79% of middle class Daily Mail readers think that... (The dooyoo guide system)

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	The dooyoo guide system
Date:	29/11/05 (239 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent system for helpping both Dooyoo and the members of the site.

Disadvantages: Not a lot, really.

Ah… the good old Guide system. I'm a big fan of the Guide system on Dooyoo and a large part of that has nothing to do with Dooyoo, but the people who been in these roles over the past, what, five years?

Recently, I was in contact with Dooyoo (or rather, their current public face, Sebastian) with regard to the Guide system. The Guide system is a fairly simple affair if you look at it, which explains why it has largely remained unaltered during Dooyoo's life. Changing it wholesale has never been an option, but there are some relatively minor alterations that I believe could work to the site's advantage given the changes that can happen (sometimes within a short space of time). What follows below is a large portion of the email that I sent to Sebastian, although with a few extra comments where necessary.

The aim of these suggestions is to hopefully update the Guide system to bring it in line with the new Dooyoo that's been in operation since July and to help deal with a (hopefully) growing, active membership. Some of these suggestions actually rely on Dooyoo getting a bit busier, but I think it's only fair that since Dooyoo has been reinvented (for the better) that the Guide system is, too.

The basic system where Guides can help members by showing off good behaviour around the site, making sure things are posted properly, acting with integrity, advising members when they're stuck etc. should remain. I'm a big believer that the members (not just Guides) can help each other out, leaving Dooyoo with more time to continue to improve the site (add suggestions, do technical stuff etc.) and the Guides are a large part of that.

So, on top of the current Guide system which I've already explained still works exceedingly well, I'd like to suggest these additions or alterations to how things are currently done:

1. All Guides should be seen to be following a set of Guidelines set down by Dooyoo. These guidelines do not have to be overly complicated, but should set down a standard of behaviour that's expected of all members (and as such, the Guides should be setting this example and acting with integrity). These guidelines may or may not be displayed publicly for the rest of the Dooyoo members to see if they solely apply to Guides, but I think it would be a good idea for a general set. These guidelines can, of course, be updated should the needs of the site or the roles of the Guides change.

[The recent announcement regarding the differences between the VHS and DVD category is an excellent example giving Guides (and users) something to refer to when rating. Other such guidelines might be how to rate 'off-topic' reviews (and I'm not getting into the age old argument here of what constitutes off-topic in the various categories) and other things. I can't think of what these other guidelines might be, but the DVD/VHS thing was becoming an issue and the off-topic thing is always an issue.]

2. At least one person should Guide a category. In busy categories, perhaps two people should Guide. I don't think, though, that it's productive to have one person Guide more than one category. Also, unlike the current system of co-guiding, both Guides should be active every week, nominating Crowns etc. in tandem, rather than taking it in turns.

3. Guides shouldn't have a "job for life". There should be a system in place where Guides can be removed and/or replaced if various factors are brought into play e.g. a Guide is inactive (not reading or rating) on the site for a period of time (e.g. one month) without prior notice, a Guide fails to follow the guidelines set down, a Guide is behaving in a manner that does not encourage "proper" use of the site etc.

4. All guides should be rotated on a regular basis anyway e.g. six months. My suggestion is that two groups of Guides are created – equal numbers in each. One set gets rotated each March and September and the other gets rotated each June and December. This ensures that the Guides are always fresh and provides an incentive for those who behave well and want to take a more active role around Dooyoo. By staggering the rotation of the Guides, you're ensuring that there are always experienced Guides in place to help the new ones with any issues. This can be done by category or, in the event that each category has two guides, one Guide is rotated in March, the other in June, etc. Unless there are no suitable candidates, Guides shouldn't be able to Guide the same category on consecutive rotations.

4b. If the rotation system is unworkable (and I think it would be the hardest suggestion here to implement), what about a suggestion where a Guide's position is safe for a period of time (e.g. six months) as long as they're fulfilling their roles properly. However, after this set time period, anyone else can apply for that job, and if they're suitable enough should be given a shot at Guiding.

[Again, perhaps Dooyoo would like to specify what exactly they're looking for in Guides. I know there are FAQs out there which kind of deal with it, but I'm not sure how old they are, and I can't be arsed to go and check. I remember back in ye olden days, users had to have at least 50 reviews written with a goodly number of Crowns (and some of these had to have been in the category you're looking to Guide) before being considered as a Guide. I think this kind of system might well work again.]

5. Members should be able to nominate people for a Guiding role. There could perhaps be a form in Dooyoo's member centre where a member can nominate another as a potential Guide in a specific category. If this person is seen by Dooyoo to be a good member (see above), then they could be approached if a Guide is needed in a category. I think that this would help, as the Guides would still be seen as ordinary members. Failing that, ask people for email nominations which would mean no development time for a form and Dooyoo would just have to post a message in the member centre.

And ummm… that's it, really. The last three suggestions I've made are pretty much all along the same lines to keep the site fresh, but the first two could be a real boon to the site as a whole, I think.

I've been a Guide twice (Internet and Computers) and enjoyed every minute of it. I only gave up each of my two stints as I was leaving the country for a long period of time and couldn't devote the regular time necessary to keep such a role. Guides are important to the site and it's up to us to help them help us. It's also up to Dooyoo to back up their Guides where and when possible. A few years ago a member took it upon himself to abuse a Guide because he was not getting Crowns. He kept this up for almost a year and Dooyoo at the time, while being aware of it, did nothing. Thankfully, such abuse is not common, but the actions of Dooyoo at this time meant that not only did they lose a Guide, but they also lost an active member which no-one likes to see.

That wouldn't put me off applying to have another go though as Guiding was fun and I learned a lot from it, too.

Keep up the good work guys 'n' gals.

Summary: Some suggestions and an overview of the current Guide system.