Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Google Image Labeler

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the counting-on-ocd dept.

vandalman writes to tell us that Google is betting on the obsessive compulsive need for many users to see big numbers next to their name with a new beta service called Google Image Labeler. From the description: "You'll be randomly paired with a partner who's online and using the feature. Over a 90-second period, you and your partner will be shown the same set of images and asked to provide as many labels as possible to describe each image you see. When your label matches your partner's label, you'll earn some points and move on to the next image until time runs out. After time expires, you can explore the images you've seen and the websites where those images were found. And we'll show you the points you've earned throughout the session."

5 of 389 comments (clear)

  1. The Tom Sawyer technique by dave562 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    My first thought about this is that Google is getting people to come up with metatag data for them by making a game out of it.

  2. ESP Game by D+H+NG · · Score: 0, Redundant

    This sounds like the ESP Game project of Carnegie Mellon University.

  3. Hmm.. by OliverKlausauf · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Isn't this essentially mturk without the money?
    http://www.mturk.com/

  4. Service for Google by Schlaegel · · Score: 0, Redundant

    "new beta service called Google Image Labeler"

    This service is not for my benefit or anyone else but Google. Everyone can see it is a thinly disguised way for Google to get "the Internet" to do image tagging for free.

    That doesn't mean that people won't find the service fun, it does seem to parallel a few board games I am familiar with.

  5. Re:Geez that's addictive by FleaPlus · · Score: 1, Redundant

    I'm pretty sure I've seen some university project identical to this some time (1 year ?) ago. So it's definitely been done before. Although google does make a perfect (or at least a lot more suited) maintainer for such a project.

    It's basically a licensed version of the work by Luis von Ahn, a grad student (and now professor) at Carnegie Mellon. It's pretty similar to his Peekaboom game.