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The latest news from the dooyooTeam - as long as you're logged in!
New Crowns for:
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
27/08/2009 - (10:55 AM)
This week's recommended reading list kicks off with relatively new dooyooer LRWade, who recently won her first Crown for her review of the Wenger Swissgear Hudson Laptop Backpack. Congratulations Laura, we're looking forward to lots more great reviews from you! dooyoo stalwart wigglylittleworm also impressed this week with an excellent review of the Indesit K6G520XG Cooker as well as a rather endearing review of a wacky rooster alarm clock, titled A Rude Awakening. A big thanks to steedandpeel for heeding our cries for more laptop reviews with a Crown-winning account of the Dell Studio 15. Marymoose had a very successful week, being awarded three Crowns for her efforts - we particularly liked Marymoose meets some alpacas! Closing out the list is resident gaming junkie Stunt 101, who has all your Xbox 360 Games needs covered - take a look if you're in the market for some new entertainment.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
26/08/2009 - (10:24 AM)
If you're sick of the feeling that you're only hearing about half of what your favourite tunes have to offer, because of poor quality headphones, then today's Crown of the Day review is for you! Let's face it, there's no point having the latest and greatest MP3 Player if the headphones you're using with it are completely letting you down. Music-lover, plipplop, says that the Bose On-Ear Headphones are "a perfect complement to mobile music" with "rich, deep, and clean" bass, comfortable fit, and not too much noise escaping to annoy fellow commuters on the way to work. Read the review, Ear We Go Again, for the full run-down on why these Bose headphones blow the usual £30 headphones out of the water, as well as the niggles that our trusty reviewer has nevertheless experienced with this product.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Attention All New Members!
25/08/2009 - (05:11 PM)
This is a special shout out to all the new dooyooers... We'd like to start by heartily welcoming you to the dooyooCommunity! We want to make the process of settling in here as easy and smooth as possible. One piece of feedback that we often receive, is that it can be disappointing for new members who leap straight into writing reviews, when they receive lower ratings for their reviews, or when they discover that some of their reviews didn't in fact meet the dooyoo quality requirements for Premium Reviews. That's why we thought we should take the pressure off the reviewing side of things so that new members have some time to explore other aspects of the site, get to know others in the dooyooCommunity, and get more experience writing top quality dooyoo reviews.
From today on, new members (you know you're a new member if you've got a blue 'new member' badge under your profile picture), will be able to post a maximum of five reviews per day. The count includes all new and edited / re-submitted reviews - but don't worry, you don't have to keep track, we'll let you know if you've reached your limit for the day. We hope that you'll then have some more time to check out other member features and familiarise yourself with the site, which will help you get the most out of your time on dooyoo, and will make your settling in process a lot smoother!
So, once again, welcome new dooyooers, we look forward to reading your contributions to the site for a long time to come!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
24/08/2009 - (12:42 PM)
Chosen from this weekend’s writing, the Crown of the Day goes to TheChocolateLady for her review of Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea, Eau de Toilette. Fragrances can be notoriously difficult to review and we think she has done an excellent job! Cool and Iced Green Tea Spray Scent is another in a long line of superb reviews from one of our dooyooCommunity guides. According to TheChocolateLady, this product has some negatives as well as some positives, but don’t worry they are all very well explained. You can use her personal experience to help you to sniff out whether this is a product you want to buy. Thanks for the great review!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break: A Star Among Us!
21/08/2009 - (12:07 PM)
We here at dooyoo HQ love to celebrate the (many!) successes of the dooyoo members. That's why, when we heard talk of some exciting news about one of the dooyooers, we just had to get in touch to find out more. Take a look at our interview with dooyooCommunity Guide and all-round excellent reviewer, cmh4135, to discover why she's got reason to celebrate!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
______________________________________________________
dooyooTeam: We heard that you recently had some very good feedback on one of your reviews from outside the dooyooCommunity. Which review was it that attracted the attention?
cmh4135: Feel the Force, a review on Aberdulais Falls, a National Trust attraction in Wales.
dooyooTeam: Did they say how they found out about your review?
cmh4135: The editor was looking for opinions on attractions in the area and my review came up on a Google search. A quote from the review was selected and permission was sought to use that quote in an area publication to be published by Swansea City Council in December 2009.
dooyooTeam: That's great news, congratulations! Have you ever been approached by companies about other reviews you've written on dooyoo?
cmh4135: I’ve been approached a few times by companies following on from reviews that I have published on dooyoo. One very interesting project resulted from a reading of my review on Eco Balls. I was commissioned to write another piece on a rival product for use on a suppliers’ website. This was then followed up by some other eco-product testing and reviewing. Unfortunately, it would appear that the commissioning company has gone bust and so the reviews had a rather short life. I’m currently negotiating the release of the reviews so that I can post them on dooyoo!
I’ve also been contacted on a more general basis by a legal publishing company to do some legal proof editing of consumer guides. A perfect combination of my former role as a solicitor and my love of writing.
dooyooTeam: How do these experiences change how you think about dooyoo?
cmh4135: I think experiences like this show that dooyoo works. I know I’m not alone in attracting the attention of manufacturers, service providers and other non-consumers and this can only be a good thing. The more non-members that are aware of the site the better in my opinion. That we can reach those with influence through our work and have our work published in alternative fora can only be a good thing.
dooyooTeam: Any tips for other aspiring writers/reviewers wanting to get noticed on dooyoo?
cmh4135: Getting noticed is, I think, about being honest. It’s about writing well and getting under the skin of a product, not just saying that something is good or bad but why it’s good or bad. It’s not all about lengthy treatises (my Aberdulais opinion was just over 500 words long) but about capturing the spirit of the product.
dooyooTeam: Great advice, thanks so much for sharing your news with us and once again, congratulations on this recognition!
