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dooyooCommunity Tea Break
05/02/2009 - (01:08 PM)
This week we interviewed one of the longest standing members of the dooyooCommunity to find out what makes a real dooyoo addict tick. Read about our conversation with dooyoo's alliteration queen, star reviewer MALU below. And, if you've somehow managed to overlook MALU's reviews, we suggest you get your reading glasses out sharpish!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
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dooyooTeam: Many dooyooers know that you're actually German MALU (not that one could tell, based on your perfect English!). What brought you to dooyoo UK?
MALU: When the German dooyoo site (dooyooTeam note: the site is www.dooyoo.de for those who are interested) was founded I read an article about it in a German newspaper. I joined out of curiosity and stayed because I found the niches Books and Travel, which interested me more than product reviews. When I had learnt the trade so-to-speak, I discovered the British offspring of dooyoo and decided to try my luck there. I decided to stay for good and have now been on the British site for more than eight years. I'm one of the dooyoo dinosaurs!
dooyooTeam: Eight years certainly is a long time! What is it about dooyoo that keeps you coming back for more?
MALU: I can tell dooyoo-land what I've seen on my travels and what I think about books, and people read what I write, isn't that great? I've also learnt a lot about subjects I didn't even know existed! The community spirit is just right for me, I've found some good friends on the site, two of whom I've already met in real life. I also like that I'm paid for my efforts.
dooyooTeam: Those are great reasons, and definitely true! So what do you do with your dooyooMiles rewards?
MALU: English books are expensive in Germany, so I'm always happy about Amazon vouchers. With these I buy new books which I then review and for which I get dooyooMiles, which become Amazon vouchers and so on and so on. May dooyoo stay alive as long as I want to read English books!
dooyooTeam: Indeed we will! Thanks for chatting with us MALU, and for being such a loyal and valued member of the dooyooCommunity. Here's to the next eight years and beyond!
Crown of the Day
05/02/2009 - (11:04 AM)
An Apple for the Teacher is the title of today's Crowned Review of the Day from Nar2. Awarding the Apple Remote a respectable four out of five stars, Nar2 gives us a balanced report on this handy remote and points out its effectiveness in instantly winning over a classroom of rowdy students. Definitely an accessory that Apple Mac owners should consider by the sounds of things. Great work!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
January Competition: Winter Winners!
04/02/2009 - (11:04 AM)
January was a busy month on dooyoo and we saw a veritable flood of great new reviews, but still, through herculean effort, we managed to narrow it down to one review that we think well and truly deserves the title of Review of the Month - A Canon that lacks firepower, in the Digital Camera category, is a truly top notch review from a man who really knows his Photography stuff, thebigc1690. Congratulations on your 100th review bigc and on your outstanding review.
The crème de la crème of reviews in the Health category, subject of January's Monthly Competition, have also been carefully selected with mattygroves10 taking home the first prize of 5,000 dooyooMiles, while FariyG collected 3,000 dooyooMiles for her review My magic lamp, and recent dooyoo convert edinburgher took out the third prize of 1,000 dooyooMiles. Those are some nice rewards, and well deserved!
There were also 20 lucky dooyooers who walked away with 2,500 dooyooMiles each for writing a First Review in one of last month's chosen categories. If you'd like to go in the draw in February, all you have to do is post a Premium Review of a product that hasn't yet been reviewed in the categories Audio / HiFi, Cosmetics, or Video.
For the full details, and to find out which category is in the spotlight in this month's Monthly Competition, skip over to the Competitions page.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated (and extremely good looking) dooyooers of the Week
03/02/2009 - (01:02 PM)
As is customary on Tuesday mornings, we busily searched through all the top reviewers of the last week to locate the five dooyooers that we here at dooyoo HQ are especially loving this week. After adding all the members to the dooyooTeam Circle of Friends we noticed something special about this week's celebrated dooyooers. Take a look at our Circle of Friends and you'll see what we mean... Go on, take a look! See?! All those friendly, smiling faces captured gloriously by the wonders of digital photography? Not only do the reviews of ryanando, nursie_nursie, dididave, burtybookworm and xxfoxyredxx set the standard, but they're also excellent examples of what a dooyoo member pic should be.
So dooyooers, your mission this week, if you haven't already done so, is to add a nice, clear, close(ish)-up, portrait format picture of yourself to your account. Show your unbearably handsome face to the world! And if the envy and admiration of the rest of us isn't enough motivation, remember that we can only highlight you in our member ads on the site if you have a suitable member picture of yourself uploaded.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
02/02/2009 - (12:19 PM)
Sufferers of arthritis and those of you with overly manicured finger nails may have difficulty when it comes to opening tinned goods with a ring pull lid, but today's Crown of the Day winner may have the solution to all your ring-pull-tin-opening problems!
This excellent review from i_am_joy, looks at a simple yet ingenious product, designed to help with what can be a difficult task for some people and which can be bought at a bargain price. Interested? It's magic! is the review, and it covers all you need to know about the Lakeland Magi Pull - a great start to the new dooyoo week!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
29/01/2009 - (02:09 PM)
If you are struggling to stick to your New Year dietary resolution, then perhaps you should take a look at ryanando’s newest review - Can you tell me how to get... He gives us the lowdown on the internet site caloriecount.about.com, which gives guidance and support to those wanting to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Sit down with a beverage (low-calorie of course) and have a read, it’s interesting, informative and very worthy for a Crown of the Day!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Ch-ch-changes on dooyoo: Site Updates
28/01/2009 - (03:25 PM)
Unless you've had a particularly sleep and caffeine deprived week thus far, you will have noticed that we've made some changes to the dooyoo homepage. The new header information aims to help first time visitors to the site quickly find out what dooyoo is about, and the counter shows how busy dooyoo has been over the last week. As you can see, dooyooers, there are a LOT of people reading your reviews - so we know you'll always do your best to make those reviews as useful as possible to consumers using the site!
