Is It Defamation/Slander If I Create A Facebook Page To....

[Unregistered]

The licensed providers in my area have a phone tree. One person calls another until all have been notified. When someone leaves my care, I call Mary, then she calls Sue, and so on.

You screw over a licensed provider in my area, and you'll not find daycare available from any of us.

Works great.

[Childminder]

I don't know what the legal repercussions would be but I am all in favor of a local provider facebook page or network that I can use.

Just about every small business in my area post copies of bounced checks and or a list of people that have stiffed them in plain view next to or behind the register for all to see. I have more than once seen a neighbor or acquaintance posted. If nothing else it should cause them some embarrassment.

It does give the potential for me as a business owner myself to not accept them into care if I see their name posted somewhere.

[Unregistered]

I don't know what the legal repercussions would be but I am all in favor of a local provider facebook page or network that I can use.

Just about every small business in my area post copies of bounced checks and or a list of people that have stiffed them in plain view next to or behind the register for all to see. I have more than once seen a neighbor or acquaintance posted. If nothing else it should cause them some embarrassment.

It does give the potential for me as a business owner myself to not accept them into care if I see their name posted somewhere.

Posting names of people who bounced checks where the public is able to see it is against the law (at least it is in my state), as is posting the bad check on the wall until it is redeemed (as some stores still do). I'm surprised that people still do that!

[Starburst]

I don't know if it was in one of his books or on his website (I'll look for it and post it if I can) but I think Tom Copeland discussed something like this once and I don't think he said it was illegal but he did say it was unethical and unprofessional to have an organized public "blackball" list. Especially if its online! As learned in another thread about a provider who shared her frustration about a DCM on FB and DCM found out (even though she had it set to private, was not on DCM's friend list and didn't share any mutual friends), NOTHING on the internet is private!

ETA:
I found it and he did say it was illegal because it does count as slander. And also because even if it is true for you, one provider may be mad at a parent and say they didn't pay and lie about it. Or a parent may pay you later and you forget to take them off the "list" or to tell the other providers they paid and then it would be considered slander as well. So legally, its more of a hassle.

http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2012/12/should-your-association-keep-a-list-of-parents-who-owe-money.html

[e.j.]

This is my opinion only so please don't take offense!

I personally would not do it....but that is just me. It's not that I don't care or don't want to look out for other providers, but I think there are better to ways to prevent these issues.

If the issue is that they aren't paying for services rendered, then I can't emphasize enough to have parents pre-pay!

As far as other common child care-related issues, many can be solved with thorough screening before accepting families, a well-developed contract and the backbone to enforce the policies and procedures.

I'm not saying this prevents 100% of problems, but it does drastically decrease the amount of time you have to deal with the problems with as little loss as possible.

Other issues not covered in the contract in my experience has been because the family was not a good fit for ME and my program. It may very well be that they would be great in someone else's child care and I wouldn't want to deter that relationship from forming with another child care provider.

I personally have had some problems here and there and they were because (1) the family was not a good fit, (2) I didn't screen incoming families properly and (3) because I did not follow through on my policies and procedures. In the second and third scenarios, the only person I could truly blame was myself .

Legal or not, I agree with what Spud wrote. I'd feel uncomfortable using a blackball list on the internet.

[Laurel]

I don't know if it was in one of his books or on his website (I'll look for it and post it if I can) but I think Tom Copeland discussed something like this once and I don't think he said it was illegal but he did say it was unethical and unprofessional to have an organized public "blackball" list. Especially if its online! As learned in another thread about a provider who shared her frustration about a DCM on FB and DCM found out (even though she had it set to private, was not on DCM's friend list and didn't share any mutual friends), NOTHING on the internet is private!

ETA:
I found it and he did say it was illegal because it does count as slander. And also because even if it is true for you, one provider may be mad at a parent and say they didn't pay and lie about it. Or a parent may pay you later and you forget to take them off the "list" or to tell the other providers they paid and then it would be considered slander as well. So legally, its more of a hassle.
http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2012/...owe-money.html

He makes a good point in that parents could make a provider screening list as well.

The whole idea makes me uncomfortable.

Laurel