Welcome to the first annual
Bluff Me Again contest. (This is not an April Fool’s joke…
or is it?)
Be outrageous or be dull : if you’re clever enough while you’re doing it, you could win. We’re looking for personal statements this year : one true, one false. Fool enough people and get their interest while you're at it and you could win. Simple, no? (Or maybe I just want you to
think it’s simple…) Either way, we'll find out a little bit more about each other while we have some fun...
(or will we?)
The rules are a little different from last year so read on.
Rules
* Each entry must contain two brief statements about yourself : one true and one false. Each statement must be no longer than 100 characters, including spaces and punctuation. The number of characters must be included in brackets at the end of each statement. Each statement
must be followed by a supporting sentence or sentences that give more information or “evidence”. Supporting sentences can be false, even if the statement is true, and vice versa.
* Since one statement must be true, paradoxical statements -- e.g., the following phrase is false; the previous phrase is true -- will not be included in the vote. Philosophical discussion on the truth of paradox can be argued elsewhere.
* To qualify, you must use correct formatting. If an entry isn't in the correct formatting, it will not be listed as an eligible entry in the first post of the
submission thread or included in the polls. The correct formatting is as follows :
statements in bold ; number of characters in the statement (including spaces and punctuation) italicized, in brackets, after the statement
(57) ; and
supporting information in blue. At the end of your post, between these two tags (just copy paste into your post) [unhidetime=18 April 2008 4:00 AM]
TEXT HIDDEN HERE[/unhidetime], state which statement is true and which false, along with any further information or proof you care to provide. Once you have done this, post it in
submission thread. There is an example at the bottom of this post of a correctly formatted entry.
* You can submit up to 3 entries.
* An entry may contain images or supporting media (say a photo of that foot with six toes) but you must be the owner of the content. Please use secret tags if you want to include the media within your post and try to keep the files reasonably sized (no .BMPs allowed).
* Once entries are submitted, participants may be grilled about their statements. Questions about statements should be posted in the
submission thread, not here. Whether or not – and how – participants choose to respond is up to them, but if they make it into the final round, their responses should be taken into consideration when voting. Submissions close on
Local Time:04-14-2008 at 09:00 AM, which is in
negative 871 weeks, 4 days.
* Any submission that is edited after submissions close (verifiable by the time stamp) will automatically be disqualified.
Voting
*
Round 1:
Round 1 voting will open after submissions close on
4/14/2008. In this round, voters will select which statement from each entry that they believe is true. Only true/false statements will be shown. Round 1 voting will close on
Local Time:04-18-2008 at 09:00 AM, which is in
negative 871 weeks. When voting on your own entry you should select your false statement as the "
true"
one. The top 5 entries that fool the most people will be entered into Round 2.
*
Round 2
In this poll, entries will be rated out of 10 on the following criteria : the quality of the original statements – were they interesting, engaging and well-though out ; how well the supporting information improved the bluff ; how surprised you were by the revealed data ; and how well the participants responded to challenges. Keep this second round in mind when you make and defend your statements. Round 2 voting will start on
4/18/2008 and close on
Local Time:04-22-2008 at 09:00 AM, which is in
negative 870 weeks, 3 days. Participants should give their own entries a 10 and vote fairly on the others. The entry with the highest score wins. If there is a tie, we will have a vote-off round.
Prizes
* First place receives 100 rank points, and 1 item from
the prize pile.
* Second place receives 50 rank points.
* Third place receives 25 rank points.
* Anyone who has not entered a contest before gets 10 rank points.
* All contestants receive the exhibitionist thrill of baring their personal lives to the rest of us.
Important Deadlines
* Submissions close
Local Time:04-14-2008 at 09:00 AM
* Round 1 Voting 4/14/2008 until
Local Time:04-18-2008 at 09:00 AM
* Round 2 Voting 4/18/2008 until
Local Time:04-22-2008 at 09:00 AM
* Challenges and questions may continue throughout the contest
Good luck!
Tips:
* It's not enough to fool people; you've got to get their interest. Statements like, "
I drink coffee"
and "
I don't drink tea"
may fit the contest criteria, but... meh. By being more specific, like, "
I have had at least one cup of coffee every morning for the last 10 years"
and "
In my entire life, I have never ever tasted tea"
you will offer something (a little) more interesting for people to think about and provide some "
meat"
for discussion.
* You want your statements just plausible/implausible enough to get people to think, "
That must/can't be true... or is that just what he wants me to believe?"
If I state "
I flew into orbit last week"
, I'm not going to fool too many people (unless of course I actually am an astronaut, in which case, it's probably a good bluff.)
* Use your supporting sentences to increase the plausibility/implausibility of your statements and pique voters' interest by rounding out the "
story."
Give specific details, but don't go on too long or people will tune out.
* Don't put all your "
evidence"
in your supporting information. Have some facts or "
truthiness"
ready for challenges. And remember, you don't have to tell the truth about your true statements. That doesn't necessarily mean you should lie : you'll have to decide what's going to work best for each situation. It's about bluffing and it takes a skilled hand to keep a good fish story on the line.
* Since someone is bound to raise it : yes, there may be entries that are "
lies."
Although I hope most people will stick to the spirit of the contest (which in my opinion is to reveal embarrassing -- er, I mean, interesting -- personal information for our amusement) it doesn't matter if they don't. Your job is the same : determine which statement the participant
says is true : a psychological puzzle in itself.
_______________________________________________________________
Example
I appeared in a Hollywood movie. (32)
Although I was only an extra, it was an interesting experience in a dull sort of way. Mostly it involved a lot of standing around, followed by some “hurry up and wait.” But the food was good and the “stars” were pleasant enough; all in all, an easy way to make a (very) little money.
I discovered a dead body. (25)
It happened when I was I teenager. I was swimming in a river and was halfway across when I spotted what I thought was a duck with its head under its wing. It wasn’t a duck.
The second statement is true. It was a while before I went back in the river..
[Last edited by noma at 04-18-2008 07:14 AM]
My life hasn't followed the normal course so I had plenty of material from which to pick.