We've been busy this week and there's a further change to the site that we'd like to draw your attention to. The dooyoo Oath is an extra check that we've put into the system to make sure that we are only receiving original, unbiased, and accurate reviews. The dooyooCommunity has a reputation for providing independent, trusted, and honest consumer reviews, and we want to make sure that a) all new members of the dooyooCommunity are aware of this and b) all visitors to the site are assured of the veracity of your reviews. We think you'll agree that's got to be good however you look at it.
As always, we hope that you're enjoying dooyoo, and look forward to seeing your new high quality, genuine, and unflinchingly honest reviews on the site soon!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
26/01/2009 - (02:09 PM)
Feeling tense? Got some aches and pains from getting a bit too adventurous with your New Year's Resolution to exercise more and get fit? According to edinburgher, who won today's Crown of the Day, Deep Heat hits the spot every time. Deep Heat Fast Relief Rub is sure to be a product you've heard of before, but if you've wondered what all the fuss was about, or whether it actually lives up to its reputation, it might be worth checking out edinburgher's excellent review in the Health category.
Don't forget, if you've got your own personal favourite wonder product for minor ailments and health problems, you've only got until the end of the month to get your review posted to be in the running to win bonus dooyooMiles in the dooyoo Monthly Competition.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Burns Night 2009: 250 Years of Robert Burns
23/01/2009 - (11:47 AM)
This weekend, Sunday the 25th of January to be specific, is Burns Night, a celebration of the life and work of Scottish poet Robert Burns (who wrote Auld Lang Syne). And this year it's extra special because it's the poet's 250th birthday! Traditionally Burns Night suppers, whether formal or informal, involve haggis, Scotch whisky, and readings of Burns' work. If you're planning a Scottish themed supper this weekend in honour of the great poet, you may be interested in cheekyegg's recommendation of Grants Haggis or other reviews of this traditional dish from the dooyooCommunity. Of course the evening wouldn't be complete without some reading from the Complete Poems and Songs of Robert Burns, or, for the little ones, Rabbie's Rhymes: Robert Burns for Wee Folk.
Wishing all you dooyooers a wonderful Burns Night celebration and a great weekend!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
22/01/2009 - (04:06 PM)
Exciting news dooyooers - we have an extremely promising new member to introduce to you who has in fact won today's Crown of the Day. We're sure the rest of the dooyooCommunity will join us in welcoming neillya1 to the site. So far, this new reviewer seems set on making a reputation for themselves in the technical categories such as Audio / HiFi and Computer with their concise, opinion-filled consumer reviews. The review that grabbed our attention today contains some great advice on the Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Performance 1 GB DDR II 800 MHz RAM (phew, that was quite a mouthful), which neillya1 gives an outstanding five star rating. Take a look at the winning review, Best bang for the buck around!.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
21/01/2009 - (05:31 PM)
Hey dooyooers! In the mood for some top quality review reading? Then make a bee-line for the dooyooTeam profile and see which members of the dooyooCommunity we're loving this week. Stellar consumer reviews and interesting products abound in this week's new crop of celebrated dooyooers!
Also, we're looking for more volunteers to sit in the dooyoo hot seat and be interviewed by the dooyooTeam. If you'd like to claim your 15 minutes of dooyoo fame, and think your reviews are of a high quality, send us a dooyooMail at dooyooTeam telling us why you'd like to be featured on the dooyooCommunity homepage. As always, we look forward to hearing from you.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
19/01/2009 - (02:15 PM)
Taking Crown of the Day honours today is newby2, who despite the name is not a dooyoo newbie at all and has been writing since 2007! Her review A Good All in Oner! takes a look at the Epson Stylus SX400 all in one printer. Those looking to upgrade their printer or make a first time purchase are bound to find the advice in this review invaluable. There are many more reviews in the All in One Printer category to browse through and plenty of new reviews from this weekend, more than enough to help get you through the first day of the week!
Don't forget the Monthly Competition is in the Health category. With just over a week left in January, you better get those reviews in to be in with a chance to take home the bonus dooyooMiles!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Russian Winter Festival: Only on dooyoo in 2009
15/01/2009 - (10:36 AM)
Those dooyooers in London may have heard about the Russian Winter Festival that's become an annual event around this time of year in Trafalgar Square. From what we here at dooyoo HQ have been led to believe, the event was a lot of fun (what's not to like about Russian dancers, food aplenty, and stalls selling vodka on a freezing winter's day?) and was becoming more and more popular each year. Sadly, it seems that the finance crisis has claimed another victim with the festival organisers saying that due to a lack of sponsorship funding the festival would not be going ahead this January. But that's no reason why we can't have a bit of a virtual festival on dooyoo, so take a look at our must-see reads and top products for getting into the Russian Winter Festival spirit!
1. Naturally the obvious starting point for some festivities-appropriate reading is the Travel category, and in particular the reviews on Russia. There are already some fascinating reviews on the subject, but if you've visited Russia recently we'd love you to add your own review.
2. For a more specifically gastronomical tour of the area, Praskipark has us covered with her excellent review A Cuisine steeped in Eastern Tradition, from the history of the culinary culture to standard dishes.
3. Now of course dooyoo advises moderation when it comes to alcohol consumption (and only for those of legal drinking age), but it wouldn't be a Russian festival without a wee nip of the national spirit of choice. Take a look at what the dooyooCommunity thinks of Stolichnaya Vodka, the Russian-produced brand, or other brands of vodka. If that sort of 'warming' drink is not really your style, you could always try Twinings Russian Caravan Tea - it comes high recommended from the dooyooCommunity!
