Abstract: In general, the invention relates to providing infrastructure, process controls, and software to design, advertise, and implement an on-line contest in which participants in the contest search the Internet for a target in order to earn a reward. Hints and/or hidden objects may provide clues as to where to look for the reward, how to claim the reward, and what the reward is. The reward is funded by participating web site owners who reserve, in some embodiments via an auction, the opportunity to “host” the target during a contest or a portion of a contest, and as a result, drive traffic to their respective web sites.

Abstract: In general, the invention relates to providing infrastructure, process controls, and software to design, advertise, and implement an on-line contest in which participants in the contest search the Internet for a target in order to earn a reward. Hints and/or hidden objects may provide clues as to where to look for the reward, how to claim the reward, and what the reward is. The reward is funded by participating web site owners who reserve, in some embodiments via an auction, the opportunity to “host” the target during a contest or a portion of a contest, and as a result, drive traffic to their respective web sites.

Abstract: In general, in one aspect, a method for dynamic markup language schema enumeration includes receiving a request for schema file data, the schema file data for validating markup language data, using a database query to retrieve from a database values in a database table that are valid values for the markup language data, and dynamically generating schema file data comprising markup language data structures generated in response to the retrieved database table values, the markup language data structures comprising the results of the database query.

Abstract: In general, in one aspect, a method for dynamic markup language schema enumeration includes receiving a request for schema file data, the schema file data for validating markup language data, using a database query to retrieve from a database values in a database table that are valid values for the markup language data, and dynamically generating schema file data comprising markup language data structures generated in response to the retrieved database table values, the markup language data structures comprising the results of the database query.

Abstract: In general, the invention relates to providing infrastructure, process controls, and software to design, advertise, and implement an on-line contest in which participants in the contest search the Internet for a target in order to earn a reward. Hints and/or hidden objects may provide clues as to where to look for the reward, how to claim the reward, and what the reward is. The reward is funded by participating web site owners who reserve, in some embodiments via an auction, the opportunity to “host” the target during a contest or a portion of a contest, and as a result, drive traffic to their respective web sites.