Opinionated Community Chat

Session Start: Wed Oct 17 19:36:46 2001
<TheKnight> I call this chat to order then. Firstly, I'd like to open questions immediately. The subject for this first batch is regarding where dooyoo is currently at. Who has a question about the current status of dooyoo?
<kenjohn> I have
<TheKnight> okay Ken you'll have the floor first. Any others?
[a pause]
<TheKnight> Okay ken, your question please
<TheKnight> tell me when you are finished so I can hand the floor to JP for an answer okay?

<kenjohn> How long does JP foresee it being before we have Cat Managers back in place?
<kenjohn> Done.
<JP_dooyoo> Jo is working for the next few weeks. At least. So that's one We have a new CM starting on Monday. She's called Simone and she is very nice. Then I figure I'll have some more by the end of next week whom I'll have to train which usually takes about 2 days [initially].
<kenjohn> Cool
<TheKnight> okay?
<kenjohn> OK

<TheKnight> any further questions on where dooyoo is at now rather than where it is going next?
<jillmurphy> how many do you anticipate the new team to be?
<JP_dooyoo> 3 or 4 plus me. Depends on how much I can hire them for. I have a budget. It also depends on other circumstances, which I'll have more idea about in the next few days. So will you
<JP_dooyoo> Cryptic, but...

<TheKnight> Okay, the next bit will be to discuss where dooyoo is headed in the next few weeks to a month rather than long term, any questions on that?
<Blackjane> aye
<TheKnight> Okay before BJ, we have one more currentish Q, Bizzy you have the floor

<Bizzy^B> What is the role of the category guide at the moment as I had a very definite pattern of reporting daily to the category manager?
<Bizzy^B> I feel a bit in limbo at the mo
* Bizzy^B who's 'outlived' four sports cat managers
<TheKnight> Good Q
<JP_dooyoo> I sent a mail today using the all 'guides address'. I think for now just use Jo Starr. She'll do what she can, and log anything else to be done so we can do it later
<Bizzy^B> ah that'll be the all guides list I don't appear on ;o)
<JP_dooyoo> I'm receiving all the mail and I have forwarded everything that is relevant to Jo already
<TheKnight> So you can just mail the same addy as now - it will go to JP and his team still
<JP_dooyoo> I'll make sure you get a 'special' inclusion next time
<Bizzy^B> :o) - ta, that's me done

<TheKnight> BJ - ask your Q about the next few weeks now please
<Blackjane> A relatively simple one - do you expect the roles of Category guides to change at all once the team in Spain is in place, or are we expected to operate in the same way?
<JP_dooyoo> I think it will be different. I don't want you to have as many points of contact. It's too confusing
<Blackjane> agreed
<JP_dooyoo> I'd prefer it if there were just 2 at the most 3 customer care people. Other people employed wont have contact with you, they'll just beaver away behind the scenes. Also those people behind the scenes may come and go more often, but I intend to try and have at least 2 staff who are permanent.
<TheKnight> does that answer you okay BJ?
<Blackjane> okay yes - for the moment thanks....

<x_elff_x> could I ask one?
<TheKnight> Jill also suggested something:
<TheKnight> perhaps Jo might like to email the guides group so she can ask for any specific help she needs?
<TheKnight> or would you rather do that yourself JP?
<JP_dooyoo> no, that sounds like a good idea.
<TheKnight> cool. Elf, you have the floor

<x_elff_x> I was just wondering about the two or three members of staff you mentioned JP, will they be multitasking to the point of never being able to read any ops?
<JP_dooyoo> No because we'll be specialising in different tasks this time.
<x_elff_x> meaning they will exclusively be care managers?
<JP_dooyoo> Until now each CM has, to a certain extent replicated certain tasks.
<JP_dooyoo> Some of them will be exclusively Care mangers. Some of them will exclusively read opinions. I'll also be concentrating on Content whereas before it only took up about 25% of my time. This means I can do stuff like the newsletter, all the special projects and marketing requirements

<TheKnight> okay, TheDuke has a question - the floor is yours Duke
<TheDuke> I'd like to ask how the policing of the site is going to change, especially seeing how hard Jo* worked, and with her extensive knowledge of abusers etc.?
<JP_dooyoo> She's here for a while and we're working on stuff. In the future we hope that the need for this role will be minimised
<TheKnight> You'll recall the recent-ish discussion of an automated way of removing abuse too, well that will be in place sometime in the not-too distant future but we won't announce when.
<TheKnight> does that answer you Duke?
<TheDuke> I think so

