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I think it's safe to say that people posting here have the assumption that they're talking to a bunch hackers giving their opinion, and not getting legal counci

by icey 18y ago

I think it's safe to say that people posting here have the assumption that they're talking to a bunch hackers giving their opinion, and not getting legal council. The enforcement of pseudo political correctness by having to post IANAL at the front of every opinion that may have even remotely looked like legal advice is part of what degraded the quality of Slashdot's comments way back when, if you ask me. Of course you're not a lawyer, this is not a legal community.

mattmaroon 18y ago
Why ask a legal question to a bunch of non-lawyers? What good could come of that? There are only two possible responses: 1. You mistakenly come out thinking you were more informed than you were before you asked (dangerous). 2. You ignore it, in which case it's a bunch of wasted time.
- pchristensen 18y ago
  3. You have an idea of the ballpark you're playing in instead of being entirely clueless. You have somewhat of a clue to talk about the next time you see your lawyer.
- staunch 18y ago
  It can be harmful to Google for medical information about a condition you have if it leads to improper self-medication. It has also helped people save or improve their lives because they knew the right questions to ask or areas to explore.
- iamelgringo 18y ago
  Why ask a legal question to a bunch of non-lawyers? What good could come of that? There are only two possible responses Because chances are, some people here might have actually paid $200 an hour and talked to a lawyer about this subject. I can't afford that on a regular basis for one off questions. I've read a number of posts asking for legal advice here, and a number of those posts contain the answer, "Here's my opinion, but you _really_ need a lawyer, dude." Case in point, I actually really enjoyed your legalesque advice on sweepstakes vs gambling in different states a while back. http://searchyc.com/sweepstakes+gambling+mattmaroon http://searchyc.com/sweepstakes+gambling+mattmaroon I'm sure with your background in the gambling world, you've had some exposure to those laws. I took what you said at face value and with a big pinch of salt. Should my site ever create a sweepstakes, I'll certainly be more cautious as a result of what you said, and I probably will pony up the Benjamins and talk to a lawyer about it. You also have a good point in that anyone who makes legal decisions about things pertaining to their business because of what they read in an online forum has problems.
- icey 18y ago
  My feeling is that people are trying to find other people with similar experiences. They want to know some things before they actually go and talk to a lawyer, so that they are more informed than someone who just walks in off the street.
- webwright 18y ago
  "Why ask a legal question to a bunch of non-lawyers?" If you ask the question here, and it's about startup law, you can get great responses from people who say, "Our startup ran into the exact same issue and our $500/hr lawyer told us the following information". Gather enough responses like there and you have: 1) Maybe enough information to keep you from needing to talk to your lawyer at all or 2) A good foundation of information that results in you needing less of your (really expensive) lawyer's time. Of course, if you're smart, you'll throw out any response that doesn't begin with some explanation as to why the commenter knows wtf they are talking about.
- pohl 18y ago
  That's an excellent example of a false dichotomy (or the N==2 case of the Fallacy of Exhaustive Hypotheses). I offer a third hypothesis as an existence-proof of said fallaciousness: another possible good that can come from it is that a set of people who care about the topic might have an interaction that they enjoy. Other possible examples of good are left as an exercise to the reader.

by icey 18y ago

mattmaroon 18y ago

Why ask a legal question to a bunch of non-lawyers? What good could come of that? There are only two possible responses: 1. You mistakenly come out thinking you were more informed than you were before you asked (dangerous). 2. You ignore it, in which case it's a bunch of wasted time.

pchristensen 18y ago
3. You have an idea of the ballpark you're playing in instead of being entirely clueless. You have somewhat of a clue to talk about the next time you see your lawyer.
staunch 18y ago
It can be harmful to Google for medical information about a condition you have if it leads to improper self-medication. It has also helped people save or improve their lives because they knew the right questions to ask or areas to explore.
iamelgringo 18y ago
Why ask a legal question to a bunch of non-lawyers? What good could come of that? There are only two possible responses Because chances are, some people here might have actually paid $200 an hour and talked to a lawyer about this subject. I can't afford that on a regular basis for one off questions. I've read a number of posts asking for legal advice here, and a number of those posts contain the answer, "Here's my opinion, but you _really_ need a lawyer, dude." Case in point, I actually really enjoyed your legalesque advice on sweepstakes vs gambling in different states a while back. http://searchyc.com/sweepstakes+gambling+mattmaroon http://searchyc.com/sweepstakes+gambling+mattmaroon I'm sure with your background in the gambling world, you've had some exposure to those laws. I took what you said at face value and with a big pinch of salt. Should my site ever create a sweepstakes, I'll certainly be more cautious as a result of what you said, and I probably will pony up the Benjamins and talk to a lawyer about it. You also have a good point in that anyone who makes legal decisions about things pertaining to their business because of what they read in an online forum has problems.
icey 18y ago
My feeling is that people are trying to find other people with similar experiences. They want to know some things before they actually go and talk to a lawyer, so that they are more informed than someone who just walks in off the street.
webwright 18y ago
"Why ask a legal question to a bunch of non-lawyers?" If you ask the question here, and it's about startup law, you can get great responses from people who say, "Our startup ran into the exact same issue and our $500/hr lawyer told us the following information". Gather enough responses like there and you have: 1) Maybe enough information to keep you from needing to talk to your lawyer at all or 2) A good foundation of information that results in you needing less of your (really expensive) lawyer's time. Of course, if you're smart, you'll throw out any response that doesn't begin with some explanation as to why the commenter knows wtf they are talking about.
pohl 18y ago
That's an excellent example of a false dichotomy (or the N==2 case of the Fallacy of Exhaustive Hypotheses). I offer a third hypothesis as an existence-proof of said fallaciousness: another possible good that can come from it is that a set of people who care about the topic might have an interaction that they enjoy. Other possible examples of good are left as an exercise to the reader.