August 09, 2006 Joining the Contest Craze Through the Internet By Walter S. Mossberg and Katherine Boehret
Two of the biggest phenomena in pop culture have been the "American Idol" TV show and the plethora of Web sites that depend on user-generated content, such as eBay, Craigslist.org and YouTube.com. People love to try out for "Idol," and to vote for those who make it. And they love to submit entries to Web sites. So, what if you could combine those two forms and create performance contests on the Web instead of on TV? That way, anyone could enter, or vote, or even create a contest, without the need for a TV network, judges or any other barriers. This week, we had a fun time testing a Web site that does just that. The free site, called Bix.com, officially launched today. It hosts contests that include "American Idol"-style stuff like singing, but can range beyond that into comedy, photography, art, lip-synching or even writing. Bix The Bix strategy is rather simple: You can either create a contest yourself or participate in an existing contest, and Bix members can vote for you using a thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon. All you need to view entries and vote is a computer connected to the Web. To enter the singing or comedy contests, only a Web camera and microphone are required -- devices that are increasingly being built into new computers. ... http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20060809.html Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
