Yahoo Research has unveiled a cool little game that lets users bet for or against emerging technologies and trends. The so-called Tech Buzz Game lets Yahoo users predict those technologies people will
be searching the Web for in the future by buying and selling fantasy "stocks" reflecting a mix of companies, products and technologies. The free game gives each registrant $10,000 in fantasy dollars
to throw onto the virtual futures market. Users then decide which markets to "invest" in. Each individual market focuses on a specific technology, like wireless Internet, advertising services, virtual
earth, operating systems, and desktop search. You can buy "shares" in companies that offer competing products and services within each market. Each stock will also have a "buzz score" that represents
its percent of search buzz, or total related Web searches, compared with other stocks in the same market. You can view the search phrases that generate the stocks' "buzz score." These scores are the
game's currency, so frequency of search is the thing that drives price.
Read the whole story at Search Engine Watch »
