It sounds like a lawsuit trap to me. The only way to keep it factual is if you moderate posts and control what people say. Once you do that, then you are no longer protected under "safe harbor" provisions.
All that said, even if you're "in the right" in terms of free speech, that won't protect you from getting sued. All that said, I'm surprised something like this doesn't already exist. Joseph Smuzynski wrote: > After dealing with a few too many disreputable companies, I'm just about > ready to build a new site that is sort of a cross between > f*ckedcompany.comand ChexSystems. > > The idea is to have a site where consultants of all types can come and > anonymously post their negative experiences with various companies, large or > small. The hope is that with proper marketing, it will become the first > place a consultant comes to check out a company before doing work for them. > > If a company ends up with a negative listing, the way they get the listing > removed is to make good with the consultant, then the consultant can mark > the case closed. Naturally, if they have multiple bad entries, they would > have to make good with everybody. > > The site would not allow inflammatory types of comments about a company; > only facts. Each entry would be reviewed and approved before being posted. > There would have to be supporting data too... for example, let's say a > company refused to pay your last invoice. You would need to provide a copy > of your last invoice and a work log to document it. > > All listings would have to include proof that you actually worked for the > company... e.g. copies of pay stubs, a copy of the contract, etc. Otherwise > the site could be used for extortion and would lose it's advantage because > it wouldn't be taken seriously. > > So, the point is to help show companies that they have to treat consultants > well... pay their people what they're owed, treat them kindly, etc. > Otherwise these companies may find themselves unable to get people to work > for them anymore. > > I don't see this being a lawsuit magnet either. Each posting would have to > be factual, not emotional. No slanderous or libelous remarks. Just facts. > It would boil down to "the consultant's word against the company." No names > of people would be mentioned, so you couldn't call people out by name. You > could go as far as to say your "supervisor was a micro-manager" but you > couldn't say, "my supervisor, Bill Smith, was a micro-manager and was always > giving me a hard time." > > Sure, the easier way is to just post about 'em here on cf-jobs-talk, but > then you're likely to end up with a bad rap since a lot of job posters read > this list too, no doubt looking for anybody who might be willing to speak > out. > > I haven't really decided what to call the site either. I'm not even sure > yet if I'll do it; I'm curious to hear what others think of the idea. > > Joe > -- Jeffry Houser, Technical Entrepreneur, Software Developer, Author, Recording Engineer AIM: Reboog711 | Phone: 1-203-379-0773 -- My Company: <http://www.dot-com-it.com> My Podcast: <http://www.theflexshow.com> My Blog: <http://www.jeffryhouser.com> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;160198600;22374440;w Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Jobs-Talk/message.cfm/messageid:3590 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Jobs-Talk/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.11
