Looking for some advice on a couple questions | Bloggers Lair | Yakezie Forums

1) Recently one of my readers sent me an email asking me about the quality of a financial services provider.  I am certain that this is a scam and I want help people avoid it.  At this point in time there is not a single article about this company on the internet other than their page.  I feel a duty to warn people, but at the same time I do not trust these people in the slightest and I do not want to expose myself to a lawsuit.  (I'd only write statements that I could back up with facts which would ultimately prevent me from being liable, but I don't even want to have one initiated against me.)  I know it is a very, very small risk, but it is a concern.  Has anyone dealt with this issue?  Anyone have thoughts on the matter?

2) On a much more happy note, I just hit $100 on adsense, so I expect to get my first check in the near future.  I'd like to put half of the money back into my site.  Right now I am thinking about using it to create a scholarship for one of my readers.  My plan is for readers to submit applications and then I will narrow it down to the top 5 most deserving.  I'd post an article with a brief bio of the nominees and let people vote on who should get the money.  I think it would be good from a viral marketing standpoint as well as generating some goodwill.  Is this a prudent way to spend my first $50 on my website or should I be looking into other avenues?

Thanks in advance for the guidance Yakezie!

I would think that if you reply in a private email, it's just your opinion on the company. 

If you write about it on your blog on the other hand, it might be defamation or something like that. 

Not sure though. 

mbhunter said:

(By the way, what kind of financial services company are we talking about?  Can you say that much?)

Oh, and congrats on the AdSense threshold!  Be sure to run your contest properly.

It is a student loan elimination company.  They promises they make are quite outlandish and I really want to help people avoid the nonsense.

What do you mean by "run the contest properly"?

There's some good advice above. But if you want another approach, you can say something like: I'm not familiar with that company, but if you're thinking of using that type of service, be aware that it's an industry known for scams and broken promises. Maybe this company is different, maybe not. I think the best way to eliminate student debt (while avoiding ripoffs) is to….X,Y,Z, etc.