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The best way to become a chess champion is to play against champions.

Similarly, I want to improve my Google search skills, but I have no champion around to compete against.

Is there a webapp that would allow people to challenge for the "best" query to a given question?

  • What was the largest city of Brazil in 1900?
  • Is a French driving license usable in Singapore for long vehicules?
  • ... and lots of other tricky questions

Answers would just be the query and the answer.

Ratings could be given by peers or something. Maybe something vaguely similar to stackexchange, but a few specificities.

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3 Answers 3

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To become a google search master, try Hacking Google or Google Hacks. You can also read the answers to this question. I don't know any "search contests" or something, but it would be fun!

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  • I have read these books and question and many other things, but reading theory books is not enough anymore. The world is vast so I am sure there are some wizards whose queries would be tremendously smarter than what I could think of, for a similar challenge. A smart answer uses the right words, the right operators, is short to type, and makes Google display the result in the first few links, or even better in the summaries.
    – nic
    Jul 8, 2010 at 9:03
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This may be something 'like' you are looking for http://grant.robinson.name/projects/guess-the-google/

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  • unable to post more links above due to low reputation so here are they also (gamesforthebrain.com/game/imagequiz) and (googlewhack.com) are almost same as above. And it is the collection (googlegames.org)
    – LifeH2O
    Jul 8, 2010 at 22:51
  • Those are games based on Google, but it is not about information search, it is more funny tricks with no real-life-search applications, right?
    – nic
    Jul 9, 2010 at 1:28
  • Yes at lease, image labeler is an application with a real life "use" (not application)
    – LifeH2O
    Jul 11, 2010 at 19:32
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A couple of groups I am in do this, although the focus is around finding people with specific skills. http://booleanstrings.ning.com/ is the main one that comes to mind, but if you connect with the manager of that group, Irina Shamaeva, she might know more. Also, we have competitions similar to this ever 6 months or so, here is the link to the original http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jobsblog/archive/2005/02/04/367243.aspx

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  • +1 Thanks! Some threads in this "booleanstrings" group are very interesting. And this "Find Rob McIntosh's dog's name" game is what I am looking for. This was in 2005, did you have any other since then? One challenge per day or something similar would be great.
    – nic
    Jul 9, 2010 at 8:38

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