Mefi "Searchathon" contest

September 15, 2004 3:45 AM

Is anyone interested in helping to organize a MeFi Searchathon? [More inside.]
posted by MiguelCardoso to MetaFilter Gatherings at 3:45 AM (29 comments total)

Following recent discussions about googling skills, I thought it might be fun to hold a friendly online searching contest which all interested users would simultaneously participate in.

Quiz-setters would choose something on the web, with a definite address, which would require the best searching skills to find. The more difficult, the better. The question would have to be straightforward, in the AskMe tradition, e.g. I'm looking for the name of the Brazilian guitarist that used to play in an unlicensed Mongolian restaurant in NYC during the late 80s.

The quizmaster (who volunteers?) would test each question and chose, say, the final 20.

It would be fun to include a MeFi section of questions (say 10) which would ask things like Who promised to look into a controversy involving a French philosopher then chickened out and confessed he was drunk at the time?

When the quizmaster had assembled the 30 search tasks, they would be posted at a previously announced time and all contestants would start searching.

Instead of having to answer all the questions, it would be more fun if anyone finding a source to any of them could post the result (as a comment in the thread) and be awarded, say, 10 points for the correct source or 5 points for an acceptable approximation. Answers, obviously, would have to be links to the original website where the desired information is contained.

The winner would be whoever accumulated more points. So as not to dissuade users from contributing questions (since they couldn't answer their own), perhaps 10 bonus points could be awarded them as a reward for their search test being accepted or, better, their eventual score could be averaged out to compensate for the fact that they're not playing for the maximum number of points?

I say this because the good question-setters will probably be the ablest competitors.

If certain questions prove difficult, the quizmaster should have the freedom to add little clues as the thread wears on.

Apart from the fun of the hunt, I imagine quite a lot can be learnt about searching skills, like keyword selection etc, as they relate to the different search engines. Or should it be Google only? My own feeling is that extra points should be awarded if another search engine is used.

Or something. I'm sure these jottings are all quite lame - all I wanted to do was get the ball rolling. It's part of the fun setting the rules, no?

The start-time is another delicate matter but I'm sure a time can be set when the great majority of users will be awake. In any case, if the questions are hard enough, it should take two or three days wherever you are.

Other comments apart from definite answers should be allowed. Many users might want to share intermediate information, in the spirit of playing the game rather than just winning.

Of course some people have more time and faster computers and more experience but that's beside the point. That's how it is anyway. I expect most people will concentrate on one or two questions and only obsessives will go for the whole caboodle.

I realize I haven't thought it out but, if the thread format is respected (The initial post has all the questions and everyone else just chimes in when they feel like it) I'm sure it'll provide instant thrills and would be a nice, international gathering!

Is anyone game? Any ideas?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:45 AM on September 15, 2004

I think this is interesting, but only if the top people post how they found it as well. Might help those that aren't as good with searches learn something. And maybe that info could be available on Ask MeFi somewhere.
posted by evening at 4:30 AM on September 15, 2004

I'm sure the Mefi Librarian Corps could weigh in on this pretty well. I bet we could have some good questions for you in the matter of a few days.

Sound off!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:52 AM on September 15, 2004

The quizmaster should be someone very good at searching (i.e. definitely not me) with the ability to offer clues of decreasing degree of difficulty, which presupposes knowledge of the various levels of investigation.

If no one here volunteers, perhaps one of the pros at Google would offer to preside?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 4:59 AM on September 15, 2004

Competitive googling? Hope this turns out better than my watching paint dry tournament. But I doubt it.

"Oh!!! Check it out Bob. He misspelled guitarist. That's going to cost him some points."

"Right you are Ken. But let's have a look at the British Google master. I think he's about to click the search button. What a tense moment."

What the fuck? Don't they have shows over in Portugal? Or video games? Or........ something? Anything?
posted by y6y6y6 at 6:53 AM on September 15, 2004

I've cleared my schedule! Who's down for Saturday night?!?

