dooyooCommunity Home
Need Help? Ask a Guide!
08/04/2009 - (03:28 PM)
We have added some reinforcements to our team of dooyooCommunity Guides today, so there's even more friendly, experienced dooyoo members to help you with any questions, queries, or quandries that you may have on the site. Star reviewer in the media categories, Templar19, has taken the reins in the Music category and is looking forward to reading your reviews about everything from Pop Albums, to Blues, and Accordians to Wind Instruments. The new Telecommunications Guide, pmcds, on the other hand, wants to hear about your adventures in the land of Mobile Phones, Answering Machines, and Telephones. If you've got questions, these new Guides are sure to have answers!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Site Updates to Help You Get Gardening!
07/04/2009 - (02:20 PM)
Now that the snow and frost is melting and things are beginning to grow once more (bliss!) it also means that those of you with gardens are going to have some garden maintenance work coming your way (not so bliss). To help, the lovely people in the dooyoo database department have been busy uploading new category structures and a veritable gardening army of new products to whip your garden into shape.
The new lawnmower category has everything from Flymo to AL-KO, petrol fuelled to electric, rotary styles, tractors, and even mulchers. If it's another type of electronic aid you need in the garden, the garden machinery category is the place to find it. We've got spreaders, tillers and rotovators, even the humble wheelbarrow. We've also given the Garden Miscellaneous category an overhaul, with new sub-categories to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for, whether it's bird houses, clothes lines, or gazebos.
If you've been getting the tools out of the shed recently, don't forget to take a moment's pause and tell us what you think of your garden tools and products!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
06/04/2009 - (11:43 AM)
Being 'green' in the 21st century is increasingly necessary as it is difficult to deny the impact that humans have on the planet. Today's Crown of the Day advises that there is a great product that not only helps to lower the environmental impact, but also helps you save money on your laundry. Sounds good to us! dooyooCommunity member Autarkis is a mother of two active children who has been using this product for the last couple of months. The review, Great Balls of Washing contains more than enough information to help you to decide if Eco Balls will be a suitable alternative to your regular laundry washing detergent.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
New and Improved My Invitations: Get Your Friends Involved
03/04/2009 - (01:08 PM)
We introduced the My Invitations feature on dooyoo last year, allowing existing members to earn bonus dooyooMiles for spreading the word about dooyoo. We were thrilled to see how many of you took us up on this offer and got your friends involved in the dooyooCommunity.
We did notice some problems with the My Invitations feature recently (those darn computer gremlins!), which unfortunately meant that some members were not awarded the bonus dooyooMiles that they should have been. Fear not though, we've now found the source of the error and will be restoring the missing bonus dooyooMiles to all affected accounts today.
With the My Invitations feature back in full, raring-to-go, working order, we'd love you to send some invitations to your friends. Not only will you earn 500 bonus dooyooMiles when a friend you've invited joins and writes at least one Premium Review, you'll also be enhancing your social experience on the site by getting your friends involved. It gets even better if your friend is a good writer - we'll give you an additional 500 dooyooMiles when your friend receives their first Crown!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
02/04/2009 - (10:26 AM)
If you're fighting what sometimes seems like a losing battle with your skin, then today's Crown of the Day will be essential reading for you. Promising big things with the title Fight off those spots... a product that REALLY works, Gemma_C's review sings the praises of the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Spot Treatment Gel, which she describes as "a vital product for those wanting to fight off angry red spots, even before they come to the surface". Sounds like you're onto a winner Gemma! Thanks for your great review and for sharing your knowledge with us.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
They Ain't No April Fools: dooyoo Champions
01/04/2009 - (02:25 PM)
While the rest of the world seems to be intent on pulling April Fool's pranks today (see the rather hilarious post about CADIE - the Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity, which is set to take over Google), we're here to declare dooyoo a fool-free zone!
The results of the March competitions are in, and we'd like to heartily congratulate Richada, yackers1, and yabbadabbadoo for their prize-winning reviews in the Motors category. The prestigious Review of the Month title was taken out by dooyoo's new in-house fitness guru, Logan33 for the fantastic review of the Pilates Power Gym.
Another 20 lucky dooyooers, including rosebud2001, mu_reviews4u, and I-tried-this, won 2,500 bonus dooyooMiles each in the First Review Draw last month. To be in the running in April, you just need to write the first review of a product in the Computer, Cosmetics, or Household Appliances category.
If you need further evidence that dooyoo is fool-proof, take a look at the dooyooTeam profile and find out which dooyoo stars we've got on our reading list this week. The Celebrated dooyooers of the Week have won Crowns recently for reviews of everything from First Aid products and portable radios, to Sightseeing destinations in the UK and Nintendo Wii Games, so there's something to interest everyone!
