A large part of what is the driving force behind the Web 2.0 phenomena is the ability for website users to generate content.  A lot of this content comes in the form of reviews and comments on various products and services.  Could all of this been turned on its head based on a recent Australian High Court decision ruling damages on a damning restaurant review?

“High Court judges today ruled 6-1 to dismiss an appeal by Fairfax against a ruling of the NSW Court of Appeal that concluded that no reasonable jury could find it wasn’t defamatory to declare a restaurant sold bad food and offered poor service.”

Restaurant critic Matthew Evans dined there twice and produced a scathing review, rating the restaurant 9/20, declaring it expensive with half the dishes unpalatable, saying service was good and bad, and rating value a shocker. However, the harbour view was nice.

“In a city where harbourside dining has improved out of sight in recent years, Coco Roco is a bleak spot on the culinary landscape,” he concluded.

This decision may set an incredible precedence on what is published and freedom of speech.  The speed at which a Blog post or forum topic can spread virally contributes to what is a huge concern to businesses large and small and they need to develop strategies to monitor and react.  They now just might have the ultimate reputation management tool — a damages claim!

Where is this going to leave Web site owners and how they moderate user generated content?

How will it affect the way you write your Blog?

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 16th, 2007 at 5:17 pm and is filed under Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.