MALU's Dooyoo Challenge (Helpful Advice for New Members)

Member Name: aefra

Product:	Helpful Advice for New Members
Date:	14/11/03 (79 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: **

Disadvantages: **

this q&a challenge can help newbies find out what dooyoo is about and, if many established members participate, what the community is like and will hopefully convince them to stay and become active. to be sure, everything has been said before, but has it had any impact? only for a limited time until the opinion disappeared from the front page. by presenting the tips on helping new members in the form of a questionnaire which can be done by several members the impact can perhaps be prolonged. several members, better: many members, to show that many roads lead to dooyoo.

q: when did you join dooyoo?
a: January 2002. It seems a long time ago now, although not yet 2 years.

q: how did you discover dooyoo?
a: Accidentally when idly surfing the net. I saw the word "Consumer", a subject I have been interested in for a long time.

q: why did you join?
a: Here seemed a chance to put in my own twopenn'th and have my opinion read by others of a like mind.

q: what was your very first opinion on ?
A: Oh Dear! Having recently bought a Ford Ka and seeing it shown on the front page, I offered my review, followed too quickly by my experience in B&Q. The "Oh Dear!" refers to the quality of my opinions rather than the car. It was some time later that I left a message on my profile asking peeps not to read my first reviews. It had the opposite result as they promptly went and did so. I seem to remember there were a couple of smiles left in comments. Since then I asked for some to be deleted and re-wrote. So not much point in checking them out.

Q: Did you find it easy to get the hang of dooyoo?
A: I can't really remember. But then I don't always find it easy to get the hang of anything.

Q: Did you read other opinions before you posted your first one?
A: No and I should have done. This is always a good thing to do, especially if comments are left. Whe
n I see comments written by someone who has yet to write an opinion, I note their names so that I may read them when they do. Partly because it is a friendly thing to do and also because these are people who seem to start with good ops.

Q: Do you write no/some/many comments?
A: I almost always comment. If I don't it is because I have little knowledge or interest in the subject and cannot, therefore, leave an intelligent reply. At times I appreciate that a good review has been written but can only leave a short appreciative remark. Other rare times I lack time. Comments on my own reviews are always received with pleasure and are the basis for the friendly site this is.

Q: When you click on the list of Newest Reviews, do you read your friends' opinions no matter what they're on/according to subject no matter who has written on it/preferably the opinions of new writers?
A: Yes, of course I read reviews of people I like, but not I hope at the expense of new writers. I am anxious that newbies should be encouraged since I remember so well my own first shy attempts and how pleased I was that established members bothered to contact me with advice.

Q: Do you write your opinions in one sitting?
A: No, unless it is one such as I am writing now. I write an introduction and a draft and then return to tittivate. A book review or travel op can take me a week or more. Sometimes I have as many as three on the go.

Q: Do you use a spell check?
A: Since I write on Wordpad to avoid the dreaded (?) 's I have to rely on recognising that I may have spelled something incorrectly and use the spellcheck on the word processor Tools - which I keep in a separate window - or the dictionary which is always on my desk. I don't think I slip up very often. When I do it tends to be a typo and I know I risk line-breaks if I change the review.

Q: Do you think you can improve your chances to get a cr
own if you suck up to a guide?
A: I would find this an embarrassing thing to do or to be on the receiving end. As a guide I have yet to have this happen. It doesn't work that way anyway folks, despite the myths. However, if you feel that you or someone else have written a particularly crownworthy op which has been overlooked, I am always happy to have a look and remind Katie at dooyoo that it is there. If she agrees, she will duly oblige.

Q: Are you a member of a forum or a chat room?
A: I pop in to chatterweb regularly to see what is going on and often join in. Time is overdue since I started a thread though. Since we now have an instant alert facility on tooyoo I chat through the guest books during the day and evening and really enjoy the contact.

Q: Does it get to you when members praise or condemn you?
A: Who doesn't revel in praise? It can make my day. I can't remember being actually condemned, but accept disagreement with my point of view with good humour, as I hope others do mine. Not Usefuls, received when someone hasn't like a comment I have made used to bug me. Now I smile and move on.


Q: What did you do in your spare time before you joined dooyoo?
A: I read 3 books a week. When dooyoo became addictive I gave up reading for a while as I was embarrassed by the late book returns and consequential fines. I am back dooyooing and reading now.


Q: What do you wish for the future?
A: In common with most members I should think; our capital letters back, the newest items list updated every few days and small irritating things fixed such as the line breaks which result when a review is edited. Not to mention the dreaded question marks which many people suffer when pasting their op for posting. This is such a super site that it is a shame it should be spoiled by these minor details.

Do write your own answers to Malu's questions. The heading paragr
aph on mine is hers.

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