I'm Just An Average Member (dooyoo.co.uk in general)

Member Name: Ric!

Product:	dooyoo.co.uk in general
Date:	10/05/02 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Enjoyable, Informative

Disadvantages: Declining

The 25th May 2002 will mark the end of my first year as a dooyoo member. Looking back, I can't believe that I joined at such a stupid time, just 2 weeks before my final exams, when I should have been spending all my time revising. On the whole, dooyoo has been a positive and worthwhile experience.

I never ever imagined that I would write an opinion about dooyoo. I've always stuck to the 'safe' consumer items, and never dared to venture into Speaker's Corner or such-like. But, at this very moment of time, I'm in the right frame of mind to write this, and I may not be tomorrow, so here goes(!)

This is not one of those pre-leaving moans or speeches. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not exactly the most active of members, but 43 fairly regularly spaced opinions in a year shows that I do take part, and no-one could accuse me of being a churner!

So, down to the nitty gritty. All this stuff has been discussed a million times before, I sure, but these are the things that annoy me about dooyoo.

* Readership levels are down. Now, contrary to what you may think, this is not a moan about earning less money. It is so, so disappointing to spend time writing an opinion, then to post it and find it has only been read a handful of times before it disappears into the depths of the barely explored inner corners of deepest, darkest dooyoo. Once you have posted an opinion, you have to work really hard to get it read - I'm sure you know what I mean by this. I really find it difficult to understand those (mainly newer) memebers who write and post a new opinion when their last one has had maybe 3 or 4 reads, or less. You write so that your opinions are read. If they don't get read, you stop writing. So what will happen to dooyoo in the long term?

* Crowns - I think they should be scrapped completely. The whole process can dishearten a newish member who is trying their best and sees what they thin
k are injustices. Believe me, I am completely over these thoughts now. Of all my opinions, I really feel that only 1 probably deserved a crown - it didn't get it. I have had two other opinions, which I thought were just averagely written, crowned. 2 crowns out of 43 opinions - on balance I'm happy that this is fair representation of how much time and effort I do or don't put into my opinions. But the thing that disheartens, annoys, and frustrates an average member like myself, is when you see opinions that are average, run of the mill, and nothing special, sitting pretty with a shiny gold crown. Those are the sort of moments when you feel like not bothering. It's not so much of a jealousy thing, as more of a feeling that there is some underhand dealing going on, that the whole site is rigged. I personally do not believe that the 'nominate for a crown' button has any bearing at all as to which opinions receive crowns. Don't bother trying to convince me - as far as I'm concerned, that button is a waste of time.

* People posting opinion after opinion after opinion, and knocking everyone else off the latest opinions board. I believe this is commonly known as churning! This is not only frustrating from a writing point of view, but also from a reading one, too. When I visit the latest opinions page, I want to see and read a wide range of opinions from a wide range of different writers. I'm fed up with seeing 10 opinions by the same person, each containing less than 5 lines. Why, oh why, won't dooyoo do something about this ? - it seems so easy. Is there any need for one member to post more than one opinion per day? No, I don't believe there is. This seems like an easy bit of programming which could be added to every member's account.

* Revenge rating - I've been subjected to a this a couple of times. This happened once after pointing out on a comments page that the entire opinion was cu
t and pasted from a certain website. Yes, this frustrated me at first, and I realise that there is nothing that dooyoo can really do about it, except try and rectify improper ratings after a complaint. What surprised me, was that after reporting the revenge rating, in the hope of having my inappropriate 'not usefuls' removed, I was told by the powers that be, that I shouldn't make such comments on the site. Rather I should leave it well alone, and report the plagarised opinion to the dooyoo police. Personally I don't like reading opinions under false pretences, and I'd like to know about it there and then. I'm grateful if a fellow member has advised me (in the comments section) that an opinion is not someone's own work. Then I can adjust my rating accordingly, or choose not to rate.

* I also get very annoyed when I see people who have written many, many opinons, and received a plentitude of ratings, but have either rated no, or very few opinions themselves. Sure, there is no rule to say they must read, and rate, but it just strikes me as a self-centred thing to do. To expect your opinions to be read, but not to read anyone elses. You may find nothing wrong with this, but I don't have much time for such dooyoo-ers, as they don't seem to trying to be part of the community.

Aside from being an enjoyable past-time, I do use dooyoo in its proper manner, too. I always read product reviews on-site and take them into consideration before making my purchase. It was the opinions on dooyoo that changed my mind from buying a WindowsCE PDA and prompted me to buy a PalmOS one. I find the site a useful and worthwhile compilation of information, and I want to continue to be part of that.

I discovered the Opinionated Community right from the very start. I always new it was there and I have always read all the posts there, for almost a year now. I've not yet felt like joining, though. I'm already pa
rt of a couple of non-dooyoo forums, and enjoy my involvement there. What I have seen on OpCom though, has sometimes been absolutely awful. Sure, it makes amusing reading for a non-member, innocent bystander. But some of the arguments, and cat-fights on the forums have been a terrible advertisement for dooyoo, should anyone, be they prospective members or new members, stumble across the forums. Even though the forums are independent from dooyoo, I think it is only for the best that it has died down somewhat, and these tooyoo guest-books seem to have taken over. From what I have seen of tooyoo, it looks a friendly and exciting place to join, and I may just do so in the near future.

All in all, what am I trying to say?
I'm an average established member, by no means hardcore at all. I can see why other long term memebers are leaving. I understand why they are leaving. Dooyoo definitely has become less enjoyable. What is point of writing anymore if you find that you opinions are going virtually unread? I fear that dooyoo will continue to decline, and I fear that nothing is being done about it. It will be a terrible shame.

There you go, I think I'll stick to consumer reviews from now on!

Summary: