SparkNotes explained

SparkNotes
Commercial:Yes
Type:Study guide
Language:English
Registration:Optional
Owner:Barnes & Noble
Author:Sam Yagan, Max Krohn, Chris Coyne, and Eli Bolotin
Launch Date:September 1, 1999
Current Status:Active

SparkNotes, originally part of a website called The Spark, is a company started by Harvard students Sam Yagan, Max Krohn, Chris Coyne, and Eli Bolotin in 1999 that originally provided study guides for literature, poetry, history, film, and philosophy. Later on, SparkNotes expanded to provide study guides for a number of other subjects, including biology, chemistry, economics, health, math, physics, and sociology. Until 2022, when SparkNotes Plus, a paid service, released, SparkNotes did not charge users to use any of its resources. SparkNotes receives revenue from advertisements.

Barnes & Noble acquired SparkNotes.com in 2001 for approximately $3.5 million.[1]

History

TheSpark.com was a literary website launched by four Harvard students on January 7, 1999. Most of TheSpark's users were high school and college students. To increase the site's popularity, the creators published the first six literature study guides (called "SparkNotes") on April 7, 1999.[2] [3]

In 2000, the creators sold the site to iTurf Inc. The following year, Barnes & Noble purchased SparkNotes and selected fifty literature study guides to publish in print format. When Barnes & Noble printed SparkNotes, they stopped selling their chief competitor, CliffsNotes.[4]

In January 2003, SparkNotes developed a practice test service called SparkNotes Test Prep. This project was followed by the release of SparkCharts, reference sheets that summarize a topic; No Fear Shakespeare, transcriptions of Shakespeare's plays into modern language; and No Fear Literature, transcriptions of literary classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Scarlet Letter into modern language.[5]

In April 2022, a paid service, SparkNotes Plus, released, locking many works from the No Fear Shakespeare series, their modern translations of Shakespeare plays, among other things, behind a pay-wall, and adding new features.[6]

Criticism

Because SparkNotes provides study guides for literature that include chapter summaries, many teachers see the website as a cheating tool.[7] These teachers argue that students can use SparkNotes as a replacement for actually completing reading assignments with the original material,[8] [9] [10] or to cheat during tests using cell phones with Internet access.

SparkNotes states that it does not support academic dishonesty,[11] or plagiarism.[12] Instead, it suggests that students read the original material, and then check SparkNotes to compare their own interpretation of the text with the SparkNotes analysis.[13] [14] [15]

In January 2019, site developers announced a complete redesign of the SparkLife section of the website in order to focus more on literature-related content. This announcement was met with a negative response from SparkLife users due to the removal of user-made accounts, blog posts, and comments.[16] [17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Barnes & Noble inc, Form 10-Q, Quarterly Report, Filing Date Jun 18, 2001 . secdatabase.com . May 14, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180515112509/http://edgar.secdatabase.com/1142/95012301503532/filing-main.htm . May 15, 2018 . live . mdy-all .
  2. News: Stacy . Martin . SITE SPECIFIC-www.sparknotes.com . San Francisco Chronicle . Hearst Communications Inc. . San Francisco . 5 September 2004 . 2006-03-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050131025114/http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2004%2F09%2F05%2FLVGE88I6RA1.DTL . 31 January 2005 . live . dmy-all .
  3. News: Anais . Borja . Lester, Amelia . The Rise and Success of Sparknotes . The Harvard Crimson . The Harvard Crims0n Inc. . Harvard . 18 October 2001 . 2008-03-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081213002244/http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=121750 . 13 December 2008 . live . dmy-all .
  4. News: James . Bowman . Murder Most Foul . The Wall Street Journal . Dow Jones & Company, Inc. . 8 August 2003 . 2008-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070812124524/http://opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110003858 . 12 August 2007 . live . dmy-all .
  5. Web site: A Brief History of SparkNotes. 2008-02-04. SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC. https://web.archive.org/web/20080212022748/http://www.sparknotes.com/about/history/. 2008-02-12. live.
  6. Web site: SparkNotes Plus: Exclusive, Ad-Free Study Material & Test Prep . 2022-04-13 . SparkNotes . en.
  7. News: Lauren . Simnauer . Dumler, Christie . There's room for sparknotes, too . The View . Zip Publishing . 20 June 2007 . 2008-03-24 . https://archive.today/20071221212928/http://www.theviewnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=9154&paper=91&cat=199 . 21 December 2007 . dead . dmy-all .
  8. News: Andrea . Eger . Students love study guides . 22 February 2008 . World Publishing Co . Tulsa World. 2008-03-02 .
  9. News: Competition for CliffsNotes arrives on the scene. Later, a popular study supplement called "Kramnotes" were put into circulation. Today they serve as one of Sparknotes top competitors. – in print . The Christian Science Monitor . 25 June 2002 . 2008-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080327201543/http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0625/p12s01-legn.html . 27 March 2008 . live . dmy-all .
  10. News: Molly . Saltz . No, it's a cheap shortcut that does no one any good . The Register-Guard . Eugene, Oregon, United States . 2 January 2006 . 2008-03-25 .
  11. Web site: About SparkNotes . 2008-02-06 . SparkNotes . SparkNotes LLC . https://web.archive.org/web/20080208163254/http://www.sparknotes.com/about/ . 2008-02-08 . live .
  12. Web site: Help:The Plagiarism Plague . 2008-02-06 . Kestler . Justin . SparkNotes . SparkNotes LLC . https://web.archive.org/web/20080306065826/http://www.sparknotes.com/help/plagiarism.html . 2008-03-06 . live .
  13. News: Erin . Miller . Is SparkNotes worthwhile? Yes, used properly it can enhance our education . The Register-Guard . Eugene, Oregon, United States . 2 January 2006 . 2008-03-24 .
  14. News: Kim Ngan . Nguyen . SparkNotes A Hit With High School Crowd . The Denver Channel . Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. . 2 October 2003 . 2008-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080327183114/http://www.thedenverchannel.com/education/2526307/detail.html . 27 March 2008 . live . dmy-all .
  15. News: Brynne . Formato . A quick study: online sites speed up reading . The Mirror . Fairfield, Connecticut, United States . 5 February 2004 . 2008-03-25 .
  16. Web site: Coming Soon: The New SparkNotes Blog!. 2019-01-24. Sparknotes Blog. https://web.archive.org/web/20190131053123/http://community.sparknotes.com/2019/01/24/coming-soon-the-new-sparknotes-blog. 2019-01-31.
  17. Web site: Sparkler Posts » A Message To Sparknotes Editors - please take time to read if you see this. https://web.archive.org/web/20190131051007/http://community.sparknotes.com/sparkler-post/parr_kerr/a-message-to-sparknotes-editors-please-take-time-to-read-if-you-see-this. dead. 2019-01-31. 2019-01-31. 2019-02-21.

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