Unsolved:Predictify

Predictify.com was a Web 2.0 company based in Redwood City, California. It was founded by Stanford University graduates Parker Barrile and Michael Agnich. It went out of business in 2009, according to this article..

Users of the site users submitted deterministic, verifiable questions concerning future events. Other users then gave answers and predicted the outcome.

Users who answered questions were rewarded in two ways. First, the accuracy of user responses was tracked and reevaluated each time a question that the user answered closed. Predictify assigned users to one of five "levels" depending on the user's accuracy percentile. Users could also earn money for correctly answering "Premium Questions". Premium questions were generally submitted by companies. The submitter of a premium question received detailed demographic information and analysis on each answer given. Part of the fee paid by premium question submitters constituted the "pot" from which correct answers were paid.

The site allowed marketing and market research in a manner far less obvious than most traditional advertising and survey methods. Users didn't realize that their predictions may have strongly affected the outcome of the question. For example, if a company was considering increasing the cost of a product, they could survey consumers to determine how much more they were willing to pay. The outcome of the survey would then set the new price of the product. The company could further sort the data based on the demographic information collected on respondents, to ensure that they priced the product correctly for their target market. The demographic analysis of respondents was very valuable to companies and was the true product Predictify sells.

Companies could also use questions on Predictify to conduct guerilla advertising campaigns. Users would try to answer premium questions correctly, in order to win the cash prize associated with the question. In the course of formulating their prediction they may have researched the subject of the question. Companies could create interest in their products by asking questions about them; individuals answering the question may have visited the company's website to learn more about the product. Dilbert creator, Scott Adams, posted a question seeking sales volume projections of a book he authored. Early customers and partnerships were established by the company's first full-time employee, Ed Heacox.

The Washington Post, New York Times , and San Francisco Chronicle all have used Predictify to judge reader interest in stories.

According to an announcement made in Predictify's official page, the company ceased operations and shut down the entire Predictify service on September 1, 2009.