We are excited to announce our very first Challenge of the summer, sourcers! This is your opportunity to flex your sourcing muscles and prove that you are among the elite – and also win a trip to SourceCon this fall in Silicon Valley!
The Challenge:
Create an effective Google Custom Search Engine (CSE) that will find profiles, resumes, and contact directories online.
Yes… it really is that simple. Or so you thought… Mwahahaha!
Because we want to assist you in the development of a really cool CSE, we have arranged a training webinar with three sourcers who have created some amazing CSEs already. Join us next week on Thursday, June 9 from 1pm – 2pm Eastern time to learn more about Google Custom Search Engines from Dan Harris, Mike Notaro, and Irina Shamaeva. They will go over the basics of what Google Custom Search Engines are all about and show you some examples of CSEs they’ve created as well as take you step-by-step through how to make your own. Even if you’re not planning to participate in the Challenge, this will be a great educational opportunity for you with some of the best in the business. Click here to register for the webinar.
The Rules:
- You must create an original CSE (no copying other people’s work!!) that can be used to source people profiles, resumes, and contact lists online.
- You may submit a CSE that you have already created – but it must be YOUR OWN WORK.
- The Challenge will begin today (June 1) and will end at midnight on June 17. You may submit your entry at any time between now and then.
- Once you submit your CSE, you may NOT make changes to it. Trust us: we will know if you do — so don’t do it!
- The title of your CSE must be formatted in the following manner: [SourceCon 2011 Challenge #1 ] — [First name] [Last name]
Example: SourceCon 2011 Challenge #1 — Amybeth Hale - Your CSE may contain no more than four (4) refinements.
- Your CSE must “search the entire web but emphasize included sites.”
- Your CSE MUST have a variety of results — no LinkedIn/ZoomInfo/Jigsaw only CSEs. Variety is the spice of life!
- The top three (3) CSEs will be selected by popular vote, with the final winner selected by quantitative analysis. The final selection parameters will be announced once the three finalists are chosen.
- If you are selected as a finalist, you will need to submit your CSE’s XML code.
- Did we mention that your CSE must be created by you and not be a knock-off of anyone else’s work? Be original. We know you’re capable.
On June 20, we will share all of the entries to the Challenge on SourceCon.com. The first round of judging will come from your peers – so put your promotion hats on! You will have until June 30 to market your CSE to your networks and beg, grovel, plead, etc. for votes. Of course, we hope that you’ll simply create the most amazing CSE out there and that the sourcing community will vote for your CSE because of its sheer awesomeness. But how you choose to grub for votes is up to you. By the way, voting must be done on the official challenge site — votes anywhere else will not count.
On July 1, we will tally up the votes and announce the top three CSE finalists along with the final selection criteria. Make your CSE effective and efficient… the final selection criteria will put your CSE to the test.This will include point rankings based on variety of results as well as quality.
The overall winner will be announced on July 8.
The Rewards:
Of the three popular vote finalists, the overall winner will receive one (1) free complimentary pass to attend SourceCon in Silicon Valley, October 13-14. He/she will also be provided travel and hotel accommodations and be eligible to participate in the SourceCon GrandMaster Sourcing Championship to take place during the conference.
The Small Print:
- Travel includes one (1) round-trip coach airline ticket to be booked through our travel agency and valued at up to $400 including taxes and fees. Hotel accommodations include one night, room and tax, at the hotel where staff and speakers are staying for the event. Additional nights can be arranged, on your own, at a discounted rate.
- Only one (1) person may win. You are welcome to create a CSE as a group but only one individual from your group will be eligible to win. It is up to you to decide who that is.
- Prizes are non-transferrable.
- Failure to follow any and all of the directions will result in disqualification. No exceptions — pay attention to the Challenge details.
You have your mission… should you choose to accept it. Good luck, sourcers! We look forward to seeing what you come up with.