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What can I do with reviews online

  • 29-08-2009 3:13am
    #1
    midlandsmissus
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,838 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    I started my own website last year. Initially it was a hobby, but I've started getting a lot of traffic and I want to do a bit more with it. It still won't be a professional site, just a bit of money on the side for me, until maybe I get time in the future to give it a real go.

    I want to add service reviews to the site, but I'm really not sure of what I'm allowed to do.

    Say I was reviewing a hotel, can I:

    Give a negative review of service I've received. And if yes, can I go to far? Where does deffamation/slander come into it?

    Can I pose as a prospective customer for a service to get more information off them, say by email, and put this information on my website?

    Could I use a picture of their hotel on my website,or does that infringe copyright law?

    If anyone had any info, or could direct me to a site that had the info it would be much appreciated.

    I'm sure I sound very wet behind the ears, but we all have to start somewhere!


Comments

  • #2
    Lplated
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 372 ✭✭Lplated


    If you are in doubt about this in general, or in respect of a specific review/issue - you should seek legal advice - opinions given on a public forum won't help you in Court if they are wrong! Nevetheless, here's my 2p worth
    midlandsmissus wrote: »
    Give a negative review of service I've received. And if yes, can I go to far? Where does deffamation/slander come into it?

    There is nothing wrong/unusual about giving a negative review of service. The key is that it must be the truth, and the 'opinion' quotient of that must reasonably be derived from the actual fact (i.e. not just the fact that you percieve, but the 'fact' that an objective bystander would percieve).

    Slander won't apply here.

    Defamation is the publication of something that is untrue if you write the truth (e.g. X hotel charged €5 for three chips), then you're safe.

    midlandsmissus wrote: »
    Can I pose as a prospective customer for a service to get more information off them, say by email, and put this information on my website?

    Yes - this is commonly done. Think you should be careful though - don't imply when seeking information that it is for your eyes only, and don't ignore any indication from them that the information they are giving is not for publication.
    midlandsmissus wrote: »
    Could I use a picture of their hotel on my website,or does that infringe copyright law?

    The copyright in pictures vests in the person who takes the picture, not the content of the picture [there are/may be certain exceptions under privacy laws if the photo concerns people, but here you seem to be concerned with photos of buildings only]. So, the answer to this question is it depends on whether you have the permission of the photographer to post it on your website.


  • #3
    D.W
    Closed Accounts Posts: 218 ✭✭D.W


    Lplated has answered your queries very well. However in this day and age reviews of services, premises etc.. are commonplace on the net be they good or bad. In the area you mentioned-the hotel/hospitality industry many sites live and thrive on reviews. Look at tripadvisor as an example. Appreciate this is a large site but you can bet your bottom dollar not all reviews are genuine, majority are positive from what I've seen but there are also many unfavourable ones also. Who can say which are genuine or not?

    Personally I wouldn't worry too much unless you really rank very well for an individual propery/hotels direct name (or outrank them) because its only then they may actually take note. Even then I'd be surprised. From my own personal experience the staff hotels employ to track/monitor such comments are few and far between. Of course the opposite should be the case. Can you let us know your web address as its an area I have a particular knowledge/interest in?


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