Dooyoo.co.uk

I have tried out the dooyoo.co.uk opinions site; on which I published the following review of the site itself. The review explains a little of what dooyoo does, and the good and bad points. I thought that some readers may be interested as I have found the site both useful and interesting, and am quickly becoming an addict.

Everyone has a different opinion, so here is an opinion on the opinion-site: DooYoo.co.uk is a community site where opinions on a vast array or products, services and topics can be written. Payment is awarded to authors for the opinions that they write, with bonuses given based on the number of reads for that opinion. Opinions can be rated by members, helping people to sort the gems of good advice from the chaff of mindless rambling. Circles of friends can be built up by trusting people who write good opinions.

I started using DooYoo after my younger brother signed up, only to find that several of my friends were already using the service. I have been here over a month now, and becoming more involved every day. I have written several opinions, and try hard to rate and comment on other people opinions in the hope of improving the community. There is only one way to play on Dooyoo - play fair.

There are many points to look at when considering becoming a DooYoo member. What do you get, what can you do, what are the advantages and drawbacks? This opinion will focus on what I think of the DooYoo site - Not how to use the DooYoo site effectively.

When you become a Dooyoo member you can start writing opinions. These are little nuggets of information, coupled with your own view, on a variety of products and services. These opinions are all categorised, and if you can't find the correct category, you suggest it to the support staff. The major plus point on writing opinions is that you get paid (much needed cash for a poor student). You get 10p per opinion you write, and 5p every time someone reads it. Many people are making (what seems like) a small fortune from writing opinions. I have made enough for a CD or a video - Well worth it (in my opinion).

One of the things I enjoy most about Dooyoo, is that your views are heard by the masses. I love talking about the stuff that interests me, and to find a place that will allow me to talk for ages on what may seem like pointless subjects (to some…), and get paid for it makes me very happy. By writing about something, it makes me appreciate it more. Getting my thoughts onto "paper" helps me organise them - I have to think about what I'm writing.

The other point to DooYoo is that you can read through thousands of other reviews. I find it interesting reading what other people think about things that I hold a strong opinion about, for example music - I know what I like - But I find it interesting to find out what other people like. If I want to buy something, I'll check up on Dooyoo to see if there are any reviews first.

It has been interesting reading the opinions of my friends on Dooyoo, it details their interests, which I mainly already knew, however, has lead to some interesting discoveries. Its weird to find out what they are writing when they are not with you.

I have noticed that once I got over the initial trauma of publishing an opinion my writing has improved. I have become better at detailing my ideas, providing additional information, and writing about what people want to hear. This is partly thanks to the comments and ratings that people leave on your opinions. Not only is Dooyoo good for your bank balance and ego, its also good for your English skills!

As well as improving my skills, I can also help improve the Dooyoo site, by rating other members, providing feedback on other opinions, and giving suggestions to the helpful Dooyoo staff. I have suggested several new artists for inclusion in the music section, each of which I've written an opinion on.

Now with such a good site, are there any bad points? Yes, of course there are!

One thing that is very tempting, but it a definite no-go is trying to cheat the system. People come up with all sorts of ideas to try and cheat Dooyoo out of its money. There are a variety of tricks that people try to employ:

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Multiple accounts - People take out several accounts, and read and rate their own opinions via those different accounts, clocking up the money as they go.

Multiple people on the same account - Many minds are better than one - Not in this case - I have heard of people trying to set up an account, logging onto the site from different machines, and each churning out opinions by the minute - This may have the short-term gain of a lot of 10ps flooding into the account, and a few reads, however multiple-logins are glaringly obvious to the Dooyoo staff, the accounts get cancelled

Friendship Cartels - One thing which is hard to avoid is creating a friendship cartel, I'll read and rate your ops if you read and rate mine. But where do you draw the line on this. I read all of my friends opinions, and do try and rate them fairly - But how fair am I being - I know these people, and therefore am more likely to understand what they are getting at in their writing style. It is harder to stop friendship cartels, but for most offenders a word from the Dooyoo police will put a halt on their plans (whether they realise they are misbehaving or not).

Plagiarism - Not just a problem for Dooyoo, but for the entire Internet. Plagiarism is the copying of someone else's work, with little or no modification, and not citing them as a source. People just copy & paste from the Internet to Dooyoo, hoping to make a quick buck from very little effort. Fortunately this is detectable, and those who plagiarise are kicked from the system.

Abusing your circle of trust - I have seen people with hundreds of "friends" in their circle of trust, although this is perfectly possible to happen, it is unlikely that you will have a good level of trust with these people. When someone puts me in their circle of trust I check out who they are, probably earning them a few pence. Some people abuse this fact, adding me to their circle, without reading any of my opinions - In the hope that I will earn them money.
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Fortunately for the regular, honest Dooyoo users all of these are preventable, and Dooyoo is making a large effort to stamp out Dooyoo-crime.

The only other complaints I have about the Dooyoo service is the lack of ability to contact other members, there are a few small steps in the direction of creating a community, however, it is hard to really get to know people. Hopefully in the future Dooyoo will improve its system to accommodate message boards, and chat features.

All said and done dooyoo.co.uk is a great way of earning a little cash, for a little hard work. It can also introduce you to some interesting people, and help you find information on products and services. I would recommend this site to anyone who wants an interesting time, and who needs a little extra cash in thier pocket.

(If you want to sign up, then use the registration page - Disclosure: I get a few pence if you doo!)