4. For something that you can share with the kids, we think that the House of Crafts Russian Doll Painting Kit looks absolutely adorable. We haven't heard from anyone who's tried the kit out yet, so if you do decide to give it a go make sure you let us know how you get on!
5. Finally, who could go past a bit of Bond's old rivalry with the Russians? If you haven't seen the classic film From Russia with Love, or it's been a while between viewings, it might be time to give it a whirl.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
14/01/2009 - (09:50 AM)
A brief introduction to the history of prog rock, an overview and evaluation of the band King Crimson and their music, an excellent description of the album Red, and an extremely engaging review from start to finish: today's Crown of the Day, Music to scare yourself with!, is all of these things and more. Check out the highly descriptive, knowledgeable music reviews from top reviewer tomflint - you won't be disappointed!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
13/01/2009 - (02:34 PM)
Many dooyoo reviewers have gotten the new year off to a great start on dooyoo with a veritable rush of high quality reviews being posted by new and established members alike. Two new dooyooers who really caught our attention (and, judging by all the Crown nominations, the attention of the dooyooCommunity too) in the last week are gemzeh and RedBen. Both members have already got several Crowns to their names and we highly recommend you check out their excellent reviews. dooyooCommunity Guide, sandra101, has also been in fine form so far this year, including some great reviews in this month's Monthly Competition category, Health. There's been another influx of Travel reviews from zoe_page_1 to make us all long for the exotic climes of South America, and brokenangel has been giving us plenty of reading about another form of escape from the daily grind with her high quality reviews in the Printed Book category. We think you'll agree there's some fine content in that group - happy reading!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Amazon Vouchers... Sorry!
12/01/2009 - (04:16 PM)
dooyoo would like to sincerely apologise to those who still have not received their Amazon vouchers and dooyooMiles payments. We are currently experiencing problems in getting these sent out to you, however we are working hard to get them there as soon as we can! Thank you for your patience.
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
08/01/2009 - (01:57 PM)
Thursday’s Crown of the Day goes to koshkha for her excellent review, Like Oxfam meets the Dragons' Den. You almost need sunglasses to look at her profile due to the glistening Crowns that stretch as far as the eye can see - an almost constant string going back to 2006! Another worthy review, this time about kiva.org, an organisation devoted to lending money to people so they have the opportunity to improve the lives of themselves and their family without having to deal with a constantly growing and un-ending debt. Thanks for bringing this organisation to our attention; we think it is a great idea. Chalk another one up koshkha!
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week & Crown of the Day!
07/01/2009 - (01:10 PM)
Today we have selected another group of exceptional dooyooers to be welcomed into our Circle of Friends as 'Celebrated dooyooers of the Week' - these guys have been reviewing up a storm over the last couple of weeks. plipplop, as usual, has been on fine form and received three Crowns already this year, not bad going for someone who has possibly been eating too much beef over the festive season. dooyooCommunity Guides grahamt and hogsflesh have been keeping the standard high, and charltonFC has a string of great reviews to her name.
That just leaves the fifth and final member RayWhitney who as well as becoming one of our Celebrated dooyooers of the Week, is also taking the Crown of the Day. It was the title that grabbed our attention and the clear and interesting writing style that held it until the end. Hated Christmas Shopping? Try This! reviews the game Dead Rising (Xbox 360), which is unsurprisingly for the Xbox 360. It’s very well written and a deserving winner.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Happy New Year!!!
06/01/2009 - (12:18 PM)
A new year always brings about change - new plans, ideas, goals, and of course resolutions! Whether you’re looking to stop smoking and exercise more, to be more organised, or to back up and label those holiday snaps from two summers ago, we have reviews to help you on your way. The Health, Sports Equipment, Computer and Software categories are growing by the day and may be invaluable in you keeping to that resolution. Of course, some of you may be perfect just the way you are, in which case we say great! Just sit back and enjoy canvassing through the abundant reviews that have been submitted over the past couple of weeks.
Whatever it is you are doing in the early days of 2009, we hope you all made it safely through the holiday season and managed some quality time with your friends and family. From everyone here at dooyoo HQ, Happy New Year!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Do you dooyoo Over the Festive Season?
23/12/2008 - (10:48 AM)
From all of us here at dooyoo HQ, we are wishing everyone out there in dooyoo land a very happy, healthy, and merry festive season! We know that most of you will be busy carving the turkey, wrapping and un-wrapping presents, and trying to keep the new lego blocks out of little Johnny's nose, but we hope there will still be a few minutes spare for you to log in to dooyoo, check on the latest happenings, and maybe even start reviewing all the new toys you received at Christmas. For those of you that will be active on the site over the festive season, we would ask for just a little patience. Even dooyoo HQ-ers need to spend some time with their loved ones over the holiday season and the office will be running on a skeleton staff, so it may take a little longer for us to reply to your emails and process your dooyooMiles rewards. Don't worry though, we'll soon be back in full strength to catch up on everything, and we will still be around to answer any urgent queries. So, happy holidays, and happy dooyoo-ing dooyooers!
-Elise & Hal
dooyooTeam
Happy Hanukkah dooyooers!
22/12/2008 - (10:06 AM)
This time of year isn't only important in the Christian tradition, it's also one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the Jewish calendar. Hanukkah (also written as Chanukkah), is the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, and runs for eight days during the Jewish month of Kislev - and this year it begins tonight! Each evening of the festival another candle is lit in the traditional Menorah - a specially designed candelabra. Although there is not a long tradition of gift giving at Hanukkah, many families do exchange gifts during the festival, particularly small amounts of money, chocolate coins, or toys for the children.
Is all of this is new information to you? If so, you might be interested in some reading material on the subject - take a look at Jewish Wisdom: The Essential Teachings, or share the learning with your children with Light the Candles: A Hanukkah Lift-the-flap Book.
