Trivia hosts unplugged

I can tell you why I host trivia in SL. I enjoy the whole process of trivia hosting. Doing the research and framing the questions can be onerous sometimes, but delving through reference books and Wiki is never dull for me. So many byways and new fields to explore. And although I'm quite a shy person in RL, there is an actress in me, and standing up in front of a virtual crowd does something for my ego.

And I have made friends with so many wonderful people (that's you!), and I can try out new ideas which, if they go wrong, can't hurt anyone except myself.

Cully Andel hosting at Double Standards.

It's Cully's rezday today, many happy returns Cully!







And I got to wondering why everyone else hosts, so I sent out a survey to every host on my friends list. If I did not ask you I'm so sorry, but please please tell us why you host in comments. If you replied but your answer isn't here, I missed your IM, please tell me quick and I'll edit you in! And if I'm not on your friends list but should be, just open up that blue box and tell me.

Thank you everyone for your responses, and I have found them fascinating. Some were IM, which explains the chatty style of some, and some were notecards. I'm going to post them verbatim and without comment from me. Comment from you would be wonderful.

I asked people to describe, preferably in one sentence, why they host (Sinnamon wins the prize for the longest sentence). And this is what they said:

Cully Andel: Why do I host -well it ain't for the money! Well - I guess I've always been one for organising things. And I like to have fun doing it. Most trivia events are great fun because of the people there - and it's a nice being able to offer fun events which people enjoy. (Which I hope I do)

I think that's probably why - and of course I'm nuts - which you have to be :)

Maggie Sewell: Because it's a way of giving back to people who give up much for others. I have no other skills.

My very good friend Kiriaster Mirakjar at Double Standards

Honey Potez: In one sentence/thought: I have continued to host trivia for almost two years because of the people: 1) the people that tend to follow trivia are genuine, thoughtful, intelligent and smart, and 2) many people depend on all of the hosts as constant companions and friends as they have RL illnesses or issues preventing them from fully living in the real world and depend on our events as something to look forward to each day.

I know it’s a long response but hosting is something I am passionate about :)

Lacey Lukas: I enjoy hosting trivia because I've always been a "game" type of person... watching game shows on tv, play games in RL ... and trivia has been one my favourite games. And I've discovered in SL that apparently I can't read the questions fast enough to beat the "fast fingers" in SL so being a host is the next best thing to playing. The trivia environment in SL is a lot of fun thanks to the colourful group of people who participate. Every event is always full of fun and laughter and what more could a person ask for :)

AnaMaria Quintessa: I said it was because I was a megalomaniac.I want to stand upon a pedestal dispensing favour and LindenDollars amongst the intelligentsia like a fickle despotic monarch bestowing patronage to their favourites; who just so happen to know the same irrelevent factoids that I currently value.On the more altruistic side, i don't want to just be what Lou has called a "parasite" ie just turning up enjoying the Qs and taking money off peopleOn the insecure side, i felt would only ever be a second class member of the trivia community and would not have "arrived" until i hosted my own game.

JoshuaStephen Schism: I like to give back to the trivia community and I like to be on stage

Chaddington Boomhauer: My main motivation for hosting trivia is that it's fun to do. It's also to ensure there is a trivia event I can't be ejected from ;)

Rickson Barbosa: hi Lotus, got your notecard...best way I can sum up the motivation thing is just that I enjoy it...I enjoy the researching and the asking. I wish I could give you something more philosophical but I can't really. :D

The Daremistress herself Lette Ponnier plans something for her next victim nominee

Circe Falta: Hey Lotus- Why do I host? Because it's fun. Actually, I was just filling in a spot while Lyss was gone, and it kind of stuck. But I kept doing it, because I enjoy coming up with the questions (usually), and tying everything together, trying to fit in a bunny somewhere. I like testing people's knowledge, and more, learning on my own while I research too- I get distracted a lot so it takes me all day sometimes. lol. I hope something there helps :)

Lette Ponnier: so... each time I’ve started a new trivia game, it's been because I had an idea about a new way to play trivia that seemed like it would be fun and I get excited about the idea, and I have to carry it out. This is how chaos, bucc bowl, and birthday suit trivia all started. So hosting, for me, is about innovating and creating and seeing good ideas come to fruition, and seeing people really enjoy the work that I put into it.

