hisgrace - a question for you?

[boysinblue68]

When are you going to stop ruining the Macmillan quiz?

You have asked so many questions on here, I find it difficult to believe you have answered any off your own back?

What's more, you haven't even got the decency to say that the questions are from Macmillan. If you can't find the asnwers yourself - don't ruin it for others - just leave a blank space on your answer sheet.

[squarebear]

This is a Q&A site. If you don't want to see the answers then don't open the topics. SImple as that really.

[smouse]

But putting the name of the quiz in the title isnt asking too much is it?

[boysinblue68]

squarebear - I think you are missing the point. People like "hisgrace" (and there are several others) are simply ruining quizzes by asking for the answers to almost every question on here. It is obvious that they haven't done any work themselves (as a lot of what is being asked can reasonably easily be found via google, etc.).

I agree it's a Q&A site, but why should an ever increasing minority be able to ruin some really excellent quizzes by asking for the answers on here and simply claiming them for themselves. If I can't find an answer, I leave a blank space. Unfortunately, the actions of "hisgrace" and co are turning quizzes into a lottery and for what reason, the prizes are hardly life changing, so why spoil the fun of genuine quizzers?

It's also amazing how early questions are asked and as I said above, people haven't even got the decency to say that a particular question is from, eg. the Macmillan quiz.

[squarebear]

I agree about putting the name of the quiz in the title so others don't accidentaly spoilt it for themselves but I don't agree about people asking for answers.

I see no difference in "googling" for answers or looking them up here. Either way, you didn't know the answer and had to look for it online. Surely, you don't state on your answer book which ones you genuinely knew and which you had to look up?

[boysinblue68]

squarebear - if you are looking for answers in reference books or on the internet, you are doing the work yourself. This is completely different to the lazy people, who simply ask for the question to be answered by someone else on sites such as this.

When answers are posted on here, for example, they are in the public domain and I know there is no need to look if you don't want to know the answer (and I for one don't) - but it is hard to accept when you are trying to pit your wits against a quizsetter and find lazy people are more than happy to get the answers by whatever means possible and claim the answers for themsleves.

[squarebear]

As long as the charity gets its �1, I am more than happy to help anyone with any question that I can.

If the question is "What is a quadriga?" and you put "quadriga" into Google, the 4th link down tells you it is a Roman chariot. You have asked the internet for the answer. I don't see any difference just because you used one site rather than another.

I can only suggest that as you are googling, you ignore any links to the answerbank if it really bothers you that much.

[boysinblue68]

You still seem to be missing the point - by entering a search term in google, you are doing the work yourself - you might even want to double check any answer you get. However, by asking a question on here, it is definitely not the same - you are asking someone else to answer the question for you. Where's the satisfaction in that? Judging by the number of (charity quiz) questions asked on here, there are some very desperate people out there! And for what reason? As I said earlier, the prize money can't be a motivating factor.

[ladyalex]

And, by the way, the phrase is not 'off your own back' it is 'off your own BAT' as in cricket.

[squarebear]

If you post "what is a quadriga" into google it tells you the answer. How is that doing the work yourself? If you post the same thing here, someone will tell you.

For me there is no difference, the entrant doesn't know the answer, so looks for it on the internet.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree.

[boysinblue68]

squarebear - I rather think you've just shot holes in your own argument. There is a fundamental difference in entering a search term in google and seeing what results are returned as opposed to posting a question on here and waiting for someone else to provide the answer. The first method also prevents the answer from being given away to lazy people whilst the second puts the answer in the public domain for all to see and thereby ruining a quiz.

[squarebear]

Well as I said, we'll have to agree to disagree. I fully intend to help anyone who asks a question on here if I know the answer. If no-one were to answer anything then there's no point to the quizzes & puzzles section.

If it's that important to you to win �20 or a bottle of wine, then I'm sure we can organise a whip round for you.

[boysinblue68]

If you'd care to read some of my posts, you'll see that money is not a motivating factor - it's the challenge of pitting my wits and abilities against those of the quizsetter. I fail to see the satisfaction gained by using someone else's answer?

I have nothing against a Q&A site in principle - it's just the way it's used by far too many lazy people.

[squarebear]

But you are more than welcome to pits your wits against the quiz setter. How other people play the quiz shouldn't bother you. There's nothing to stop you researching your answers for the fun of the quiz. Just be careful about opening any links to sites such as this.

I really don't see why anything as trivial as this would bother you.

[boysinblue68]

Please don't think that saying "don't look at this site" or "don't open the link" solves the frustration. When people post so many questions on here (and elsewhere), they are turning quizzes into a lottery. If I want to enter a lottery, I'll choose to do the National Lottery myself. If I want to enter a quiz, it is not unreasonable to expect it to be a quiz and not a lottery!

It must be extremely frustrating for some quizsetters when they see their hard work all but ruined by so many answers being given away in the public domain.

[squarebear]

If I was doing a charity quiz I would be more interested that people were entering and donating their money than who wins. I had never even heard of the Macmillan Quiz until I saw people here looking for answers.

I'm sure the organisers will be glad of the publicity.

I have bought many quizzes, done what I could then left it without sending it in. How people play it is up to them, as long as the donate their money.

[boysinblue68]

The majority of charity quizzes usually ask for the money "up front", ie. you send your money off and receive the question sheet(s). So, you have already supported the charity at that stage by buying the quiz.

My point, as you may have gathered, is the manner in which some people "obtain" the answers that they put on their entry form - I refuse to say "their answers" because the ones I am talking about are answering very few questions themselves - they are simply using other people's answers. If you (or anyone else) can see any satisfaction or enjoyment in simply using answers supplied by someone else, then please explain it.