There are also some fascinating museums dedicated to Jewish culture in Europe, probably one of the most famous being the Jewish Museum in Berlin, covering two millennia of German Jewish history housed in a stunning new building designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, or the Jewish Historical Museum - Amsterdam. Definitely something to look into next time you're heading abroad.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
19/12/2008 - (12:06 PM)
Women may have been chipping away at the glass ceiling in the workplace for quite a few years now, but it seems men are only just beginning to scratch at the glass cabinet of cosmetic mysteries that women have been using since time began to enhance their (natural) good looks. If you've ever asked yourself why women should have all the fun, it's time you checked out plipplop's latest review Because Men Wear Make-Up Too and caught up on the latest news in men's cosmetics. The review, which takes out today's Crown of the Day, gives us the low down on Taxi London Manscara, an eyelash defining clear mascara designed especially for masculine lashes. We applaud plipplop for introducing many uninitiated dooyooers into the world of men's Fashion & Beauty products, and for his fantastic review.
Remember, if you'd also like to be in the running to win dooyooMiles prizes in the December Monthly Competition you'll need to get your Crown-worthy reviews in the Fashion & Beauty category in before you head out for those New Year's Eve celebrations...
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
18/12/2008 - (12:00 PM)
This week we spent a bit of time finding out what makes one of dooyoo’s younger members heart skip a beat - and you might be surprised! Shaaza has been a community member for just over a year and enjoys writing and contributing to various categories, so why not read our interview and follow up with checking out her reviews.
Would you like to be interviewed by us? Send us a dooyooMail through our dooyooTeam profile telling us why you’d be a good candidate and we’ll select the dooyooers with the best answers to be featured on the dooyooCommunity news page!
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dooyooTeam: So Shaaza, how did you get your start on dooyoo?
Shaaza: I started off on Ciao, and a friend recommended me to dooyoo as they thought it was easier. So I joined dooyoo with great expectations, it turned out to be easier than Ciao. Therefore, a month later I just decided to stick with dooyoo.
dooyooTeam: And what do you love about dooyoo?
Shaaza: I love the structure of dooyoo and how the website is laid out (easy to get used to). I also love the new reward system that started at the beginning of 2008, it was a great change.
dooyooTeam: What's your favourite category on dooyoo?
Shaaza: I am going to be cheeky and give you my top three favourite categories. On Number 3 we have got Telecommunications as I totally love mobiles, I must have owned at least 18 mobiles now including the popular Apple iPhone 3G (I change mobiles like I change clothes). On Number 2 we have Audio / HiFi, just like mobiles I have owned quiet a lot of MP3 Players, my heart always beats a bit fast when I see a review in audio category. On Number 1 I have Fashion and Beauty, I was over the moon when I saw this category in the Monthly Competition.
dooyooTeam: We look forward to seeing your Monthly Competition entries then! What do you do with your dooyooMiles rewards?
Shaaza: I always redeem my dooyoo miles when a friend's birthday is near and text them the voucher code saying "Happy Birthday".
dooyooTeam: You're a generous friend! Great idea. Thanks for spending a few minutes with us Shaaza and keep up the excellent reviewing!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Los Posadas: Celebrate Christmas the Mexican Way!
17/12/2008 - (09:50 AM)
If you ever felt like there was such a long build up to Christmas Day that the day itself becomes a bit of an anti-climax, the Mexican Las Posadas celebrations might be just the answer. The festival is celebrated with a party in one of the neighbourhood houses every evening from December 16th right up until Christmas Eve, and commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
We certainly like the idea of some festive Mexican fun every night for the second half of December. If you'd like to get a bit of Mexican flavour in your European December, the dooyooCommunity highly recommends the Old El Paso Enchilada Dinner Kit, or, for the over 18s, Corona Extra also gets a pretty good rating from most dooyooers. Add to that a few games of Viva Pinata on the Xbox 360, and you have a fun evening at home to relax after a hectic day of Christmas shopping. Perhaps not authentic the way the Mexicans do it, but fun nevertheless.
Want to read more about the fascinating culture and attractions in Mexico? There are lots of great reviews about this and many other dream destinations in our Travel category.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Super dooyooers: Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
16/12/2008 - (02:46 PM)
Wondering who made it onto this week's list of superhuman dooyoo superstars? It's a great mix of long-standing members and rising stars, but they all have one thing in common - great reviews! So make sure you check out the dooyooTeam profile to see who we here at dooyoo HQ are loving this week...
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
15/12/2008 - (12:42 PM)
If you had a problem with worms, you’d be forgiven for thinking a quick visit to the veterinarian is what’s needed to cure these ailments. Unfortunately, it is not always the case and sometimes a different approach is needed. The only similarity being that administering a cure for your computer can be just as difficult as trying to get Patches to swallow that pill, and you can’t mix it in with it's food.
Antivirus software is essential for any internet user and our Crown of the Day winner GentleGenius has written a very interesting review about a piece of free software: Rising Antivirus with Firewall. We think that A rather nifty piece of free anti-virus software is a very informative review that covers all the bases, so for those of you currently looking for free antivirus protection, or perhaps those considering a change to free protection in the future, this review and others in the Virus Protection category are certainly worth a read.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
12/12/2008 - (10:15 AM)
Ever wanted to throw in your job, escape the rat race, and head to some exotic location to start a new life in the sun? Well, zoe_page_1 did exactly that, and now she tells us how... It seems that for Zoe it all started with a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), and she gives us a detailed, highly entertaining, and extremely useful account of her experiences in the course in her review A Super Course, A Superlative Month. The review attracted a huge number of nominations from the dooyooCommunity and was one of our favourite reviews of the last few days, and takes out today's Crown of the Day. Make sure you check it out - it's fascinating reading!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Want a dooyooMiles Bonus?
