Ready for a good debate? (reviewwritersforum.co.uk)

Member Name: butters

Product:	reviewwritersforum.co.uk
Date:	29/05/06 (330 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It is a fun site to discuss and get information.

Disadvantages: Debates turning into arguments.

Review Writers Forum for those of you that do not know, is a rendezvous for both dooyoo and Ciaoers. Epinion members also have a topic but with only 24 posts, it does not play a big part. However, dooyoo and ciao do take up a huge chunk of the site.
There are obviously rules on the site but to be honest they are just common knowledge, with the main ones being not naming or hinting so members cannot be discriminated against, or just remembering not to be racist or threatening. This is the same on all forums really-so everyone can get along. I have been warned once, which I will explain in a while, but all’s it shows it that you will get chances and you will not get thrown out for one comment.

~Admins~

They are drewboy, sirg0508 and Thingywhatsit, who most of you will know from this site and as far as i can tell, they do an excellent job, not only looking after the site, but being friendly at the same time. According to the FAQ on the site, an Admin has a level of control over the board, and can ban users, create moderators and have full moderator capabilities in all forums.

I have not had any troubles with these either, with all of them being friendly. If you have a worry or concern, Private Message (PM) them and they’ll answer back in no time at all, or if they want to ask you something, it will always be in a friendly manner. I myself PM them quite a lot and they are friendly.

Now, I was naughty and broke a rule before-I hinted at a person on dooyoo that I was complaining about on a thread (without realising) and in return, got a PM warning me in a very nice tone, just saying that I wasn’t meant to hint. No worries or no grudge, just a friendly warning which I thought was reasonable. I reckon you’ll only get thrown off the site if you’re a constant problem.

Then there are the moderators who add threads and check posts. For E.g. the Arena, the moderators have to add games ad delete unpopular games. Since the site is always thriving with posts, I can only assume they do a good job. These can lock and unlock posts, and split and merge posts in their section and edit posts to prevent people going off topic.

~Topics &Threads~

There is the site information which is self-explanatory and explains the rules which are a vital read for newbie’s, but doesn’t exactly add to the site.

Site Competition-This is a far better topic because it is fun. Here holds the threads which tell you about competitions. Join fast and you’ll be able to enter this month’s ones-Short Story Competition and Pet review. They obviously change monthly but are extremely fun and a challenge. My generally long reviews had to be limited due to the 950 word limit, so not only does it provide a challenge, but is fun because after the draw is up, you can post it to earn money.
If you win, you’ll even get an Amazon voucher which makes it even more worthwhile due to a decent prize to aim for. I will enter this monthly if it the subject appeals to me.

Review Site Talk-You can talk about dooyoo, ciao, other review sites, Epinions, or review sites in general. All these threads are under a different topic and all having many threads. Under the Review sites, threads will vary from Guide information to crowns. Many topics are about your opinion-such as what makes a good review or complaints on what makes a bad review or writer-such as how often you should write. It is really interesting to read different opinions and see what people think and the varied opinions. Some of these progress into arguments but they are mainly just friendly debates to ask why people think this or why people would like that and it makes you realise, it takes a very good review to please everyone! However, it does give you useful advice on how to make your reviews better and it honestly has helped me to half the size of my reviews (which I thought were too long). Although the threads vary, they basically run along the same format.

General Review Site Talk-There isn’t as many threads on here but this generally consists of threads that are to do with all review sites and information. One of these is ‘general chatter’ and others talk about payment methods. Basically, except for the odd thread that could be put in both the dooyoo and ciao thread, they mainly compare the sites, or talk about rules. Although this is an interesting read, I do not post here that much because it doesn’t appeal to me, but I do find it fun to stick up for dooyoo.

~Members Fun Area~

This has nothing to do with reviews at all and it just general chatter about certain subjects-a lot of them, which appeals to a wide range. The thread ‘Banter and Fun’, where you post anything funny-such as controversial posters and signs, or fun websites is very addictive. I spend a lot of my time here, not posting new threads, but reading and replying to funny subjects and sites. The threads are about nothing really though, which is not a complaint, but just a statement since this is so fun. I will tell you two of these, which I find excellent. ‘South Park Avatar’ s a thread with a link to a site in which you can create yourself as a South Park character and show it off to anyone on the site-which makes you wonder why everyone draws their character stoned? Then there is a thread with a link in which you draw a house and answer questions which reveals your personality. This is uncannily accurate too and you also get to show off your drawings. If you find something funny, just add it for a response and some fun. What makes it so good if that there’s no restrictions on what to post (except the obvious rules-nothing racist or threatening or sexual) and some people really do find some funny places.
I can’t say much since I’m 15, but there is an 18+ area too. Sounds fun to me but I can’t enter as they didn’t believe my comment ‘I’m…um…23’ Oh well-the rest of you can have fun there.

