This weekend Google has quietly launched a new service called Prizes.org and it's cool. Like all good ideas it's refreshingly simple and easy to use.
The idea is that you run "competitions" and offer up a cash reward to the winner. Unlike traditional competitions though they are really like asking your friends for help to a problem, then paying them. Take this competition for example where a small business owner is asking for ideas for a name for their new screen printing company. At the moment the competition has 900 entries, all for a $20 prize. There is a voting system in place where users can vote for what they think is the best entry. The person running the competition still gets to choose the overall winner though. What a cool way to crowdsouce a new name for your business.
The site itself is very slick and painless to navigate. You can set up an account easily using either your Facebook or Twitter credentials. It then automatically pulls in your friends and you can view them on Prizes.org. Kind of like it's own social network, a nice touch though as you can see what competitions your friends have set up or entered.
The ability to create your own competition is by invite only at the moment. But when it's open to everyone I'm going to set up some competitions and will reply back here on how I get on.
By way of a test I've entered one of the competitions here, if anybody would like to vote for my entry it would be appreciated :)
What I'm listening tpo right now: Me and Madonna (The Twelves Remix) - Black StrobePrizes.org launches from Google. Earn money for solving problems
This weekend Google has quietly launched a new service called Prizes.org and it's cool. Like all good ideas it's refreshingly simple and easy to use.
The idea is that you run "competitions" and offer up a cash reward to the winner. Unlike traditional competitions though they are really like asking your friends for help to a problem, then paying them. Take this competition for example where a small business owner is asking for ideas for a name for their new screen printing company. At the moment the competition has 900 entries, all for a $20 prize. There is a voting system in place where users can vote for what they think is the best entry. The person running the competition still gets to choose the overall winner though. What a cool way to crowdsouce a new name for your business.
The site itself is very slick and painless to navigate. You can set up an account easily using either your Facebook or Twitter credentials. It then automatically pulls in your friends and you can view them on Prizes.org. Kind of like it's own social network, a nice touch though as you can see what competitions your friends have set up or entered.
The ability to create your own competition is by invite only at the moment. But when it's open to everyone I'm going to set up some competitions and will reply back here on how I get on.
By way of a test I've entered one of the competitions here, if anybody would like to vote for my entry it would be appreciated :)
What I'm listening tpo right now: Me and Madonna (The Twelves Remix) - Black Strobe
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13 Responses to Prizes.org launches from Google. Earn money for solving problems
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Welcome to my blog. My name is Kieron Donoghue and I am the founder of ShareMyPlaylists.com, ContentNow.co.uk and some other stuff. I have no idea why I'm blue on this photo though but I like it!
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I’m shocked to see a ‘name a baby’ competition!
The potential for sarcastic advice jumps right out at me too – with some poor woman asking for advice on what makeup she should buy. Tempted to say clown makeup gun that Homer made.
Good but still a bit tricky to navigate. I see Joanna Butler has an entry for the above competition but with over 1000 entries it’s difficult to find and vote for that entry
I think that’s on purpose to stop the gamers
Can’t help notice the big FB banner on there – Will we be seeing ‘sign up with Google+ Account’ any time soon?
It’s a bit like that logo creation site where people could have a go at creating a logo and then you picked the one you liked and the winner got paid.
The thing that puts me off this model is that you could end up working very hard and never getting anything. You need to put more effort in to have more chance of winning but then if you don’t win you’ve wasted a lot of time.
It’s a bit like gambling except your stake isn’t cash. At least skill comes into it!
I can almost hear the spammers and website crashers gearing up for an attack.
Just wait until you get an established brand wanting to name, say, a new car, and agreeing to go with the winner. I’m not going to be the first in the queue to by a Fiat Meerkaat !
An what if a pharmaceutical medical communications agency want to find a new name for a drug? It doesn’t even bear thinking about.
It’s look like 99design. I think now day is a day of crowdsorcing day.
Why do I get the feeling this is going to take off big like fiver? Great idea
Very cool idea actually, I like it. Looks like Google has done it again. It will not be long until they dominate the world, lol. I am deffo going to check it out, thanks for recommending it.
Its nice to see Google picking something up like this, I have seen these type of websites before, left and right. Hopefully though Google will bring more prestige, and more security to this.
-Jean
Looks like a good initiative from Google. Like Jean said, it’s not a first but when supported by a company like them, it definitely has promise.
All I have to say is, WOW!
The site itself is not a scam but many of the contest creators are. Here is how things on prizes.org are working out. some one creates a contest for lets say $250 and hundreds of contestants work hard on their idea. Now here’s how many of us are getting scammed. Lets say the contest creator has asked us all to come up with an available domain name for their new business. They get hundreds of ideas and they promptly go off and register their favourites but awarding the winner to an account belonging either to themselves or someone they know, and, hey presto they get all that creativity and get to receive their prize money back.. its becomes totally free service for them. And if the use the free $100 credit prizes.org give you for signing up they actually make money out of the deal too.
This is without doubt what is going on much of the time, I know because I can see many times the winning entry for a domain name is never registered but a suggested name has been. in fact the last contest I entered the winning entry for a domain name was never registered but another entry that got no recognition was registered and by the contest creator Nick Gentile as proved by a search through the domain registrars. go see for yourself here http://prizes.org/Need-business-name-logo
I must say although there are a “lot” of scammers operating on prizes.org there are plenty of legitimate people running competitions BUT its just not knowing which ones they are.
I for one will not be bothering with this site any more I do believe many of us do have a talent and would be better taking it to freelance or similar.