11/12/2008 - (10:56 AM)
The feedback that we get from you is that the dooyooMiles rewards scheme is very generous. We're always more than happy to reward dooyooers who give their time and reviewing talents to posting reviews that help other consumers out there make better, more informed buying decisions (for the few out there whose main motivation for writing reviews is not helping others, make sure you check out our tips for sneaky people).
We want to make sure that we can always offer shoppers researching their product purchases on dooyoo genuine, unbiased consumer reviews - whatever the item they're looking for. That's why we offer you - the dooyooCommunity - the chance to win a huge bonus of 2,500 dooyooMiles every month for writing the first review of a product in one of our most popular categories. The First Review Draw is a random draw selecting 20 members each month who have written a first review in one of the nominated categories. This month the eligible categories are; Cosmetics, Household Appliances, and Software. So if you're coffee machine, microwave, virus protection software, Jurlique or Aveda cosmetics, or a huge range of other products in these categories, have not yet been reviewed you could win a nice bonus for posting your thoughts about the products that you own.
We look forward to reading your new first reviews, and wish you luck in this month's draw!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
10/12/2008 - (12:29 PM)
Suzela is a woman on a mission. A mission that women all over the UK share: to find the perfect eye cream. It can be a long and arduous quest, through myriad challenges, set backs, and dark-circled disappointment - which is exactly why we women need as much help as we can get! dooyooers rejoice, Suzela is on the case and she won't rest until she has found the perfect solution to her eye care problems.
The latest pit-stop on her journey to eye cream enlightenment was the Laura Mercier Eyedration Firming Eye Cream, and you'll probably guess from the title of the review, De-eyedration for your wallet, that the product didn't exactly tick all the requisite boxes. The review definitely fulfilled all the requirements to be named today's Crown of the Day though. Keep up the great work Suzela, and don't lose hope - we have a feeling that by being part of the dooyoo network of expert reviewers, you're on the path to eye care heaven.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
09/12/2008 - (02:20 PM)
We have another great little group of productive dooyooers for you today, these five members have been hard at work and have certainly earned the title Celebrated dooyooer of the Week!
Koshkha has been busy concentrating on Travel and has a string of Crowns to her name, mu_reviews4u has also been one eyed in her approach and has Make Up reviews as far as that sparkly eye can see, while Donf18 prefers a varied attack and has been hitting categories like Shopping, Removable Media and Applications, among many others. firemanspam is another who is taking the varied approach, and between him and yackers1, they have an assortment of reviews in different categories, but mostly items for the home, garden, and living – though we notice not a review of Spam anywhere in sight.
These members’ reviews are without doubt worth checking out, thanks guys, keep it up!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
08/12/2008 - (01:02 PM)
‘Shop till you drop’ is a fast disappearing phenomenon in the age of internet shopping - in fact Elise discovered that the shopping only really stops when you drop a cup of coffee on your keyboard and you are left with a useless piece of plastic that can only type the letter q! Unfortunately, in this situation it means getting up out of that groove you’ve created in the couch and leaving your cosy home to go outside.
Member karimkha though, still considers the weekend shopping ritual as something to celebrate and enjoys utilising all her 5 senses - ‘I like to touch, wear and try things before I buy them’. dooyoo HQ thinks this is a great idea, though we’re not sure if tasting a pair of jeans before trying them on is going to help with the decision making process! Despite the potential consequences of tasting of denim - and that I actually think 6 senses should be utilised whilst out shopping (especially for girlfriends) - we think that karimkha’s review of Primark, Pry-mark or Pree-mark? Who cares? ... I love it!, is one of the best from the weekend’s writing and is deserving of today’s Crown of the Day.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Chocolate in Your Shoes? Of Course, it's Saint Nicholas Day!
05/12/2008 - (11:24 AM)
In the UK our attention is squarely focused on the 25th of December in terms of Christmas celebrations, and children sleep reluctantly on Christmas Eve dreaming of the big man in the red suit coming down the chimney to distribute gifts. The idea of Father Christmas though is actually based on the historical figure Nicholas of Myra, otherwise known as Saint Nicholas. In many parts of Europe there are festivals for children on the 4th, 5th, or 6th of December based on St Nick's reputation as a bringer of gifts (and who doesn't like a gift-giver?).
In Germany as well as Hungary and Romania, the festival of Nikolaus is celebrated with children putting a shoe outside the front door on the eve of the 5th of December (tonight!) in the hope that Nikolaus will fill their footwear with gifts, typically sweets and chocolates. While we're all for maintaining traditions, especially where they concern receiving delicious treats, we're not sure about the hygeine factor of leaving edible items in used shoes... So if you're planning to get cultural and have your own little St Nicholas celebration, we suggest you take a look at the fantastic range of new footwear in the dooyoo shoes category.
The Classic Tall Ugg Boots have gotten a big nod of approval from the dooyooCommunity reviewers, and are perfect for the cold winter nights. We also like the look of these Dr Keller Bootee Slippers and the Bedroom Athletics Marilyn Slippers for the ladies, the Just Sheepskin Donmar Slippers for the man of the house, or the adorable Robeez Baby Dino Slippers and the Fuzzy Feet Rudolph Slippers (perfect for Christmas) for the kids.
Plus, all those products are in our Fashion & Beauty category, so if you do treat yourself to a pair this month make sure you post your review of them before the start of the new year and you'll have a chance to win some great dooyooMiles prizes as part of this month's Monthly Competition.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
04/12/2008 - (11:42 AM)
This week we spent a few minutes catching up with dooyooCommunity Guide, and avid traveller Cat19, to find out more about the woman behind the fantastic reviews. Read the interview below, and then make sure you check out some of the excellent reviews from this fab dooyooer.
P.S. Would you like to be interviewed by us for the dooyooCommunity news page? Send us a dooyooMail at dooyooTeam telling us why you'd like to be interviewed and we'll pick the dooyooers with the best answers to be featured on this page!