<TheKnight> Okay, Bizzy Is next, and Kenjohn after JP replies to Bizzy
<Bizzy^B> Is there going to be any change in opinions excepted, such as move to being tighter as regards opinions being more consumer based...
<Bizzy^B> It's just that's how we always wanted sports to be (me & the 4 ex-managers).. but we are continually getting team reviews and very little in the way of product reviews etc.
<TheKnight> is that the q in full Bizzy?
<Bizzy^B> yep
<JP_dooyoo> I intend to raise standards; it's one of my prime objectives. Not only for new ops, but also clearing out older rubbish opinions. Actually Sports is one area I really want to hit, many of those football ops are rubbish
<Bizzy^B> tell me about it... ;o)
<HerbVoid> :) part from mine
<JP_dooyoo> lol
<JP_dooyoo> In some areas the site is more like a message board than an opinions platform, so we gotta change that
<TheKnight> If that answers you Bizzy we'll move on to KenJohn?
<Bizzy^B> yes, thanks :o)

<kenjohn> Are there any plans to introduce a limit on the number of ops that can be posted in a day? This would reduce abuse in a big way.
<JP_dooyoo> No.
<kenjohn> short and sweet
<JP_dooyoo> Some users 'store opinions and enter them all in one day; I wouldn't want to penalise this. I do however want to stop churners and bad writers.
<kenjohn> How?
<JP_dooyoo> I think that attitude of old was to try and educate bad writers
<JP_dooyoo> I don't want to do this anymore, it's too draining on resources
<kenjohn> Works sometimes
<JP_dooyoo> You can tell if someone has potential, no?
<mikestones> no
<kenjohn> yep. And if they haven't?
<jillmurphy> well, I know I'd not have got past the first ten!
<jennifer3002> lol there's hope for me yet then
<Del_Boy> You can't let 100 rubbish writers stay though in the hope that a few of them will come good, it doesn't make good business sense
<kenjohn> I agree
<TheKnight> Good point Del, I think to an extent you answered the Q
<kenjohn> They are costing dooyoo hard cash
<JP_dooyoo> There are many very writers on dooyoo that didn't need training I'd rather devote my time and attention to them
<JP_dooyoo> Yourself, for example
<kenjohn> Yeah JP But the churners must cost you guys a fortune
<TheKnight> Okay I think we should push on as Jennifer has been waiting a while okay?
<JP_dooyoo> It's one thing to encourage a good writer to write in a certain way and another thing to get someone who writes badly to write well
<JP_dooyoo> [abusive] churners cost money so I'll just delete them
<kenjohn> GREAT
<jillmurphy> eek

<TheKnight> Jen next then
<jennifer3002> thanks TK
<jennifer3002> it's just about the payment structure and will it change
<JP_dooyoo> The payment structure may change but if it does it will reward good writers over bad writers
<JP_dooyoo> No plans yet tho'
<jennifer3002> in what way
<JP_dooyoo> No plans yet
<jennifer3002> OK
<JP_dooyoo> lets start a thread about this later
<x_elff_x> if you have no plans, how do you know?
<x_elff_x> oops sorry

<TheDuke> right, going back to what Becca said earlier, and JP said about raising standards... Does JP plan on raising standards by being harsher on new ops, or by educating current members to be more honest in their ratings - something I think is not happening at the moment IMHO
<JP_dooyoo> Maybe it would be better to do both?
<JP_dooyoo> If that's how you feel ... Defo gonna be harsher tho
<TheDuke> yup
<TheDuke> OK, thanks

<TheKnight> you may recall a discussion a while back... we then discussed how we could send an automated mail after someone submits more than a set number of ops in a single day
<mo79> hmm, I actually got a q to add, some add to me the queue, or whatever...
<TheKnight> will do Mo
<mo79> cheers
<TheKnight> That mail would suggest they read the members ops on writing etc.
<jennifer3002> great idea
<TheKnight> and also tell them that the highest paid, most successful, write fewer but more detailed ops etc. That helps steer those who want to learn, then the others who don't learn can be dealt with more sternly
<TheKnight> okay does that answer you Jen?
<jennifer3002> yup

