried suing me, you will be guaranteed that I am going to make sure the fact that I am being sued by this company for sharing my poor experience, is placed over as much of the media as I possibly can. In the end, the company is going to come out worse off win or lose.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
We have power outages about twice a month...Rural Coop power with decent reliability...I have become rather proficient at reprogramming microwave and stove and alarm clocks...:D

Palmpilot said:
Mine seems to change whenever I power-cycle my DSL modem, and they don't seem to be able to keep the power on here for four years at a stretch!

On the other hand, if ISPs are keeping a permanent record of dynamic IP address assignments, then the above is a moot point.
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Kelvin said:
We have power outages about twice a month...Rural Coop power with decent reliability...I have become rather proficient at reprogramming microwave and stove and alarm clocks...:D
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I just let 'em go and make sure the important clocks set themselves from WWV. ;)
 
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