Here's hoping you avoid plastic spiders, thrown pies, and whoopee cushions for the rest of the day dooyooers - happy April Fool's Day!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
30/03/2009 - (02:28 PM)
MizzMolko takes the Crown of the Day with her excellent review of Radica Games Mood Beams, a series of electronic toys that could be just the thing you’re looking for to lighten up your day! With names like Curious, Chillin’ and Puzzled, these cute collectable characters emit coloured light which changes in colour and intensity as they react to what is happening around them – sounds fancy! So, if you’re looking for a light show without the gunpowder, smoke, and singed eye brows, you should read the review, The Safe Alternative To Rainbow Fireworks!, another great review in a long line of quality from star reviewer, MizzMolko.
It’s nearly April, so there is not long left to get your entries in for the Monthly Competition. The category is Motors, so whether you are mechanically minded or not we want to hear about your experiences, but be quick!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Ch-ch-ch-changes: Site News
26/03/2009 - (09:59 AM)
Hi dooyooers! As you all know, dooyoo's main goal is to help bring consumers in contact with one another so that they can share their shopping expertise and help each other make the best, most informed purchasing decisions. Of course, we also want our dear members (you guys!) to be able to exchange ideas on other subjects and have some lively discussion - we know you're all full of opinions on a myriad of subjects! That's why we created the Speakers Corner where members can share their opinions on non-product related topics.
We've been doing some work on tidying up our database and will be moving some non-product categories that were previously not in the Speakers Corner, into their rightful place in the land of discussion. The categories that will be shimmying over are: recipes, parenting issues, sports events & tournaments, musical events, internet site features / discussion, and health problems. The change will happen before the weekend, so if you've got opinions to share on these topics, we suggest you head over to the Speakers Corner, step onto your soap box, and start typing... Enjoy!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
25/03/2009 - (09:12 AM)
If you're in the market for a new Vacuum Cleaner you might want to check out the Dyson DC19, as it's been getting some pretty consistently rave reviews from the dooyooCommunity. If you're in the market for a great new review, on the other hand, you will most certainly want to check out CoupeQueen's piece about the aforementioned appliance, which she labels A Great Little Sucker!. Thorough, helpful, and full of personality, this review has everything it takes to qualify for today's Crown of the Day. Nice work Alyson!
Oh, and p.s., if you're "contemplating a dalliance with a Dyson, a rumba with the robotic Roomba, or making a pact with a Dirt Devil", you will find lots of useful hints and advice in the dooyoo Vacuum Cleaner Buying Guide.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
24/03/2009 - (03:41 PM)
Get a cup of tea and take a break with a member of the dooyooCommunity, and find out a bit about the member behind the reviews... Today we're taking five minutes out with prolific writer and movie enthusiast pmcds, who recently became a dooyooMiles millionaire, but says he still can't afford a villa in Spain.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
______________________________________________________
dooyooTeam: You joined dooyoo way back at the start of last year, what do you love about dooyoo that made you decide to stick around?
pmcds: For a start, getting 50p per review is an incentive, as is the 1.5p per rate you get. I also like the community aspect, and the characters the site has. The pages download quickly and site navigation is very user friendly. Thumbs up for you guys keeping the site updated!
dooyooTeam: Well thanks! What's your favourite category on dooyoo? Is it the same category for writing and reading?
pmcds: I think it's fair to say it's a draw between the Film category and the Books one. I review mainly on both of those (apologies to those of you fed up with the Hardy Boys!). In terms of reading reviews, I will read anything, I don't pick specific categories and ignore others. This only happens if I'm looking to read something on a particular item that's interested me, say, a film that I want to watch. Then what I'll do is generally choose a couple of reviews from members I trust or that seem more reliable than some of the others.
dooyooTeam: you're now a dooyoo millionaire, what do you do with your dooyooMiles rewards?
pmcds: The financial rewards from dooyoo, are great, but they won't buy you that villa in Spain you want mum and dad to have for their retirement (!), so I use the rewards to make things a bit more comfortable at home and to get the odd present for the wife and our 5 year old son. 50p may not seem a lot at the time, but it soon adds up, and as long as you enjoy the workings of the site, it doesn't feel like you're working for it!
dooyooTeam: We definitely enjoy being able to reward dooyooers for their high quality consumer reviews. Thanks for your time pmcds, keep up the great work!