Impromptu is the only one that follows a standard format, and i started doing that when there was a gap in the schedule and i felt like having trivia and figured if no one else was having it, I might as well do it myself.

Mako Kungfu: My main motivation for hosting, when I was a host, was as a sort of PR move to bring people to Armada and have them experience the place. I did it for the fun of introducing people to a new location and to source material (the works of China Mieville) that they were probably unfamiliar with... and to get those mental gears cranking -- a lot of trivia is pretty inane, but I think it was hard to attend an Armada trivia without learning something. It was a smart crowd of engaged players in an interesting location, which I really enjoyed. It was also a bit of a unique situation -- I don't think I'd be as interested in hosting at a club or something. In those cases, I prefer to play.

Nelly Swindlehurst: OK here's my quote for ya.... My motivation for hosting trivia? Well its fun! You get to control the questions being asked and therefore subject matter, you usually walk away with more money than you started with... and everyone actually has to pay attention to you :)

Karmel Kips: I co-host at Lilly's so I can stay off the Lotus Blacklist! But seriously... I host trivia because I enjoy sharing interesting information with others while keeping them entertained.

Sinnamon Sands: Hey Lotus, sorry I hadn't got back to you on the survey... wasn't really sure what to say... I guess I originally got into hosting to try to attract people to the club, but I found that I liked it because of the creative and social aspects of it. Creative in that you get to try to come up with questions and deliberate about having a good mix of subjects, difficulty levels, things that will interest and entertain people. And you get to have the opportunity to shape an event in the image of what you think will be fun and entertaining for people, to experiment with some different styles and things. The main reason is just that I enjoy the social experience of hosting, having a lot of new people and regulars both come to chat, hang out, have fun in an environment

Thanks so much everyone, just what I was looking for! And onto your Lindeny questions. I pay 10L, paid in world, for each first correct answer. Answer in comments please, replace the missing letters.

1. 5280 FIAM

2. LPN 9

3. 5 BBWBTT

4. 90 NIABG

5. 78 CIATP

6. 646 CITUKP

7. T 10 C

8. NG 33 1/3 TFI

9. 206 BITHB

10. 9 SBLvB

Arrivals and departures

I've got a more substantial post to follow soon, but I just want to tell you something new.

The departure is that I'm dropping my Wednesday Lilly's event. I've loved doing it, and working with Nelly, Rev, Rick and Karmel has been such a pleasure, but I'm writing 65 new questions every week and I can't do everything. I'll still be hosting with Karmel on Fridays, and I'll still be doing Early Birds and Night Owls with Chantal on Saturdays. Lilly's is in my trivia hosting genes and I'm not giving that up.

The arrival is Jamie Parfort's new venue EyeQ. The Grand Opening is this week, and Jamie has signed me up for a new event. And for me the big attractin is that I'll be reunited with Nelly Swindlehurst. Nelly is such fun to host with that I'd walk over hot coals to do it, but Jamie's new low-lag venue doesn't have hot coals, so I'm spared that. We're going to be running 30 questions paying 1st/2nd/3rd, and we'll bring money for typos and Easter Eggs, and we'll see what else we can think up.

The not-at-all-elusive any more Nelly Swindlehurst

Jamie's also got Cully doing an event, and I hope she'll tell you about it in comments. Our event is on Wednesdays at 2pm SLT.

Anything but hip-hop and rap

Lou doesn't like DJs at trivia events, but I do. I've been on SL a year, and one thing I have really liked is listening to music I have never heard before, or coming across old tunes again. And today I want to talk about those ubiquitous SL people, the DJs.

