What do people feel should be covered by speakers corner ?

I believe that speakers corner distinguishes itself from for example ciao cafe since they are heeding warnings from guides about silly categories. What do you feel would be useful additions ?

Seriously.

Topics that can be debated and reflect current events or themes, does not guarantee there will be a quality debate but at leas there is a chance which does not exist with the whats in my bag genre.

For example knife crime is a big issue given the events of the past week, the renewal of Trident (although already covered I think) or something about the proposals for the Lords could be included.

If they stopped Ciao and Helium members from submitting suggestions, the problem would bne sorted.

Ciao's Favourite Member wrote:

If they stopped Ciao and Helium members from submitting suggestions, the problem would bne sorted.

Aren't they Dooyoo members too?

Yes, but the ones suggesting the crap are primarily members from other sites who are Dooyoo members second.

I know, I was just jerking you.

As dooyoo pays for speakers corner, I think we all have a responsibility to keep it from getting too silly. Very few topics seem to get added these days and many of them are pretty good - but I sometimes think that some should be locked when they no longer make any sense. Why keep a thread about an event several years before still open?

I don't know who approves the speakers corner topics but they seem to do a pretty good job although I just went and had a look and I cannot believe all the crappy stuff about Baseball and Basketball. I guess that's what CFM was referring to about Helium members. I really can't see that those topics are of sufficient interest to a UK site to justify listing but I really liked some of the other new topics - finding tomorrow's newspaper, nuclear deterrents and so on.

Not just the American sports articles, K.

Take a shifty at this thread:

http://www.opinionators.co.uk/mainboard/viewtopic.php?t=2981

I've got one:

"Should Speakers Corner be Abolished"

I think apart from the whacky titles in speakers corner, another problem is that they crop up years and years later...totally unrelated to the debate at the time usually. (E.g. should we invade Iraq? - three years later is a bit of a moot point...!)

And who can remember "Should there be an erotic category on Dooyoo?" Is there really a discussion to be had with that???

I like current debate stuff, of substance, newsworthy stuff, and would always read those. I think that Speaker's Corners topics should be timely and related to modern life

where there is no debate to be had...I don't think they add any value and would be better on a blog. A recent one was something like "IT taking over the world". Huh?? I have just scanned all the reviews since beginning of January, and it really is a dumping ground for anything and everything (even the BBC is in there...)

helencbradshaw wrote:

I like current debate stuff, of substance, newsworthy stuff, and would always read those. I think that Speaker's Corners topics should be timely and related to modern life

Indeed. I'd also go a little further and suggest that even if stuff is timely that the category is worded in such a way that the topic is still relevant months later.

An example I constantly use on Helium (to little effect, sadly) is that instead of suggesting a topic regarding what a particular celeb is up to (e.g. Angelina Jolie's latest adoption), the category is given a better shelf life with the title "Celebrity Adoptions" or similar.

Yes, some of the problem is in the wording - or the description.

I think Helium does serve a very different purpose to Ciao/dooyoo, (it isn't a shopping portal for one, just an information portal) and many titles from there are just not transferable...(even if they make sense on Helium). Perhaps that isn't immediately obvious to the members of both sites, with dooyoo being seen as a quick way to make money.

(although that said, there have always been unusual suggestions, they just seem to be more prevalent lately)

One of the areas I have problems with is "other". Dooyoo have let people post anything in there, but to me it seems that its a wasted effort because being in "other" doesn't lead people that want the information to the right place. I think that other really does need sorting out, categories made for stuff posted in there and the 'other' categories taken off the site. They really do make the place messy.

Ciao's Favourite Member wrote:

Yes, but the ones suggesting the crap are primarily members from other sites who are Dooyoo members second.

I liked that one 'does everything suck?' - that would have been a good one for our favourite vacuum cleaner reviewer.

Seriously though, its a UK site, what's the point in all that US sports stuff about sports and sportsmen we've never heard about.

Since all members are supposed to be UK based, I think we can pull rank on that.

I think we can get to anal about this. Speakers Corner should be about any issues that people feel like talking about. Why not have a few light hearted topics in there? It helps to let off a bit of steam, it can create more of a community feel and allows some writers with writers block to keep contributing to the site.

