I'm trying to kill not two but three birds with one blog tonight. First, I got all wrapped up playing Minecraft because I thought tonight's blog was pretty much ready to post, but when I tucked Steve in bed for the night and powered up my laptop, I couldn't find the draft (Steve is the character from Minecraft in case you didn't know). Hopefully I'll figure out where it went tomorrow. Anyway, I was just going to pass on tonight, but then I remembered it's January and a week has already passed us by, and I don't have anyone picked for this month's episode of Member Herding.

So, you're going to get a short (some might even say cheap) blog tonight, but you have the opportunity of getting selected (or nominating someone else if you have already been featured or are feeling particularly generous)...all while promoting the GIO blogging statistics report due out any day now. I think its okay to post a short cheesy blog for a good cause, right?

Three birds, one blog.

If you're new to Game Informer and the blog section, Member Herding is a feature I do periodically (last year was once a month which seemed to work out fairly well) whereby I interview a person from the community by asking them all sorts of custom tailored questions created just for them. I don't know how big of a deal being featured is, but I've had a few people tell me how wonderful it is...some have jumped for joy while others report breaking down in tears. Anyway, I've used various methods to pick new members, including a periodic contest from time to time, which is exactly what I'm going to do for the month of January.

A Member Herding Contest to select January's member!

The contest is simple but challenging.  All you have to do is answer the following questions.

1. In 2012, what GIO Member was featured in Blog Herding the most AND how many blogs did they have featured? I'll give you a hint - it's between 1 and 52.

2. In 2012, what GIO Member (not counting me) posted the most blogs AND how many blogs did they post?

Too easy right? In the event nobody guesses it right, then whoever is the closest will win. If nobody participates, you are really putting me in a bind and I will have to jump through hoops to pick someone and get this out on time. In the event of a tie, the person who answers first will get picked. If by some miraculous Act of God there is a tie between when the responses are posted, I will flip a coin. If by some unimaginable coincidence the coin fails to land on heads or tails, but balances perfectly on the edge, then I'll pick whichever person I like more. Seems fair, no?

You have about two days before the report is out (assuming any of you are actually interested in being featured in member herding). You can send me a private message, post a comment on my profile or reply to the blog. Only one is necessary...you won't get bonus points for doing all three, but if there is a tie, you certainly won't be my favorite if you do all three.

Hmm, what else...oh yes. In closing...GIO Member firedude3663 suggested I continue doing a "did you know" at the end of each of my blogs, and while I can't guarantee that's going to happen, I'll certainly entertain the thought for this meager blog.

Did You Know?

"Originally titled Pedestrian, Exidy's 1976 game Death Race is usually cited as the first controversial video game. It was based on the movie Death Race 2000 starring David Carradine, and was a simple driving game that challenged the player to run over as many "gremlins" as possible within a time limit. Many were concerned that it might inspire reckless driving and the game's notoriety provoked press coverage in the National Enquirer and television outrage on 60 Minutes."

-Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition

I guess some things will never change.

Anyway...let the guesses begin.

Cheers.