Thu Jul 29, 2004 4:47 am
don't worry parents as neopets is slowly working its way to solving the monitoring situation. from what i understand, they are now setting up offices in singapore and japan where neopets can be effectively monitored round the clock due to different time zones and they are employing more monitors too. 
edit should i get the job as a site monitor, i would do my best to prevent situations like these.
edit should i get the job as a site monitor, i would do my best to prevent situations like these.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 4:54 am
Most other pet sites (espiacially a camel pay one) have got something like this too.
The Jelly world chat board has gotten out of hand. Most people know how to post topics there and are inappropiate since no staff member directly moniters it.
Jelly World Is TRUE BUT THE BOARD IS WORSE.[
Well atleast runescape is worse.
The Jelly world chat board has gotten out of hand. Most people know how to post topics there and are inappropiate since no staff member directly moniters it.
Jelly World Is TRUE BUT THE BOARD IS WORSE.[
Well atleast runescape is worse.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 5:06 am
I'm suprised she could even get a lawyer. This case is so superfluous.
The kid is under 13, which means it isn't neopets fault the kid was at the chat boards. It's also not their fault that he gave out his address. And it's not their fault that he went to meet that man. It is the fault of the mother for not better informing the boy about people like that man. It's also her fault for not pay attention to where he was going, unless he lied to her.
I agree that they should have more mods, but they do try to keep it clean. They've installed report buttons for every post, and believe me, people use them. And they do have mods. Perhaps all this woman is trying to do is make neopets have more mods, which hopefully they'll do without having to have a lawsuit since that's really a big waste of time.
The kid is under 13, which means it isn't neopets fault the kid was at the chat boards. It's also not their fault that he gave out his address. And it's not their fault that he went to meet that man. It is the fault of the mother for not better informing the boy about people like that man. It's also her fault for not pay attention to where he was going, unless he lied to her.
I agree that they should have more mods, but they do try to keep it clean. They've installed report buttons for every post, and believe me, people use them. And they do have mods. Perhaps all this woman is trying to do is make neopets have more mods, which hopefully they'll do without having to have a lawsuit since that's really a big waste of time.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 5:47 am
Strechii wrote:I'm suprised she could even get a lawyer. This case is so superfluous.
No offense to any PPTers who are legitimate lawyers out there--and, let me preface this by saying, I am married to a lawyer and I went to Northwestern Law School (never took the bar because I had my daugher instead). But, I am not surprised that she was able to find a lawyer to represent her.
There are many legitimate cases out there in which an attorney represents a client who has suffered as the result of a company's negligence. The company did something wrong and is clearly at fault--for example, the McDonald's coffee case where the coffee was 40 degrees hotter than the stuff you drink at home and hot enough so that, if it spilled on you, you could get a third degree burn from it. The McDonald execs knew this but didn't lower the temperature because they wanted the coffee to stay hot until the person buying it got to work or wherever they were going in their car. Or the cases where people have died in car accidents because something on the car was faulty, the company knew about it, but did nothing to correct it.
But, there are also many attorneys out there (some of whom I have worked for) who "chase ambulances" for a living. They know that the case doesn't hold water but they take it anyway. They file lawsuits with no intention of ever going to trial but rather to put endless pressure on the company being sued to settle out of court. Because, even if they settle out of court, they still get to deduct their 35-40% contingency fee (plus all costs) from the amount of the settlement check--the client gets whatever is left.
Once they file the lawsuit, they file document after document after document. All of which have to be read and responded to by the company's attorney, who is charging the company for his/her time on an hourly basis. Many companies settle out of court even if they know the lawsuit is weak because the cost to pay their attorneys to defend them in court would be astronomical and also because they don't want the bad publicity that a trial could give them.
The company does have the right to claim that the lawsuit is frivolous (meaning the company broke no laws and the person filing the lawsuit knows it), which can get the case dismissed and even can force the person to pay the company's court costs. Some companies do that for the really outrageous claims, but I would venture to say that most settle out of court--just to be done with it.
it will be interesting to see what happens with this lawsuit against Neopets.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 6:24 am
I'm not a lawyer either, though I did work with lawyers for about 20 years. I've done defense and plaintiff work. Yes, I know a couple of lawyers locally who would at least consider taking a case like this. 
