DooYoo want to join us? dooyoo Messageboards and Groups in general (dooyoo Messageboards and Groups in general)

Member Name: GillMN

Product:	dooyoo Messageboards and Groups in general
Date:	23/09/09 (187 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A good place to swap ideas, get information or just natter to friends.

Disadvantages: Not many really.

This review is about one specific Dooyoo message board. I have only belonged to two and visited another one briefly so I will write about the one I know most about.

The Dooyoo message board 'Dooyooer's Den' has been up and running for a few weeks now and I have been knocking around there since it opened. It was formed with a nucleus of members from the now defunct Dooyoo Lovers. It's a friendly board and is well moderated by Eilidhcatriona.

It is open to all Dooyooers but you need to apply for membership. That sounds like a contradiction in terms but it simply means that the Moderator has an opportunity to check that you are who you say you are. Being 'closed' means that members feel safer to talk more openly about themselves than is possible in a forum that is open to the world (and some of the very strange people in it!).


The forum is divided into five areas:

~~Welcome~~
Mainly we introduce ourselves and say Hello to new members in here.
The Moderator can post any rules we need. We can see what's what and who's who!

~~General Dooyoo Chatter~~
This is where we discuss all things Dooyoo. It could be about payouts, ratings, crowns or lack of! Speed rating, What constitutes abuse? Are peoples suggestions coming through?
There are a good many topics covered in here and I have learned a lot. It has really made me think about what contributes to a good review site and what erodes one.
There is also a section in this bit about challenges. The current one involves whether or not it is possible to pay for a three course meal by reviewing the seperate components of it. (It was my idea and I wish I had kept my big mouth shut because I've got to do it now!)

~~Ciao~~
This part is for members to explain to other members how Ciao works and to discuss how they are doing on it. I don't belong to Ciao, it looks a bit complicated to me, but if I did, there would be lots of help available here for me.

~~Everything Else~~
This is the largest section and, as the heading suggests, we can (and do) talk about everything in there. At the moment the topics range from Birthdays, Unisex loos, topical news, puzzles, what you spend your earnings on, competitions etc etc. Some of the topics are really funny, some very serious.
We also get a chance to celebrate and congratulate other members on their successes, comiserate or blow our own trumpets if we have won anything. Or nearly won something!
There's space here too for threads about other web sites, mostly review and opinion sites but not all.

~~Forum~~
This is where suggestions and feedback about the forum belong. It's fairly quiet usually but if you have an idea or want to make a suggestion about the forum itself, here is the place to do it.

~~What else is on site?~~
Navigation of the site is simple, under the top bar is a line offering all the usual. FAQ's. Notification of whether you have messages or not. Memberlist. Calendar and search facilities are here too.
I find the ' View posts since last visit' facility particularly useful because it saves me having to trawl through all the threads. I was on a forum a while ago without this and it nearly drove me mad trying to keep up.
There is an edit button for each post, plenty of smilies if you want them and a report button. There is also a little green button next to your name which tells whether you are currently online or not. The edit button is invaluable to me with the amount of typos I make!

~~What are the rules?~~
There aren't that many. We need to keep our Dooyoo user name or add it to our signature. This means that users of the forum can be identified easily. This tends to keep the action of trolls and idiots under a bit of control.

-No racism, sexism or homophobia.-
This is kept to strictly and the only offender up to now was warned and then removed. There is a three strike policy in operation and it works well. I think it says a lot about the forum that we have hardly ever needed to enforce this rule.

-No naming and shaming-
Recognisable references to non forum members who belong to Dooyoo are removed. I have seen this rule broken, but given the circumstances it was understandable and Eilidh dealt with it fairly and removed the references swiftly.

-No deliberately disruptive or nuisance behaviour-
Sadly some folk need to either control forums or wreck them. This rule speaks for itself really. It's easy to spot when someone is being deliberately disruptive. (Especially when they come on saying that that is what they are going to do, which believe it or not, has happened!)

-Members are to treat each other with respect-
Generally speaking the members are both respectful and supportive. It was interesting to see the unanimity that a disrespectful member was dealt with. (And the speed!) We get along very well and even diametrically opposed opinions are aired without bloodletting and with a fair amount of humour.

~~How do we function as a group?~~

Unlike a few other chatboards I have belonged to, the older hands don't seem to feel the need to call all the shots. This helps everyone to get a fair say and the general ethos is one of democracy.
There are quite a few guides that belong to the forum but we are only put our 'Guide's hats' on if we are asked a question specifically as guides, if you see what I mean.
There is a lot of humour, a lot of advice sought and given and a lot of different points of view offered. That's what makes it appealing to me. It's a good place to go for a natter if I'm waiting for inspiration about what to review next.

There is a good mix of people, male and female, young and (cough!) not quite so young. Serious and less than serious. The mix means that the range of experience available is fantastic and fascinating. The manners and tolerance means that there's room for all who want to join in and contribute fairly.

Sometimes it's exciting, sometimes it's humdrum, sometimes it's absolutely hilarious.
It's not going to change the world, it's just a pleasant place to be.
The best way to find out is to stick your nose in and say 'Hello' and see what you think, because realistically, it's where you feel comfortable that matters.

This is where you can find us.

http://dooyooers.forumotion.net/forum.htm

Summary: Don't just take my word for it, if you like forums, come and see for yourself.