Here's an idea for a search game that is intended to harness human attention on the Steem blockchain. What do you think?
The idea is this:
I'll maintain a list of interesting Steem articles for a daily search puzzle.
Each day we'll use some python magic to:
2.1. pick out random words from one of the articles
2.2. plug them into a word search, and
2.3 post the puzzle on the blockchain
Readers will be challenged to find the words and also to find the post that they came from.
That part was the easy part. The AIs and I already wrote a proof of concept version last night and tonight . You can see what it might look like in the image, or here.
With that done, we're already past the traditional "word search" puzzles that have captured people's attention for newspapers, books, and magazines over hundreds of years. The next part is harder.
Where to from here?
But on the Steem blockchain, we can make it better. Remembering that the ultimate goal is to identify the source post, each time a correct word is revealed in the replies, the bot will provide a clue about the source posts (beneficiary settings, tags, included pictures, author, date, etc... I still need to work out the details of the possible hints).
The background for this idea comes from the Word Search Posts that I used to do for the Popular STEM community. I actually had this type of idea in mind all the way back then, but I left it unattended until I posted about Proof of Attention a couple weeks ago.
As I noted in that post, I think that these word searches really are a good way to draw genuine human attention. The problem was that doing them manually was very time consuming - and costly, in conjunction with the Facebook advertising that I was doing for the initiative.
But, automation can provide a fun new activity for the blockchain. Instead of having weekly word searches, we can have them daily, and instead of publishing the source post, we can make that a part of the puzzle. So, when I wrote the "Proof of Attention post, I decided to see how hard it would be to be to get started.
Here's what I have in mind as a path forward:
I'll populate and maintain a (private) list of Steem articles that I think are interesting.
Each day a bot will create a word search from one of those posts and publish it on a dedicated account and in a dedicated community.
2.1 The post will have a 90% (subject to change) @null beneficiary setting - call it an automation tax.
2.2 The account will keep 10% of rewards to help compensate for development and operations.
Whenever people reply to the word search posts with a new word, the bot will provide a new hint about the source post that the words came from (maybe limited to 3 new hints per puzzle per day).
When someone replies to the word search post with the correct source post, the game is over.
After 7 days, the bot replies to the post with the complete word list and a link to the source post.
Benefits
This gives people a fun puzzle to do whenever they're interacting with the Steem blockchain.
Sending daily rewards to @null creates a reliable sink that will soak up some of the STEEM/SBD supply.
It may even claw back some SP from delegation bots if investors decide that their stake would be better used by voting to defend the value of their investment. (probably a stretch, but it's not inconceivable - see @burnpost.)
It gives the Steem ecosystem extra attention when people are searching to find the source post.
It increases an author's audience when the correct source post is identified.
Maybe this can stimulate ideas for other games that are uniquely suited for Steem's ecosystem.
It can extend the audience-life of a Steem post beyond the 7-day payout window.
The AI added these, too:
Increased engagement: By providing a fun and interactive experience, you may see increased engagement on the Steem blockchain, including more comments, upvotes, and shares.
Community building: The word search game could help build a sense of community around the Steem blockchain, as users work together to solve puzzles and share their experiences.
Content promotion: By highlighting interesting and relevant content from various authors, you may be able to promote a wider range of voices and perspectives within the Steem ecosystem.
Drawbacks
Some people have staked out a position against burning tokens. This obviously challenges that paradigm.
Some people are not in favor of automation. This also challenges that paradigm.
There's a lot of work to get from here to there.
Privacy: I don't actually see any privacy concerns, since the source posts are already public, but what do you think? At any rate, I'll offer an option for authors to opt out.
Before I go through the rest of the work to implement this, I thought I'd see how people respond to the idea. What are your thoughts?
Thank you for your time and attention.
As a general rule, I up-vote comments that demonstrate "proof of reading".
Steve Palmer is an IT professional with three decades of professional experience in data communications and information systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics, a master's degree in computer science, and a master's degree in information systems and technology management. He has been awarded 3 US patents.
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