Crown of the Day
20/08/2009 - (10:19 AM)
We all know that consumers are on the hunt for reviews of electronic goods such as mobile phones. That goes double when the review is packed full of personal experience and useful information, like today's Crown of the Day, Cybershot Proves to be an Excellent Camera Phone. Annallon gives the Sony Ericsson C510 a respectable four out of five stars, complimenting the additional features of the phone and even saying that her boyfriend "shamelessly copied" her choice. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, nice work!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
19/08/2009 - (12:04 PM)
The dooyooCommunity is choc-full of great writers, so we take it upon ourselves each week to introduce five of them to you, in case you had somehow managed to miss their excellent work! So here we go, the recommended reading list for this week gets off to a running start with new dooyoo member monkeyboy2 and very long-standing member andrewl, who have both been doing very nicely indeed in the Music Albums and Printed Books categories. Blonde_girl774 has taken a bit of an excursion outside her usual Fashion and Beauty reviews to write a stellar review of the Samsung U800 mobile phone, while aylawarner seems to be consoling herself for her lack of travel plans by reminiscing about a previous trip to the tropical island Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. Sigh, sounds pretty great to us too! Zoe_page_1, having now left Mexico, has also been doing some travel and filling our heads with leaving-on-a-jet-plane dreams...
All in all some really great reading from some really great reviewers. Keep it up folks!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyoo's What's Hot List
18/08/2009 - (01:48 PM)
Dominating the list of most popular products in the dooyoo catalogue at the moment are, not surprisingly, laptops. Hot searches in this category are currently the Dell Inspiron 1545, which is sitting on a comfortable 4 star rating from the dooyooCommunity, closely followed by the pricier Acer Aspire 6930G, the very snazzy looking Sony Vaio CS11Z/R (we're still waiting for a review on the Sony, so if you own one we'd love to hear from you), and - demonstrating that Desktop PC's are perhaps becoming less fashionable - finally the Acer Veriton M464.
The Fashion & Beauty category is also in high demand, with the most interest being in the new Sheer Skin hair removal system - despite the fact that the dooyooers haven't been overly impressed by this product yet. Opinion is also split on the Slendertone muscle toning device, but another hot product, Bio Oil, is heartily recommended by the dooyooCommunity.
In Audio / HiFi the Sony Walkman NWZ-S639F 16 GB knocks Apple out of the number one position, although the Apple iPod Touch 16 GB is still extremely popular with the dooyooers. Other products on the red-hot list are the Babystyle Lux 3 in 1 carrycot and stroller combination, the Braun Oral B Triumph Professional Care 9900 electric toothbrush, and the Brother HL 2035 laser printer.
So, if you haven't yet reviewed your laptop, printer, or MP3 player yet now is the perfect time to do so - consumers out there are clamouring for your reviews! If techno-gadgets aren't really your thing, beauty products are always in fashion, and for all the parents out there - don't forget to share your views on those big baby purchases like prams, strollers, and the like, it's advice like yours that's just what anxious expectant parents need!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
17/08/2009 - (01:55 PM)
With an abundance of excellent reviews written over the weekend it was a tough decision for us to choose the Crown of Day. However after careful deliberation, extortion and hair pulling, we managed to come to a conclusion!
In the end we just couldn’t go past Caveat-Emptor’s review of Yamaha Guitars in General. He starts off looking at Yamaha Guitars from the seventies, then moves to the eighties and onwards, along with comparing them in detail with other leading guitar brands: Gibson and Fender. It’s full of interesting information about the different models of Yamaha Guitars, not to mention plenty of good puns! We are very pleased to award A Yamaha Guitar?? Aww But Mom I Wanted A Harley Davidson One!!! the Crown of the Day as it is a perfect reference for someone looking to buy a new electric or acoustic guitar, or just fancying a good read.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
14/08/2009 - (11:01 AM)
Today's top review honours of the day go to brittle1906 for her fantastic review of the affordable and, according to the reviewer, extremely effective Epson Stylus D92 printer. Indeed brittle1906 says: "For a budget priced printer, this is hard to beat, good quality printing is what it is all about and that is exactly what I got". If that sounds too good to be true, you'll be almost relieved to know that there can be some frustration involved in the set-up process, but it's still an inkjet printer that does what it says on the box! Sounds good to us.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Blaze of Glory: Consumers Thank the dooyooCommunity
13/08/2009 - (04:30 PM)
Have you ever wondered whether your reviews really make a difference to consumers searching the net for advice about the products they want to buy? Well, the definitive answer is: YES!
Feedback from non members visiting dooyoo was that they wanted a way to show their appreciation for the reviews the dooyooCommunity has written, so we added a 'thank the author' button to each review on logged out pages. The results have been even better than we hoped! In the month of July alone, reviews on the dooyoo websites were thanked over 25,000 times! That's a lot of consumers who feel strongly that your reviews on dooyoo helped them to make better purchasing decisions.
