HowStuffWorks
| File:HowStuffWorks.jpg | |
Type of site | Informational |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Convex Group |
| Created by | Marshall Brain |
| URL | http://www.howstuffworks.com/ |
| Commercial | No (has roughly 8 corporate advertisements per entry) |
HowStuffWorks is a website dedicated to explaining the way many things work. The site uses photos, diagrams, video and animation to explain complex terminology and mechanisms in easy-to-understand language.
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 HowStuffWorks, Inc. In March 2002, HowStuffWorks was sold[1] to the Convex Group, an Atlanta-based investment and media company founded by Jeff Arnold, founder and former CEO of WebMD. The headquarters moved from Cary, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia.
In November 2004, HowStuffWorks moved its entertainment section to Stuffo,[2] but in 2006, the team disbanded, and the site now redirects visitors to the site's entertainment channel.
The website in its early days focused mostly on science and machines, ranging from submarines to common household gadgets and appliances. After adding a staff of writers, artists and editors, content expanded to a larger array of topics.
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.[citation needed]
Howstuffworks recently acquired Mobil Travel Guide and Consumer Guide.[citation needed]
HSW Brasil is a Brazilian version for HowStuffWorks in Portuguese called "Como as coisas funcionam". HSW Brasil is a part of HSW International.
On October 15, 2007, Discovery Communications announced plans to buy HowStuffWorks for $250 million [3].
April Fools' Day hoaxes
There have been several April Fools' Day hoaxes on the HowStuffWorks website. In 2006, the article was one based on How Animated Tattoos Work[4], and in 2007, it related to How Cell Phone Implants Work[5].