A new feature of Google Image Search that allows you to label random images to help improve the quality of Google's image search results.

How does it work?
You'll be randomly paired with a partner who's online and using the feature. Over a 90-second period, you and your partner will be shown the same set of images and asked to provide as many labels as possible to describe each image you see. When your label matches your partner's label, you'll earn some points and move on to the next image until time runs out. After time expires, you can explore the images you've seen and the websites where those images were found. And we'll show you the points you've earned throughout the session.

It has become an addictive game by now. Try it and you will know:
http://images.google.com/imagelabeler/

and he is the genius behind it. Intresting session too
Check This

Why would anyone spend thier freetime helping a multi million dollar company tidy up thier mess for free?
Or am I missing something vital here?

Thats a good question
but the thing is that, you are not only helping the multi million dollar company,
but also helping a lot of people uses Google Image search ( Including Me )
to get the correct image results in the top while seraching for Images at Google Search!

Just check the page, and after starting the stuff, you will surely get addicted to that!
They designed the stuff as a game!
If you and your partner give same name, then your points will get increased!
And they will put your name in the list according to your points!

Once you get addicted you will try to score more points friend!
that will pop up your name to the top of the list!

like that Google can also improve the image searching!

So what do you do with the points?
Can you get cash back for doing it?
Can you get coupons for Amzon or Bol orso?

Again I state...Google are a million dollar company!!
dont do this!!! let them PAY someone to do it!!

This is fun And not only are you helping other people, but you are also helping yourself! Who knows, maybe you will need one of those pictures in the future. Even if it's not that useful, it is a fun game AND contageous

I must hand it to Google. They have some very smart people working for them. Who would ever conceive of the idea of having people do for free what normally would be the work of paid individuals or a better program algorithm?* Now, that is marketing genius. No doubt, there is a certain degree of altruism (help others be able to better find target images) and selfishness (improve the image search engine for my own use). But, I have so far not seen Yahoo or Microsoft capitalize on the free labor of the masses to develop and advertise their commercial products.

*By the way, I was not literally asking who invented the idea for Google.

1. There is a big need for better media searching. There's incredible amounts of media in the web but for most part there's no meta data associated.

2. Solutions:

-The current one: try to gather as much information as possible from the context the image is presented.
Problem: Doesn't work well as not all media files have context. Also the lack of taxonomies: you can't distinguish sharks as in fish from Sharks as in hockey team.

-Engineers' solution: make the web context sensitive i.e. start transforming from current to semantic web.
Problem: Would work great except for the fact that it would take years until we'd have a meaningful amount of semantic content available if the change even started really happening.

-Common man's solution. Have the data categorized by people. Computers don't understand what's in a picture, for a normal person that's easy.
Problem: Won't work because it would be insanely expensive.

-Google's solution: Have the data categorized by idiots. Computers don't understand what's in a picture, normal people are expensive, for idiots that's only moderately challenging. Mask it a game and they'll go crazy for it. Make sure you reward them with 'points'.
Problem: The ratings of reality TV shows are likely to drop, but what the hell does Google care?

This is a very good solution they have come to, having the data categorized will be much more organized for all the google image search users, sometimes it is really hard to search for an image, especially for transparent ones or at least for black or white backgrounds to integrate it into some kind of an image..

This is great.

Yeah, yeah, I'm doing something that they really ought to pay me for...

But it's so addicting!

Oh well, I'm done with it after about 15 straight minutes.

Good time waster, though.

I’m going to have to come back to this thread,.

So you all wear Nikes? What if they sent you a box of 100 shoes to stitch up in your free time?

Or if McDonalds sent you burgers to fry?

To me it’s the same thing...

Big companies using the gullible people to get something for free!!

Sorry but im kinda laughing now!! people are actually sitting there matching up pictures and typing the names for one of the biggest companies on the internet...
I guess I am not the only one laughing at you...the CEO's of Google must be laughing soo hard!!
Getting their product fixed for free!!!

What if Microsoft set up a similar "game" (still trying to find the fun element in this so called game that makes it a game) for people to check lines of Vista code to check for errors, will you all jump on that ? help out MS too?

LOL!!!