Hollaback Helps Women Overcome Bad Chat Up Lines

A site called Hollabacknyc.com “aims” to let people take back their lives by posting camera-snaps of “turds” who harass them. But is it the site that does the harassing instead?

Following events where dodgy folk have been caught “in-action” on camera, folk are asked to submit their photos of pervs to a site to publicly embarrass them. Howard Rheingold also ponders how ugly this could all become here.

If you check the site, most guys on the site have been ‘reported’ for some pretty bad chat up lines. Yeah, there’s a picture of a guy with his hand on his dick in his car, but then there’s a young lad (pictured) who’s been reported said something to a girl in a language she didn’t understand (Spanish). So – he’s now on the site – and therefore labeled a ‘pervert’! Can someone tell us whether this guy might have a right to sue the submitter and/or site for libel?

We’re all for having a fight back, but if you’re going to encourage a community to supply your content, then you should also allow the community to judge the content. Unlike superb community news reporting sites like Digg and del.icio.us, there’s no ways to rate the stories or vote for them. Worse of all, they break the first rule of blogging: You can’t even comment. Not a good example of WEdia, at all.

Holla Back New York City – If You Can’t Slap ‘Em, Snap ‘Em!: