We're going to shake things up this month a bit.  Some of you may have noticed a brand new set of names up on the board.  Technically, they are not new names, but a second track that has the Hall of Famers along with past months awardees.  This, my friends, is the Uber Geek Track.  The idea behind this new track is a variation on the Point Curve.  In fact, the Point Curve is applied as well.  The way that it works is pretty simple.  If you are a winner in a given month, you will be participating in the Uber Geek Track for the following two months.  This new track is for the hardcore, over and above, super dedicated contributor to the developer community.  If you are a winner for a given month..... this is you.  If you are in the Hall of Fame.... this is definitely you.  I am still considering whether the name is the best one for this track, so if another name is suggested by somebody in the development community that seems like a better fit, you may see a new name in the next month.  I actually liked the name Gladiator Track, because it reminds me of the show American Gladiators where mere mortals battle against a group of super strong competitors in various physical challenges.  A great show, true, but the name sounds too combative and not community oriented.  Another name that I am considering is the "Alpha Geek" track, being that the Alpha Geek is a name defined as "The most technically adept, knowledgeable person in a workgroup or office". Well, regardless of if the name stays or not, here is how the Uber Track Works.

a) If you are awarded a prize for a given month, you get to participate in the Uber Track for the next two months.  If you happen to win in this Uber Track, you get to participate in the following month.

b) If you are among the top winners in the Uber Track, this defines you in yet a higher, more elite group of contributors to the development community.  The underlying idea of the Uber Geek track is primarily for bragging rights, creditibility and establishing yourself as the best of the best, not so much as a winning prizes, therefore the reward system is a bit different than the normal community track.  The top 3 winners will win prizes and the next 5 winners will earn a badge that shows that they have won in this track.  If you win multiple times, you earn multiple badges of increasing coolness. 

c) Once you have been in the Uber Track for two months, you will be competing in the regular track once again, but with your head held just a little bit higher.

d) The curve system for the Uber Track is a slight variation of the normal curve system.  All of the Hall of Famers will have a  50% Curve now and for ever.  That puts them all on the same level with each other and forces them to compete with one arm tied behind their back.  For the other people in the track, they will have a curve, but it will vary based on how well did in the month that they entered. The non-Hall Of Famers will always have a curve that is lower than the Hall of Famers.

The goal of the Uber Track is to allow:

a) A wider variety of people to win each month.
b) More new partipants to win each month and join in on the fun.
c)  To allow everybody to get recognized for longer.

This is the first month of this new program and let's see how it goes.  Let me know what you think?