However I personally would limit these to prorer discussion reviews... the 'What's is your handbag?' or the endless Q&A reviews or even lists shouldn' t be allowed.

The problem of the topics becoming out of date is a real one and even though careful phrasing of the the subject title would help it is inevitable. Maybe a regular trawl could be made of the various categories (by the guide?) to indentify some of the topics that should be locked or archived.

berlioz wrote:

I know, I was just jerking you.

That is a mental image that should not be inflicted on anyone.

Mauri wrote:

I think we can get to anal about this. Speakers Corner should be about any issues that people feel like talking about. Why not have a few light hearted topics in there? It helps to let off a bit of steam, it can create more of a community feel and allows some writers with writers block to keep contributing to the site.

However I personally would limit these to prorer discussion reviews... the 'What's is your handbag?' or the endless Q&A reviews or even lists shouldn' t be allowed.

The problem of the topics becoming out of date is a real one and even though careful phrasing of the the subject title would help it is inevitable. Maybe a regular trawl could be made of the various categories (by the guide?) to indentify some of the topics that should be locked or archived.

I guess that is the problem though..what is fine and lighthearted to one might not be to another...a few broadbrush guidelines (i.e. no lists, no blasted poetry, or whatever..they are just examples...) might be enough to cut out 80% of the "stuff"

I remember getting a yoghurt proposal knocked back on dooyoo once as it wasn't deemed appropriate..! Shame, it totally ended my career as a food writer..

helencbradshaw wrote:

I remember getting a yoghurt proposal knocked back on dooyoo once as it wasn't deemed appropriate..! Shame, it totally ended my career as a food writer..

Wasn't deemed appropriate!? What were you proposing to do with the yogurt?

I have to admit that I generally just avoid reading the Speaker's Corner 'reviews', mainly cos 99% of the time 'm just not interested in reading somthing that I cant argue with someone about

To my dismay my attempt to get the issue of dustbin collections and recycling added to the speakers corner got thrown out. Apparently 'why's your bin so full? What are you doing about it?' was interpreted as too much of a 'what's in your bag?' type category.

Sorry, I thought it was pretty much a hot discussion topic of the moment after bombers and whether Harry should go to the Gulf.

Somehow US members seem to have no problem getting baseball and basketball players that nobody this side of the Atlantic has even heard of (let alone having an opinion on) but waste management isn't acceptable.

Come on Jared - surely this was a mistake.

Think of an alternative title, and I shall put it to Jared on the guide forum. That title was a little loose.

Not sure if this is good or not, but what about 'Are Videogames Art?'

Already given a much more boring title and resubmitted - along with a mail to jared pointing out that they might not notice over in Germany but it's a very hot topic in the UK - maybe he could take a look at our current affairs section for proof!

I had a look at what's been approved for speakers corner and I CANNOT believe two basketball players got categories. Bearing in mind that Jared has said that members are supposed to be in the UK I cannot see what value there is to be gained from approving stuff like that.

I was wondering the same thing when I read your first post about bins. If Americans cannot join, kind of, then who cares about baseball or basketball players! Neither sport is even remotely popular over here, american football might just squeak in but those two... no way!

I think we have to be a little bit lenient here, as the Americam membership is allowed informally and to be honest there could be British people out there who like this stuff. I am not really interested in software stuff but they are still on there.

However, having said that, I do think the rubbish topic would be an excellent choice for speakers corner and will hopefully be added under a new title.

Providing a category for members to talk about (foreign) sports in general is acceptable, though giving any article a UK slant should be encouraged. "American football in general" or "NFL in general" might well be acceptable.

Listing topics for (foreign) individual players or teams of these (foreign) sports should be clamped down.

I think that an extra box added to the suggestions form enabling you to add a brief explanation of what you see the category as adding to the site might help matters. Dooyoo can add this to the site, and then people would be able to see what the category was for, even if the category title seemed irreverent. It wouldn't have to be a compulsory part of the form, but suggestions with completed forms might have a better chance of being accepted.