Helping consumers is what dooyoo is all about, so we're thrilled with these results - and, since they're your reviews, we think you should be too!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
13/08/2009 - (10:39 AM)
Did you stumble out of bed this morning and into another bad hair day? Do you struggle to control your unmanageable locks? The author of today's Crown of the Day review is "a girl who needs her freakin' hair controlled", and therefore very susceptible to products promising to 'stomp the curl' and 'fight the frizz'. The question is then, whether or not the Tigi Bed Head Control Freak Serum can fulfill its promises and tame pink_glitter's mane. Unfortunately, it seems it was not to be, as the title of the review, Control Freak loses control, would indicate. Amusing, informative, and full of personal experience pink_glitter's review well deserves to be singled out for today's award, even if there's still some disagreement within the dooyooCommunity as to whether this Tigi product is similarly deserving of praise.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Make way! Make way! The UK dooyooTeam is now on Twitter!
12/08/2009 - (03:29 PM)
If you've been looking for more ways to stay in touch with the lovely people at dooyoo HQ, then your dreams are about to come true! We're now hooked in with the whole twitter phenomenon and have just posted our very first message (I guess this is sort of how Neil Armstrong felt when he first stepped out of the rocket ship...)! If you're a twitter-er, stop by and say hi at twitter.com/dooyoo_uk, and don't forget to follow us for all the very latest up to the minute news from the beating heart of dooyoo UK.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
12/08/2009 - (01:27 PM)
Question: What do a games freak, a make up expert, a pair of travel-a-holics, and a music lover have in common?
Answer: They're all top dooyoo reviewers, writing extremely useful consumer reviews, and have made it into the dooyooTeam's reading list this week!
Check out this week's celebrated dooyooers and their outstanding reviews.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Site Changes: Now You See It, Now You Don't!
11/08/2009 - (05:21 PM)
Just a quick heads up to let all you lovely dooyooers know that you are indeed not hallucinating, and that we have made a couple of changes to the review pages on the site. The first change is that we have removed the top set of rating buttons from each review page. You will all have no doubt noticed (because you're all good dooyooCommunity members, abiding by the Site Rules, and reading every review properly before rating - right? riiiight?) that the rating buttons at the bottom of each review are still there, ready and waiting. Secondly, we are now using the extra space freed up by the removal of one set of ratings buttons to display the three most recent comments from each review, rather than just the very last one as we used to. That's all for now team, keep those top quality new reviews flowing. Over and out.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
10/08/2009 - (01:30 PM)
Welcome back to a wonderful new week dooyooers! We’re starting it off in style with an excellent Crown of the Day for you: Soul for my phone. Today’s winner, tink-er-bell, has written a superb review about the Samsung SGH-U900 Soul. He comprehensively covers specific details of the phone, passing on experience and giving opinion - exactly what the dooyoo doctors ordered! To those of you looking to purchase a new mobile phone, we highly recommended reading tink-er-bell’s review before making any online purchasing decisions.
We also know shopping for a mobile phone can be complicated, so if after reading today’s winning review you’re still undecided as to which mobile phone soulfully suits you, why not consult other great reviews in the mobile phone category or browse through our Mobile Phone Buying Guide. It may just help you to make sense of it all!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
07/08/2009 - (12:28 PM)
An all-singing, all-dancing review? Of a *juicer*? Yep, it's possible, and in today's Crown of the Day, Johnny Phoenix shows us how. Get your singing voice ready and tune in to the review, called Well, mash my papaya and call me Betsy, for a light-hearted and definitely novel approach to reviewing. Sitting pretty as it does in the Household Appliances category, the review is an early entry in August's Monthly Competition - remember to get your best entry in before the end of the month!
Happy reviewing dooyooers, and have a great weekend.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Are you Coming Up Smelling of Roses?
06/08/2009 - (01:25 PM)
According to a story reported by the BBC, a mass panic was only narrowly avoided recently in a Texan bank, and dozens of people were sent to hospital, while others complained of nausea and dizziness... The cause? One woman applying a particularly strong perfume in the building. Just goes to show that your choice of fragrance is not such a trivial thing after all! Browse thousands of genuine, unbiased consumer reviews of a huge array of men's and women's fragrances to make sure that you are never the one inadvertantly gassing innocent bystanders in your vicinity. And don't forget to post your own reviews about sweet perfume dreams and/or stinky nightmares - together we can make sure this tragedy will never be repeated!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Top Notch dooyoo: Crown of the Day and Celebrated dooyooers
05/08/2009 - (10:54 AM)
We recommend organising yourself a good cup of tea and a plate of snacks before getting started on today's Crown of the Day from Nibelung - it's a long one! Sometimes that length is very appropriate though, and we just happen to think that his review, Brilliant But Read The Manual, of the Nikon D90 is spot on. A high performance, DSLR digital camera is a big investment and, as such, a thorough and detailed review is exactly what's called for before deciding whether or not this is the one for you.
Another excellent review of a technical product came from one of this week's celebrated dooyooers; take a look at abbadabbado's review of the Sony Ericsson W890i. Meanwhile Robin_Hod12 has been doing extremely well on the Crown front lately, picking up awards in both the books and music albums categories. Food-lover sakura8 has been reviewing up a storm in the Food category, and also won a Crown for her recent review in the Household Products category. dooyooCommunity Guide clownfoot posted a typically high quality review in his category, PC / Video Games this week, while new member pixis77 has made a big splash since joining the dooyooCommunity only a couple of weeks ago. Great work!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
These dooyooers Ain't No Software Softies: July Competition Winners
04/08/2009 - (12:31 PM)
Last month we asked you to tell us all about your cannot-live-without, most-loved (or most-loathed), innovative or just down right necessary software. After careful deliberation, we have chosen the three champions of the software category, based on their excellent reviews of great products in the category... and the winners are: Ostinato, boredindunoon, and tallpete33. Check out the Competitions page to find out the full information about the products and winning reviews.
