BS: Yahoo Answers Madness

Subject: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 12:14 AM

Recently I joined - at the urging of friends.

I have become annoyed. Y!A delete answers, questions and even users at random, apparently.

There's all sorts of BS (seems appropriate to a BS thread here!) spouted about 'community guideline' and 'violations', but if you read their 'Appeals Forum', it seems pretty clear that

1) Y!A is just another way of clicking up millions of 'pay per view' ads.

2) Y!A apparently just don't care about legalities - claiming to be a 'private organisation' whose TOS say that you 'give up all rights'.

The problem with that is that Australia specifically prohibits 'forced surrender of rights under duress' - if you must sigh that to join, then that is duress.

3) Other than 2 - it could just be that Y!A is totally incompetent!


Any other Y!A users here?

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 Oct 07 - 06:59 PM

Unless Australia has some very peculiar laws, I think you are misunderstanding the meaning of duress.

If I tell you that if you don't sign this paper, I will shoot you, that is duress, because I don't have the right to shoot you.

If I tell you that if you don't sign this paper, I will deny you my services, then that is not duress, because I have a perfect right to deny you my services.

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: John O'L
Date: 25 Oct 07 - 12:01 AM

Consider the Australian Workchoices legislation. If you don't sign away at least some of your rights you don't get the job. Same thing.
While not ethical I think you'll find it's legal.

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: Sorcha
Date: 25 Oct 07 - 12:31 AM

Is Oz Yahoo! different from any other Yahoo!?? I just know I hate all of Yahoo services on principle because they bugger up my computer. I won't even allow Yahoo mail users to check their mail on this machine.

OK, maybe, just maybe, it's not Yahoo!...but.....

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 25 Oct 07 - 03:56 AM

Yahoo is a monopoly. Under Australian Law, you cannot be forced to sigh away your inalienable rights (AWL currently excepted!!!). That is where the 'duress' occurs.

With regard to the AWL, that is part of the big bunfight in Oz now... Little Fascist Johnny brought that in...

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: jeffp
Date: 25 Oct 07 - 08:04 AM

It's a monopoly how? Do you need it for your life? Are there no competitors?

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: Grab
Date: 25 Oct 07 - 11:37 AM

Yahoo is a monopoly

In what way?

There are thousands of message-board- or FAQ-based sites/communities on the web. There are thousands of ISPs. There are thousands of email providers. There are thousands of portal sites. There are at least dozens (and probably hundreds) of search engines.

If Y!A is crap, go elsewhere. There are enough alternatives that you could sign up to a different one every day and not run out for years.

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: Ebbie
Date: 25 Oct 07 - 11:47 AM

Some people would rather sigh. :)

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 26 Oct 07 - 09:05 AM

Fair enough - or I can play the 'since they report me, I'll report them' vengeance game. hehee!

Well since they now have a new 'Community score' based system whereby you get credit for reporting - +ve or -ve - maybe I'll try to find some OTHER nasty people.... :-)


Who says I'm bored?!

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: jeffp
Date: 26 Oct 07 - 09:22 AM

Are you sure you're in the right thread?

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 26 Oct 07 - 09:31 AM

"Are you sure you're in the right thread?"

I hope so, I started it!


ROFL....

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: jeffp
Date: 26 Oct 07 - 10:18 AM

I think I understand what you're saying now. I suspect if you start rep wars, you will run afoul of the TOS and be banned. Have fun, if that's your thing.

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 27 Oct 07 - 09:39 AM

That's true - but if you report good cases, it's a bit hard to be to rough ...

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 27 Oct 07 - 10:23 AM

Under English law "duress" for the purposes of contract law used to be coercion such that the will was overborne. Now it is a pressure to which there is no realistic alternative. Since that derives from a Hong Kong Case ("Pau On") I am sure I would have heard of an Australian case going so much further. I believe New York law applies some special provisions in relation to "contracts of adhesion" (ie ones in which the choice is between signing or not signing, and there is no possibility of questioning or negotiating any terms).

European law restricts terms in consumer contracts that contrary to the duty of good faith create an imbalance between the rights of the consumer and the business (unless individually negotiated), but the list of examples is very wishy-washy.

I personally favour a more stringent test for contracts of adhesion, but English law has a way to go to catch up on this.

Subject: RE: BS: Yahoo Answers Madness
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 28 Oct 07 - 08:49 AM

Well, now U know - found someone who is being stalked. Every question and answer of hers is being reported by someone, and anyone who supports her in any Q she answers is given the treatment too. The XXXX keeps getting new ids and only uses those ids to make malicious reports.

As for hypocritical Yahoo's 'privacy laws' they are in the news here for having given user details to the Chinese and other Govts to enable users to be prosecuted to treason, etc... :-)