Sporcle is a trivia website that was launched in July 2007 by Matt Ramme. The quiz site fulfills Ramme’s desire to learn trivia and occupies a niche like no other of its kind. Sporcle’s mission reads, “We actively and methodically seek out new and innovative ways to prevent our users from getting any work done whatsoever.” Mission accomplished. I’ve been working on this blog post for like three hours now! Apart from being a huge distraction, does Sporcle qualify as a social networking site?
Social media scholar Nicole Ellison establishes three requisites for social networks. Social networks allow users to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Other widely accepted definitions of social media stipulate that they allow for user-generated content and two-way interaction. How does Sporcle measure up?
Sporcle allows users to create personal profiles. Profiles include handles, profile pictures, about me sections, and user stats. These profiles also allow users to create user-generated games, leave comments, bookmark games, and establish connections with other users. This profile setup satisfies all of Ellison’s requirements, as well as the additional aforementioned prerequisites. It assists in finding friends, and provides a mechanism for users to post quizzes on other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Though it’s not the typical platform, it does meet the definition, so consider it in the category… for now.
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