The review taking out the ultimate title of Review of the Month in July was an excellent example of an informative, exceptionally useful, consumer review that still manages to have plenty of personality. Mattygroves10's review of the Sennheiser CX 500 in the Audio / HiFi category, called Mattygroves and Her Unexpectedly Good Earphones, is well worth reading, particularly if you're in the market for some new headphones.
Congratulations to all winners from last month, from us here at the dooyoo HQ!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
03/08/2009 - (12:58 PM)
Ever had one of those days where you drive your motorcycle off a cliff while chasing a dive bombing airplane? You know, one of those disastrous situations where you end up hauling yourself into the cockpit, wrestle with the faulty controls, and then at the last moment pull away as a chemical weapons factory explodes behind you? And then – typically - as you fumble through the pockets of your black combat gear, you realise you dropped your USB Flash Drive exactly where the bad guy is going to find it! Fortunately there is a device that can assist in such a situation, and it has been expertly reviewed by dooyoo member pixis77! The Ironkey Basic 2GB is a James Bond-esque gadget for storing sensitive data. pixis77 covers the basics of what a flash drive is and why this one stands out as an excellent product. It’s perhaps on the pricey side, but if you work for MI6 or with sensitive documents, this could be just what you’re looking for. Great review, thanks pixis77!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
31/07/2009 - (11:19 AM)
Today's Crown of the Day comes from a rather new addition to the dooyooCommunity, drakesdrum, who says in his About Me that reviewing is "an enjoyable activity", which is "thought provoking, [and] stretches your imagination" - we couldn't agree more. The review that caught our attention this morning is called Great turntable for beginners and beyond, and gives the Numark TT1610 Turntable a full five out of five stars for it's affordability, ease of use, and good looks. Thanks for a great write-up of an interesting product in the Audio / HiFi category drakesdrum!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Father-In-Law Day: Gardens, Barbeques, and Video Games
30/07/2009 - (10:54 AM)
Today in the US of A, the land with a day to celebrate everything, is Father-in-Law Day. He's the man who takes over the Barbeque when he comes over on the weekends, tells you all the things you needed to know about your car (and quite possibly a lot you didn't need to know), or if you're really lucky, maybe occasionally pulls out the lawnmower to tidy up your garden a little. We here at dooyoo HQ say, what's not to celebrate about that?
We suggest stocking up on garden tools and garden machinery before your father-in-law's next visit - just show him your new purchases and explain that you're at a bit of a loss as to how they work, and before you know it you'll have your very own garden fairy hard at work! Of course it wouldn't be fair to let him do all that work without any reward... How about introducing him to the endlessly entertaining world of video game consoles? The nifty Nintendo DS Lite is a great start, and you can browse through the most popular Nintendo DS Games to find the perfect match for your partner's dear ol' dad. For the literature buff, there's 100 Classic Book Collection, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? or Puzzler Collection for the puzzle lover, or the classic Mario Kart for the speed-racer.
If you're looking at things from the other side of the fence, how about making peace with your daughter- or son-in-law, surrendering your apron and charcoal steaks, and turning up to the next family barbeque with a nifty, healthy, and easy to clean George Foreman Grill. It'll be the start of a whole new era!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week!
29/07/2009 - (02:08 PM)
We have an all-star list of dooyooers for you today, first up CPTDANIELS with his outstanding book reviews, and a few other categories sprinkled throughout. Then we move on to hogsflesh, we miss him on the Guides team, but he is still writing fantastic DVD (and even VHS!) reviews on the more obscure films out there. Praskipark knows her travel reviews, and DixieChick101 has been getting amongst the Music Album reviews of late. That just leaves Alfettaman who, after a short break, is back and writing excellent reviews on, well... just about anything!
Good work guys, and thanks for all your contributions!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Suggestions Tips for Hungry dooyooers
28/07/2009 - (02:32 PM)
Are you an avid writer in the dooyoo Food category, or a suggestion addict always looking to add new products to the dooyoo catalogue? Then this announcement is for you! We've been getting quite a lot of suggestions lately for fresh food products in the food category - things like milk and fruits from particular supermarkets. As a general rule, we won't be adding these products to our catalogue, and these suggested items will be automatically deleted. This is because fresh produce depends far more on the individual year, region, and source of the produce than the supermarket or brand itself. If you want to write about these items, we suggest either giving your favourite recipes for these items in the Speakers Corner category, or if you've got a green thumb, you can tell us all about growing the plants themselves.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
27/07/2009 - (11:53 AM)
We have more vacuum cleaning madness to start off the new week today as one of our new members takes home a shiny Crown of the Day for her excellent review – Easy Cleaning with Electrolux. Even though some of tune57’s household thinks the Electrolux Velocity Z3042AZ more closely resembles a Boeing 747 taking off than a Vacuum Cleaner, she has still given this product a very flattering review and a healthy 5 stars.
So if you are looking for a vacuum cleaner to go with all those Vacuum Cleaner Accessories you’ve just bought, ignore airport traffic control and head straight to tune57’s review (earmuffs not included)!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Nuevo Nouveau Neu Nuovo: New News on dooyoo!
