Question 1

What is HobbyStack?

Accepted Answer

HobbyStack is a platform designed to help you discover, learn, and engage with new hobbies. You can explore our catalog of hundreds of hobbies, get personalized recommendations with our Hobby Finder quiz, track your progress, and connect with a community of fellow enthusiasts.

Question 2

Is HobbyStack free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes, all core features of HobbyStack—including browsing hobbies, taking the finder quiz, building your profile, and participating in the community—are completely free.

Question 3

How are hobbies added to the catalog?

Accepted Answer

Our catalog grows through community contributions! Users can suggest new hobbies in the Hobby Incubator. Once a suggestion gains enough community support and is vetted by our team, it 'graduates' into the main catalog for everyone to explore.

Question 4

How does the Hobby Finder matching algorithm work?

Accepted Answer

Our matching algorithm is a three-step process designed to align your personality with the community's consensus on each hobby. First, we build your unique 'Hobby DNA' profile based on your answers in the Hobby Finder quiz. Second, we analyze each hobby's profile, which is dynamically shaped by thousands of votes from our community on traits like socialness, energy, and cost. Finally, our algorithm compares your profile to each hobby's profile, calculating a percentage match score based on how closely your preferences align across all traits.

Question 5

How do I gain XP and level up a hobby?

Accepted Answer

You gain XP for hobbies by actively engaging with them on the platform. This includes voting on their traits, skills, and costs, participating in community discussions, and having your contributions upvoted by others. The more you engage, the faster you level up!

Question 6

What's the difference between 'My Stack' and 'My Interests'?

Accepted Answer

Your 'Stack' is for up to 3 hobbies you are actively focusing on. Hobbies in your Stack get a 2x XP boost, helping you level them up twice as fast. 'My Interests' is for all the other hobbies you want to follow and level up at a normal rate. You can have unlimited interests.

Question 7

How is the 'Hobby Persona' on my profile determined?

Accepted Answer

Your persona is a fun title calculated based on the average traits of all the hobbies in your Stack and Interests. Hobbies in your Stack are weighted more heavily to better reflect your primary interests and playstyle.

Question 8

How do I add or remove hobbies from my Stack or Interests?

Accepted Answer

On each hobby's detail page, you'll find buttons to 'Stack' a hobby or mark it as an 'Interest'. You can manage your Stack and Interests from your profile page.

Question 9

How does voting work?

Accepted Answer

On each hobby page, there's a 'Vote' button. This opens a dialog where you can rate the hobby's traits (like how social or creative it is), suggest skills it develops, and estimate its costs. Your votes are averaged with the rest of the community's to provide the data you see on the page.

Question 10

What is the Hobby Incubator?

Accepted Answer

The Incubator is where new hobby ideas are born. You can submit your own hobby suggestions and vote on ideas submitted by other users. It's a democratic way for us to grow our catalog based on what the community wants to see.

Question 11

How are difficulty and learning curves calculated?

Accepted Answer

Like most data on HobbyStack, the learning curve is community-sourced. In the voting dialog, users estimate the percentage of mastery a beginner could achieve at different time milestones (1 month, 3 months, etc.). We aggregate this data to create the learning curve chart you see on the hobby pages.

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