Can I wear my cape?
posted by SweetJesus at 6:59 AM on September 15, 2004

hey y6y6y6y that's mean, maybe they'll turn up some real pictures of Britney in the nude or something.
posted by johnny novak at 6:59 AM on September 15, 2004

Sounds awesome. Of course, I think bonus points should be awarded if someone finds out the answer on a page other than the one found by the quizmaster.
posted by Space Coyote at 7:09 AM on September 15, 2004

With this quiz, we can once-and-for-all officially distinguish between those who Have a Life and those who Have No Life.
posted by dhoyt at 7:49 AM on September 15, 2004

Well I have no life, and depending on the time, I'd happily play.

My goal will be to not get zero points.
posted by chicobangs at 9:08 AM on September 15, 2004

cinco.
posted by soyjoy at 9:30 AM on September 15, 2004

This sounds like fun. Can we have team play, like pub quiz night? If so, I dibs Danelope!
posted by mwhybark at 9:33 AM on September 15, 2004

Here's a possible framework:

1. Appoint a time for the quiz to start
2. Post the questions somewhere on the web (the first challenge is to find out where)
3. E-mail based submissions

I suggest it needs a quizmaster to set up the "site" and probably the help of four or five non-participant question setters. We would also need to agree a scoring system based on time/points scored.

Whilst I'm not up for the quizmaster role, I'll happily set some questions.
posted by johnny novak at 9:48 AM on September 15, 2004

Hehe! A few (five?) years ago a swedish TV show held searching tournaments. They were actually pretty exciting. »Competitor number one has chosen Altavista, while his opponent uses Hotbot...«
posted by soundofsuburbia at 9:49 AM on September 15, 2004

I can't believe some smart person can't figure out a way to make Google pay Matt some money for this.
posted by luser at 10:11 AM on September 15, 2004

Hehe! A few (five?) years ago a swedish TV show held searching tournaments. They were actually pretty exciting. »Competitor number one has chosen Altavista, while his opponent uses Hotbot...«

Wow... Is there really that little to do in Sweden? Cause, I mean, that doesn't sound exciting at all.
posted by SweetJesus at 10:31 AM on September 15, 2004

It's the long winters.
posted by the cuban at 10:44 AM on September 15, 2004

Sound off!

one, two! If this appeals to anyone way way too much and they would like to help out in the MIT Mystery Hunt, I know a team that could use some ringers....
posted by jessamyn at 11:00 AM on September 15, 2004

Sorry, forgot to capitalize it: Cinco.
posted by soyjoy at 12:53 PM on September 15, 2004

We could just keep score on ask.me instead : )

Just kidding. I'm in. Cash prizes? Gold stars?
posted by milovoo at 1:28 PM on September 15, 2004

Sounds fun.
posted by Vidiot at 1:48 PM on September 15, 2004

This is a good idea.
posted by tcp at 1:58 PM on September 15, 2004

Everyone I asked in Portugal had heard of Miguel. I mean, I didn't ask many people. Obviously. But it included the maid of my supercheap hotel in Porto. It's like he's the portuguese language's premier contemporary author and artistic commentator or something.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 4:14 PM on September 15, 2004

So? Isn't another MetaFilter member the premier contemporary author and artistic commentator in the Klingon language or something?
posted by wendell at 5:52 PM on September 15, 2004

soyjoy don't taunt/encourage Ed.

A while back, Adland (and Coudal) had a game called Trivia Chain that was quite entertaining.

A Mefi search game could be fun! (Goog's got bazillions, I'm sure they could toss a few large to Matt as sponsors)
posted by shoepal at 8:30 PM on September 15, 2004

So? Isn't another MetaFilter member the premier contemporary author and artistic commentator in the Klingon language or something?

And one for Weasel, too....
posted by y2karl at 8:53 PM on September 15, 2004

MeFi hurldown to follow.
posted by scarabic at 10:31 PM on September 15, 2004

This kinda reminds me of my experience with KURE's Kaliedoquiz . It's an on-air triva contest that has been running annually for nearly 30 years. The questions have had to become more and more obscure due to the advent of the google-arts. As a past quiz director, I can't count the number of questions I was sure would be beyond what 6 minutes worth of googling could turn up, only to have 1000 monkeys typing (not so) random search terms prove me hopelessly wrong...
posted by guidedbychris at 1:50 AM on September 16, 2004

This would be fun.

Well, you know, in a really geeky way. But fun.
posted by me3dia at 9:53 AM on September 16, 2004