I am annoyed and embarrassed to discover that someone has edited one of my quizzes - and changed my correct answer to a wrong one!! This has just been notified to me by a quiz player.

The quiz is called "What A Lot Of Nonsense!" (no. 25733) in the Music Section. Question 3 now has the answer given as The Beatles, when it should be Marmalade - which was what I wrote when I made this quiz in the first place!!!

The quiz states it was last modified Wed. May 30th - not by me!

Seeing as 83 percent of players have got this question correct in the past, this reinforces the fact that my original answer was the right one.

Please will someone explain to me why this was done. I now have to explain a correction that is not of my making.

[ 07-05-2001: Message edited by: somali ]

That's strange. I don't know of any editors that actually go in to modify _answers_. I do know that occasionally correcting punctuation or something really minor is needed. And, easier to just correct it than make the quizmaker do it. Saves having to have your quizzes offline for a while until the correction is made.

But, I've never changed an actual answer to a question.

Is there not another "editor" actually listed on your quiz? Look at the top of your quiz (in the edit mode) and make sure no one else's name is attached to it.

Hi Linda. I've tried checking for another editor's name , but I'm the only one listed. All of my quizzes have only ever had me listed as editor.

The strange thing is that "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" was never released as a single in the UK by the Beatles, so it's not something I could have made a mistake about (even after a couple of whiskies LOL). I use my "Guinness Book of British Hit Singles" as a reference when I'm writing music quizzes to make sure my facts are accurate. Although the song was written by Lennon & McCartney, the Beatles didn't record it themselves here - it was Marmalade who made the song their own and took it to Number One.

I've just done a bit of quick research and found that "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" was released by the Beatles as a single in the US in November 1976. So I would guess that an American editor has thought they knew best - but my question clearly refers to a UK Number One.

T'was not I, somali (I wouldn't know the answer, correct or incorrect, anyway.) Did you change it back to the correct one?

If it happens again, please let me know. We'll do a complete diagnostic on everyone and see if we can come up with who modified what at which time. That's a real bear of a project, but if it's happening on anything like a regular basis, it'll be done. People do leave 'footprints' when any action is taken via computers.

No I haven't changed it back yet - I was leaving it in the hope of finding out whodunnit!

I'll go and change it back to the right answer now in case someone else plays that particular game. When I have time I'll check through all my other music quizzes in case any of them have been "improved upon".

somali, the quiz wasn't changed on that day. Music was recategorised and rebuilt during the last week of May and the first week of June, and every single quiz in there has been moved into the new categories.

Whenever a quiz's sub-category is changed that is recorded as a modification to a quiz: there are lot of Music quizzes with 'last modified' dates during that fortnight. In fact I think the oldest dated quiz in Music is now May 25th. I opened the sub-category 'Name The Artist' (amongst many others), and moved quizzes into there, including yours. The Phantom who changed your quiz answer did it before that date, May 30th.

(also, have a look at the Mystery Editor thread by justawful, which is a few below this one)

Hi gtho4. Yes I know about the re-categorising and the fact that the modified date will change because of that. So (assuming you are not the Phantom LOL) some other editor must have "improved" my quiz before May 30th.

This quote from Linda in the "Mystery Editor" thread:

quote:

---

Occasionally, editors may find glaring errors in a quiz - especially spelling, grammar, etc. Rather than return the quiz to the quizmaker to correct, sometimes it's just easier for the editors to go in and fix the mistakes.

---

All I can think is that some Beatle-loving editor from the US (who has never heard of Marmalade) assumed that I must have made a mistake and decided to "correct" it without checking the facts.

Any Brit in their thirties or older will automatically think of Marmalade when the title "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" is mentioned - it's a culture thing!!

If the editor in question would like to PM me with a confession, I will promise not to embarrass them by revealing their name. However if I find out by other means who it was ................ prepare to be wet-noodled!!

Oh, I'm sooo glad you said 30 and older would know 'Marmalade'.....because I don't remember them. Saying that, I did know that the Beatles never released it in the UK except on a 'B' side. How do I know that....I've got a mint single of it, never played it and managed to pick it up at a record fair !!

Well that puts you in the clear then!! LOL

So far I have eliminated the following from my enquiries:

Sypher (superior knowledge as a DJ; also not US)

Linda (above suspicion)

Gunslinger (said he didn't ..... and who am I to argue? I might get banned from my beloved Controversial Issues. LOL)

gtho4 (although he has admitted being at the scene of the crime ..... may have to get him back in for further questioning! LOL Not US - but did the Beatles release "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" as a single in Aus??)

Only thing I can think of is that perhaps someone had submitted a correction notice saying it was the Beatles, and an editor didn't think it was worth taking it offline by sending it back to you. As for the culprit, I don't know. I think most of us try to make a policy of not changing answers ourselves, except maybe for spelling, but sending them back to the quizwriter, but obviously somebody goofed ... and I don't think they'll remember more than a month later. I certainly don't. If it WAS me, though, and I'd give that possibility maybe a 15% chance since I've heard of the Beatles but not Marmalade, but who knows (I think that was about the same day I started in the Music category - I might not have been doing anything in Music yet) then I do most sincerely apologize. In any case I, and most probably anyone else who reads this thread, shall redouble my efforts to tread lightly on the quizzes. I hope this mystery is soon cleared up to everyone's satisfaction.

Somali it wasnt me!
1. I don't have the authority and......
2.I am over 30 and I remember Marmalade!

Well progress has been made! I have received a PM from an editor who thinks they might have done it although they can't actually remember. Sounds like me after a night on the town!

Anyway I promised not to reveal their identity so I won't, but would like to say thank you for coming forward - you know who you are!