Crown of the Day
23/03/2009 - (11:39 AM)
With spring here and summer on the way, it’s essential to start planning that summer vacation, and that means you need to know where your money is going, before you can know where you’re going! Online banking has been a huge step forward in making it easer to keep an eye on your finances, and Crown of the Day winner hypn06 runs us through her experience using barclays.co.uk. Her review, Move money when you need it, is based on years of personal experience and has got it all covered, so take the time to check it out, along with the other great new reviews written over the weekend!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
18/03/2009 - (10:46 AM)
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
Another week another bunch of outstanding dooyooers for you to get to know! Actually, most of you probably already know long-time dooyooer and dooyooCommunity Guide in the Travel category, fizzywizzy, but may not have gotten round to reading her latest fascinating travel and restaurant reviews. We definitely recommend you check them out! Another dooyooer who's been getting out and about recently is malibu_jenny, with excellent reviews in both the Sightseeing National and Sightseeing International categories recently.
Moog27 has been more varied in her approach to excellent reviewing, winning Crowns in the Inkjet Printer, Printed Books, and Pets & Animals categories. Not bad at all! Likewise, Helenofellen has impressed in a variety of categories - take a look at her review of Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation for an example. Last but not least in the list of Celebrated dooyooers this week is Gemma_C, who, since joining the site last October, has continued to improve her reviews dramatically and won a Crown last week for her thorough and informative review of the great website readitswapit.co.uk. Nice work Gemma!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Get into the (dooyoo) Green: it's St Pat's Day!
17/03/2009 - (04:30 PM)
In a shocking and exciting change, dooyoo has gone GREEN for St Pat's Day!...Or at least we would, if we weren't already green from top to toe. To celebrate the Emerals Isle's favourite holiday, and the dooyoo team colours, we've come up with a shortlist of 10 great products to help bring a bit of green into all aspects of your life. Peruse at your pleasure...
1. He's large, green, and can jump over tall buildings - forget leprechauns, The Incredible Hulk is where it's at this St Patrick's Day. Try the Hasbro The Incredible Hulk Shield Smash Hulk for some 'smashing' green fun.
2. Speaking of green and fun, we love the look of the Tobar Clockwork Windup Caterpillar, recommended by mumsymary.
3. If you're feeling like a Very Hungry Caterpillar, the Nestlé Aero Bubbles are colour-appropriate for the day, and come with a four star rating from the dooyooCommunity.
4. The Trust Dual Stick Gamepad is almost bright enough to give you a neon glow for those late-night gaming sessions.
5. Then you'll need a burst of fresh Joop: Go, Eau de Toilette to wake you up and refresh you in the morning.
6. The Ahava Body Sorbet Caress Syringa Green Apple also sounds pretty delish and refreshing to us.
7. For a touch of class in the kitchen, mummy2harry recommends the green Typhoon Elegance Emerald Drizzler.
8. Get your child into the spirit early with the Phil & Teds Sport Double Kit in green - snazzy!
9. Or, for a smaller outlay, we think the Baby Turtle Soft Plush Toy is pretty darn cute.
10. Avon Color Trend Eye Contact Eyeshadow Duo in shades of green will bring an emerald splash to the eyes of any ladies out there and seems popular with the dooyoo make-up boffins - definitely appropriate for a night out in St Patty's honour!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
16/03/2009 - (11:35 AM)
The review we have chosen as the best from the weekends writing, Will it blow? written by nickbrown60, takes an in-depth look at the Bissell 1950E carpet washer. It’s been given the nod of approval by Household Appliances Guide and resident vacuum cleaner expert, Nar2, so you can be sure it’s going to be a great review! He’s not wrong, the review is excellent and contains a lot of personal experience, covering all you would need to know if you are looking at investing in a machine to freshen up your carpet. nickbrown60 has been writing some great reviews, and after reading the Crown of the Day, why not take some time to stop by his profile and read some of the other great contributions for yourself!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
13/03/2009 - (09:36 AM)
There's always a myriad of different opinions as to how to write the perfect review, and different folks have different ideas about what is necessary information, how long is too long, whether technical details and specifications are useful or not and so forth. The feedback we hear indicates that the technical and electronic categories, like Computer and Photography, are often the most challenging to write in. That's why, when we see a truly excellent review in one of these categories, we like to celebrate it. A massive pat on the back to bobsta for his review of the Samsung NC10, called Is it a laptop? No, it's a netbook! This review is what great consumer reviews are all about - easy to understand, full of very useful personal opinion, cover both the advantages and disadvantages, and gives plenty of helpful advice based on the writer's own experiences with the product.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Do Like the Girl Scouts Do!
12/03/2009 - (10:39 AM)
Today is Girl Scouts Day, and we're getting inspired by the Girl Scout spirit (not to mention the fact that Summer is on the way, and the financial squeeze is making expensive holidays a heck of a lot more difficult), to bring you some ideas for getting out into the great outdoors!