In the rest of the Members Fun Area, you can ask technical questions, talk about TV, eBay, or just anything in the news. This can be extremely interesting. Obviously most of these topics are only good if you are on eBay, or watch the popular shows, but they are fun none-the-less. You can express opinions on shows, or advertise your eBay shop and it has quite a few posts so I’m guessing people like it.
One of my favourites though is ‘Word Games’ in which there are just fun word games such as change a letter where you’re given a word and the next person changes a letter and it goes on, or my favourite-the Meh-gah thread in which one person says Meh and the next says gah. It’s so pointless but surprisingly addictive. There are far more games though which require you to think and I laugh out loud at many of these games.

Something totally different though is ‘The Arena’ which a lot of people spend time on. This is just general competition on internet games. I just post a game (or others), and then there is a competition which goes onto see who can get the highest score-and then at the end of the week, or updated when a higher score is given, you get the thrill of knowing you are best. It is so great because of the official ‘bragging rights’ of the winner-keep it to a minimum please. What makes this so good is that a lot of these games are extremely addictive.

~Advantages & Disadvantage (singular) ~

I don’t need to explain the obvious advantages which are the fun of the threads, which make you laugh and provide you with some relevant information, but I do need to explain the members. Generally, the members are extremely friendly and helpful. If you have a technical problem-just start a thread in the appropriate category and you will find a helpful member in no time at all-just as if you need advice on reviews, you will also get it in no time. If you start a thread you will get advice, which you want, of which will probably turn into a mini-debate between a few members (mostly on topic) which is fun to follow because of the varied opinions.

The only disadvantage I can think of is some of the members. Most of them will help out but I do think that criticism can go too far. Some people ask for advice and it then turns to a debate-which can gradually progress into an argument of ‘what is right’. However, if you feel you do not want criticism, just do not reply to your topic so you can’t get nagged at. Alternatively, just be a bit more careful on what you write to make sure it can’t get you in trouble. Me? Well, I can just ignore it because I don’t think they mean it. Sure, I got annoyed when it happened the once but who cares? After a re-read I just thought that the people criticising me didn’t mean anything by it and were just trying to help, not annoy me so I carry on writing on Review Writers Forum as normal because of this. Unless someone makes a threatening comment or a really critical comment, I would urge you to wonder if the criticism was meant because it most probably wasn’t-or the Admins would probably catch it out.


~Extra Site Information~

Found at www.reviewwritersforum.co.uk
It has many additional features that enhance your experience, as stated.

Private Messages-Like an e-mail system within the site, you just send a private message to people so they can read. It sounds simple and is on a lot of forums but it is very useful if you want to question something someone has said (to find more information) or ask the Admins something important.

Calendar- This reminds you of events such as competitions and even birthdays. You can put your birthday onto your profile. It is useful for site competitions really, and the birthdays are just a bonus (there is a weeks warning-so it could be useful if you know someone on the site).

Search-It lets you search through Review Writers Forum. It is useful if you want to add a thread of game etc. but don’t want to search through seven pages of posts. There are a lot of them.

~My Opinion~

With so little complaints and so many positive points I have to say my overall experience on the site is definitely positive. There are 162 members (after this review I am expecting 170), and that means you are going to get loads of helpful advice from a lot of members. Sure, you might get some criticism but I doubt it is too serious and you should just let it fly over your head and carry on writing because if you take that attitude, you won’t have any problems anyway. All’s you have to do is be careful what to post-just make sure you do not name or hint and you’ll be fine.

The site is even easy to navigate around. At the top it tells you if you have a PM, and shows links to the calendar and then going down the page in a row are categories such as ‘dooyoo’, which you click on to get to the posts. The site itself is even good to the eye with a light blue colour which is easy to the eye and laid back.

I recommend this site since Thingywhatsit, Sirg0508 and drewboy do an excellent job. I have yet to see an offensive remark and occasionally come across a friendly message saying ‘Edited-you know the rules’ which proved they do their job right. This does not mean you can keep posting offensive remarks though, because you’ll get caught. New features include a little button by each comment so you can report any review to the admin that you think is offensive-so you wont get away with it.

I look forward to reading more comments on this site and entering the competitions since they are a fantastic idea and add to the fun of the site. Since users are encouraged to use their dooyoo (or ciao) name as well, you’ll met some familiar friendly faces to chat with. If you want you can even post pics of yourself on the site, in your profile or under banter and fu, bringing members of the dooyoo community closer together. It isn’t for everyone but if you like a good opinion, give it a go.

Summary: A forum for review writers which works really well.