Because of SL I have bought loads of CDs in the past year, and my iPod has all sorts of different music compared with a year ago. Sometimes it has confirmed my negative prejudices too. I never have liked rap or hip-hop, and, no matter how much I listen too, I can't make it sound any better. Even Nickelback is better than that, sorry hip-hoppers

Samantha Poindexter hosting Strip Trivia, she uses an innovative HUD system that removes the speed typing element, as well as people's clothes.

4pm Fridays

For me, a good DJ can add such a lot to a trivia event. When playing I really enjoy the interaction a good DJ can have with the players. The best DJs get to know their customers, and there is something so touching about having a DJ play you a song because they know I like it. I often wondered, Sinnamon and Angelo, do you remember music I like, or do you make notes in avi profiles? You both do it so well.

Some DJs become an integral part of the event. Cully does Alphabet Trivia twice a week at Melodi, and the DJ plays tunes starting with, or bands starting with, the letter in question. I shall be very interested to see how they get on when X and Q come up, there is definitely such as thing as too much Queen and XTC. DJ Kewan also has a "middle bit" in the interval, where players are invited to identify music clips,, so that Rach Borkotron can win a prize. I usually get 1 out of 10, though I excelled myself with zero last week.

I'm not here to say bad things about DJs, but sometimes DJs seem determined to play their own sets, and to take no notice of the crowd and just do as they please. Unless you happen to be playing British indie music, that's just dull, and you're not working for your crowd. It's just the same with trivia hosts, we have remember we're here to entertain.

Readers of my blog will know I host at Lilly's. The Wednesday and Friday 12 noon events were established before I hosted, and I view myself as merely one of the current hosts. Mars Lake and Sandi Losangeles DJ these events, and both are such a pleasure to work with, and their sets add so much to the event.

But if I'm asked which is my favourite, I'd have to say Early Birds and Night Owls at 11pm Fridays. That's my own event, and it's quieter in tone than the other two events, and without Challenges and Easter Eggs and shouting, and it's a different crowd. And lately Chantal Glenwalker has been getting out of her RL bed to DJ the event, and she is so good, picking up from questions, answers and chat, and she tunes her set so well to our event. I find myself looking forward to Chantal's next tune, wondering if she'll pick up on what someone just said, or an asnwer someone just gave. I'm not saying all DJs should do it that way, but I find it matches my early morning hosting style so well.

Cerys Curtois at Coco's Shiraz event

T-Shirt winner

Becki Verne won Friday's T-Shirt Challenge and a rolled-over 300L on Friday, so wtg her! The questions was: "In "The Grapes of Wrath", what was the name of the family who travelled to California?"

Becki beat two others who got the answer before the 5 second cutoff. I'm not sure if anyone has signed Becki up for next weekend's Buccaneer Bowl, but she's been doing really well at events I've been at, and if you're looking for a player...

Becki Verne, winner of a Karmel and Lotus Lilly's T-shirt

I know you want Lindeny questions to finish, but please may I ask for comments about my new picture format? Does it work for you? If not, can I improve it?

Replace the letters, answer in comments please. Leave me your avi name and I'll pay 10L for each first correct answer, paid in world.

1. 42 TATLTUAE

2. 77SS

3. 8 FIAM

4. 12 POCN

5. T39S

6. ATO2C

7. 2468M

8. 4 BBWBTT

9. 2001 ASO

10. 4LG2LB

Worth more than lindens

Lette's most recent post about prize money generated lots of interesting discussion, and one point commenters made was that money is not the only motivator in SL trivia.

I want to look today at non-financial achievements in SL trivia. You know, titles and medals and things without intrinsic worth but sou

ght after nevertheless.

My take on this will be coloured by the events I go to. All sorts of things may go on at events when I'm in bed attended by people who only come out at night, so if I missed anything please let me know.