If the last time you went camping was when you were 10 years old and a Girl Scout yourself, now might be the perfect time to reconnect with your inner happy-camper. To get started on your outdoors adventure, the dooyooCommunity recommends the Vango Venture 500 Tent, the Berghaus Freeflow IV backpack, and the Faringdon Picnic Blanket with Carrier to take your meals outdoors in comfort. If you do head out into the wilderness, an Energy Saving Shake Torch seems like a good investment - it doesn't need any batteries, and comes highly recommended by dooyooCommunity Guide carcraig.
Wondering where to take your camping holiday? Check out great suggestions for local holiday destinations in the UK & Ireland Guide, or for something further afield, browse the Camping International category. Superb travel writer, Praskipark, raves about the musical joys of the Lido Camping Village in Bolsena, Italy, in her review Boogey on Down to Lake Bolsena. Of course, if you're more of a four-walls, clean-bed type of person but your little ones are chomping at the bit to give camping a try, you can have the best of both worlds if you set them up in the back garden with one of the great Playhouses or Tents in our Outdoor Toys category.
Happy camping dooyooers!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
10/03/2009 - (01:07 PM)
Another day, another dooyooMile, and another group of fantastic dooyooers! Have a look at the dooyooTeam profile and see the selection of stand out members we have chosen to be in our beloved Circle of Friends this week.
We have a group of well established, and of course, excellent reviewers, two of which have been writing since 2000 - wow! wastingtime and samueltyler have some superb movie and book reviews, while SusanLesley, foreveramber, and i_am_joy like to get into a bit of everything from food to health to discussion. Check out their profiles and see for yourself!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
09/03/2009 - (11:12 AM)
Happy Monday dooyooers, hopefully everyone is feeling refreshed from the weekend! It's been a busy couple of days here at dooyoo HQ and we've had many great new reviews posted, however the one that stands out and takes today's Crown of the Day is Like walking on the moon!!!!! Written by another one of our promising new members, Logan33, the review gives us an excellent run down of the York X302 Diamond Elliptical Trainer. Logan33 is obviously someone who knows their stuff, as not only does the review go into great detail describing many of the functions that feature on this piece of Sports Equipment, but it also covers what to expect from any Elliptical Trainer in the first place. Congratulations Logan33!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
06/03/2009 - (12:51 PM)
We're not even through the first week with our new category for the Monthly Competition (which is Motors for those of you who were sleeping on the job), and already we've seen some great new reviews being posted - all of which, of course, are in the running to win the bonus dooyooMiles in this month's competition. Reliably top quality reviewer i_am_joy is already ahead of the pack with her excellent review Keeping baby safe and snug, of the Graco Snugride 8465LRD2 in the Child Car Seat category. If you think you've got a review of equal (or even better!) quality in you, make sure you get it posted before the end of the month to be in the running to win in March.
Have a great weekend dooyooers!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Suggestion Congestion
05/03/2009 - (02:05 PM)
We're always keen to see the growing success of the dooyoo catalogue and to give members a chance to write about all and every weird, wonderful, or whacky product that they've tried. That's why we're thrilled to see that so many of you have been using the suggestions tool recently. However, this extremely high demand for new suggestions does mean that we need to do some prioritising to make sure that the products that are most useful to the dooyooCommunity and to consumers visiting the site to research their product purchases are added as quickly as possible.
Our statistics show that consumers are most interested in reviews on purchaseable products particularly for technical or electrical items - think Computer, Photography, Audio / HiFi, and Household Appliances categories. On the other hand, categories like Food & Drink, Services, or Speakers Corner are receiving less traffic. There are no hard-and-fast rules and we will continue to upload all suggestions as quickly as possible, but we think it's only fair to keep you informed that, for the benefit of all dooyoo users, we will be operating on a prioritised basis for suggestions.
Meanwhile, you - our dear and valued dooyoo members - can help us immensely by making sure that:
a) you check the catalogue thoroughly to make sure that the product you want to suggest isn't already available - it's a good idea to try searching for a couple of different variations of the product name to make sure it isn't there with a slightly different title.
b) the product name you enter in the suggestion form is accurate - if you'e uncertain, you can check by googling the product name.
c) that the link you provide, be it manufacturer's site or another website link, goes directly to the exact product that you are suggesting to assist the integration process and eliminate confusion.
d) similarly, fill out the suggestions form carefully, that is, with the correct information and as many details as possible to ensure that we can find the right product quickly and add it to the dooyoo catalogue.
