DOOYOO RATE DOOYOO? (dooyoo.co.uk in general)

Member Name: jingles

Product:	dooyoo.co.uk in general
Date:	18/10/01 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Less Technical Hitches, Payment easier

Disadvantages: Cash handling fees

What’s green and black and has an opinion on everything? Why Dooyoo of course!

Alongside Ciao, Dooyoo is the other leading UK consumer website. According to Dooyoo they hope to offer [and l quote]: -

“….a website that is dynamic, reliable, personalised, easy to use and useful for all - a truly independent forum for consumers to share information.”

I personally would agree on the whole with this statement. No matter what product or service you want advice on as a consumer will generally have a Dooyoo opinion written.

Joining Dooyoo, as with Ciao is quite simple. Click on either “Register” or “Not a member” at the homepage, enter the required information, choose if you want to be contacted with Dooyoo information, choose to accept the terms and conditions and then hit submit to enter your details.

You now will have a personal user profile which you can add your picture too, some factual information and a message. This profile page can be modified at any time. Also on this page members can view your stats [you know reads, rates and comments], what you have given a “Thumbs Up” to or indeed a “Thumbs Down” too, and of course the opinions you have written are also on display.

Opinions can be written on most topics including food and drink – something not on offer from Ciao and also in Speaker Corner. Speaker’s Corner is akin to a soapbox area where members can write about topics close to their heart – abortion, marriage, life after death or terrorism are simply a few.

Like Ciao opinions can be rated under 4 headings:

 Very Useful (VU)
 Useful (U)
 Somewhat Useful (SU)
 Not Useful (NU)

Comments can be left for the writer also giving constructive advice or praise on the topic under review.

Dooyoo pay in Dooyoo miles, which may then be converted
into some form of legal tender dependent on personal choice. It should be noted though that Dooyoo miles are only paid to those over 18 years old. Points can be earned in a variety of manners: -

 If you write an opinion you will get 100 “DY” miles = 10p
 If another member reads your opinion you will get 50 “DY” miles = 5p
 Invite a friend to Dooyoo and earn 100 “DY” miles for their first 10 opinions
 If you write a premier opinion (and for which you are awarded a pointy hat or a crown!) you will get 1000 “DY” miles = £1.00

Your current total is always available on your profile page and is constantly kept up to date – unlike Ciao who only update your account balance on a daily basis.

You may exchange your Dooyoo miles for the following rewards: -

 CASH

You will get a cheque, but not there is a £5 handling fee for cheques beneath £100. Also to apply for the cash you must have earned a minimum of 55 000 DY miles

 IPOINTS

Convert your miles into ipoints, where you can exchange them for a wide range of vouchers. 10 ipoints are equivalent to 1000 miles and you require a minimum of 10 000 miles to convert.

 E-VOUCHERS

Amazon and Blackstar vouchers are available and are sent to you via email. Again you must have a minimum of 22500 DY miles to apply.

 DOOYOO MERCHANDISE

The infamous Dooyoo T-shirt!

 CHARITY

Give your earnings to charity – Dooyoo have a list from which you may nominate. The minimum donation you can make is of 5000 DY miles


Dooyoo members may be called upon by the site to enter the Dooyoo Hall of Fame. For this position you will receive 1000 Dooyoo miles and your fellow site members may nominate you. In short it is similar to the Ciao Most Wanted, expect Ciao pay you £10 for the ho
nour whilst you get £1 from Dooyoo!

Members can write short opinions on topics also. They simply give the main advantages and disadvantages, their overall rating and whether or not they would recommend the product or service to a friend. There is no monetary (or miles) incentive to write short opinions, and not many members have written such.

Each category has a manager who looks after their sections, deals with abuse, answers members questions and adds on new topics. Their name, contact email address and a short profile can be found on the category homepage. It means they are not faceless, you can see their picture alongside their profile.

According to Dooyoo, Community Guides: -

“…encapsulate the spirit and ethos of Dooyoo. They are helpful, friendly and most of all experts in their chosen field.”

The guides are there to help the managers – and are normal Dooyoo’ers. They will help hound out abuse, read and rate opinions and give advice and praise.

Hopefully l have paid Dooyoo its dues – not leaving anything out (if l have lm sure someone out there will let me know!). During the opinion l have in parts compared it with Ciao – the 2 sites are very similar. I initially found Dooyoo hard to navigate around – find the most recent opinions or looking for information. Experience, usage and asking for help have sorted out my issues though! Dooyoo does not suffer from the technically problems Ciao is infested with, nor as far as l am aware anyway is there any issues with receiving payment. I still prefer Ciao though. I’m more established there of course and my opinions get higher reads. I have made more Ciao friends than Dooyoo (although to be honest many are on both sites). I enjoy the family feeling l get at Ciao which l don’t feel at Dooyoo. Dooyoo is perhaps to me more cliquey – but then again lm a relative newbie – so perhaps wi
th time my feelings toward the site will change – who knows!

Heather

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