Buzz.research.yahoo.com - The Tech Buzz Game

For those of you who like to place wagers, or for those of you interested in the high-tech industry, Yahoo’s Buzz Game is the place to be. The Tech Buzz Game is like the stock market for technology. Tech geeks can purchase stock in technological products and services while speculating who will flop. The markets featured in the game reflect companies, products, etc. on O’Reilly’s radar. Keep tabs on game winners and losers and see what the future of technology has in store. Once you’ve registered you’ll get a handsome sum of $10,000 dollars (play money, that is) to begin. Predict how popular technologies will behave. Buzz or popularity is measured by Yahoo Search frequency over time. Winners will foresee trends and invest in technologies that are undervalued relative to their potential. Of course this is all play, but you can get an idea of the future of technologies and contribute to the wisdom of the crowds.

“The Tech Buzz Game is a fantasy prediction market for high-tech products, concepts, and trends Predict the technologies people will be searching the web for in the future. Put your (fantasy) money where your mouth is by buying stock in the technologies you believe will be popular and selling stock in the technologies you think will flop.”

Yahoo’s Buzz Game is an interesting proposition. Tech fans will drool over it, while others may find it a great way to keep tabs on the next big thing. Ultimately it is a research tool to see if the crowd can indeed predict buzz and to see what O’Reilly technologies are worth the watch.

Will this little project attract a true crowd? Or will it just be limited to tech nerds?