A "What Is It?" Blog?

These 'What Is It?' threads seem to be pretty active. I enjoy them, and always have a look. I think a new blog with that theme would have solid support.

Which day? If you are looking to increase traffic, the day with the historically lowest number of visitors would be a candidate. I'm not sure it would matter a whole lot.

Elapsed time until reveal? I think most items will be identified by somebody within a few days at the most... perhaps a week would be about right.

Subjects? Should it include unusual insects or animals, a photomicrograph, some relic of antiquity, or an automobile? I would like to hear what CR4 Admin and the rest of the group thinks about the subject of subjects.

I originally started the "What is it?" threads as an exercise in the use of the creative imagination, rather than a contest to actually identify the object...As such it is entertaining, stimulating and relaxing...However, things being what they are, it became competitive for some who would copy the url of the picture and insert into Google image search, which is able to find the original picture or a similar object, nearly all of the time...This tends to take the fun out of it for some...So I have revised the title to "What could it be?" and stipulated that it is an exercise, not a contest...This seems to have tempered enthusiasm a bit, but it's still early...$.02

I originally started the "What is it?" threads ..
<cough>
At risk of being labelled a pedant...
I think you may find 'what is it threads' predate your contributions by a few years.
I make no claim to have started them...but I posted this one 5/10/2007
Del
(just sayin')

This is referring to the "What is it?" threads that I have started specifically, and recently...and more to illuminate the point, that the technology now exists to identify the object of mystery quite easily, if indeed that is the purpose...and also your post here illustrates my point of competitive behavior that exists here....(not that there is anything wrong with that, I can be quite competitive myself)...Now if the object was to come up with the most imaginative or interesting or funny perceived function of the "What is it?", then I believe this would compromise the short circuit that technology has created for this thoroughly entertaining game...

Quite a few "what is it" threads have been posted by people who wanted to know: like my medieval pinball table question. So as long as it's made clear that the contributor does not know can you include those as well?

I don't see why not. I envision including contributor's name in the blog entry and would hope that he/she participates in the discussion (if the object is known). We'll just make it clear that for unknown objects no "official" solution will be given.

Weekend.

1 week.

Anything that isn't offensive.

Ditto.

Mondays

1 week

Anything and everything legal, honest and decent

I look forward to this what is it blog every week. Its based on tools people have either found or on the bloggers own collection.

http://55tools.blogspot.com/

There were some interesting bits in that.

This here CR4 "what is it" could be the impetus for a few shed clean outs.

Good idea! I'll provide an email address for image submissions soon.

I think PlbMak's shed clear-outs inspired a lot of "What is it?" threads.... ;o)

Bring it on.

It's a present and it's beautifully wrap too. The question should be What's in it?

Can we wrap it yet?

The new blog is all set up! Entries will run on Sundays - probably beginning on 12/18. We can't run the blog without your help. If you have any images you'd like to see featured in the blog, please send them to CR4Editors@globalspec.com

Please let us know if you know what the image is depicting or if it's an unknown object.

Unfortunately, no. That's something we'd like to do but it hasn't been implemented.

You can get an RSS feed of any blog. (Hint - if the blog's not listed on that page you can create your own feed by inserting the blog number & name at the end of http://cr4.globalspec.com/blog/rss/

So the What Is It blog's RSS would be http://cr4.globalspec.com/blog/rss/141/What-Is-It.

Thanks Savvy, just found this.

I don't (know how to) use RSS feeds...and not sure they'd get through the work firewall.

I use Google Reader. There are others if you're not a Google fan.

On whatever one you choose hit Subscribe and paste in the RSS URL of your choice. You should then see a "feed" of all of the recent stories from that link.

I find RSS readers convenient because I like to read a lot of blogs but don't have time to go to all of them individually. I have about 40 blogs, news sites, and other resources in my RSS feeder and I can browse the titles and open what I find to be interesting. It's nice to have them all in one place.

Thanks Savvy. I didn't realise you could do it through Google. I have such a slow internet connection that I try to limit auto stuff as much as possible.

May have to give this a go, when I have time to play!

I'm in for weekly...

Looking forward to the new blog. It will be fun and will prompt me to take pictures of strange items I notice around down. I hope we can include insects and birds.