This review was first posted on Dooyoo, in a slightly different version, as my fiftieth for that site. The idea was reflect on my experience there, and to do so by comparison with what happened on Ciao. The two sites do not, after all, exist in isolation. They are, so far as I can ascertain, ... Read review
Advantages: Dooyoo is more straightforward than Ciao, and probably more remunerative Disadvantages: Dooyoo is a less animated and seems to be a less well-read site than Ciao
This review was first posted on Dooyoo, in a slightly different version, as my fiftieth for that site. The idea was reflect on my experience there, and to do so by comparison with what happened on Ciao. The two sites do not, after all, exist in isolation. They are, so far as I can ascertain, closer to each other in purpose and style than to any other opinionating sites. Consumers seeking guidance might look at either or both, among the many sources ... ...Anyone eager to make their opinion known in review form is likely at least to consider posting on Dooyoo as well as, or instead of, on Ciao.
In making the comparison, I shall consider the two sites solely from the viewpoint of the member/review-writer, not from the viewpoint of the putative consumer seeking guidance. From the viewpoint of consumers seeking guidance I doubt there is much to choose. In fact, I doubt there is anything ... more
This review was first posted on Dooyoo, in a slightly different version, as my fiftieth for that site. The idea was reflect on my experience there, and to do so by comparison with what happened on Ciao. The two sites do not, after all, exist in isolation. They are, so far as I can ascertain, closer to each other in purpose and style than to any other opinionating sites. Consumers seeking guidance might look at either or both, among the many sources of information about a product or service. Anyone eager to make their opinion known in review form is likely at least to consider posting on Dooyoo as well as, or instead of, on Ciao.
In making the comparison, I shall consider the two sites solely from the viewpoint of the member/review-writer, not from the viewpoint of the putative consumer seeking guidance. From the viewpoint of consumers seeking guidance I doubt there is much to choose. In fact, I doubt there is anything to choose, or that many of them even notice which site they are looking at. Most likely they have googled the product name or specification and viewed whatever turned out to be listed. Even if not, the two sites have much the same layout, much the same categorisations and much the same – in many cases exactly the same – reviews.
Frankly, I don’t believe there’s all that much to choose from the member/reviewer-writer’s viewpoint either, which is why many of us are active on both. The two sites seem to me to have many more similarities than differences. However, there are differences, and they are worth highlighting: -
* Rewards *
I have to confess that the financial rewards have never been the main reason for my participation in either site. It would, I think, be fair to say that neither site will make you rich in a hurry, or even extremely slowly. The financial benefits do provide a quantifiable comparison, though, so they seem a good starting-point.
Dooyoo rewards are expressed in the curious form of Dooyoo “miles”, an odd denomination that to my mind would be better expressed in pounds and pence, to which they equate at the rate of 10 “miles” to 1p. Once one’s got to grips with this currency, though, one finds Dooyoo rewards are easier to predict, at a flat rate of 30 “miles” (i.e. 3p) per member read on all reviews irrespective of product category. At this rate, Dooyoo rewards are not only more predictable than Ciao’s complicated tariff - ranging from 0p to 2p per positive rating (Helpful or above) depending on product category - but almost invariably higher. The only way a Ciao review will pay more per rating than a Dooyoo one is if it is the first published in a 2p category, and then only for the first month after publication. Or, of course, during the odd occasion like this month, when Ciao's rates are temporarily increased. On the other hand, reviews tend to accumulate more reads and ratings on Ciao than on Dooyoo, and this can help make up any difference. For example, on Ciao I am so far averaging 112 positive ratings per review, on Dooyoo 59.
Then there are the extras: Crowns in the case of Dooyoo, worth £1.50, based on recommendations by fellow-members. I cannot give you an exact number, but these seem to be numerous and quite widely distributed, in contrast to Diamonds here, a ten-a-month rarity. Diamonds are, of course, only the tip of the iceberg of Ciao’s Premium Fund, which gives multiple awards each month of anything up to £15 for selected reviews, though less for most of them. But the basis on which they are allocated is as opaque as the iceberg, and demonstrably has little to do with members’ ratings. Each site also runs competitions with winners in selected categories, which can add a little icing to the cake, or iceberg as the case may be.
Dooyoo membership does not lead to invitations to participate in surveys, as it does with Ciao, so those who enjoy filling in questionnaires for a bit of extra income may regard that as a deficiency of the site.
