In It For The Money (Helpful Advice for New Members)

Member Name: michaelhudson

Product:	Helpful Advice for New Members
Date:	19/11/03 (109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Money, Community, Writing

Disadvantages: To each their own.

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!

Is this where I come in then?

When did you join dooyoo?

July 2nd 2001, though I didn't get round to posting an opinion for another fortnight. I think it took another two weeks for me to stop for breath.

How did you discover dooyoo?

I was searching for something completely unrelated when I came across one of the freebie sites. The cash section took my eye and dooyoo was listed at the top. I decided to register, then decided I couldn't be bothered and just told my money grabbing younger brother about it instead, who forced me to register so he could claim some extra money on the referral.

Why did you join?

I'd been working overseas for almost two years at the time and, strange as this may sound seeing as I was teaching English, my language skills were beginning to decline a bit. I thought I could probably string a few sentences together and make a few pennies whilst keeping my vocab up to date. And my horrible anally retentive flatmate had a lap-top hooked up to the interet in his room. And it was too hot to go outside. And 'A Bridge To Far' had just finished and I was in an inspired mood.

What was your first opinion on?

Football. I was living in Korea, the World Cup was coming up and I thought that nobody else would know anything about the place. I actually got a crown for that one a few days later. In
the meantime I got a bit over excited and started writing things off the top of my head. I've grown out of that (or I thought I had until just now).

Did you find it easy to get the hang of dooyoo?

Once I discovered that you had to space the lines to get paragraphs I had no problems at all. That was the only bit of constructive advice I got - no big welcome for me! The rest was pretty easy with a bit of thought. I think most things actually worked in those days though.

Did you read other opinions before you posted your first one?

Of course not, there's no money in reading. I think I started to write my first opinion within five minutes of logging into the site for the first time. If I could go back and change one thing, I think I would've been better to have spent some time reading before starting on my own opinion. I did learn that lesson pretty quickly.

Do you write no/some/many comments?

It depends on my mood. As I get a childish pleasure out of reading comments on my own opinions I do try to leave as many as I can myself. I think I probably comment on a third of all the opinions I read, though sometimes nothing comes to mind other than some random platitude. That usually does the trick.

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?

I only read the people who are the likeliest to give me some filthy lucre back in return, don't I?. Seriously, I usually scroll down and see if there are any names I recognise first. I'll read anything by someone of my Circle of Friends (within reason) and then anything that interests me from other members. And, of course, I read all the Travel opinions whenever I'm guiding. I do click on the New Members list and read as many as I can whenever I have time, and I also come across
a few newer writers through comments they've left on other people's opinions. I'm usually too busy to read more than four of five opinions at one sitting though.

For new writers: The very, very best way to get more reads is to put as much effort as you can into your own opinions and then to read, rate and comment like a wailing banshee.

Do you write your opinions in one sitting?

With the exception of this one, never. I have notebooks full of scribbled writing which I go through in two or three sittings. I usually find it helpful to post opinions a few hours after I've finished them as you can always spot mistakes etc on a second reading.

How often do you post a new opinion?

Once a day for the first month I was here and then once every month or so thereafter. I think less is definitely more when it comes to writing three or four opinions a day or something stupid like that. If I see someone's name more than twice on the New Opinions list I avoid them like the plague, along with people who use brands and companies in their user names (ranty types). I think I would also have given myself a wide berth the first few weeks I was here. To be honest, I'm usually too busy teaching to find the motivation to write anything. It's a mental thing.

Do you use a spell check?

I hope I don't need to, otherwise my students would be in a bit of bother. Not that they aren't anyway.

Do you think you can improve your chances to get a crown if you suck up to a guide?

Yes, but only if they choose me. And I'm not even that expensive.

Are you a member of a forum or a chat room?

Not unless you count tooyoo. I still think of chat rooms as seedy, anything goes type places. Which is why I'll be signing up to one in the very near future.

Does it get to you when members praise or condemn you?

Praise is ok, condemnation is just funny.
Some people get themselves so worked up that they forget where to find the off button. I don't like to say it's only a website because dooyoo is a pretty serious thing. But it's still only a website.

What did you do in your spare time before you joined dooyoo?

Exactly the same as I do now (secret!). Dooyoo just squeezed into a bit of space.

What do you wish for the future?

I'm not all that bothered about the capital letters, though it would be aesthetically nice to have them back. Greater levels of positivity, some new members to come, existing members to stay, and old members to come back. And for the 6p a read to last until Christmas 2005.

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