I agree 110% with Morningstar. The internet, like tv, is not and should not be used as a babysitter - if someone gives out their information to be contacted by just anyone on the internet, well it's kind of like the old days when people would write their phone number in phone booths then get freaked out when some creep called them.
I don't think there's anything TNT could really have done to prevent this. As Morningstar said, it's not like they check ID's at the door! There's more than one way this could have happened. We weren't there, we don't know what all occurred or how this contact was made, etc. And they are trying to have people NOT posting or asking for personal information - asking is against the TOS, giving it out, well, there's only so many mods and only so much they can do if someone's going to do that. I saw at least 5 posts on just the HD tonight with people posting emails and im's.
I'm not saying that this boy deserved anything bad to happen to him. No one would. But there does look to be a lack of common sense on his part and definitely the parent's part. It's up to parents/adults to teach children right and wrong. Common sense should also be taught. Unfortunately, common sense isn't so common anymore.
I wonder if there actually is a suit, if there's a way to find out about it.
The chia suit was apparently a legitimate claim. They, like Neopets, have trademarked/copyrighted materials/names. Like the person who made a custom ghost aisha plushie out of a (I think?) white aisha plushie and put it on ebay. TNT had the auction pulled and the person had to send the plushie to them, they couldn't even keep it for themselves. Why? Because that plushie, like all their merchandise is TM and © Neopets.
I agree 110% with Morningstar. The internet, like tv, is not and should not be used as a babysitter - if someone gives out their information to be contacted by just anyone on the internet, well it's kind of like the old days when people would write their phone number in phone booths then get freaked out when some creep called them.
I don't think there's anything TNT could really have done to prevent this. As Morningstar said, it's not like they check ID's at the door! There's more than one way this could have happened. We weren't there, we don't know what all occurred or how this contact was made, etc. And they are trying to have people NOT posting or asking for personal information - asking is against the TOS, giving it out, well, there's only so many mods and only so much they can do if someone's going to do that. I saw at least 5 posts on just the HD tonight with people posting emails and im's.
I'm not saying that this boy deserved anything bad to happen to him. No one would. But there does look to be a lack of common sense on his part and definitely the parent's part. It's up to parents/adults to teach children right and wrong. Common sense should also be taught. Unfortunately, common sense isn't so common anymore.
I wonder if there actually is a suit, if there's a way to find out about it.
The chia suit was apparently a legitimate claim. They, like Neopets, have trademarked/copyrighted materials/names. Like the person who made a custom ghost aisha plushie out of a (I think?) white aisha plushie and put it on ebay. TNT had the auction pulled and the person had to send the plushie to them, they couldn't even keep it for themselves. Why? Because that plushie, like all their merchandise is TM and © Neopets.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 6:42 am
Well, about the false age thing, there was one week on neopets when you could change the year you were born.
Login to an account over 13
Use another window and login to a below 13 account
Change the age in the first window
Submit
You now have another > 13 aaccount.
Glitchy eh?
Login to an account over 13
Use another window and login to a below 13 account
Change the age in the first window
Submit
You now have another > 13 aaccount.
Glitchy eh?
Thu Jul 29, 2004 7:04 am
You know what would fix the problem of frivilous lawsuits?
Simple: Either make the fine for the frivilous lawsuit double whatever the defendant has to pay in legal bills....with the money coming out of the client's lawyer's pocket, and fix it so the lawyer can't charge the client to get the money back.
OR....
Every time a lawyer files a frivilous lawsuit, put it in some sort of record. If they file over a certain amount of frivilous lawsuits, then they should be stripped of their license.
Unfortunately, it'll never happen, though.
As for this case, its just another case of a bad parent refusing to take responsibility. The mother should've monitored the child's activities online. Its her fault, not Neopets'.
Parents who don't do their job, then blame someone else and try to sue when something bad happens, should spend a few nights in jail and be forced to take parenting classes, in my opinion.
Simple: Either make the fine for the frivilous lawsuit double whatever the defendant has to pay in legal bills....with the money coming out of the client's lawyer's pocket, and fix it so the lawyer can't charge the client to get the money back.
OR....
Every time a lawyer files a frivilous lawsuit, put it in some sort of record. If they file over a certain amount of frivilous lawsuits, then they should be stripped of their license.
Unfortunately, it'll never happen, though.