So Chaos first. If you don't know Chaos, it's on at 8.30pm slt and is basically Truth or Dare with some trivia to oil it (maybe not the best metaphor there). It's where the first person to get naked after the 9.30 watershed gets a wet T shirt and a thing. Lette and Reke stipulate voluntarily naked doesn't count, because certain persons display a keenness to show their pixels. I've never won this coveted T shirt, but if and when I do I promise I'll post a picture of me wearing it right here on Lotus-Pocus.

I was composing a picture of Lillian Shippe at Double Standards when Lette Ponnier walked into shot and made it even better

Just about everyone knows about Buccaneer Bowl. Thornton, Lette and Lillian's event has been blogged about and commented on a lot. Teams of four battle it out for big prize money and the BuccBowl Champs tags. I find the event very stressful but I also find it great fun. Almost all the best players are there, and with a possible forty others competition is fierce. And then there is the team thing, I always feel very much that I don't want to let my team down, as I once did by messing up a bonus answer when they had told me the correct answer. I'm lucky to be in a very tolerant team full of smart players. Next BuckyBowl is 29 August. It's looking like the Triviators may be at full strength.

Smartasstermind at Double Standards is based on the British TV quiz show Mastermind. Hummingbird Forster runs it, and contestants pay an entrance fee and have two rounds of questions in the black chair. The first round is on a self-chosen specialist subject, and the second on general knowledge. My one try at this was not an amazing success as I only scored five points on my specialist subject. This, I think, is a drawback with this format, because some specialist subjects are very narrow and some very broad. If you choose a single book or a film there are only so many facts you can be questioned on. If you choose, as Thornton did, World War 2, the possibilities for questions are almost infinite. Sour grapes Lotus, good players won it and I have to do better next time.

Zarita at my Early Birds and Night Owls

Lilly's event

Lebn Bucyk runs an event on Sundays at Barefoot. There are five rounds of five questions, and the questions seem - I think Lebn once said intellectual - compared with some other events. Each round has a different subject, and there is a bonus for a person who gets all the questions in a round, Lebn calls it running a round. When he started his event I thin he expected this to happen often, but it took a while for Anamaria Quintessa to do it for the first time on the subject of barbarians, and a round has only been run once since.

And finally T shirts at Lilly's. We run a challenge question at the end of the event, and if the winner gets it inside 5 seconds we give them a T shirt and lots of lindens. Probably we've had ten or so winners now. I like to make the questions hard (it's a challenge, as Nelly says), but not impossible. And I'always really pleased when someone does win, I like giving out those coveted "Too clever for Rickson/Karmel/Rev/Nelly and Lotus Trivia at Lilly's" shirts. WTG winners!

Before your linden bearing questions if anyone has been puzzled by short-lived picture question posts on this blog (Hilda and Luce especially) it's to do with my in-event new picture question format. I should have taken them down right away after using them, sorry for the confusion. I'm not sure how it's working, please let me know in comments. I can bear the truth, honestly.

So, lindeny questions. 10L for each first correct answer in comments, paid in world, please remember to give your avi name.

Replace the letters.

1. 6 FIAF

2. 1 MYBC

3. 7 SOR

4. 14 DIAF

5. 90 MIAFG

6. 78 CIATP

7. 112 PIAH

8. 100 DIF

9. 44 POTUS

10. 8 MA-M

1000!

Lilly's trivia host and event manager Lotus and Chantal

Well, I did it and I really enjoyed it. My 1000th question was asked, the Challenge was won but no T shirt, Sharon made lots of money out of my teh typos. And Nelly did come and ask a phobia question :)

I'm sorry to confuse people with those posts that disappeared quickly from my blog (Luce I'm thinking of you particularly here) : they were my experimental new format questions which I'm not sure worked all that well. I'd love to have your comments if you were there at the Lilly's event.

Oh yes, my poll of 11 people closed. 2 of you buy lindens at least every month, 2 less often and 7 of you never buy them.

If you weren't there my the 1000th question I wrote for Lilly's was: Elinor and Marianne Dashwood appear in which novel?

And the 500L Challenge was: Which sweet-scented climbing garden annuals belong to the genus Lathyrus?

