| Author | Message | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
Member Username: Whart Post Number: 497 Registered: 12-2001 |
Yeah, the liability issue is a fair concern; even though you are an internet "intermediary" you could be liable, much as a conventional publisher might be, for publishing disparaging comments made by others, ie persons not within your employ. The standards for trade disparagement are pretty high (compared to libel of a natural person), but that doesn't prevent that good ole "chilling effect." I deal with this issue all the time, not from the standpoint of disparagement, but from the copyright liability standpoint. Congress enacted a "safe harbor" rule under which ISP's can be shielded if they post infringing material, by taking certain steps on notice from a claimant. Such procedures do not exist for disparagement, libel, etc., which is largely controlled by state law, but one of my colleagues, Chris Wolf, has developed a specialty in internet hate crime, etc. So i will ask him, and will forward specifc advice to you privately, Rob as should the other lawyers on this site, if they have legal advice.Thanks for considering the suggestion.... | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
Advanced Member Username: Miami348ts Post Number: 2712 Registered: 5-2001 |
 nice to see Cavallino on top of the Independent list | ||
| Bill Sawyer (Wsawyer)
Member Username: Wsawyer Post Number: 441 Registered: 2-2002 |
You could have several headings and subheadings with comments under each: Authorized Dealers -Cauley Ferrari -WWOC -Steve Harris -Etc. Independent Dealers -Cavallino Motors -Symbolic -etc. Tires -Kumho -Goodyear -Yokohama -etc. Waxes and Polishes -Zaino -Griot's Garage -Meguiar's -etc. Exhaust Systems -Tubi -Stebro -Koenig -etc. It would take some time to set up, but once it's done F-Chatters would go in, make their comments and leave. | ||
| Bill Sawyer (Wsawyer)
Member Username: Wsawyer Post Number: 440 Registered: 2-2002 |
William has been pushing this idea for a long time and I think it has merit. Perhaps the way to do this is to allow F-Chatters to comment on dealers, suppliers, products, etc. Then those comments can be aggregated. We do this everyday anyway, we just don't organize it. | ||
| Arnaldo Torres (Caribe)
Member Username: Caribe Post Number: 410 Registered: 2-2001 |
Rob, how about a 5 star system like the one used by Amazon and others for the buyers to rate the items they have purchased or have experience with? It is up to the user to rate the dealer, parts shop, mechanic, etc., and he might add a personal note, or comment, as part of his rating. I bet if you look carefully, there might be a disclaimer somewhere on their pages to avoid legal matters. Just a thought! | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 2038 Registered: 12-2000 |
Good idea Craig, I'm thinking about how to implement it right now. | ||
| Craig Dewey (Craigfl)
Member Username: Craigfl Post Number: 444 Registered: 1-2001 |
If we're all going to be running a search to find this info because it's been documented in threads anyway, why doesn't Rob write "canned" searches for this info so we only have to click on the dealer name we want to see? This would be webby...  | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 2035 Registered: 12-2000 |
now if I profit from it, I could really be liable. Although I don't charge fees, I would expect a few lawyers to help me out if I need it. What's that called? Pro bono? My good friend is a lawyer, but I think he would only help if I burned down my house and the insurance came after me. | ||
| Mr. Doody (Doody)
Member Username: Doody Post Number: 429 Registered: 11-2001 |
i agree wholeheartedly. however, rob needs to make sure he's protected legally in case some of the content gets "messy". since these are rarely trivial trasnactions, we'd want to make sure that unlike EBay feedback, these were modifiable. lots of cans of worms, but it'd be invaluable. in fact, rob, you might want to charge for accessing this database of dealers. http://www.audiogon.com/ charges to get to its "blue book" of used a/v gear values; and the Ferrari Market Letter (whose information just isn't all that valuable 'cuz it's all asking prices) charges quite a premium for their info. just a thought. doody. | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 2034 Registered: 12-2000 |
I had that when the board started and although it could be one of the most valuable parts of the site, I don't want the liability. LOL - I'm telling this to a lawyer. ;) Anyway, I think searching by a particular dealer name is the best for now. Problem is, most users don't know about or don't use the search functionality. 75% of the time a person comments are going to be negative and I don't have the resources to fight some of these big companies. However, it does make me mad I'm folding this easy, because I think there should be every right in the world for me to organize and list the opinions of others. | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
Member Username: Whart Post Number: 495 Registered: 12-2001 |
This Post is for Rob, and others, to consider. Not so infrequently, many of us have questions about a particular dealer or vendor. i have found myself using the search function to locate past comments about a particular dealer. I think it would be useful to have a permanent section of the board devoted to comments from chat members about their experiences with particular dealers. This kind of feedback would not only be invaluable, but would be kept in a permanent place on the board for ready reference. What say you, Rob and others? |