23/07/2009 - (10:18 AM)
The Household Appliances category is one of the most popular for visitors to dooyoo, and in particular many consumers want your opinions on vacuum cleaners. As well as continually adding new models to our catalogue, to make sure we have every base covered we've also recently added the brand spanking new Vacuum Cleaner Accessories category, because a vacuum cleaner simply doesn't operate without bags, filters, brushes, and the like. So if you've got the perfect brush that makes light work of pet hair, or found the bags of a particular vacuum cleaner completely unworkable, we want to hear about it!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
22/07/2009 - (11:07 AM)
Do you remember your first ever watch, or learning how to tell the time? Like tying your own laces, once you know how to do it you never really think about it again or remember what it was like not being able to do it. Of course those still knee-high to a grasshopper haven't had the benefit of those years of experience and wisdom and often need all the help they can get to learn those tricky tasks for the first time. That's why we love azana's review Tick tock goes this my first watch!, for bringing a great product to our attention. The affordable and attractive Timex T890224E has lots of handy features to help the young'uns figure out all the tricks of time-telling - even if, as azana found out, it doesn't exactly help get the message across that the grown-ups would like to sleep past the crack of dawn. Looks like this may be a great, educational and fun birthday present or special treat for a curious little one.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
22/07/2009 - (11:04 AM)
We here at dooyoo HQ love it when a dooyooer gets awarded their first Crown - it's an indication of the growth of the dooyooCommunity and the sheer breadth of talent on the site. Big congratulations to Kevin_C for his first Crown for his review of the album Far by Regina Spektor, and to new member shoz09 for the great review of the Apple Nike + iPod Sport Kit. Fishstir has just won his second review on the trot for his excellent review of the stylish XMI X-mini II portable speakers. For rachelwestall Crowns are getting a bit old hat with her total tally now up to six, including the latest one for her review String of Pearls - Is this a reference to American hunks perfect teeth?!. Last but definitely not least, if you're even toying with the idea of a trip to Australia any time soon, Kayteehee's review, My other car is a wicked campervan!!!, must be compulsory reading. Thanks for the great reading material folks!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
21/07/2009 - (03:43 PM)
Now that pretty much every household contains at least one digital camera, most people probably have in the regions of thousands or even tens of thousands of images on their hard drives. Since most of us don't spend hours just browsing through those photos, what better ways are there to make the images come to life and be more enjoyable to view? Today's Crown of the Day review from blissman70 has one option - turn your images into a snazzy, movie-style slide show, with opening and closing credits, soundtrack, and all sorts of special effects! If that sounds like something you and your family could get into, check out the review, Make your still images come to life, of the Windows Movie Maker multimedia program in the Software category.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
p.s. This great review is already in the running to win the Monthly Competition this month - have you got your entry in yet?
Crown of the Day
20/07/2009 - (01:03 PM)
A smarter answer is a rather smart little review written by Alfettaman over the weekend. Answering Machines may seem a little out dated and unnecessary these days as most Telecommunication Services provide voice mail options without the additional hassle of buying another machine to do the job. Alfettaman however puts forward a very convincing argument for purchasing the BT Response 75. This is the second of three excellent reviews he has written over the weekend. We recommend 'ringing' up his profile to hear what he has to say!
Don’t forget the Monthly Competition is in the Software category - there are only ten days to go and we want to hear about it, glitches and all!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
dooyoo's Most Sought After: Popular Categories
16/07/2009 - (11:42 AM)
Most dooyooers tell us that they love writing reviews - they enjoy the creative process and sharing their opinions about the various products and services that they've tried, plus of course earning some rewards along the way. Have you ever wondered though, about all those other consumers out there, the non-members, who research their purchases on dooyoo? Ever wondered which categories are the most popular, or which of your reviews are likely to be of most use to consumers? Read on - the answers might surprise you!
The number one, far and away most popular category with consumers using dooyoo is Computer, in particular, consumers are looking for reviews on laptops. They might not always be the most fascinating reviews for us review-a-holics, but it makes a lot of sense when you think about it - it's usually the bigger, more expensive, technical items that we need the most help and advice with before purchasing. In fact, the next most popular items are Mobile Phones - another technical gadget, with people looking for your advice to help find their way through the labyrinth of different manufacturers, styles, and features.
It's not all technology and computer chips though, the Fashion & Beauty also gets a lot of hits, particularly for Fragrances. Let's face it, no one wants to be that person in the elevator that everyone else backs away from, so share your experience on the sweetest and sourest scents to make the world a better-smelling place!
Rounding out the most popular categories for consumers this month are Household Appliances and Kids & Family. Parents looking to find out which pram offers the best value for money and functionality, and those looking for direction in the saturated vacuum cleaner, washing machine, and refrigerator markets rely on the dooyooCommunity for tips and advice.
Of course it's not these categories exclusively that are of importance to the site, and to consumers, but it's certainly interesting to know which categories you can write in to help the most people. Keep up all the great work dooyooers!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers
15/07/2009 - (01:23 PM)
The list of dooyooers on the dooyooTeam's reading list this week has all your consumer review needs covered. From our very own expert food critic, Machair1, to beauty and hair care tips from fruityzo (she of the zany member pic). For your laptop protection requirements, nixtee has it sorted with her review of the Cumpler The Wide Gimp 17 laptop cover, while Great_reviewer07 and waterlilly have the entertainent side of things in hand with plenty of DVD and book recommendations.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Summer Must Haves for Rain, Hail, and Shine
15/07/2009 - (11:12 AM)
"St Swithun's day if thou dost rain / For forty days it will remain / St Swithun's day if thou be fair / For forty days 'twill rain na mair".
Take a look out the window dooyooers - if what you see is blue skies and sunshine, then according to the popular folklore of St Swithun, the summer weather is here to stay for the next forty days. If you see rain and dark clouds, then it's time to bunker down, pull out the waterproofs, and settle in for a wet few weeks. Luckily, whichever way it goes, we here at dooyoo HQ have you covered - the top 5 must haves for rain and shine.