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dooyooTeam: So Cat19, you've been with dooyoo for almost three years now, what first brought you to the site?
Cat19: My dooyoo initiation and first review was somewhat controversial at the time. My sister had written a review on what I shall loosely call a health resort that we had both been to separately but around the same time. Her review was not favouable and the proprietor took umbrance, claimed it was inaccurate and asked dooyoo to remove it. dooyoo quite properly did this whilst the matter was investigated. In the meantime, my sister mentioned to me that this had happened and as I had read the review and knew it to be accurate I decided to venture into the world of review writing and compose my own. My first review was well received, I got a very nice welcome from existing members, and a Crown to boot. I was hooked. Oh and the other review was quickly reinstated.
dooyooTeam: So it runs in the family? Great! What do you love about dooyoo?
Cat19: A few things. I like the community spirit, there are so many members now that, through their writing and commenting, I feel I know to a degree, even though I have never met them and probably never will.
dooyooTeam: We love the dooyooCommunity too... What's your favourite category on dooyoo?
Cat19: Well to write in, my favourite cateogry is certainly Travel or the UK / Ireland Guide as I like to write about places, hotels and restaurants most of all. Travel is probably also my favourite category to read by a small margin but I do tend to keep up with banking and finance reviews (as I work in financial services), films (for ideas and inspiration as I am not one to just show up at the cinema or pick any old dvd out) and I also read a fair bit in Speakers Corner as I like opinion and debate.
dooyooTeam: That's quite a wide variety, just goes to show there's something for everyone on dooyoo. Thanks for your time, and thanks so much for all your contributions to the site!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
November Competition Winners!
03/12/2008 - (10:40 AM)
Even amidst the craziness that characterises December in most households we're sure you didn't forget that the start of a new month also means the end of the last month's competitions here on dooyoo. It was a cracker of a month for great reviews and we have selected the cream of the crop to win great dooyooMiles prizes in the November competitions.
Of course the highest honour every month is the Review of the Month title. It's always a tough decision for us here at dooyoo HQ, but the one that really summed up what a great consumer review is all about for us in November was TheChocolateLady's review Stick that in your Philips and Grate/Blend/Whip it! in the Household Appliances category. Great work!
In the Monthly Competition, which was focused on the Toys and Games category in November, we had three stand out winners from mumsymary, mummy2harry, and ButterBear respectively. Congratulations you three star reviewers you! Check out the Competitions page for the full story and further information about competitions on dooyoo. There's also a new Monthly Competition underway for December, and this month we're turning our attention to the Fashion & Beauty category, so we look forward to reading your best reviews of Fashion and Body Care products, Watches, and lots more this month!
As if that wasn't enough quality dooyoo action for one day, we've also got a new list of Celebrated dooyooers of the Week for you to check out. Visit the dooyooTeam profile to see who made it onto our special reading list this week.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
01/12/2008 - (12:09 PM)
We set the dooyoo elves to work this morning looking for today’s Crown of the Day and they’ve returned with a cracker! (Note to members: prepare yourself for many Christmas puns over the next few weeks.) We won’t be giving up our day jobs with lame word play like that, but if we did, we’d seriously consider joining EQUITY (British Actors Equity Association) as we’d be needing all the help we can get. DancingCopper has reviewed a trade union that represents performing artists and gives us an insight into what they can offer professionals involved in the entertainment industry. Actors, stage managers, choreographers, and circus artists are some of the people who may benefit from this organisation. Budding entertainment professional or not, the review – Looking after the people who entertain us - is a very interesting read. Thanks DancingCopper! There were plenty more great write-ups posted over the weekend, so don’t forget to check out the other new reviews.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Ho-ho-hope You've Been Good, Christmas Is Almost Here!
28/11/2008 - (10:47 AM)
If you've been sticking your head in the sand about the impending festive period, the time has come when you can ignore it no longer - this Sunday is the first day of advent, which means only 4 weeks till the big day! If you haven't already gotten yourself organised, it's time to start pulling out the tinsel, planning those Christmas party menus, and beginning the search for Christmas presents. There's a lot to do in the lead up to Christmas, but fear not, we here at dooyoo HQ are here to help!
For a manageably sized injection of festive spirit into your home or workplace, the USB Fibre Optic Colour Changing Desktop Christmas Tree is perfect! Plug this 27cm little tree into the USB port of your computer and be warmed with Christmas cheer while reading your favourite members' reviews on dooyoo. In fact, there are lots of options for desktop cheer, take a look at the USB Fairy Lights, the illuminated USB Snowman, or the Glowing USB Christmas Tree.
To personalise your Christmas celebrations this year, dooyooers have already provided some great options for Baby's 1st Christmas Baubles. It'll be something your little one can keep for many years to come. Treats for the kids abound at Christmas time, mummy2harry (and young Harry himself) recommend the Marks & Spencer Large Santa Sack as a handy way to house all those presents!
For us grown ups though, one of the best thing about the holiday season has to be the food! We took a look through the many recommendations from the dooyooCommunity and some of the treats that came out on top were: Sainsbury's Iced Lebkuchen Stars - sugar and spice and all things nice, mmmm; frankie1984 gives the Tesco Christmas Dark Chocolate Mint Thins a five-star rating; and Thorntons Christmas Chocolate Selection also get the thumbs up; or if you're planning on doing some Christmas baking, mumsymary rates Lyles Black Treacle very highly. Just don't forget to share...
So, have a great weekend dooyooers, and happy festive season!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Do You Love dooyoo?
