I am sort of addicted to a new game. When I take a break from whatever I am working on, I “play” for a few minutes. And, no, it’s not Flappy Bird.

The “game” I am playing is part of the archival project at The New York Times called Madison.  According to Ad Age, for the project, The NYT has collected all the print ads from the “Mad Men” era of the 1960s and is asking readers for help.

According to Alexis Lloyd of the Times R & D Lab, “… readers are asked to do one of the following as they scroll:

• Find. This involves simply indicating whether a highlighted area is an ad, multiple ads or not advertising at all.

• Tag. Readers enter the company that made the ad and its industry.

• Transcribe. Dedicated readers transcribe the text of the ads.”

Going through the ads is addictive and definitely fun. The fun aspect is deliberate and designed to encourage readers to help.  Hopefully, the information provided by those who participate will lead to a archive which is searchable by everyone.

The ads themselves are also fun and informative. I had no idea that designer clothes cost that much in the 1960s! And with the recent loss of Lauren Bacall, it was poignant to see an ad for tickets to her performance in the play, Cactus Flower.

Now, isn’t that more fun than Flappy Bird? 🙂 Let me know what you think if you give it a try.