The Importance of Context... (Feedback and General Suggestions for dooyoo)

Member Name: Jon Tech

Product:	Feedback and General Suggestions for dooyoo
Date:	30/09/02 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An existing community, Made up of people with & interested in opinions

Disadvantages: Are the stated objectives really being served?

[Sorry about this, but somehow, when I wrote a new op, it wrote over my previous one. Crazy! So the original one has now gone for good I guess. The site seems real slooooow and glitchy at the moment too.]

Following on from the deliberations of my previous op, I have reflected more about the very different uses & users of DooYoo.

1 Looking for specific info / advice / opinion.
2 Looking for a chat & to see what your C.O.F. are up to.
3 Nothing better to do (or in need of an excuse to avoid doing something else!).
4 Looking to pick a fight! :-)

At the moment, I am in number 3 mode. Usually, I am in number 1 mode. I think that DooYoo puts across that it's great for 'mode 1'. In fact, I think it's best for 2 & 3 & maybe 4. I 'enjoy' DooYoo best when I am in mode 3, but feel that the real benefit / value should in mode 1. If you know 'Which - The Consumer Watchdog', they made a real effort to produce quality information without commercial bias. I don't even know if the organisation still thrives - I guess it does. I think that if some of its standards and methods were applied to DooYoo, there could be a real improvement to the value of DooYoo as an information service rather than as a Chat Community.

The rewards (Crowns, VU's or whatever) probably work fine for users in 2, 3 & 4. The idea of impartial contributions from 'joe-public' is great, but when I really need opionion & am going to act on it, I need to know that there is some genuine quality there.

This may go against the idea of DooYoo, but when I really want to know something, I would willingly pay to have good advice. I would certainly use my DooYoo points to get at the best advice. Rather than buy a magazine or journal, I would pay to read a selection of relevant, informed opinion.

And, if others actually had to PAY (in kind or whatever) to read my opinion(s), I would have a sense that they


really were valued! Also, there tends to be most opinion drifting around about the kinds of stuff that typical DooYoo'ers like to voice their views on (whatever that may be!) I haven't even looked at these
topics, but I wonder what kind of opinion I might find about 'Home Swimming Pools - liners vs fibre glass', 'The best hobbies for the house-bound', 'The best, free outings in North London for young families', 'The best veggie food on the M1', 'Low-cost familly travel around Europe', 'A really special day out for an aniversary'.? Now if I want to buy a MOBILE PHONE or PDA .......eeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!! Odd's are I already know a million people who are all desparate to tell me about their latest purchase, and tomorrow we know they will be all 'yesterday's news'.

Now, how about a secluded, sunny mountain, with a reservoir for sailing & fishing, mountain bike trails........... ? That's what I need to find.

Summary: