And the results are in...

Your job was to read 5 or 10 customer reviews for several Head First books, and then read the reviews for books that compete with the Head First series. What's different about the Head First reviews? Are there some common elements to the reviews for Head First books?

This reviewer captures the essence of what people like about the Head First books:

Put element A in slot B

One of the most enjoyable parts of the triathlon was reading what you thought we used different Head First elements for. Here are some of the best analyses we received.

Your job was to write what you think the purpose of the Head First element on that card is. How does the element help in learning? Is it only used in certain situations?

These are another activity meant to engage the reader. With Fridge-Magnets, a reader can test code by never leaving the book. Ready-Bake code provides the opportunity for the reader to actually start implementing some of the tools they learn in the HF book. Different people learn in different ways, and some learn best by just working with the code examples and diving into them. Also, people learn best when they see similar content displayed in multiple ways. Seeing code examples in the book, then on the computer screen, provides repetition and context switches which help the brain to absorb what's being taught.

Congratulations to Pete Aven for nailing this element!

Kim is another confidence builder but in a bit of a different way. Kim comes at the end of a topic or concept. He can do two things. One thing he might do is take someone who is understanding what is going on so far or maybe knew the concept already and edge them one step further stating what they probably have bouncing around in their head at that point. This makes that learner say, “Hey I knew that!.” or “That's right!” or “I thought so too!” That agreement between the learner and Kim reinforces the conclusion, the surprise factor makes the concept more memorable. For the other learner who is a little lost, Kim brings the point home or helps them recognize something they should have without making them feel stupid.

Congratulations to Dave Stewart for getting this element dead on.

But what do YOU think?

These are just a few of the answers we got... there are a lot more great solutions we've received, and most of all, we're still taking submissions.

So click on back a few blog posts, fire up your favorite email app or text editor, and let us know what you think.

You know more than you think you know.

If you're a Head First reader, you're actually a Head First learner... and that means you're an expert on the Head First experience. So even if you're not sure about what we're thinking, tell us what you get out of an element... or an exercise... or a certain skeptical girl who's always popping up.

So tell us what you know... what are you waiting for?