27/11/2008 - (05:16 PM)
Big news dooyooers! Thanks to all your fantastic contributions to the site, dooyoo has been nominated in the Website of the Year competition in the UK. The competition is a people's choice award and you could win a Nintendo Wii or Canon PowerShot digital camera by participating in the voting. So cast your vote on behalf of the dooyooCommunity now!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
27/11/2008 - (10:45 AM)
Staying in luxury hotels is, well, luxurious, but sometimes the place you're visiting is more important than where you're staying and you'd rather save your hard earned pennies for spending on the local cuisine or attractions. Those are the times when you really need a reliable recommendation to sort the cheap and cheerful from the just plain nasty. One member does just that to win today's Crown of the Day. Check out avacarrdo's straightforward, informative, and comprehensive review of the Aristoteles Hotel in Athens. Or if you've got another destination in mind, take a browse through the dooyoo Travel category and you're sure to find the guidance that you need.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
26/11/2008 - (10:44 AM)
Ever wonder who has earned the most Crowns in the dooyooCommunity? The star reviewer is long time dooyoo member plipplop, with a staggering 306 Crowns. Now that's a lot of seriously good reviews! We recently caught up with plipplop to find out what makes him tick - turns out he's not just a fantastic writer, but also a bit of a comedian!
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dooyooTeam: So Phil, what do you love about dooyoo?
plipplop: I like the fact that there is such a wide spectrum of people with different tastes and interests and that the dooyoo team is so hot.
dooyooTeam: Aww, we're blushing! But seriously, we love the diversity on the site too. What's your favourite category on dooyoo?
plipplop: Contraception. Ok - I lied. It's movies.
dooyooTeam: Yeah, one couldn't help but notice all your excellent film reviews - what's your secret? How do you do it?
plipplop: I sleep with film directors. And watch lots of movies. And read lots of reviews. And repeat.
dooyooTeam: Ha! And what do you do with your dooyooMiles rewards?
plipplop: Save them up for cash and then use them to purchase slave Lithuanian monkeys, who hand-weave my underpants and make sandwiches for me. (When the monkeys are out of stock, I just use the cash for beer and T-shirts.)
dooyooTeam: Well, we here at dooyoo HQ don't approve of slave labour in any form, but hand-woven underpants sound pretty good. Thanks for spending a few minutes with us Phil, and keep those great reviews coming!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
25/11/2008 - (04:36 PM)
Every week we proudly display five special dooyooers on the dooyooTeam profile page. The Celebrated dooyooers of the Week are chosen for their reviewing prowess, contributions to the dooyooCommunity, and/or general all-round star qualities. This week's bumper crop of ace dooyooers includes a video-game-a-holic (Stunt 101), a new member with an impressive strike rate for Crowned Reviews (womblebatman), and one of our top reviewers in the media categories (sparkymarky1973). Add to that Claire_DC's excellent reviews in the Computer category, and suehome's recent Crown in Household Products and you've got a pretty nifty line-up of excellent consumer reviews to suit everyone's interests and requirements. Thanks all, we appreciate your fantastic contributions to dooyoo!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
24/11/2008 - (12:15 PM)
The weekend’s Crown of the Day was posted at 00:07 last night, officially Monday and not the weekend, but as it's such a nice review of what can often be a rather confusing purchase, we had to bend the rules just a little. It only leaves the question – who’s up at that time on a Sunday anyway? Perhaps now that Claire_DC has a brand spanking new Belkin N1 Vision router, and Rich is no longer hogging all the bandwidth, she couldn’t help but stay up and write another dooyoo Premium Review! The review Belting Belkin Router! covers installation, performance, what to look out for and what to expect from this product if you were to purchase it - just the kind of things that make a great Crown of the Day.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
dooyoo Goes Square-eyed: World Television Day
21/11/2008 - (11:23 AM)
For most, the Television is one of the most used appliances in the home, for others it's a curse of modern times. Love it or hate it, we can't imagine TV going anywhere in a hurry. It's been around commercially since the 30s and is going stronger than ever into the 21st Century, especially with advancements in technology greatly enhancing the TV viewing experience.
Buying a new TV though can be a nerve-wracking experience. How do you know you've made the right decision? Where do you get the best value for money? Which brand is best? The solution is simple - find out from other consumers! That's where dooyoo comes in, we've got thousands of unbiased, consumer reviews of all the models, brands, and sizes that you're looking for. Take a look a the dooyoo Television category to find out which models the dooyooCommunity recommends, and which you shouldn't touch with a barge pole. We've got everything from Plasmas to Projection TVs and more. Plus, we here at dooyoo HQ have put together a handy Television Buying Guide to steer you unscathed through the minefield of TV shopping.
Get involved on World Television Day - write a review of your TV and let other consumers know what you think.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
20/11/2008 - (02:31 PM)
Winter is edging closer and we're all on the look out for snuggly clothes, warm blankets, and comfort food. Today's Crown of the Day from mythdata tells us all about a product that could really make the winter hibernation more bearable (ha, see what we did there?). Her review of the Me to You Tatty Teddy Bear in the Soft Toys category covers everything we need to know and more. Of course, as it's in the Toys and Games category, the review is also entered in our Monthly Competition and could win one of three great dooyooMiles prizes. Don't forget to get your top-notch quality reviews in before the end of the month if you'd also like to be in the running.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Bug Squashed
19/11/2008 - (05:04 PM)
We recently asked members of the dooyooCommunity to fill out a short survey to help us figure out whether there was a problem with our rating buttons. We'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated, it really helped us to isolate the problem. We're also happy to report that the bug in the ratings buttons has now been squashed! If, by any chance, you believe that there are ongoing issues with the rating buttons, or any other feature on dooyoo, please let us know by filling in the Report a Bug form.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Taking the Mickey: A Mouse's Birthday
18/11/2008 - (05:00 PM)
Ever wondered how to beat aging? If so, you should try asking Mickey Mouse for some tips! The ever-young, wrinkle free Disney character celebrates his 80th birthday today and looks even shinier and peppier these days than he did 80 years ago. That's some feat!