Also, a quick update specifically in relation to the media categories (DVDs, Music Albums, and Books), as many of you know, these suggestions are usually added in an automatic update once a week. Unfortunately, the update has been delayed. We expect to have all media suggestions made prior to the end of February added by early next week.
We appreciate your patience while we process your suggestions and look forward to reading your new, high quality consumer reviews.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
February Competition Winners
04/03/2009 - (01:22 PM)
In February the dooyooCommunity turned its attention to all things that blink, hum, and whirr in the Computer category, there were some fantastic entries but our picks were as follows... drum roll... The Primark Case? from Wheelchair-Wiz, of the Maxpoint Aplus Case CS-188AF system cabinet took first place in the Monthly Competition, followed by womblebatman's review, Picture Perfect Photo Printer, of the Epson Picturemate Mobile Phone Edition Inkjet Printer, and Take Pictures and Look Weird!, from lel1969, of the Mikomi 5MP Webcam in third place. Congratulations to those excellent reviewers for their stellar reviews.
Another reviewer who stood out to us this month for her unique style and extremely useful review of the Skullcandy Lowrider headphones in our Audio / HiFi category, was badhandshakes. So much so, in fact, that the review, Amateur Contortionism for the Audiophile, was awarded the Review of the Month title. Badhandshakes won a bonus 3,500 dooyooMiles for her efforts, as well as our undying admiration. Great work!
Plus, of course, 20 lucky dooyooers won 2,500 dooyooMiles each in the First Review Draw, for being the first to post a review of a product in one of the chosen categories. This month the categories are Audio / HiFi, Cosmetics, and Fashion & Beauty, so the more blanks you fill in in those categories, the more chances you have to win!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
03/03/2009 - (02:48 PM)
A beauty and body care expert, a movie reviewer on a mission to help you make the most of your evenings in front of the box, a electronics whizz, an established and highly respected dooyoo reviewer, and a newer dooyoo member taking the Discussion category by storm - these are this week's bumper crop of celebrated dooyooers. Take a look at the dooyooTeam profile to find out the identities of this week's stand-out writers. There's something in there for everyone, and we definitely recommend checking out the great reviews from these members.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
02/03/2009 - (01:13 PM)
If you're a pet owner, then you'll no doubt already be familiar with the excellent dooyoo reviewer and Pet / Animal Guide, FourPaws. Her newest contribution, A Pawdicure For Benson, if you haven't already seen it, is definitely worth a look! The review is an interesting and informative review of the Mikki Face & Paw Scissors, explaining not only why grooming your long-haired pet is very im-paw-tant (ha!), but also gives advice on how to best approach it if you do decide to give your best friend that hair-cut. Thanks FourPaws and congratulations on winning the Crown of the Day!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
26/02/2009 - (09:59 AM)
Most people have had Athlete's Foot at least once and can readily imagine that infuriating itch and the desperate scramble to the chemist to get something (anything!) to stop it. When struck down, most of us either feel very sorry for ourselves or vent our frustrations on some poor unsuspecting sod in the vicinity, lel1969, however, has heroically battled the dreaded affliction and reported the results for the benefit of the dooyooCommunity. For this selflessness, not to mention a fantastic and informative review, she wins today's Crown of the Day for her excellent review, This One DID Help the Itch and Solve the Problem!, of Daktarin Activ Dual Action Spray Powder in the Health Treatment category. Thanks for the recommendation Lel!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
25/02/2009 - (12:44 PM)
One of dooyoo's resident technical experts and a regular contributor of top notch consumer reviews in categories like Computer, and Audio / HiFi, Deru is the deserving recipient of today's Crown of the Day for his review Samsung's iPhone Killer. The review is another positive one of the Samsung SGH-i900 Omnia from the dooyooCommunity, and Deru gives a thorough run-down of the phone's many apparent advantages as well as explaining why it may not be the right choice for everyone. Definitely a must read for anyone in the market for a new Handheld / PDA, or looking for an alternative to the heavily-hyped iPhones.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Primped, Preened, and Prepped for Carnival!
24/02/2009 - (03:42 PM)
Looking out at the grey wintery weather, it's hard to believe that in Brazil there are currently oodles of Carnival-mad people running around (or preparing to) in spangled bikinis - and not much else! If the weather is getting you down, a bit of brazilian colour and sparkle might be just the thing to lift your mood. To help get you started, we've put together a dooyoo Carnival survival kit.
Of course, coming out of a European winter, one can't be expected to be looking naturally golden and glowing, but luckily there are some handy products out there to help us along. The dooyooCommunity highly recommends Fake Bake Self Tanning Mousse or Lancome Flash Bronzer Self Tanning Spritz for achieving the right sun-drenched appearance (or, at the very least, avoiding looking like you've spent the last six months underground).