Final point: collecting your reward is a lot easier from Ciao than from Dooyoo, provided you have a UK bank account and don’t mind waiting while it works through the system. On Dooyoo you can only collect cash without penalty when you have accumulated £100 or more, at which point they simply send you a cheque on request. Below this level, but assuming you have over £50 due, you can request a cheque but get docked £5 “handling fee”; below £50, you have to take it as Amazon vouchers. Since Dooyoo points expire after a year, these restrictions matter to those who don’t build up large credit balances. Rewards on Ciao do not lapse; I think that is a plus-point to Ciao to offset the minuses of a lower basic rate and the relative opaqueness of the reward system.
* Writing reviews *
Review structure is much the same on both sites: headline, pros and cons, body copy. Dooyoo also ask for a one-line summary, which sometimes seems a bit superfluous, but hardly entails much extra work.
A big plus in Ciao’s favour is the opportunity to post photographs to illustrate reviews. Much as I am a words man by nature, there are times when a picture is truly worth a thousand, and I like to use photos, especially for travel reviews. This is not as yet possible on Dooyoo and I think the site suffers a little in consequence.
Finally, it is possible on Dooyoo to submit “Express-Reviews” roughly analogous to the “Quick Reviews” that Ciao have now introduced. These earn no Dooyoo miles. Personally, I’m far too long-winded in any case to attempt such brevity, have not written short versions for either site, and don’t really have a view on them.
* Reading and rating *
The process of reading and rating other members’ reviews is much the same on the two sites with one exception: the range of ratings available. Dooyoo has two fewer options than those you see at the bottom of this page. The first of those missing is “Off Topic”, an option that, frankly, I don’t think adds a lot; if you feel that strongly about the irrelevance of the placing you can always rate “Not Useful” (Dooyoo equivalent of “Not Helpful”). The second option missing is “Exceptional”; “Very Useful” is the highest accolade available on the Dooyoo scale.
Personally, I think the absence of an “Exceptional” equivalent is regrettable, since the “Very Useful” rating has become as devalued on Dooyoo as “Very Helpful” is here – in effect the default rating for any reasonably thorough and well-presented review. Defenders of the Dooyoo scale argue that clicking the button that recommends a review for a Crown is the equivalent of rating “Exceptional” and in a way I can see that, but unless the review actually receives a Crown there is no way of knowing whether this has happened, or how many people thought the review was outstanding. I have to say that I prefer the rating system here, though it is not perhaps the most critical criterion by which to judge between the two sites.
* Being read *
Most of us, I imagine, like to have our work read, not just for the few pennies and the ratings that might earn us, but for its own sake. How much one is read by fellow-members partly depends, of course, on how much reading one does oneself, and this applies on both sites. My own experience is that I get fewer member reads on Dooyoo than here, but I cannot regard that as conclusive, since I am better established here and spend more time here than on Dooyoo. The pattern might change with more input on my part.
What seems unlikely to change, though, is that Ciao reviews seem to attract more reads from non-members: the world at large. In my case, an average per review of about twice as many, even when my Café reviews, which attract very few outside reads, are included in the numbers. It is almost impossible to judge the value of those non-member “reads”; they might just be some poor mug out there hitting the wrong button by accident, or giving the review a glance before moving on to something more edifying. But, whether or not I am deluding myself, I find a high level of outside reads gratifying. Of course, you might find it valueless.
* The Absence of Community Points *
On Dooyoo, the only incentive for participation is the monetary one. There is nothing equivalent Ciao to the “community points/coloured dots” system that is found here.
Readers of my recent review on the Community Point system will know that I regard it as a bit silly but ultimately worthwhile, in that it enhances interest and encourages activity, especially commenting, and member interaction on the site. Whilst they might not wish to copy the whole points-and-dots rigmarole, I believe that Dooyoo would do well to look into ways of encouraging more activity, since the site can often seem a bit unanimated, and even soulless. “You can hear a pin drop here sometimes,” as one practised member over there recently put it.
* Guestbooks and Messaging *
There are no public “guestbooks” on Dooyoo. The site recently introduced a private messaging system, in effect similar to Ciao’s private guestbooks, but this does not yet seem nearly as active the guestbooks here. Of course, I don’t know how other people fare, and maybe it’s just that no one there much wants to chat with me, but it’s a rare day I receive more than one message on Dooyoo, and as often as not I won’t receive any at all. On Ciao, I’d expect at least ten or a dozen messages daily. Hi, and thanks, folks. Of course, you could say that’s because I spend more time on Ciao than on Dooyoo, but conversely you could also say that’s one of the reasons I spend more time on Ciao.
