dmj1962 is our most active and prolific Qyper in the UK, so we wanted to know a little more about him and find out what it is about Qype he particularly likes. dmj1962 agreed to answer some short questions:

Who is dmj1962?

David Jennings - you can guess my age from the tag! I’m from Somerset originally, and came to London via Birmingham and Cardiff. My partner lives in Brighton, so I escape there at week-ends, and we’re regular visitors to Spain.

What do you do when you are not on Qype?

My day job is management consultancy, which covers a multitude of sins: I work mostly in the not-for-profit sector, and really appreciate the variety inherent in my work, and seeing what makes different organisations tick (or not, as the case may be)…

As to my interests, I’m a bit of a dilettante, which probably comes across in my reviews. I love learning about new things and places. But my passions are history and architecture, especially churches. I visited lots of churches with my Mum and Dad when I was growing up in Somerset, and that has stayed with me. Other interests are transport (motorbikes and trains) and hiking, although I don’t get to do as much of that as I’d like these days.
The nice thing about the bike is that you can combine it with others interests - arriving at a church on a motor-cycle has certainly raised the odd eyebrow…

How did you discover Qype?

My neighbour introduced me to it, as she knew I had varied interests and travelled quite a lot. She also thought I might like it ‘because I could write’. I’ll leave others to be the judge of that!

What prompted you to write all your reviews?

Well, I must admit I do like writing, and in my job I get busy and quiet periods, so I have time to write reviews. But I am also passionate about my interests, so some of my motivation is simply sharing those. There are wonderful places to visit which just don’t feature in your average tourist guide.

And - corny though this will sound - I’d like to think that some of my reviews are genuinely helpful. I know how hard it can be to find a good doctor or dentist in London, for example. And I like to mention good service, when I get it. So I hope that, as I share my experiences, others will do the same.

What do you particularly like about Qype?

I like the fact that it accommodates both shorter and more comprehensive reviews. Some of the German reviewers write amazing pieces, and give you a real insight - though they really challenge my German!

It’s also better than the sites which are very structured, where you either get mostly bad reviews (when what you want is the good stuff!) or paid-for pieces that are not independent. And I love the growing use of photographs: some of them are wonderful in their own right.

The other thing I like is the community that’s developing: I’ve shared some unexpected insights with Qypers (in Germany, so far, mostly) who share similar interests, or are just fascinated with this or that review - just as I am with theirs.

If you had to define yourself in 5 tags, what would they be?

I thought you might ask that. Just five? OK - here goes: friendly, thoughtful, enquiring, straightforward. And talkative! Will that do?!

No tag for this post.