(EDITED) All I've Learnt So Far ... (Writing a Good dooyoo Review)

Member Name: Peakly

Product:	Writing a Good dooyoo Review
Date:	19/11/00 (91 review reads)
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I stand before you, at the time of writing, a member of dooyoo for roughly four months. I have written roughly 40 opinions, 4 of which have been crowned, around only 5 of which have a current status of anything less then 'very useful'. I have had numerous exchanges with members of the dooyoo team, some to praise me, some to advise me, and, I regret to say, some to tell me off. I tell you all this only so that I may seem justified in telling you all how to do things, although, those of you with 500 opinions under your belt may rightly scoff.

Firstly, all the things I have learned NOT to do on dooyoo. The following pieces of advise come from experience, I'm ashamed to say.

(1) Never try being a smart-arse. By this I mean writing opinions that you know will be no good to anyone. During my learning stages on Dooyoo, I once wrote an opinion on a Porsche 911 claiming it as 'useless'. I wrote the opinion pretending to be a millionaire who bought the car then never used it. I can remember what I was thinking exactly, except maybe that it might be funny, but either way Dooyoo soon deleted it forever. I have also tried simply repeating the word 'really' around the words 'I' and 'like this product' 75 times. This also fails. As if these two examples aren't bad enough, I have also tried writing an opinion on the book 'Tom Jones' criticising it for not having enough information on the Welsh pop singer - Dooyoo removed it straight away. The main reasons I ever tried such stunts was out of curiosity to see the reaction (testing the bounties, as it were), and through boredom. I know this all may seem fairly obvious, I'm just saying that trying to be clever doesn't work - Dooyoo are too smart. It's a waste of yours and their time - so don't bother trying.

(2) Never write strongly worded comments, attacking the writer on a pointless level. There have been occasions when I have been so angered by the quality of an opinion that I have resorted
to being offensive rather then helpfully critical. This too is pointless I'm afraid, it only creates more enemies and the last thing you need on Dooyoo are people with grudges.

(3) Don't advertise. Not so long ago I wrote an opinion on my own website, now whatever your stand on the morals of that, Dooyoo dislike it. Don't bother sticking links in your comments and opinions either, I've never tried that but I suspect it won't work either.

(4) Don't swear. 'Bleed Whore' was the title of one of my earlier opinions - it got peoples attentions yes, but it also got Dooyoo's attention and I asked to tone it down. When asked to change your opinion, don't request compensation for your troubles either - that was one of my first mistakes.

There are a few of basic points, that perhaps will only apply to new members rather then experienced ones. It's all fairly obvious stuff, just do things by the book because you won't get away with anything. Don't think I'm making Dooyoo out as the bad-guy here, I agree totally with their rules and with a system that, by it’s very nature, would be so easy to abuse, it's good they run a tight-ship. Just don't test them.


Ok so there's a few starter points. The rest of my advise shall be split into two sections - 'writing your opinions' and 'Dooyoo behaviour'.



WRITING YOUR OPINIONS
You should find writing opinions gets easier the more you do. Find anyone with a decent number of opinions and check out their early ones and the latest - you should find people progress to writing longer and longer opinions in most cases. Here are some tips for writing good opinions, with extra pointers about gaining crowns.

(1) The obvious first - make sure your grammar is good for heaven's sake. I'm talking basic stuff like full-stops and capitals letters, as well as basic spelling. No one minds the odd mistake, but you have to ensure your opinion doesn't have so many mista
kes it's a chore to read. The ultimate tip for this is to write your opinions in Word first, so you can check your spellings. Also, if your writing a long opinion, it's good to do this anyway because Dooyoo often logs you out for inactivity - very annoying.

(2) Don't write 75 words. I don't care what anyone says - quantity is important, specially for getting crowns. If your going to give your opinion on something, you owe it more then 75 words. I think some people adopt the attitude that the more opinions they write in the fastest amount of time then the money they will get. Big mistake. In the long run, any member will tell you it's the quality opinions that will make you money. One, solid opinion with a crown above it's head is worth ten brief snippets that will soon be rated un-useful and forgotten. Sometimes, writing short opinions can be effective, but you have to make sure it's very well-written. Short opinions go well with humour - if your going to write your top ten Christmas Wishes, your unlikely to write 3000 words, so make is witty and fun to read.

(3) Don't write with an aggressive style. I know, because I do it myself. If you go into an opinion all guns blazing and write a dogmatic opinion, your only going to appeal to those who share your views. Remember - getting a high rating is the only way to keep your opinion well read. If you feel passionately about an issue - fine, but try and write showing some tolerance. The sad fact is, if someone disagrees with what you say (the Speakers Corner applies here), then they will be more inclined to rate it as not useful. The best you can do is present your views, whatever they may be, in a nice accurate manner, that way you can hope to win over those who think differently. Remember, your not simply here to rant - if your reviewing a product, your job is to advise the reader on how worthy it is of their use, and if your writing an opinion on an issues, try to write as if you are
trying to convert them to your way of thinking. Always bear in mind your writing for an audience - they are not going to listen if you shout.

