HowStuffWorks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| URL | http://www.howstuffworks.com/ |
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| Commercial? | No (has roughly 8 corporate advertisements per entry) |
| Type of site | Informational |
| Owner | The Convex Group |
| Created by | Marshall Brain |
HowStuffWorks is a website created by Marshall Brain but now owned by the Convex Group. It is dedicated to explaining the way many things work. The website in its early days focused mostly on science and machines, ranging from submarines to common household gadgets and appliances. Content since then has expanded to a larger array of topics, ranging from "How Black Holes Work" to "How Verbal Self-Defense Works" to even "How St. Patrick's Day Works." The site has an article dedicated to "How Wikis Work" and one dedicated to explaining "How the HowStuffWorks Book Works". The site uses photos, diagrams, video and animation to explain even complex terminology and mechanisms in lucid terms. New content is added daily. There have been four HowStuffWorks books: two hardcover, illustrated coffee table books, called "HowStuffWorks" and "More HowStuffWorks," and two unillustrated paperbacks, "How Much Does the Earth Weigh?" and "What If?". HowStuffWorks puts out an educational magazine called "HowStuffWorks Express" for middle school students. The company has also put out a series of HowStuffWorks trivia "LidRock" discs -- CD-ROMs sold on fountain drink lids at Regal Theaters.
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[edit] History
In 1998, former North Carolina State University professor Marshall Brain started the site as a hobby. In 1999, Brain began raising venture capital and formed a corporation, HowStuffWorks, Inc.
In March of 2002, HowStuffWorks was sold [1] to The Convex Group [2] and the headquarters moved from Cary, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia. The Convex Group is an Atlanta based investment and media company founded by Jeff Arnold, founder and former CEO of WebMD. Howstuffworks recently acquired Mobil Travel Guide® and Consumer Guide®.
On August 15, 2003, the popular HowStuffWorks Forums shut down [3]. The community has since survived in an unaffiliated website at http://forums.howwhatwhy.com.
[edit] Popular Features
- Links to content via ten HowStuffWorks Channels:
- A featured article of the day (“Today at HowStuffWorks”) plus additional articles on other hot topics of the day;
- Ability to search HSW with Google;
- Product reviews from Consumer Guide®
- Reviews on hotels, restaurants and spas from the Mobil Travel Guide®;
- Fact of the Day and Quote of the Day;
- The Reader Survey Question of the Day;
- HowStuffWorks email newsletter subscription;
- A print and online magazine for 4th through 8th grade students and teachers;
- The HowStuffWorks Shopper, where visitors can research products and find the best prices from online stores.
- A reader comments feature
[edit] Stuffo
Stuffo is a website that was temporarily run independently by Howstuffworks which now redirects back to Howstuffworks' entertainment section. As proclaimed in its own tagline, the website was devoted to "Movies, Games, Web, and World Domination." and included movies, video games, and pop culture in a humorous, informative manner.
[edit] History
In November 2004, HowStuffWorks renamed its Entertainment Stuff section to Stuffo. The tone of Stuffo was quite different than the writing on the rest of the Howstuffworks website. The articles were influenced by opinion and a tongue in cheek attitude not seen in other Howstuffworks articles. In June 2005, Stuffo was separated from the Howstuffworks site and moved to its own domain, stuffo.com. The "Entertainment Stuff" section of Howstuffworks returned as the Howstuffworks Entertainment Channel. Stuffo, while still having individual articles available via links, is no longer an active website, and the front page now redirects visitors to the Howstuffworks Entertainment Channel.
