Did you ever stop and think of all the tidbit of information rattling around in your head, like what is the name of Kramer’s dog on Seinfeld? Or whether he had a name at all? Or whether Kramer ever had a dog? Sporcle is the kind of website created to help you put that once in a year information to work by answering any number of quizzes available for your mobile device. The website has been around for more than a decade, and unless you are doing something more productive you can stop by and test your knowledge on a huge number of topics. How many topics? Continue reading to discover 10 things you didn’t know about this interesting and potentially useful website.
1. The name “Sporcle” has no real or definite meaning.
It is probably better thought of as the name of a drug (which taking these trivia quizzes can become) or just a nonsense word like “Mahna Mahna” (which legend has it originated in a foreign porn movie). According to the website’s owners it just sounded good to them, so we’re stuck with it. Besides, most of the best domain names are already taken so it is a good branding strategy.
2. It is approaching 3 billion quizzes that have been taken since its inception in 2007.
As of this writing it is approaching 2.90 billion quizzes taken from its millions of users around the globe. That is about one quiz for every other person on the planet. The thing about Sporcle is that its quizzes are created by many of its users, making it similar to a quiz-like Skynet.
3. Its stated company mission is “fun through trivia.”
When you tire of using your thumbs to text to non-responsive friends or family, or your eyes get bleary from the endless barrage of video games, there is the opportunity to activate your brain cells and remember everything you forgot that has limited value. It’s not that Sporcle has no intellectual value, as many of its quizzes will definitely help you with your homework and tests, but it is important to keep in mind that it is a trivia website.
4. The number one type of trivia quiz will surprise you.
The top four major categories of quizzes taken by users are:
4. Movies
3. Just for Fun
2. Sports
1. Geography
Geography is the winner by more than 5 percentage points, which is a bit odd when it was fair to expect Sports or Movies to come out on top. Maybe people go to these Geography quizzes right after watching several hours of YouTube videos.
5. Their Classic quiz answering format is by far the most popular choice of users.
The Classic format has the user enter in the answer by typing it into the provided space. It’s not clear that the reason is because users of Sporcle have exceptional typing skills, but nearly 60% of users choose the Classic format. For those who think Sporcle is a mindless journey into trivia, consider that the least chosen format is Multiple Choice at a measly 1%.
6. You don’t need an account to join in the trivial fun.
There are few reputable websites that allow you to spend hours of time on them without trying to extract some piece of personal data from you. Sporcle is one of those types. They encourage you to create an account for perhaps the most common reason of all – to track your play. There are several other benefits, but keeping true to the company motto the owners simply want you to stop by and have fun.
7. There is a hidden level of Sporcle.
Actually, it is not as hidden as you might believe at first glance because they have a program known as Sporcle Orange. To keep the website running you will run into ads, and by joining their Orange program you can play ad-free. For a cost of a mere $4 a month (or $44 a year) you can breeze through the quizzes without interruption. There are other benefits, such as more detailed statistics, that will interest some people. If you are a regular user of Sporcle, it is worth the $4 a month.
8. There is a limit of 100 quizzes per user that can be created in a single month.
Most Sporcle users know they can create their own quizzes – up to 50 per month. That number can be increased if your quiz manages to land on the front page, at a rate of 6 bonus quizzes per successful landing. But once you reach 100 in a given month you have to wait until the 1st of the month to reset your total.
9. Knowing the difference between a Challenge and a Showdown will save you a lot of stress.
The difference between the two is basically the timer. Users on Sporcle can challenge friends, enemies, or just about anyone who is willing to play against you. In a Challenge it is simply a matter of who gets the most right answers, while in a Showdown you are competing against the clock in addition to trying to get the most right answers. In a Showdown you are far more likely to get a clear winner, so if you take pride in your Sporcle rating you need to be at the top of your game in Showdown mode.
10. There is a “Daily Dose” mode that you can play every day.
Instead of searching around for what quiz to take, and there are thousands of choices, Sporcle will set it up so you can take four different types every day using the following groups:
- The Missing Word group is a fill-in-the-blank style that will test your knowledge of a variety of topics and categories.
- Word Ladder will challenge you to connect a chain of words, but only by changing one letter at a time.
- While the Quick Pick sounds more like a lottery drawing, it is a clickable blitz type that includes many well-known topics.
- Finally, On This Day is all about historical events, one that occurred for every day of the year.
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