Today’s post is dedicated to fellow New Yorker Anthony Weiner. If you don’t know who this guy is, you’re reading a very old blog post:) As of today, he’s ALL OVER the news. When you type his name in Google, the first suggestion is “anthony weiner lewd photo” You do NOT want to be that guy.
Despite the fact that Weiner is a putz, it does beg the question: Can you libel someone in 140 characters or less? The short answer, (you can tweet this), is yes. There is an ever growing number of lawsuits against bloggers, message-board posters and social network users. Remember, you do not want to be that guy ~ on the receiving end of a lawsuit.
Have you considered the possibility of getting social media insurance for your blog? I’m neither an attorney, nor insurance agent, but from what I’ve read, it looks like a personal general umbrella liability insurance probably covers defamation claims arising out of social media activities. Don’t take my word for it – check it out. It’s a safe bet that with more people engaging in social media, there is a heightened risk of defamation claims.
I first started carrying an umbrella policy when I became a landlord. Most people do not have umbrella liability policies even though they are fairly inexpensive and can often be built on top of one’s auto or homeowners policy. If you have any assets, a personal umbrella policy for liability is a good idea for consideration. The best thing for bloggers to do, however, is avoid posting potentially defaming content.
Do you practice safe blogging?