Here’s the situation: you are at home watching your favorite television program and just as the scene ends you exclaim, “I KNEW that was going to happen!” Well if you ever wanted to put your powers of prediction to the test, then tvClickr is a great way to showcase your television smarts. As mentioned in my previous blog, tvClickr is a Facebook application that was developed by LiveHive Systems and it is based on the idea of NanoGaming.

As a competitive person I was intrigued by the idea that you could play against other viewers for points and prizes by answering questions about a live television show. Throughout the week I thought about testing tvClickr on a show that I was already familiar with (such as Greys Anatomy) but I decided that my review might be a little biased because I was already engaged by the show and not necessarily by the application. Instead, I opted for a show that I don’t normally watch to see if my attention waivered or if I stayed focused on the show. Enter the test subject: The Amazing Race.

The application is straight forward and easy to use. First, you log into Facebook and add the tvClickr application. Next, you choose the television show that you want to participate in, and finally, you tune into the program on TV. Before the show even starts you get to answer Prediction Questions about what you think will happen during the episode. As soon as the show started questions began to pop up on the top of my screen. For a typical multiple-choice Trivia Question such as “How old is Bill?” you are given a minute to answer. For each extra second that you take to answer the question the maximum point-value you can be awarded decreases by one. For me, the first few questions were a way to feel out the game but as the episode progressed I was really trying to beat the clock in order to get the most points.

As you can see from the screen shot below there is a leader board that shows the individuals who have the top-ten scores and a discussion board, set up like a chat room, where viewers can make comments throughout the show about the contestants or other viewers that you are playing against. Each time the system uploads the correct answer to a question, your score automatically changes to reflect your answer and the leader board is updated. Since I was a newcomer I didn’t expect to do very well but at one point I was in second place and I found myself trying to catch as much detail from the show as I could in order to answer the questions correctly.

Using tvClickr I found that I was more engaged in the program than I would have been had I just tuned in on television. It appealed to my sense of competition and I enjoyed multi-tasking- focusing on both the television and the computer at the same time. By the end of the show I knew most of the contestant’s names and some additional information such as their hometown, age, or the name of the university they attend. Playing along also let me learn more about the show itself, such as how many Emmy nominations it had, its terminology/jargon, and when certain rules apply. I should also point out that I didn’t reach for the remote once during the broadcast. The hour long show passed very quickly and I think this can be attributed to interaction that NanoGaming provides during commercial breaks. Instead of flipping through channels or getting a snack, you are participating by making predictions, answering polling questions or chatting with the other viewers on the discussion board. As a form of advertisement I think tvClickr/NanoGaming would be a great alternative to explore as opposed to traditional, non-interactive media. I was so engrossed in the application I found that I could recall some of the advertisements I saw, even a day later. For instance, I could tell you that Apple sponsored this show and there was a chance to win a free iPod Nano. How many people can remember the advertisements they saw last night while watching regular television?

Moving forward, I would expect that tvClickr will continue to grow in popularity amongst the Net Generation as a way to enhance the traditional television experience. However, given the wide variety of program offerings (including Presidential debates) there is the opportunity to capture a much broader Facebook audience such as Generation X, or perhaps even the Boomers.

Overall, I think tvClickr is a great way to participate in your favorite television programs. Since my last blog post, over 2000 new members have joined, bringing the total member base of tvClickr to over 10,000 users. After using this application my recommendation would be to choose a show that you are familiar with because some of the questions are related to past seasons which can be difficult to answer if you are a new viewer. Secondly, I would urge people to throw down the proverbial gauntlet to their Facebook friends in the spirit of competition to prove once and for all who the resident House expert is.

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