Top 5 Summer Shine
1. Xen Tan Deep Bronze Instant Self Tan - just the thing to safely get that summer glow.
2. We all know that it's important to protect our skin from too much harmful sun exposure, and Garnier Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Gel SPF 30 is a good way to do just that.
3. Keeping cool and attaining that Brazilian beach summer look has never been easier with the fabulously comfortable Havaiana Flip Flops!
4. A sweet, refreshing treat on a summer afternoon, without the expense of store bought premium ice creams, is what the Kenwood IM200 Ice Cream Maker offers.
5. Last but not least, one for the kids. They're sure to love the Thomas The Tank Pop Up Play Tent, Train and Tunnel Combo!
Top 5 Summer Storm
1. The ladies can get into the spirit of the wet weather with the "unique and well blended" La Prairie: Silver Rain Eau de Pafum.
2. Why let a little rain stop you from getting out of the house? All you need is a good umbrella, and according to MALU, the Knirps Umbrella fits that bill perfectly.
3. If it is going to rain, you might as well make the best of it - with one of these Sankey Waterbutt 100L rainwater tanks!
4. Of course the rain may do your garden good, but it isn't so great for the laundry...it might be time to invest in a top notch tumble dryer, like the Hoover VHC391.
5. Even in rainy weather there are certain events that you want to record for posterity. The Sanyo Xacti VPC-CA9 is a digital camcorder that incorporates waterproof capabilities, with a 12 megapixel camera, and an easy to use, lightweight design - perfect!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
14/07/2009 - (05:37 PM)
Looking for dinner ideas? Today's Crown of the Day is just what you need! Not only does it give a great summary of the benefits of the Morphy Richards 48719 Slow Cooker, but also some great recipe ideas for summer or winter. A novel approach and a great combination for this product we thought. Take a look at the reivew Cook it Long and Cook it Slow, from oldchem. The Morphy Ricahrds Cooker is doing pretty well with the dooyooers so far, with abbadabbado also giving it a whopping five out of five stars.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
13/07/2009 - (11:53 AM)
With school summer holidays starting shortly, many dooyooers will be making the most of the (hopefully) hot weather by packing cars to the brim Tetris style, and hitting the road looking for the perfect spot to set up camp and relax. When camping there are many home luxuries you expect to be without, but take it from a man who knows - “There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of a dark and rainy night for a call of nature with the toilet block a 200m walk only to find that your lantern batteries have given up the ghost and you have no light.” yackers1, no doubt speaking from personal experience, advises how we can avoid this rather frustrating situation and has written an excellent review of the Gelert 12 LED Wind Up Lantern. Is this some wind up? is a great read and a very worth Crown of the Day, thanks yackers1!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Calling all London dooyooers!
10/07/2009 - (10:06 AM)
dooyooCommunity Guide, grahamt's going to be in London on Monday the 20th of July and hopes that any dooyooers who are in the area at lunchtime might like to meet up for a chat at The Montagu Pyke on Charing Cross Road. You won't be able to miss him: he'll be in his black dooyoo polo shirt and probably whiling away the time on his laptop until someone arrives. Drop by and say hello!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
09/07/2009 - (12:51 PM)
Self-proclaimed "best dooyooer of the year", The Duke, wins today's Crown of the Day for his excellent review, iLike it, of the new Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB. The Duke describes the phone as the best smart phone on the market, with a great interface and lots of easy to use features, but does complain that the camera is less wow than expected, and that Apple could afford to knock a few pounds off the price. The review is packed full of useful information and comparisons to other phones on the market - read it yourself to find out whether the new iPhone is the gadget for you!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
08/07/2009 - (11:43 AM)
Consistently classy Film reviewer FairyG, says she "can often be seen at Cineworld with a cappucino in hand" and this week she tells us all about her coffee machine of choice, the Morphy Richards 47064. New member Ostinato has also been in the kitchen, and recently posted a fantastic review of her ice cream maker (perfect for the summer months), and also got a head start on the Monthly Competition in the Software category this month with her review Sibelius 6...definitely worth the upgrade price!. Meanwhile Craggybuk has given us a top notch desktop PC review this week, as well as getting stuck into some great reviews of Xbox 360 games.
Chezza99 proclaims loudly and proudly "We may be skint, but we're gorgeous" in her witty and extremely useful review full of budget beauty tips. On the other hand, Muffin_The_Mule has been living the high life and has won an outstanding 4 Crowns in a row for his excellent reviews of destinations in Asia in the Travel category.
So there you have it, another week, another bunch of super-duper-dooyooers. Thanks for all the fantastic contributions!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
07/07/2009 - (12:30 PM)
Even amidst all our enthusiasm about Crowns, ratings, and other member features, it's important never to lose sight of dooyoo's core function - providing a platform where regular consumers can share their views about products and services, to help others make better purchasing decisions, and combining this information with a price comparison so you can get the product at the right price.