As for this case, its just another case of a bad parent refusing to take responsibility. The mother should've monitored the child's activities online. Its her fault, not Neopets'.
Parents who don't do their job, then blame someone else and try to sue when something bad happens, should spend a few nights in jail and be forced to take parenting classes, in my opinion.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 8:30 am
Do you have the name of the case handy by any chance or reportings on the net of it?
Thu Jul 29, 2004 9:16 am
Mystique wrote:don't worry parents as neopets is slowly working its way to solving the monitoring situation. from what i understand, they are now setting up offices in singapore and japan where neopets can be effectively monitored round the clock due to different time zones and they are employing more monitors too.
edit should i get the job as a site monitor, i would do my best to prevent situations like these.
Yes, but could you stay up all the night as well?
Thu Jul 29, 2004 11:48 am
dreamer wrote:I thought you had to be 13 to use the chat boards.
yeah cos noone ever lies about their age do they
im a 389 year old goat.
prove me wrong.
besides people have found a novel new idea to replace natural selection; meeting people you know only by a rather glitchy system.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 3:35 pm
In my idea of what should happen, that COPPA form probably says something about not sueing Neopets, or else it's in the TOS. I've read the TOS but never the COPPA form, so I'm not sure though. But I'm SURE that Neopets has that sort of thing thought through thoroughly.
Theoretically, someone could sue PPT for the same thing. Thankfully, us PPTers are a lot more responsible than the Neopets monitors and would be far more likely to notice if something was going on. PPT has COPPA too though, don't they?
I think that Chia Pets sued Neopets once.
Theoretically, someone could sue PPT for the same thing. Thankfully, us PPTers are a lot more responsible than the Neopets monitors and would be far more likely to notice if something was going on. PPT has COPPA too though, don't they?
I think that Chia Pets sued Neopets once.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 4:49 pm
Chaud wrote:Mystique wrote:don't worry parents as neopets is slowly working its way to solving the monitoring situation. from what i understand, they are now setting up offices in singapore and japan where neopets can be effectively monitored round the clock due to different time zones and they are employing more monitors too.
edit should i get the job as a site monitor, i would do my best to prevent situations like these.
Yes, but could you stay up all the night as well?
eh...what i mean is with monitors all over the world, say, singaporean monitors can take care of the site when it is night time in US or vice versa so staying up is not really necessary.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 5:12 pm
I thought, having seen employment listings for monitors in other countries, that any monitors hired for those countries would be for that particular language, as the ads for monitors/support always say applicants have to be proficient in language here. Guess I misread?
Nani, I read a COPPA thing once, but it was a long time ago. Wonder if there's anything in the Privacy Statement about this. I remember it saying something about they'll never give out our personal information... Thinks I'll go check that page out again. Haven't since April. I'll also look to see if the email for privacy works again, I know they removed that for awhile, if you clicked to email you got a message
Nani, I read a COPPA thing once, but it was a long time ago. Wonder if there's anything in the Privacy Statement about this. I remember it saying something about they'll never give out our personal information...
Thinks I'll go check that page out again. Haven't since April. I'll also look to see if the email for privacy works again, I know they removed that for awhile, if you clicked to email you got a message
Remove the address mailto:privacy.neopets@neopets.com from all databases and mailing
lists.
The recipient is not interested in receiving further mailings.
Thu Jul 29, 2004 5:16 pm
everconfused wrote:I thought, having seen employment listings for monitors in other countries, that any monitors hired for those countries would be for that particular language, as the ads for monitors/support always say applicants have to be proficient in language here. Guess I misread?
hmm..yeah, but in this case, singapore and the US monitors watch over the english site.
the other languages might be a problem eg. japanese
Thu Jul 29, 2004 7:33 pm
The fact that the boy went off to meet this man anywho, well, it just shows how well he was raised -.- That's prolly been said a thousand times now XD I just needed to say it myself also.
When I first joined Neopets I was 12 I think and I had my dad fill in the form and Fax it to Neopets(Yep XD Honestly.) And even so, I never would've even thought of going to meet someone I have no idea about In the real world o_o Even now, I'm suspicious..
When I first joined Neopets I was 12 I think and I had my dad fill in the form and Fax it to Neopets(Yep XD Honestly.) And even so, I never would've even thought of going to meet someone I have no idea about In the real world o_o Even now, I'm suspicious..