* Spirit of the site *
What this seems to amount to is that Ciao is more animated and inter-personal than Dooyoo. I believe it is no coincidence that “Meets” – get-togethers organised on their own initiative by groups of members – are quite commonplace here, whereas on Dooyoo they seem to be a rarity, if they exist at all. On Ciao, quite apart from those I have met face-to-face, I have a sense of knowing a lot of my fellow-members personally, much more so than on Dooyoo.
This results partly from comment and guestbook interchanges, but also from the variety of Café reviews in which people talk about themselves, their tastes and preferences, their outlook and where they present their creative endeavours. Dooyoo is much more a straight product review site. It does have a “Speakers’ Corner” category, but it is much more limited in its scope than the Ciao Café; mostly topical debate on political, ethical or sporting matters. It is a paid category, unlike the Café, and maybe that is why Dooyoo might not wish to expand it, given that these reviews tend to attract few non-member readers and are of little intrinsic interest to advertisers. But Dooyoo could always reduce their financial exposure by making “Speakers’ Corner” a non-paying category; I’m sure people would still want to write in it, as they do in the Café here, and expanding it would liven up the site.
To my mind all this makes Ciao the more human of the two, with more of a sense of fun and of community. Whether or not this constitutes a benefit or not is, of course, a matter of opinion. Many people might prefer to maintain their distance and reserve, but there is of course nothing to prevent them from doing so here. The community side of Ciao is an optional extra, not obligatory, and it is an extra that Dooyoo largely lacks.
* Site staff and voluntary guides *
Regrettably or otherwise, I’ve had very little contact with the staff at either site. Dooyoo staff seem to have the reputation among the opinionating community of being more responsive and amenable to members’ concerns. I’ve only ever emailed Dooyoo once – about the categorisation of a product I’d proposed – and never received a response, but I have a suspicion I got the address wrong, and anyway it wasn’t an important issue. Members with more important matters to raise tell me that the response over there has generally been exemplary, in contrast to the reported experience of many here on Ciao, though concerns here seem to have subsided somewhat lately.
Dooyoo also have a system of appointing members as guides, who are involved in coordinating everything to do with particular product groups, a practice that has been discontinued on Ciao, apart from the splendid Fiona COOOEEE who helps new members find their feet. One can only admire the dedication of those who volunteer their services, but I don’t know how much their presence adds to the experience of the average member.
* Technical aspects *
Both sites are periodically redesigned, generally with beneficial results, though not without teething troubles. Which design you prefer is a matter of personal taste. Dooyoo goes in for green as a theme colour and rather small type in Verdana face. I think Ciao's text is rather more legible, but there's no real problem with Dooyoo's either.
Early reviews about Dooyoo, I note, complain about navigation and product suggestion procedures. Both seem to work pretty well now; indeed, product suggestion is more straightforward than on Ciao, where the procedure can take you round the houses and you cannot see how your proposal is progressing. Dooyoo tells you what number you are in the queue, which is some indication, though the queue seems to move quickly at some times and be static at others, like queues everywhere.
Glitches occur and gremlins rear their ugly heads in both arenas. As we all know Ciao went through a particularly bad patch earlier this year, now mostly though not entirely cured. Dooyoo has never, in my experience, been as bad, but it does seem to seize up occasionally. Fortunately, not very often or enough to be a serious deterrent to using the site. Touch wood. Fingers crossed.
* Conclusion *
There cannot be an objective conclusion to this comparison. Which site you prefer probably depends on the sort of person you are and why you are opinionating in the first place: on whether your motives are social, literary or financial. ‘Dooyoo for money, Ciao for community and for being read’ would be an oversimplification, but like most oversimplifications probably contains more than a germ of truth.
In the end, there isn’t much to choose between the two sites. But, of course, you don’t have to choose between the two sites. You can – many of us do – participate in both sites simultaneously. Indeed, the benefits of participation in either are enhanced by being on both. Enhanced financially, by cross-posting reviews on both sites (though you could find yourself unpopular if you cross-post without reading anyone else’s reviews on the site you regard as secondary; a bit like hanging around a bar hoping to be bought drinks when you’ve no intention of standing a round yourself) and enhanced socially, in that you can ‘meet’ new people at the same time as renewing acquaintance with those you know already from the other site.
Far better to enjoy the best of both worlds than to decide between them, in my opinion.
What is Dooyoo?
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dooyoo is a consumer resource site that enables you to find unbiased evaluations of products written by real consumers - not ad-men, not the manufacturers, but a real person, who has purchased or used the product and is giving their honest opinion.
