Fact Monster

Fact Monster is an educational technology website geared towards children.[1] It is owned by Infoplease[1] and, like the Infoplease site, it contains several reference works under one umbrella, including the Columbia Encyclopedia, Random House Dictionary, an atlas and an almanac. It also features quizzes, flashcards, a homework center and Flash-based games.

Fact Monster
Type of site
Fact center
OwnerInfoplease
Created byInfoplease
URLwww.factmonster.com
CommercialYes
Registrationnone
Launched2000

Fact Monster launched in 2000, initially as Infopleasekids.com.[1][2][3] In August 2000, Pearson PLC acquired Family Education Network (FEN) which included infoplease.com.[4] In May 2015, Pearson sold FEN to Sandbox Partners.[5]

The website contains facts on thousands of subjects, including sports, entertainment, geography, history, biography, education, and health.[6]

Reception

In March 2001, it won a Webby Award for best youth site.[7] In 2003, it was on the annual list of the Best Free Reference WebSites by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association (ALA) to recognize outstanding reference sites on the World Wide Web.[8]

In 2001, Lev Grossman wrote a positive review in Time ending with, "It's so cool that kids will forget it's educational."[9] In 2016, Michelle Breckon from Kent State University Libraries wrote in Reference Reviews that the website is "visually appealing" and has a variety for "kids of all ages"; but its navigation can be difficult, lacks citations, and the simple games may be a distraction.[10]

See also

References
  1. "About Us". Infoplease. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  2. "Getting a jump on homework help". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  3. admin (2006-12-14). "MARSBestRef2003". Reference & User Services Association (RUSA). Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  4. staff, eSchool News; Reports, Wire Service (2000-08-01). "Pearson PLC acquires FamilyEducation Network". eSchool News. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  5. Rosen |, Judith. "New Owner for Poptropica and FEN". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  6. "Fact monster". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  7. "The Webby Awards". webbyawards.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  8. (MARS), RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (2003). "Best Free Reference Web Sites: Fifth Annual List". Reference & User Services Quarterly. 43 (1): 52–58. ISSN 1094-9054. JSTOR 20864105.
  9. Grossman, Lev (2001-09-10). "In Brief: Sep. 10, 2001". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  10. Breckon, Michelle (2016-01-01). "Fact Monster". Reference Reviews. 30 (4): 6–8. doi:10.1108/RR-01-2016-0021. ISSN 0950-4125.



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