<TheKnight> okay. Jill do you want to ask yours now?
<jillmurphy> OK. I wanted to go back to focussing on product opinions
<jillmurphy> I think forcing through product only opinions will mean the site loses a lot of the "sticky" categories that create community and keep people coming back.
<jillmurphy> and I think the site'll need those just now
<jillmurphy> confidence will be dented [without them]
<TheKnight> good point Jill
<TheKnight> JP anything to add?
<JP_dooyoo> I think we'll always have non-product opinions. We'll always have Speakers corner

<jillmurphy> while I'm here....
<TheKnight> lol, go ahead while JP is typing
<jillmurphy> according to those stringent ol' bad ops things
<jillmurphy> I'd have been deleted long since, so feel free to ignore me!
<JP_dooyoo> But when you and alk started there weren't good examples on the site. Now there is. So the standards have been set.
<jillmurphy> there were a lot better than me!
<TheKnight> There is more help too...
<TheKnight> Cat Guides, good members, and lots of how to cats about dooyoo use
<TheKnight> they weren't there back then
<TheKnight> also OpCom itself is sort of educational
<TheKnight> I think we all learn from each other
<jillmurphy> hmmm... what's happening to the not paying for NUs then?
<jillmurphy> wouldn't that be less um....
<jillmurphy> elitist?
<JP_dooyoo> We just can't implement it at the moment
<JP_dooyoo> But it should be coming with the new development
<JP_dooyoo> Which at last count was Jan/Feb
<jillmurphy> and so no need to delete people willy nilly then, surely?
<jillmurphy> ah, not too long then
<JP_dooyoo> Mmmm
<TheKnight> okay Jill?
<jillmurphy> OK

<TheKnight> Bizzy has the floor then
<Bizzy^B> Are there plans to return a link to the guide's profile pages on their given category's pages, as I feel we're hidden away in that single community page.
<JP_dooyoo> That's something I intend to try and resolve. Unfortunately parts of the site must stay the same for all the countries - branding and all that - v. annoying but kinda necessary
<Bizzy^B> okay :o)
<JP_dooyoo> I agree tho
<JP_dooyoo> I also got in trouble for adding that link in the left margin

<TheKnight> Mo has the floor
<mo79> bit of a freebie-hunter question...but, last summer Amit kind of vaguely hinted dooyoo would send out, for instance promotional items to valued writers to review - and I just wanna know, is that still in the pipeline or just non-existent now?
<JP_dooyoo> We can still do that. I'll work on it. We still have sales and marketing based in Chiswick
<mo79> nice one

<TheKnight> JP will have to go in a few moments
<TheKnight> so one more Q now, then the rest via the message boards, or wait till the next chat in 2 weeks
<TheKnight> and I'd like to pick one question myself
<JP_dooyoo> soz folks gotta pack my life into some suitcases
<Blackjane> are you allowed to do that?
<TheKnight> one a lot have asked recently, but none dare voice tonight
<TheKnight> for all of them I must ask: Are dooyoo now pretty secure and ready to last?
<mo79> nice q!
<JP_dooyoo> Dooyoo now has very achievable targets. If we reach those targets we're in a very good position
<Blackjane> and if not?
<JP_dooyoo> If we reach those targets we get a heap of money bigger than the initial round of funding
<JP_dooyoo> If not there are other plans afoot
<JP_dooyoo> But we will, that's why we made those cuts
<JP_dooyoo> If we'd made them last month we'd have reached our targets by now
<JP_dooyoo> In this environment no business is safe, but we're in a good position
<JP_dooyoo> and not a lot of businesses can say that
<JP_dooyoo> I'm confident, otherwise I wouldn't be going to Spain
<TheKnight> cool

<TheKnight> JP needs to go
<kenjohn> Go for it JP
<TheDuke> good luck, JP
<jillmurphy> good luck then JP
<JP_dooyoo> and with that, I'm off. Next time we'll chat longer. Promise.
<Del_Boy> Thanks a lot for doing this JP, good luck
<TheKnight> Thanks to you all for a great chat
<x_elff_x> all the best
<TheDuke> thanks for coming in
<mikestones> good luck
<JP_dooyoo> adios
<Blackjane> thanks John
<x_elff_x> hasta pronto
<jennifer3002> thanks JP and good luck for Madrid
<smoif> BOL JP
Session Close: Wed Oct 17 20:37:47 2001

NB: This transcript has been edited for clarity. The plain text log can be found here.