Imagine, for instance, that you were considering buying a new tumble dryer, but wanted a little more information first. You COULD go to a showroom, but chances are the salesperson ... ...end of the month, so he WANTS you to buy the product. You COULD go directly to the manufacturers website- but their opinion of the product is likely to be biased, one sided, and to hide any bad points. Or, you COULD ask a friend - someone with nothing to gain, who will tell you, honestly, what they think.
Essentially, Dooyoo is just like asking a friend - a real person telling you what they think with nothing to gain from it, and no obligation to ...
Thehonesttruth 01.10.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of dooyoo.co.uk
Advantages: Fair and rapid system of payment and rewards, site works rapidly, no unhealthy competition Disadvantages: Long time for new products to appear
Dooyoo is, as far as I know, the only other consumer opinion site that's UK-based. I had no intention of joining it - Ciao can be time-consuming enough! - until a weekend at the start of November 2003, when Ciao was unusable. Withdrawal symptoms crept in, and I decided to register at Dooyoo. In many respects it's similar to Ciao - the overall layout, the method of submitting reviews, and the rating/commenting system all work in much the same way, ... ...the other. I found both sites very welcoming, having previously only experienced Epinions, the huge American equivalent. As soon as I posted my first opinion on Dooyoo, just like on Ciao, I had friendly comments, and welcoming messages. There are, however, some distinct differences. At first I didn't find Dooyoo nearly so addictive or interesting, even though many of the same people write there. When Ciao was re-designed, I was even less impressed ...
Kukana 16.02.2004 (13.08.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of dooyoo.co.uk
Advantages: Gets the old grey cells working again writing reviews Disadvantages: Too addictive!!
...on the homepage of www. Dooyoo.co.uk and took me less than five minutes to join and start adding reviews.
The financial rewards are completely different on DooYoo than Ciao.
With Dooyoo isyou receive 'Dooyoo miles' that are are rewarded for writing reviews and views and ratings on the reviews - if you write over 150 words you receive 500 'miles' .
The 'miles' can then be exchanged for either a cheque, Amazon vouchers or be given to charity. 1000 ... ...need at least 10000, to apply for a cheque you need 50000 ' miles.' Another way of earning 'miles' is the 'Crowns ' system.
These are rewards for really good reviews that are nominated by members; being nominated doesn't mean that your review WILL receive a crown. The Dooyoo team make the final decision - I have so far earned one 'Crown' If you do earn a crown you receive 1500 Dooyoo 'miles'.
One thing I prefer on DooYoo to Ciao is the fact that ...
oldchem 03.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of dooyoo.co.uk
Advantages: Share opinions with others | Quick payment Disadvantages: Can be quiet | Site can be slow to load
**UPDATE AT BOTTOM**
While reading reviews here on Ciao, I noticed a review about another consumer review website, Dooyoo, so ever the inquisitive person that I am, I went over to have a look. Then I thought, I may as register, so I did, then I had a look and read around the site. The next thing I knew I posted a review and then I was hooked. So now I'm going to return the favour and maybe persuade someone else to give Dooyoo a try.
~~~What is ... ...of products and services written by people that have already used them. Now that's a very simplistic view of the site, and it's not just reviews of products that you'll find, in fact there are a vast range of subjects covered including some debate and advice topics. I'm now going to look at Dooyoo from three perspectives :
The Consumer Resource
The Moneymaking Site
The Community
---The Consumer Resource---
~~~The website~~~
The website has ...
sandemp 11.05.2005 (30.07.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of dooyoo.co.uk
Advantages: payment system, not as competitive as Ciao Disadvantages: Product database, bugs, main page layout
Well it had to happen sooner of later didn’t it?
One cold and nasty day last month I was sat here at a loss. Ciao was down, and I had nothing to do (apart from my job I suppose!). Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to wander across to ‘the other side’ or Dooyoo as it is more commonly know.
I should have felt a little bit guilty, even a little like I’d betrayed a good friend, but no, the monetary gain flashed before my eyes. ‘Three whole ... ...Anyway, I thought I might as well throw my tuppence worth into the fray, and have my own personal praise and moan at Dooyoo….
I’ll try my best not to compare the two sites too much, but it’s so hard not to!
What is Dooyoo?:
Well, as most of you will undoubtedly know, Dooyoo is Ciao’s main rival consumer reviews website here in the UK. The big difference being the fact that Dooyoo offer an in-built price comparison service as well as independent ...
unnameable 01.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of dooyoo.co.uk