(4) Make your title and opening line stand out. When people are searching through opinions, your title and opening line is the only representative of the full article. you want to lure people in to reading what you have to say - think of it like fishing. A good piece of bait is a witty or different title - try and be interesting! Some people actually name their opinion after the product it's about, which makes no sense at all. When picking your title, consider:

- Shock Tactics i.e. 'World W*****s Federation?' (WWF)
- Wit i.e. 'Erricellent! sorry...' (Erricson Mobile Phone)

As for your opening line, there is no need to be sensational for the sake of it, but it helps. Obviously don't opt for a raunchy opening line if your opinion doesn't follow it up - the reader will only feel cheated and rate you low. If you can find something that is attention grabbing that is logic within the rest of your opinion then great. Again, a bit of imagination is always welcome.

(5) Give a two-sided argument. If your here to tell us that Cannabis should definitely be legalised, then still show your knowledge about reasons why other people may think differently. Writing with a balanced style shows your willingness to understand the views of others, and will win you favours.

(6) If you're going to write a mammoth opinion, break it up. Imagine all I have written now in one big lump - you would have got bored a long time ago (presuming your not already). There is a reason why books have chapters - huge amounts of text are hard to swallow. If your writing a lengthy opinion, put a full space between each paragraph.

(7) Make sure you have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Open your opinion in an obvious way - maybe laying the grow works for those who know nothing about what y
ou are discussing. Never leap into an opinion presuming everyone knows what you are talking about. For example, starting a Big Brother opinion 'Craig should have punched Nicks lights out!' is certainly attention grabbing, but only confusing for people who don't (or didn't) watch the show. Try and get a happy-medium.
The middle of your opinion is the substance, and arguably the most important. Make sure you include points to support your ideas, and be objective like discussed earlier. This is the real meat of the opinion, where everything you have to say that is important takes place.
End well - it's important. I often try and end on a witty or ironic note, this sticks in the readers mind when they come to rating. Make it obvious your ending too, cutting your opinion short will only leave your reader feeling cheated.


DOOYOO BEHAVIOUR
Life on Dooyoo isn't just about what opinion you write. You have to get them read in the first place. It's important to make a name for yourself on Dooyoo, and have a 'character'. Some people chose to be the funny guy, others (most) chose to be always 'nice', others chose to be controversial or just plain weird. It's all about making yourself known. If you can bring yourself to do it though, their are certain sure fire ways of making friends on Dooyoo. Personally, I find it hard to abandon my morals and do what is needed to become well liked by everybody - hence why I shall probably never make it into the hall of fame! I often leave comments telling people exactly what I think, and some of my opinions aren't commonly held beliefs. It would be nice to think others would respect you being honest, but in reality, being a 'goody-two-shoes' is the best way to get your opinions read. Here are some pointers to becoming popular:

(1) Write opinions that aren't too controversial. Some people may have read my opinion supporting fox-hunting and decided never to listen to what I have to say agai
n - this can be damaging. You don't want to get a name for being too extremist. Basically, if you believe the countries pollution and waste should be dumped in our National Parks, it's probably best not to say.

(2) Previously, I had written here that a good tip for life on Dooyoo is to not rate people 'NU'. I explained that by ignoring crap opinions, you ran less risk of making enemies who will give you revenge ratings. I return now, roughly 10 opinions on, and I have changed my mind. I now rate with honesty - if something is crap, I will NU it, BUT always leave a nice-worded comment explaining why. To you as an individual, I no longer recommend you avoid the NU, I say use it with caution. Hopefully, most people will respect your honesty (as long as you leave a comment justifying your rating), although it is true some members will give you a spiteful return rating - if this happens, contact the Dooyoo police and they should sort it out for you. The real reason I have changed this section of my guide is because since the original publishing, I have learnt to act as a community member rather then a 'lone solider'. The best people on this site will respect you for using the NU button, so do it when needed, but you must ensure that you leave a comment or an email explaining why

(3) Leave nice comments! If you've read an opinion and your were really impressed - say so! Again, don't lie just to suck up - I and others despise that, but if you think something is worthy of praise then do it. By leaving a simple comment saying 'great opinion - well done!', you are, first of all, showing your supportto that member, and second of all, getting your name known. The best idea though is to leave a interesting and helpful comment. A bland one will often induce little to none feedback, while a harsh one will induce negative feedback. Try and start a debate on a board, and then carry it on. As long as your playing nice, their
is no harm at all in disagreeing with someone and saying so to start a debate that follows on from the opinion.

(4)If you read a couple of good opinions by the same member - don't forget to stick them on your friends list! They should get an email informing them of your move, and the chances are they will check out who the hell you are. Of course, don't trust too many people - exspearinced members don't look kindly on members who add hords of people just to get reads - it looks shallow.


Well there you go, all the knowledge I have collected during my time on this site. I hope me bearing my soul hasn't been too boring for you all! Now you have all my secrets, you can go on to be as popular as me (!)

Life on Dooyoo boils down to two things. Firstly, you have to have quality opinions, and secondly, you have to get people reading them. Less obviously, and a lot harder, then it sounds.

My final piece of advice? Write about what you know, and have fun. Life on Dooyoo can good for you in so many more ways then simply earning you money.


Good luck everyone!

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