Mickey has seen some massive changes over the last 80 years. He started out as a cartoon character for children, and of course there are aspects of the Mickey franchise that remain true to that purpose, with kids' favourites like Mickey's Magical Christmas, Everybody Loves Mickey, and the fabulous Fantasia continuing to charm the little ones (and some big kids too!) and ensuring Mickey's ongoing popularity. In fact you'd probably struggle to find a youngster who wouldn't love to discover the Disney Mickey Mouse Plush Toy sticking out the top of their Christmas stocking. Or get your little one started early with the Hauck Disney Sport Buggy.
Somewhere along the way though everybody's favourite mouse also became a bit of an ironic fashion icon with fashionistas wearing vintage Mickey Tees and jewellery companies coming out with cute Mickey accessories. Check out the Swarovski Mickey and Minnie Earrings and Mickey Mouse Pendant. There are even some chic kitchen appliances graced with those massive ears, such as the VillaWare Mickey's Classic Toaster. A great way to get breakfast served with a smile every morning, and the only mouse you'd ever actually like to have on your bread - Mickey's laughing face is toasted onto every slice.
Happy Birthday Mickey, from all the dooyooers, here's to another 80 years of fun!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
17/11/2008 - (01:20 PM)
Welcome to a new week dooyooers! With a new week comes new reviews, and of course a new Crown of the Day. If you’re planning a birthday bash in the near future and are looking for some restaurant ideas, bollinger28 says Just Ask! Her review of Ask! restaurants runs us through her complete birthday dining experience. Happy birthday bollinger28, we hope you had a excellent day and thanks for another excellent review!
The weekend has also taken us up and over the mid-month hump, so this means we’ve also past the halfway mark of the Monthly Competition. Remember to keep working on your Toys / Games reviews – we’ve had a lot of entries already, and by now we can see that it is going to be difficult to select a winner.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown(s) of the Day
14/11/2008 - (11:16 AM)
Everyone loves Fridays, and perhaps it was this most glorious of days putting us in a great mood, but we found two reviews today that we feel are equally worthy of the Crown of the Day title. Both are consumer-focused, accessible, and very useful reviews of the sort of technical products that visitors to the dooyoo website are most likely to need advice from the dooyooCommunity on. So congratulations and commendations to CharltonFC on the review Great Little Laptop of the Dell Inspiron 1525 and thebigc1690 for his fantastic review of the Sony HVL F42AM Photographic Flash called Blinded by the light!.
Have a great weekend dooyooers!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
13/11/2008 - (10:40 AM)
From our very own, dooyooCommunity resident Vacuum expert, comes today's Crown of the Day - This Electrolux Sucks!. Nar2 gives us an extremely informative, well balanced, and succinct run-down of the Electrolux Z4412's capabilities and limitations - just what a prospective shopper needs to make the right purchasing decision. Great work Nar2!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
12/11/2008 - (01:09 PM)
Recently while processing a bunch of dooyooMiles rewards requests we came upon something that really impressed us - a fifty pound donation to charity! We were thrilled to be able to make the donation on behalf of one of our long-time dooyoo members and decided to sit down with grahamt to find out a bit more about his dooyoo experience.
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dooyooTeam: So Graham, would you like to tell the dooyooCommunity what you've decided to do with your dooyooMiles?
grahamt: All my dooyooMiles go to charity. The charity I currently support is Parkside in Aldershot. It's a MENCAP affiliate. My donations go to them because they are the ones who do the REAL work but get no financial support from MENCAP central. They have to raise all their own funds.
dooyooTeam: Congratulations on your genorisity, we're sure you're charity really appreciates it! What brought you to dooyoo in the first place?
grahamt: As far as I can remember (it was over 8 years ago you realise!) I was searching for a review of something and in doing so came across dooyoo by accident. I stayed.
dooyooTeam: We're very pleased that you did! What's your favourite category on dooyoo?
grahamt: Well, as I am the Guide for it and as I spent 37 years in the industry, I suppose I would have to say Computer. I also visit Travel a fair bit. However, I do read quite widely although there are some categories such as Cosmetics and Fashion & Beauty that I would be VERY unlikely to visit!
dooyooTeam: Thanks for spending a few minutes with us, and for all your great contributions to the dooyooCommunity, keep up the good work!
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Would you like to make a difference and support a cause that you believe in? Remember you only need 5,000 dooyooMiles to make a donation to charity and there are a range of charities doing important work in the areas of children's welfare, environmental protection, animal welfare, and cancer research that dooyoo currently supports, with your help.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
New News: Guides and Celebrated dooyooers
11/11/2008 - (02:22 PM)
Have you got questions about the inner workings of dooyoo, or perhaps you've wondered how you could improve your reviews? The dooyooCommunity Guides are just the people to help! A group of experienced dooyooers, excellent reviewers, and all-round great folks, the Guides are always keen to help out when you've got queries and are an especially great resource for new members. And this week we're welcoming a group of new Guides to the fold, who are ready and raring to get involved and help out within the dooyooCommunity.
If you've got questions about the Health category, mattygroves10 will be more than happy to field them in conjunction with existing category Guide juicy_lucy. For all things House & Garden, the queen of kitchen appliances herself, sandra101, is now ready for action. Clownfoot is the new Guide in town in the PC / Video Games category, and abbadabbado has signed on for her first stint as a Guide helping out anonymili in the Shopping category. Last but never least the Video category has a friendly new fresh-faced Guide in MarcoG. We're really excited about these great new additions to the Guides team, we think they're going to do a smashing job.
Speaking of dooyooers doing good work, take a look at this week's selection of Celebrated dooyooers of the Week to see which members we're loving this week. From Hotels and DVDs to Body Care and Toys, these five fantastic reviewers have it covered this week.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