I haven't done anything difficult for Lindens today. For 20L each please tell me in comments who won the 1000th question, what was the answer to the Easter Egg, and who won the Challenge question? The winners of 1 and 3 themselves are barred from entering. Answer in comments please, leave your avi name and I'll pay you in-world.

Back tomorrow!

Kitten Nemeth hosting at U21. The answer will be Tennessee

I don't know who anonymous is from my last lot of comments, but you're right.

I'm back hosting Lilly's tomorrow Wednesday 12th 12 noon slt. I'll be asking my 1000th question and I'm paying 1st 2nd and 3d for the whole event at 50/20/10.

And I'm going to try out my new question format. And look out for the Easter Egg.

Not only this, but the Challenge will be set at 500L with some T shirt or other.

And if Nelly Swindlehurst can be persuaded to come and ask a phobia question I'll pay 100/50/25 to the ones who get that right. So you better work on her.

And we're back 12 noon Friday for the usual event, and I'm doing Early Birds and Night Owls on Friday at 11pm.

No lindens today, you'll have to come along tomorrow for that.

Nothing new to say, just a puzzle for you

I just thought I'd give you a puzzle. I think this one's pretty easy, but 100L for the first correct answer in comments, paid in world!

The 5 houses are in a row, number them 1-5 from left to right, and each occupant has favourite music and a favourite drink.

Kaele Jinx waits for the trivia orb at 4-Play Roadhouse

In comments, please tell me who lives in which house? (Lotus lives in house 4 for example)

1. The person who likes Nickelback lives directly next to the person who likes Kaiser Chiefs.

2. Sharon lives directly next to the person who drinks water.

3. There is one house between Lette and Nelly on the right.

4. There are two houses between the house of the person drinking beer and the house of the person who likes Snow Patrol.

5. The fourth house does not belong to the person who like Snow Patrol

6. There is one house between Sharon and Sinnamon

7. The person drinking beer lives to the left of the person who likes Blur.

8. There are two houses between the house of the person drinking milk and the house of the person who likes Nickelback on the left.

9. There is one house between the house of the person who likes Blur and the house of the person who likes Snow Patrol.

10. There are two houses between the person who drinks water and the house of the person who likes Coldplay

11. Nelly drinks industrial alcohol

12. There are two houses between Mako and Sinnamon.

In which number house does everybody live?

Making the world go round

I mentioned to Lette yesterday that I was going to blog about money. She said she had the same idea, but when we talked we realised we were looking at different aspects of the subject. We were going to try and co-ordinate our posts, but my ISP has thwarted us, and Lette's post about prize money is right here.

I'm wanting to look at the macroeconomics of SL trivia. I realise after "macroeconomics" half of my readers have just skipped to the Linden-bearing questions at the end, but you've been kind enough to humour me and stay with me. Where do the Lindens come from to finance trivia events? This is something I did not understand all all until recently, and if I get my facts wrong in this post please be sure to tell me.

I'm not a business expert, but I've been doing some digging. Linden Labs (LL) is a private company and isn't obliged to publish its accounts. Bloggers seem to think its profit in 2008 was in the region of $40M on a turnover of something like $96M.

Current exchange rates: $1 US buys 250L, £1 buys 418L, 1 euro buys 359L

And LL's turnover comes from somewhere, and it comes from either corporate subscriptions or your credit card and mine. And the trivia economy is the same. Eventually the lindens come from someone's bank account.

I've heard it said often that people can make more money out of playing trivia than hosting it, and I can believe it. If you're good and can play Marine Park, it is almost certainly true. Lette touched on Marine Park, which seems to have a distorting effect on the SL trivia economy by giving out 16000L in prizes every event. That's a lot of money, and would finance 2 months' worth of Lilly's events. I know much of this money is recycled back into trivia, and when it disappears, and nothing in SL lasts forever, I predict trivia events and prizes will contract significantly. I admit to a little anticipated schadenfreude here. I've never played MP and almost certainly never will because it begins 3am UK time. I'm sorry about the schadenfreude, I know you can tell it's just envy.

