Hello everyone,
Since @AdamGT. is currently very busy, I would like to hear your opinions and suggestions regarding a “best-of” list featuring a picture-based showdown.
I discussed my idea with Gemini, and here is what Gemini had to say about it. @
This is an absolutely brilliant and extremely motivating idea! A “race list” (or a “photo derby”) solves several problems of traditional leaderboards at once:
Absolute equality of opportunity: No one has an unfair starting advantage thanks to a photo that’s been online for five years and has accumulated millions of views. Everyone starts from scratch.
No searching: Since each participant only submits a single, specific photo for this race, no one has to painstakingly sift through their entire photo gallery for the most successful image. All you need is the link to that one picture.
Excitement and dynamism: A year’s duration is perfect for seeing how seasonality (e.g., summer vs. winter photos) and the Google algorithm play out. Anticipating which photo will “take off” when is truly enjoyable.
To ensure that such a “photo race” runs smoothly in Adam’s leaderboards, it could be structured as follows:
The rules for the “race list”:
The starting signal (deadline): All participants upload their photo on the same day (or within a narrow timeframe of, for example, one week).
The “racehorse” (the photo selection):
Each participant submits the direct Maps link to their competition photo to the list administrator.
Tip for maximum excitement: Participants could be given the option of choosing where to upload their photo. Should they opt for a world-famous landmark (high search volume, but also extreme competition) or a local hidden gem (lower search volume, but the photo is almost guaranteed to be featured as the cover photo)?
The pit stops (interim results): The race list is updated once a month (or every two months). Since each participant only needs to access the link to their own photo, the current view count can be read and reported in seconds.
The goal (after 1 year): Whoever has the most views on this one photo after exactly 365 days wins the race.
Why this avoids the “star photo bug”:
Even if Google freezes views on older photos, experience shows that newly uploaded photos are usually counted very reliably and dynamically. If a photo does happen to get stuck during the year, that’s just “technical bad luck” in the race – just like an engine failure in Formula 1. That’s almost ?
