I'D RATHER SUCK MYSELF (Tips / Guides on Helping to Recruit Members to dooyoo)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Tips / Guides on Helping to Recruit Members to dooyoo
Date:	22/11/03 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: England have won!

Disadvantages: Get drunk y'all

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.

Needless to say, this is clearly off-topic so you should rate as appropriate. I'm assuming that these questionnaires will be filed away in the archive somewhere at some stage but as the great Keith (Alkaliguru) maintains, ratings are simply a question of semantics (i.e. I'm not bothered)
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Q: When did you join dooyoo?

A: December 2001, 2 years next month
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Q: How did you discover dooyoo?

A: I kept seeing Dooyoo mentioned on Ciao (joined Ciao Nov 2001 originally) and as it was at the time that Ciao had reduced it's payments so people were flocking to Dooyoo. Angus Reid mentioned it to me and I gave it a whirl. Scotgirl and Jill Murphy made early comments on my stuff. Sadly, the former disappeared some time ago but, of course, the lovely Jill rolls on...and on...and on :o)
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Q: Why did you join?

A: Ciao was an opportunity to try out some writing while Dooyoo simply built on that with the incentive of getting a bit more bunce (i.e. 3p a read). Once I'd become a part of the community I grew to love Dooyoo. Crikey, in the good old days peeps would be posting at 6am in the morning and still getting bucket loads of reads before they'd set off to work. Those days have gone although things seem a little bus

ier these days after the initial disaster of Aurora.
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Q: What was your very first opinion on?

A:. It was an opinion about a book that helped me put my own website together. I really enjoyed writing that piece and it actually got a crown. I'm very proud of my website although don't spend anywhere near enough time maintaining it.

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

A: In it's original guise, Dooyoo was easy enough if pretty unattractive with all that green and stuff. I never liked the thread format for leaving comments. Ciao's personal GBs are far superior, even now, as folks don't have to return to opinions to see if they've had a reply to their comment.
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Q: Did you read other opinions before you posted your first one?

A: No, I don't think so, I think I just plunged in at the deep end. That's me all over at times, I just don't think........
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Q: Do you write no/some/many comments?

A:. Usually I do although if I'm not in the mood then I won't. I generally read back most people that read me. Some of the exchanges on threads make me smile and can be better than the opinion written. Of course, it is a cardinal sin to make personal observations ;o)
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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: Generally, I do look for those people I am familiar with regardless of what they've written. Of course, time is an issue so you have to make a choice somehow. I try to read new writers when I can. So few seem to go on and become established on Dooyoo which is a shame.
Those
duplicitous characters from other sites seem to hang around forever (lol)
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Q: Do you write your opinions in one sitting?

A: Sometimes I do although my best opinions are the ones I draft out on paper before posting. I tend to edit the paper version quite heavily and the results are far better than posting my original thoughts. Now and again, I am impulsive and will blaze out an opinion although these are mainly the ones that appear on Ciao in the Café section.

The movie ones take the longest as I'll research several web sites and use The Times/Sunday Times to make sure my facts are correct and I can get a feel about what the critics think. I enjoy my book and movie ones the most although the movie category is the most frustrating on Dooyoo as it's so hit and miss as to getting a guide read. Whether it's because it's such a busy cat or perhaps it's the kiss of death for guides but when you spend a good couple of hours compiling a decent movie review, it is nice to know that the relevant guide has at least read it. Sadly, this is not always the case and thus, cuts down on suitable movie crowns.

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Q: Do you use a spell check?

A:. Absolutely! I get irritated by poor spelling, bad grammar etc especially when it's me at fault. One of the curses of these sites is my propensity to edit and re-edit. Even after posting I'll re-read and find mistakes (generally, I re-edit about 3 or 4 times after posting). I simply HAVE to go back and correct them even if it's a comma out of place. I don't know why I'm so finicky, I just am.
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Q: Do you think you can improve your chances to get a crown if you suck up to a guide?

A: Having been a guide, I honestly can't remember any one sucking up to me. In fact, very few people queried why they hadn't had a crown a
nd all that stuff. I think sucking up is the wrong expression although there is nothing wrong with asking a guide for help and advice. After all, that's what I thought they were there for although, with due respect, there is a wide disparity of helpfulness between guides with some seeing their job as only giving a VU rating in rare circumstances and crowns even rarer whereas others are free with their comments and advice and recommend for crowns where ever possible instead of for just a chosen few. I know which I was and which I prefer ;o)
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Q: Are you a member of a forum or a chat room?

A: No, I haven't got time although I've been asked many times by different people (all women, he he) if I want to chat to them on MSN etc. I do speak to people on Tooyoo, a forum I like but otherwise my appearances in chatrooms are rare indeed.
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Q: Does it get to you when members praise or condemn you?

A: I love getting comments like everyone else. Curiously, it's the one-liners that look like a skim that annoy me a little e.g. "good opinion". A condemnation is fine if it's constructive criticism whilst praise and nominations are what we all want. Generally, I seem to get praise but intelligent comments and questions showing that the commenter has actually read your piece and gives me the most pleasure.
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Q: What did you do in your spare time before you joined dooyoo?

A: I used to potter around with my website plus assorted other online back waters that gave me pleasure. Ciao and Dooyoo suck you in at the expense of everything else or so it seems.
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Q: What do you wish for the future?

A: As far as Dooyoo goes, a better sense of community spirit which would be aided by a more reliable platform along with improved communication v
ia guestbooks a la Ciao. Tooyoo serves a purpose but the site really should pull it's finger out and give the members a better forum for discussion. It looks likely that Dooyoo will still be here in 2004 but personally I wouldn't take anything for granted. Oh, and if only an opinion limit could be imposed and enforced *sigh*
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If you want to participate, please add:

Please don't take this challenge to ciao without asking MALU, she'd rather decide herself what to do with a text she's written, when to take it there or if at all. Thank you.

Thanks for reading and apologies to Drew (Proxam) & Valerie (Aefra) as I am trying to string something together for your challenges. As for the rest of the weekend, it will be spent celebrating England's world cup win!!!

Marandina

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