The ladies might like to give their make-up routines a Carnival-inspired shake up with some great bronzing products like Nars Bronzing Powder, MAC Powder Bronzing, or The Body Shop Brush On Bronze. Not to mention a bit of out-there glamour with Urban Decay Glam Rock Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner or Eye Gel, Duwop Lip Venom for a pout that'll get you noticed in a crowd, and Benefit That Gal for picture perfect skin. Bearing all of that long-hidden flesh, you might also care to take a browse through the recommendations from our resident beauty experts in the Hair Removal category.
Got yourself in prime physical condition already? All that remains is to choose the right tunes and get your groove on - not only a lot of fun but a great way to burn off some of the calories from those winter comfort foods and get in shape for the coming Spring. Take a look at the Brazilian and Latin and Cuban music in the dooyoo catalogue for some beats that'll get those feet moving. But if you need some practice first you might like to try out some dance workout DVDs - Work It Out, Ministry of Sound: The Ultimate Workout, and Coleen Nolan's DiscoBurn all come recommend from the dooyooCommunity.
Kick up your heels dooyooers and make your own Carnival atmosphere!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
23/02/2009 - (11:46 AM)
If you’ve wanted to be an MI6 agent but could never get enthusiastic about the intense training regime, we suggest taking a look at hypno06’s review – I'm a grass roots undercover agent. This superb review of Grass Roots Group Mystery Shopping looks at an employment opportunity where you can utilise those sneaky undercover manoeuvres and elaborate cover stories you’ve been practising in front of the mirror, without risking life and limb.
The review covers all you need to know about the company (including where to get fake moustaches and newspapers with eye holes cut out) and what to expect if you become one of their agents. Thanks hypno06 and congratulations on winning the Crown of the Day!
-Hal
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
19/02/2009 - (11:02 AM)
Today's Crown of the Day comes from top notch reviewer and creative gift-giver beanie85, who very kindly purchased the Lego 4916 Creator: Mini Animals lego set for her significant other for Valentine's Day. Awww. It seems the gift was a success and just goes to show that lego isn't just for kids! Take a look at the review Lego Creator - Mini Animals but Mega Fun! to find out why this is the perfect gift for monkeys of all ages.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
The Rules of Engagement: dooyooCommunity Site Rules
18/02/2009 - (10:15 AM)
Like every community, the dooyooCommunity has a few basic ground rules that apply to all members. These rules have always been at the core of the dooyooCommunity, to make sure that it's a fair and enjoyable place for everyone, and we've now brought all the strands together in one handy site rules page.
For most of you these rules are nothing new and you'll find that you're already abiding by all of them. However, for anyone who has been sticking their head in the sand, with a link available from your personal profile page and the dooyooCommunity homepage, there's now no excuse for not knowing the rules on dooyoo!
We here at dooyoo HQ are peace-lovers and much prefer handing out Crowns and Competition prizes than having those "you broke the rules, now you must be ex-ter-mi-naaated" conversations, that's why we keep a specially trained, totally remorseless, proficient-in-martial-arts robot on hand to deal with fraudulent accounts or abusers on the site. Beware, break the rules and we will power up the robot.
So take a few minutes to review the dooyooCommunity Site Rules, and avoid the dooyoo robot with its bionic finger poised over the big red eject button. Got questions about the rules? Why not get in touch with one of the dooyooCommunity Guides, they're friendly, knowledgeable, and ready to help. Or, of course, feel free to contact the dooyooTeam.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
New Talent: Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
17/02/2009 - (01:45 PM)
So far in 2009 we have seen the dooyooCommunity continue to grow, and though of course many new members need some time to settle in, get the hang of the site, and learn the rules, there are also some who are just brilliant from the get-go! We would like to celebrate some of these awesome new members in our list of Celebrated dooyooers of the Week. So we extend a massive welcome and many congratulations on their excellent writing to; Alfettaman, deelot, Jessica_Hayley, kitten26, marlowe. Take a look at these great reviewers now before they get famous and the prices double...