For those who don't know, practices vary, but club owners often pay hosts with lindens to run events. Most or all of this goes on prizes, and what percentage of tips goes to the host varies, I think, from club to club. So the host usually makes something out of it. So far as I can tell the biggest losers in all of this are club owners.



Coco Sands adjusts her caffeine levels during her Shiraz event











Sometimes there is an indirect benefit to owners from trivia events. Attracting players to events boosts traffic figures, which in turn means that shops on the sim will come higher up when searched for, in turn hopefully boosting sales. If the venue is attached to a shopping centre, as with Double Standards and Shiraz, then some extra sales may offset the cost of the event.

Where there is no such income stream, for owners it's a labour of love. I've got no financial interest in any club, but, if you've got any spare Lindens, spare a thought for the venue owner who makes it all possible for you.

I'm fortunate enough to be able to buy Lindens. One of the great things about SL is that it brings together people of all nationalities and from all walks of life. I know some of you rely on making money in SL to keep going, and I'm certainly not criticising you for it.

One last thing: there is a poll at the foot of my blog. Unfortunately my colour scheme makes it eye watering to read, and I can't work out how to change it without making other parts of the layout look eye watering in turn. I'm sorry about that, but do take a look.



Linden time! Replace the letters with words, answer in comments please. Leave your avi name, first correct answer gets paid 10L in world.

1. 1 FOTCN
2. 2, 2 TLWB
3. 10 PIC
4. 52 CIAP
5. 27 MSOTEU
6. 8 MH
7. 221 BBSSH
8. 18 HOAGC
9. 12 DOC
10. 14 LIAS

Winning friends, influencing people

I've long thought that SL is like real life, only speeded up 50 times. Venues and events come and go, and old friends depart and new ones arrive. And somehow in a short space of time I have transformed from a complete noob knowing nobody into a senior member of the trivia community.

After I posted last time I had two conversations that set me thinking. In my blog I've quoted from IM conversations I had with Nelly, once directly and once indirectly. I then realised doing this was telling others about our private conversations, when I hadn't asked it I might do so. She told me she had no problems at all with what I had written, but still, I felt I had betrayed confidences.

The other conversation was very thought provoking. I won't say who it was with (see rule no1 below), but it was with someone who isn't a trivia regular. We were chatting about various things and he said that I had the power to destroy reputations with my blog. I'm sure he was not saying I had destroyed anyone's reputation, but I've been thinking about this since.

This is not the only SL trivia blog, and there are other excellent trivia blogs listed in the sidebar. But I want you to enjoy what I write, and look forward to new posts, and not to fear them.

Cinna, Devin and Jez on the ZooBar beach.

Somebody had given Cinna's Evil Titler a Triviators title. Chadd claims to have evidence that one of the Triviators is trading on our team name. Who can it be???

My experience of SL has been almost all positive. I've made some really good friends, and those I haven't got on with I can avoid. I want to keep it that way.

So I'm going to set myself some blogging rules, and I'll do my best to stick to them. Isn't it a bit late to set yourself rules in your 13th post, I hear you say? Well, better late then never, so here we go:

1. I won't repeat the content of IMs in my blog without permission.*

2. If I haven't got anything nice to say about someone I'll say nothing.*

3. My opinions are just that, and should not be taken as meaning I think everyone should think that way. Well spotted, that's a rule for you and not me!

4. I will never use this blog to settle scores, not that I have many to settle.*

* Except Nelly Swindlehurst

So that's it for this post, a blog entry about blogging, if you like, a first-order derivative post. You deserve questions for lindens.

Replace the letters with the correct words. Answer in comments, please, leave your avi name and I'll pay 10L in-world for the first correct answer.

1. 6 FOAC

2. 20 FOIAP

3. 12 AM

4. 32 POACB

5. ITVODRT 600

6. 10 GBHOTW

7. 99 RB

8. 27 BITNT

9. 14 JBD

10. 1805 BOT