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Feb 20 2008, 11:39 AM EST (current) BillAHML
Feb 20 2008, 11:38 AM EST BillAHML 284 words added

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It's official. WikiAnswers (http://wiki.answers.com) is going to have an answer-thon on the weekend of March 1-2, during which "registered contributors will answer as many questions as possible over 48 hours, sharing their knowledge and competing for prizes. Answers must be original work and can address unanswered questions in any of WikiAnswers' 2,406 categories. Participants can also correct or improve existing incorrect answers."


If you do sign up for a WikiAnswers account, make sure to put "Slam the Boards" in the "Where I'm From" box in your settings page. If a "Slam" librarian wins a prize, they'll note that in their publicity.

Just a note. Their wording stated that "Answers must be original work." I asked Alison Minaglia of Answers.com if that included what librarians usually do--quote and cite third-party sources (as opposed to replying from personal expertise). I was assured that was fine. Specifically, she said: "Sure… they can quote/compile and then cite it, though ideally, we’d prefer they add something or weave it together/edit a little instead of simply copying verbatim. In other words, say 'According to XXXXX, the solution may be to…' as opposed to just copying and pasting the exact text. Personal experience/expertise is absolutely not required."

So, will some librarians jump in and answer like crazy?

Oh, the prizes:

The FIRST PLACE winner, who answers the most questions in two days, will be crowned our AnswerThon Champion and receive a $500 Amazon gift certificate.

The SECOND PLACE winner will receive a $250 Amazon gift certificate.


The THIRD PLACE winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift certificate

All winners, including the next 10 runners up, will receive WikiAnswers T-shirts.

--Bill