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
16/02/2009 - (02:08 PM)
With hearts fluttering all around the world on Valentines Day and new romances blossoming, there has never been a better time to invest in the Suunto T3 Heart Rate Monitor. Strap the heart rate belt underneath your ‘hot date’ outfit, and you can appear to casually check your watch while actually ensuring your heart rate doesn’t get to that embarrassing and inconvenient point where you break out into uncontrollable sweating, and can’t speak or hear due to the deafening thud inside your chest. My advice - if it gets above 120 bpm, politely excuse yourself, head immediately to bathroom, apply cold water directly to face. If it gets above 220 bpm, call an ambulance.
yackers1 however, has some slightly different, more appropriate advice for using this product, and to see what he has to say about it, check out his excellent review and Crown of the Day, HR monitoring made easy.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
15/04/2009 - (02:37 PM)
We recently caught up with one of the friendliest dooyooCommunity Guides to get a behind-the-scenes look at these helpful characters around the site. While he did manage to confuse us with some ape-related comments, and seemed really interested in doughnuts, we're even more sure after this interview that MarcoG is a lovely fellow. Take a look.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
______________________________________________________
dooyooTeam: How long have you been a member and what do you love about dooyoo?
MarcoG: I've been a member for just over a year now. The thing I like about it most is the community and the friends I've made. Clearly, the extra cash is a good bonus too. I belong to other 'review' websites but this is the only one I've come across where the site admins actually give a monkeys about their members and communicate with them.
dooyooTeam: We sure do give a monkeys! (Wait, that's good right?). What's your favourite category on dooyoo?
MarcoG: Well, Video obviously (ha ha, that's my category). I also like reading book and film reviews too. But I like reading in categories that I don't know much about, as I often learn something new. Hurrah!
dooyooTeam: Yes, you're the dooyooCommunity Guide for the Video category, what do you like about being a Guide?
MarcoG: I like being sent doughnuts and cake every week by Elise and Hal (I wish). Seriously though, I like helping people. I like to think that we are a friendly bunch and are here to help with any aspect of the site, from helping new members get grips with the functionality, to helping out with any general pointers. I've also come to loathe other review sites for their blind acceptance of plagarism and dodgy goings on by members - here with dooyoo I feel more comfortable as I can see first hand that issues like that are being dealt with appropriately and proactively. I applaud that. It also makes for a much more comfy environment to read, rate and get to know other members.
dooyooTeam: Do you have any advice for new members on the site?
MarcoG: I always advise new members to read through some reviews before diving in and writing your first one. And if your first review doesn't get as many 'very useful' or 'useful' as you'd like, then keep writing, your work will get better. And read more reviews by other members. Also that there's nothing to worry about if you get a 'useful', it's a positive rating, I don't know why people get upset about it, to be honest. It's the 'not useful' ratings you want to avoid. Also, don't be afraid to send a dooyooMail to any of us Guides, if you have any problems or need advice, or anything. We're here to help...although we can't provide doughnuts, sorry.
dooyooTeam: No doughnuts? Ah well, you're giving a lot more to the dooyooCommunity in other ways. Thanks for the chat Marc!
Friday the 13th Freak Out!
13/02/2009 - (10:27 AM)
Whether we joke about it or try to ignore it, almost all of us feel ever so slighly cautious on Friday the 13th, but did you know that it wasn't until the 19th century that the first superstitions about this 'unlucky' day started to surface. For most of us it's a day for practical jokes or perhaps mild concern, if you find yourself sweating as the day is approaching however, you may be suffering from paraskavedekatriaphobia - a phobia of Friday the 13th!
We here at dooyoo HQ encourage you to get into the fun of freaky Friday, without the angst - or at least only the angst that makes for fun scares and entertainment. Of course the obvious choice for Friday the 13th entertainment would be the Friday The 13th DVD series, but if the antics of the crazed Jason are a bit intense for you, you might prefer Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday The 13th, a comedy in the same vein as Scary Movie.
It doesn't hurt to be prepared though, just in case the superstitions are true, so we recommend keeping one of these Catch the Light Laser Pointers handy in case that black cat does decide to come after you and you need a sure fire way to distract its attention. If you've got a black cat of your own, you might like to browse through some of the other cat toys recommended by the dooyooCommunity.
If you'd like to tell us about your superstitions on Friday the 13th, or in general, the Speaker's Corner is always open and there's a soap box just waiting for you to get in the oratory mood.
Happy Black Friday dooyooers, and have a great weekend!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day: It's a Tie!
12/02/2009 - (09:56 AM)
Could the dooyoo coffee machine be filled with de-caf this morning, are we getting soft, or are the reviews just particularly good at the moment? Whatever the reason, we just could not pick only one review today to receive the Crown of the Day. So we have two supreme quality reviews for you this morning - both by new members, and both in the Computer category. The first is all about sound, as Alfettaman sings the praises of the Logitech V20 Notebook Speakers in the review Stunning combination of performance and value for money. That certainly sounds good to us! Meanwhile deelot is claiming that An Apple A Day Keep The Boredom Away! in the review of the Apple iMac 20". According to the review even those with no Mac experience should take a look at the alternatives to other PCs.