Last week we interviewed one dooyooer whose experience highlights the benefits of dooyoo perfectly. Check out the results of our conversation with weebill about shopping, dooyooCommunity Guides, and getting the best deals.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
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dooyooTeam: Thanks for agreeing to sit in the hot seat weebill! So, we heard that you recently got some help from one of your fellow dooyooers, could you tell us about that?
weebill: The help Colin (thebigc1690) gave me was excellent, he has a knowledge of cameras that is second to none and he agreed to help me choose the perfect camera for my wife. We exchanged email addresses and after listening to what my wife needed a camera for, he went out of his way to help us get the right one. We remain friends now and my wife and I are going to visit his studio soon for a photo shoot with our grandkids.
dooyooTeam: That's such a fantastic story, and perfectly illustrates how dooyoo is supposed to work! How do you think that the advice you receive on dooyoo is different from advice you might get from a store assistant or salesperson?
weebill: The advice I have received in stores from assistants and sales persons in the past has so obviously been designed to get me to buy, rather than to help me choose. What you get here on dooyoo is a good range of advice and all of it can be treated as honest, as the persons writing it have nothing to gain from making a product seem better than it is, thus meaning the dooyoo advice is the better of the two by far.
dooyooTeam: Has being a member of dooyoo changed your shopping habits, or changed the way you research your product purchases?
weebill: My shopping habits were already starting to change prior to joining dooyoo, I was already using various methods of seeking advice before making purchases (especially expensive ones) but since joining dooyoo this has gone one stage further, I now research pretty much everything on here.
dooyooTeam: As a member, how helpful do you find the dooyooCommunity Guides system?
weebill: The guides system is becoming a big talking point on the site at the minute and I for one think that the site would be a poorer place without them. Not only do they write some excellent reviews but they also take time to do a lot of reading and rating so that we can all know which reviews are the best ones to take advice from. All that aside though I feel the guides do their best work weeding out the plagiarisers that unfortunately every review site seems to get, most times I see a review that has been copied from elsewhere it is a guide who has spotted this and pointed it out, so for that alone they have a place on the site in my opinion.
Well thanks very much for the interview and giving me a platform to air my views from, it has been a pleasure as has my time on the site in general and I look forward to both reading and writing on here for a long time to come.
dooyooTeam: Thank you weebill, we look forward to that too!
Crown of the Day
06/07/2009 - (12:26 PM)
We love it when new members write great reviews, and today we want to reward Trev11 for his very informative review of an old school classic, the Casio F91W1XY watch. With snazzy functions such as ‘Alarm’ and ‘Stopwatch’ (all displayed on an Liquid Crystal Display Screen) you know the future is here, and strapped to your wrist! A watch that tells the time......and does not do much else! is recommend reading if you are looking for a new watch and it doesn’t have to be a Rolex or a Tag Heuer, or if you are just interested in reading a very good review. Which reminds me of another old school classic - Q: What time is it when an elephant sits on your watch? A: Time to get a new watch!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
All The Colours of the Rainbow: London Pride
03/07/2009 - (11:19 AM)
Rainbows, colour, and glitter are the order of the day this weekend as the Pride Festival hits the streets of London. This year's Pride London parade kicks off from Baker Street at 1pm on Saturday and progresses through Soho with flair and festivity all the way to Trafalgar Square.
Speaking of glitter, if you're ready to go all out on costumes and crazy colour, the dooyooCommunity has already done all the testing you need to find the best products! MAC Glitter is a firm favourite, or for an alternative that doesn't make quite such a dent in the savings, Barry M Fine Glitter Dust is also heartily recommended. Pair that with Urban Decay Glam Rock Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner for some serious shine!
When it comes to tunes though, it seems like one should leave Glitter out of it all together... Instead, go for the Ultimate - Kylie has it covered. Amongst all the frivolity of Pride you'll have a snowball's chance in hell of staying clean and tidy, but Madonna's Immaculate Collection should make up for that!
Want more information? Try checking out Attitude magazine, it's very capably reviewed by edindave, dbarcl10, and plipplop.
Stuck outside of the capital? You can still have some themed enjoyment at home - the obvious choice is the Australian classic, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, or how about The Birdcage, In & Out, or Kinky Boots for some light-hearted fun.
Enjoy the party dooyooers, and have a great weekend!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
A Bumper Crop: dooyoo Competition Winners
02/07/2009 - (10:04 AM)
The results are in and we have our illustrious winners of the June competitions! As always it was tightly contested, but the three selected top writers in the House and Garden category are; yackers1 for his review A Child’s Power Tool, Sakura8 for People of the world, spice up your life!!, and wigglylittleworm for the review Garden Glider. Thanks to all the dooyooers who shared their tales of woe and triumph over lawn mowers, garden tools, household products, and more with us last month.
The winner of this month’s Review of the Month title may, for perhaps the first time ever, be just a tad cheesed off that we are drawing all this attention to his review… DocDan3 loves the individuality of his GelaSkin iPod Touch so much that he probably wanted to keep the product his own little secret. But with such a detailed, engaging, and helpful review we really just couldn’t resist giving it the ultimate title this month. Luckily for Dan, the GelaSkins do come in a variety of great colours and designs, so even if his review, Customise & Protect Your iPod!, does persuade you to get one he might still be able to claim that his iPod Touch stands out in a crowd!
