Cynics Of The World Unite (opinionators.co.uk)

Member Name: kenjohn

Product:	opinionators.co.uk
Date:	07/07/06 (217 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None that I can see

Disadvantages: Plenty! See my review.

~ ~ As you will probably gather from my title for this review, I wouldn’t be counted as a fan of this type of message board/forum site. In fact, I’d probably be considered (by members of Opinionators at least) as one of its most vocal critics.

~ ~ OK. For the members of the opinion sites such as dooyoo and Ciao who aren’t already aware of exactly what Opinionators is or does, I’ll give you a brief idea. It was started up by a member of the opinion sited called “Andy.mac” back around mid-2004. The concept of the site is sound enough. It’s primarily for members of the opinion writing community, which in reality here in Europe generally means members of either Ciao or dooyoo.
They join up here at Opinionators, (from here on Opters) and are then able to post any topic they like on a message board relating to the opinion sites (or even life in general) where other members can then respond with their own suggestions, ideas, answers, queries, etc, etc. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it, and also like a useful kind of site to be a member of in order to keep up with all the goings-on and news at the opinion sites. Unfortunately, while the site no doubt started out with the best of intentions, it has since become something else entirely, and not something that is of much benefit to the very people it purports to serve; the opinion writing community! (My opinion)
Incidentally, I haven’t singled out Opters for this criticism, as I’ve been unsure about the value of this type of site ever since my early days at dooyoo and Ciao back at the end of 2000, when the forum of choice of most members was a site called “The Opinionated Community” run by a then member of the dooyoo staff called “The Knight”.

~ ~ So what exactly is it that I don’t like about Opinionators, and why do I consider it to be harmful rather than helpful to the very members it purports to help and represent?
The single biggest problem with Opters as I see it is that it has quite literally been “hijacked” by a small, and some would say highly cynical, cabal of members from the opinion sites who now use it as a blunt instrument to vent their spleen on anyone who doesn’t happen to agree with their somewhat jaundiced view of how the opinion sites like dooyoo and Ciao should operate. Their most vocal criticism (naturally) is reserved for the staff and management of the opinion sites, who they seem to consider as complete idiots, despite the fact that both sites have managed to continue operating in recent years despite the downturn in the “dotcom” industry which saw so many other sites close their doors.
One of their other main targets is the Category Guides at dooyoo, or rather I should say certain of the Category Guides at dooyoo who don’t happen to agree with their strident opinions about how the site should operate, and who do their level best to aid and assist the dooyoo staff in the day-to-day operation of the site on an unpaid and voluntary basis. (By the way, I’m happy to count myself among the dooyoo Category Guides that certain members of Opters would happily string up from the nearest lamppost.)

~ ~ It’s easy enough for anyone to figure out who this small cabal of members at Opters is, as you don’t even need to be a member of the site in order to access their posts, message boards, and statistics. A few quick clicks of your mouse will quickly reveal that about 75% of the overall posts have been made by no more than a handful of members. (Simply click on the member’s username and you’ll see the percentage of the overall posts they have made since the inception of the site.)
Many of these members (but not all) are now inactive on either dooyoo or Ciao, having decided (for whatever reason) to no longer grace the opinion sites with their reviews, or to bother reading other members contributions. Others snipe from the sidelines on member’s reviews and in comment boxes. Of course, this relative inactivity on the opinion sites DOESN’T stop them from considering themselves experts on how the sites should operate, and from taking every available opportunity at Opters to moan and complain about how poor the sites are. Just a wee suggestion. Maybe if they’re so unhappy with the way dooyoo and Ciao operate then it’s about time they gave up their membership and started up their own opinion site, which (naturally) would be a rip-roaring success and make them all multi-millionaires practically overnight. (I wouldn’t be rushing to join up, by the way. Heh, heh)

~ ~ I have to admit that in the past I’ve tended to join up at these forum sites, and was until recently a member of Opters myself. But I tended to simply “lurk” rather than make any postings, and was a member to simply keep an eye on what was being said about the sites. (With one notable exception where the Category Guides were castigated from a height by the “cabal”, and where I was a major contributor in their defence.) But I resigned a few months ago, and the only forum where I am now an active member is the “Guide Group” at dooyoo, which was set up by the dooyoo management in order to provide a place where current dooyoo Guides could interact easily both with each other and the dooyoo staff. (This is a necessary “evil” in my opinion.)

~ ~ It’s a great pity that Opters has turned out this way, but it seems to be the common fate of most of these type of forums. There have been many other similar forums in the past, and currently there’s another review writer’s forum called appropriately “Reviewwritersforum.co.uk” started up by a member called “thingywhatsit”. (Rachel) No doubt Opters will eventually sink into obscurity like all its predecessors. (If I’m honest, tomorrow wouldn’t be soon enough as far as I’m concerned!) In the meantime, they continue in their merry way.
My advice to any member of either dooyoo or Ciao is to avoid this site like the plague if you want to continue to enjoy your time at the opinion sites. Instead, put your effort into SUPPORTING rather than CRITICISING the sites by posting more and better reviews, and by interacting in a friendly way with other members through their Guest books and comment boxes.

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© KenJ July 2006

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Summary: A poor forum, dominated by a small cabal of disgruntled people.