Check out these great reviews from two fresh faces in the dooyooCommunity. Remember too that these two reviews are already in the running to win 5,000 bonus dooyooMiles in the Monthly Competition. If you also want a chance to win, make sure you get your review in the Computer category in before the end of the month!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
11/02/2009 - (03:17 PM)
Like a moth to a flame, Fiver29 was drawn to the dooyooCommunity and soon was so enamoured that she was finding herself thinking daily about how to improve her reviews, what she would review next, and whether her favourite dooyooers had posted new reviews yet. Ok, well maybe it didn't happen quite like that... take a look at our interview with this great member to find out the real truth behind that smiling member picture.
-Elise
dooyooTeam
______________________________________________________
dooyooTeam: You've improved so much since you first joined dooyoo in November, for which review did you win your first Crown?
Fiver29: My first Crown was for my review of Tomb Raider: Underworld on the Xbox 360. It was great to think that other people had appreciated what I'd wrote and found it useful. I've had a couple of other Crowns since, but I still feel really chuffed when a review gets Crowned, because I try to put my best into a review and its like a little extra thank you from the team.
dooyooTeam: Absolutely, your reviews are extremely helpful for people researching their product purchases on dooyoo! That's not the start of the story though, what first brought you to dooyoo?
Fiver29: I hadn't realised there were review sites out there, despite using the internet for shopping for the past 5 or 6 years. I will admit, initially the thought of being able to earn Amazon vouchers was most appealing, but I enjoy it so much now that I would carry on regardless.
dooyooTeam: That's great! So what is it that you love about dooyoo?
Fiver29: I love the community spirit at dooyoo, even though people have differing viewpoints they still respect each other's opinions. I also like the layout and speed of dooyoo, the pages load quickly when I click to rate a review, and it's easy to find a product and also to suggest a product.
dooyooTeam: What's your favourite category on dooyoo and why?
Fiver29: That's a toughie, I'm torn between Books, DVDs and Speakers Corner. However, because I've bought books purely because of the reviews I've read on dooyoo, I would say that the books category just edges it. I find the book reviews for the most part absolutely excellent, and I've been drawn to buying books outside of my usual genres, after reading some really enthusiastic reviews.
dooyooTeam: Great to hear that you're getting so much out of the reviews on dooyoo, so do you spend all your dooyooMiles on books then?
My first rewards went on Amazon vouchers for Christmas presents. Future rewards will also be taken as Amazon vouchers, at the moment I am saving for my son's birthday and have a shopping basket full of Xbox games, jigsaws and Star Wars books. There will be another Amazon spend in June for my daughter's birthday, and after that it'll be saving for Christmas again. It's a never ending cycle!
dooyooTeam: Indeed it is. Thanks for speaking with us and for all your great contributions to dooyoo!
Celebrated dooyooers of the Week
11/02/2009 - (02:04 PM)
Congratulations and thanks to this week's crop of Celebrated dooyooers of the Week for their excellent consumer reviews and their involvement in the dooyooCommunity. MarcoG, pmcds, karenuk, charlie1979, and AJ26 - keep up the great work!
-Elise
dooyooTeam
Crown of the Day
09/02/2009 - (10:33 AM)
Why do we pay for psychotherapy when massages cost half as much? Good question! Judging by kitschkitty’s review in the Spa / Health Centre category, we shouldn’t be. If you’re looking for a chance to escape for a day and relax, perhaps you should cancel those appointments with the shrink and head to Inside Spa (Nelson). And if an aromatherapy room, monsoon showers, ice fountains, and a hydrotherapy pool all contained in a complex that boasts heated seating isn’t enticing enough for you, then maybe the full body massage, Decleor facial and GHD Spa hair treatment will be. Sounds like bliss! How much does this cost? Was it value for money? What were the highlights? Find out all this and more by reading our excellent and very deserving Crown of the Day.
-Hal
dooyooTeam
dooyooCommunity Tea Break
05/02/2009 - (12:08 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
______________________________________________________
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 - (10:04 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 - (10:04 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 - (12:02 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 - (11:19 AM)
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 - (01:09 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 - (02:25 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 - (01:09 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 - (10:47 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 - (03:06 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 - (04:31 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 - (01:15 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 - (09:36 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
- dooyooCommunity Home
- Newest Members
- Newest Reviews
- Newest Crowns
- dooyooCommunity Guides
- Competitions
- Member Search
- Contact the dooyooTeam
- Report a Bug
Home - About dooyoo.co.uk - Advertising - Contact dooyoo - Terms and Conditions
Newest reviews - Newest products - Rewarded reviews
dooyoo Europe:
Deutschland 
España 
Italia 
France - Sitemap - Product Index