Want to be a winner in July? Then get inspired by the myriad new products in the Software category - we’re looking to reward those reviews that branch out into new areas in the Software world, tell us about the latest and greatest new programs, or introduce us to a specialised product we never knew existed. Plus, as always, we're looking to fill any gaps in our comprehensive consumer reviews, and we'll be drawing 20 winners in the First Review Draw this month, for members who write the first review of a product in the Audio / HiFi, Computer, or Photograpy categories.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers
01/07/2009 - (05:13 PM)
Pssssst... take a look at the dooyooTeam profile to see which five dooyooers have been added to the Celebrated dooyooers of the Week list. We'll give you a clue, it contains the winner of June's Review of the Month title, two rising stars in the Music Albums category, a talented new member, and a busy mum who recently won her first Crown. Just a few of the great writers in the dooyooCommunity talent pool!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyoo Royalty: Members with the Most Crowns
30/06/2009 - (04:48 PM)
We have a lot of fantastic writers in the dooyooCommunity, and the Crowns are our way of drawing attention to those reviews that we think are truly stellar - and at the same time rewarding the authors with a bonus 1,500 dooyooMiles. So, which dooyooers have been stocking up the awards in the last month? In the last 30 days, the most Crowned members list was topped by Praskipark, with many of her best reviews coming from the Travel category. Next up, also with seven Crowns in the last month, is dooyooCommunity Guide, fab writer, and generally hilarious guy plipplop. An outstanding new addition to the dooyooCommunity, Hishyeness, draws for third place with talented book and film reviewer Jake Speed, while zoe_page_1 rounds out the top five. Excellent work!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Who Ya Gonna Call...?!
29/06/2009 - (01:25 PM)
Eighties movie remakes seem to be the order of the day as of late, and the classic comedy Ghostbusters is no exception with the third in the series being expected in 2012. Atari has taken advantage of this and released a new Ghostbusters game on all the major video game consoles - sounds awesome. Is it good or should it be locked in an Ecto-Containment Unit!?
Triplecthegame takes a thorough look at the PS3 version of this title in his review, Ain't afraid of no ghosts? Maybe... but they are afraid of being a decent game, and it has earned him the Crown of the Day. He covers game play, graphics, sustainability, the good, the bad, and everything else that is essential for a top notch video game review. According to triplecthegame, some areas of the game don’t quite cut the mustard. Check out the review to find out why and whether it's one you want to add to your collection.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
dooyoo Salutes the King of Pop
26/06/2009 - (03:37 PM)
Regardless of your age or upbringing, chances are that at some time or another you've cut up the dance floor to a Michael Jackson pop song. Recent legal battles that have cast a shadow on his reputation aside, MJ's influence on modern music and entertainment is hard to overestimate. In honour of the Pop King's passing, take a wander with us through the dooyoo halls and find out what the dooyooCommunity think of one of the Twentieth Century's legends.
The beginning of what will probably be a flood of commemorative reviews this weekend, stalwart of the Music category, XICripZ, was quick off the mark with his review of the record Off the Wall. The review, He's Livin', describes the album as full of "lots of big tunes" and as the release that got MJ's career back in full swing. Of course the album Thriller is probably the one that will go down in history as truly unforgettable - as reflected by the incredible 5 star rating from the dooyooCommunity.
The immediate impact of MJ's death is visible everywhere, with scores of celebrities already expressing their views on the subject. Apparently Madonna "can't stop crying", while Katie Price declared the star a "total legend xxxxxxxxxxx". It seems to have affected many dooyooers already too, with the suggestions for MJ tribute categories pouring in. We made special allowance for this item and bumped it up the queue of suggestions due to special interest. We're looking forward to reading your Tributes to the Legend... Michael Jackson after the weekend.
Enjoy your MJ marathons this weekend dooyooers!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyoo Honour Roll
24/06/2009 - (11:01 AM)
The Crown of the Day goes to... interminable drum roll... sakura8 for her review People of the world, spice up your life!!. The review is a comprehensive and concise (a difficult combination to master, we think you'll agree!) account of the Cole & Mason Duo Salt and Pepper Mill in the Kitchenware and Cookery category. Being part of the House & Garden family, the review is also in the running to pick up the fantastic Monthly Competition prize. Don't forget to get your entry in before the end of the month - less than a week to go!
The quality just keeps on coming with this week's celebrated dooyooers. Nibelung impressed us with his review of the Samsung ML 1630W laser printer, while our feelings for apuskiduski linger somewhere between admiration and envy after reading her recent excellent reviews in the Travel category. Lakerfanster and Andy.mack have been getting groovy in the Music Album category, and Dan_Pentagram has been busy getting the low down on Playstation Games. Take a look at some of the outstanding reviews by this week's celebrated dooyooers.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
New new new on dooyoo!
23/06/2009 - (05:25 PM)
Wondering what's new on dooyoo? We are constantly updating our catalogue with new products and your new suggestions. That means everyday there are new items in Audio / HiFi, Household Appliances, Kids and Family, and lots more for you to write about, browse, and be inspired by. Don't forget that if you are the first dooyooer to write a review for a product in one of the First Review Draw categories this month, you go in the draw to win a bonus 2,500 dooyooMiles!
Speaking of suggestions... We are more than happy to upload your suggestions for current products that aren't yet in the dooyoo catalogue. However, we won't upload items that are no longer available for sale, as reviews about these products don't really help consumers researching their product purchases on dooyoo. So, your favourite bath products from five years ago in the Fashion & Beauty category won't be accepted as new suggestions. Tell us about your favourite products from today instead!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
22/06/2009 - (01:10 PM)
What do Linkin Park, Stan Getz and the Gladiator Soundtrack have in common? Well according to solid dooyoo reviewer Hishyeness, they all sound great when listened to on Sennheiser’s CX 300 headphones. Whether you own an iPod, a Creative Zen, a Zune or any of the other mp3 players on the market, it pays to consider possible alternatives to the standard issue, in-ear headphones that come with them. The dooyooCommunity has given this Sennheiser set the thumbs up, and the Crown of the Day – A Great Replacement for Standard iPod Earphones - is no different, painting them in a very positive light and awarding them a very respectable 4 stars. So while some people may think a pair of tin cans and some old string might be a suitable replacement (thanks plipplop), we recommend reading this excellent piece of review writing before making any decisions!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
