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A Big List of Sites That Teach You How To Do Stuff

Written by Josh Catone / November 28, 2007 11:07 AM / 79 Comments
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With all due respect to Kevin Smith, the web is no longer only for complaining about movies. In fact, there are a large number of very helpful sites that teach you how to do things. These are do-it-yourself sites, but we're not talking about building a deck or baking a cake -- the web is full of more general interest sites that give quality instruction on all sorts of fun and useful projects. Including, sometimes, how to build a deck or bake a cake.

In this horribly-titled, but hopefully useful round-up we will specifically focus on such general purpose sites that include some sort of rich media instruction (generally video). We also might throw in a tech-focused site or two, since this is after all, a tech-focused blog.

If you know of any instructional sites that are missing from this list, please mention them in the comments below.

  • Instructables - "The World's Largest Show and Tell," as the site calls itself, is a community where people can create and share guides that cover a variety of topics from art and crafts to food, technology, and the home. The multi-page guides are well illustrated and users can rate and discuss them.
  • SuTree - The recently redesigned SuTree aggregates video tutorials from over 250 sources. Their library includes over 11,000 videos covering just about every topic you can imagine. They republish videos from a bunch of other sites on this list.
  • TrickLife - A user generated video tutorial site covering a large number of topics. Their "Computing" section is one of the most active and features a number of great tutorials about how to use various computer programs.
  • VideoJug - VideoJug is one of the largest general purpose professionally produced video tutorial sites. They host over 15,000 video tutorials in just about every subject under the sun, including some tongue-in-cheek tutorials like this one: How To Use CSI Techniques To Find Out Who Used Your Coffee Mug. The videos include text as well to make them easier to follow.
  • Expert Village - Expert Village calls itself the world's largest video tutorial site, and with nearly 49,000 videos, they might be right. Expert Village produces videos using a network of "experts" in various fields. Anyone can sign up to be an expert and the site contacts those it feels would do well hosting a video tutorial series.
  • eHow - eHow is a very large tutorial site covering a wide range of topics. Many of the tutorials were created by their editorial team, though some are user submitted. The presentation of the tutorials isn't very compelling (generally on a single page, broken into steps, without much in the way of rich media to aid instruction), but the site does have a small and growing video tutorial library.
  • Household Hacker - A really cool video tutorial blog that instructs on how to achieve a number of "hacks" using common household items (usually these have to do with technology). As an example, the video embedded below demonstrates how to charge and iPod using an onion and some Gatorade (not sure why you'd ever want to do that, but, still pretty neat):


Note: Household Hacker is a humor site, some of the tutorials have some truth to them, but you probably shouldn't try them.

  • Make: Podcast - Make Magazine is, in general, one of the coolest DIY magazines out there, instructing each month on a variety of awesome projects. Their online video podcast is a great collection of tutorials on how to do cool things like make a potato cannon or screen print your own t-shirt
  • 5min - The "videopedia," as the site calls itself, 5min is another repository of user created video tutorials. Their hook? All the videos must be under 5 minutes in length. This site is great for someone who wants to learn how to do something on a tight schedule.
  • ViewDo - Another video tutorial site that relies on user contributions, ViewDo also mixes in some tutorials created in house. ViewDo covers a ton of topic areas, and one of the nice things about the site is that videos can be downloaded to a portable media player (like an iPod or PSP) and watched on the go.
  • Sclipo - Sclipo not only encourages people to share their knowledge, but also provides a utility for them to do so via webcam. As on most video sharing sites, users can rate and comment on clips.
  • Helpfulvideo - This is a rather strange site that mixes up video tutorials with video classified ads. I'm not really sure where the crossover is, but if you're looking to buy a used car then learn how to change its oil filter, then perhaps this site is for you.
  • TeacherTube - TeacherTube is a straight up YouTube clone aimed at providing an outlet for educational videos that I gather can be used by teachers in class. Some of the videos were pretty good, but the site seems really unfocused compared to the rest in this round-up. Then again, what kid wouldn't love Dr. Loopy Discusses the Water Cycle? (Um, don't answer that.)
  • Koonji - Offering people-powered guides, in my August review of Koonji I compared the site to Instructables and Squidoo.
  • Squidoo - Speaking of Squidoo... While not totally focused on tutorials, Squidoo's lenses are a font of information about all sorts of stuff and often include how-to guides (or links to them!).
  • About.com - Who could forget About.com? Not us! Buried in the editorial of About.com are hundreds of tutorials, including a growing amount of video content -- you just have to dig for it sometimes.

Image credit: docman

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  1. Hi,

    I just saw this post via RSS and it's a great list. I'm the Web Producer at http://www.beYOU.tv and I want to take a moment to introduce beYOU.tv. We have many instructional videos that focus on health and wellness. You can learn new yoga poses, tai chi, meditation and how to deal with stress. If you ever need inspiration or a new workout routine, check us out!

    Thanks,

    Greg

    Posted by: Greg Schnese | November 28, 2007 11:25 AM



  2. please don't start the mashable serier of # of applications to help you do so and so.

    Posted by: weblockr | November 28, 2007 11:51 AM



  3. @weblockr: List-type posts are something we've done at Read/WriteWeb for a very long time on occasion. They certainly make up a very small portion of our posting, though, they are far from the focus of this blog. Thanks for the feedback.

    Posted by: Josh Catone | November 28, 2007 12:14 PM



  4. I like the fact that some brain cells were clearly dedicated to actually looking at the sites on this list! I like it!

    Posted by: Marshall Kirkpatrick | November 28, 2007 12:19 PM



  5. Great list! I'd also like to mention WikiHow.com. I ran across it last weekend when I had to replace the ballast on the fluorescent light in my kitchen. It couldn't have been more helpful.

    Posted by: Matthew Griffin | November 28, 2007 2:21 PM



  6. www.weefly.com

    Posted by: nick | November 28, 2007 4:31 PM



  7. at HelpThing we're pulling in a lot of the best How To's from these sources and the wider Internet, as well. it's a community approach to discovering the most fun and interesting tips out there. come join us: http://helpthing.com

    Posted by: Jessica | November 28, 2007 5:21 PM



  8. Hey--
    Great article ! I've posted the powerpoints I use in class on my site brentdaigle.co.cc ...for teachers reading this it may be helpful and i thought that it relates to your post.

    Thanks again,
    brent

    Posted by: Brent Daigle | November 28, 2007 7:00 PM



  9. i live in Trinidad WI, and i don't know much about PC, but i am learning a lot, now that i have this page. thank you and keep improving. i love it.

    Posted by: Bertran Hernandez | November 28, 2007 7:03 PM



  10. Two others that might interest you are:

    1. Tubetorials at http://www.tubetorial.com/ Mostly videos with wide range of subjects from WordPress to SEO

    2. Productivity Portfolio - http://www.timeatlas.com geared towards Windows users. Many tutorials include a screen cast, but not all.

    Posted by: Jess | November 28, 2007 7:40 PM



  11. Another great one to add to the list is MAKE
    http://www.makezine.com/

    Posted by: Timothy | November 28, 2007 7:47 PM



  12. One of the best computer how-to sites out there for beginners and those who support beginners is Castellini on Computers at:

    http://www.HelpMeRick.com

    Posted by: Rick | November 28, 2007 8:39 PM



  13. um householdhacker is a hack... otherwise a good list

    Posted by: name | November 28, 2007 10:33 PM



  14. Pretty cool..thanks for the links..it will help us save a lot of time..

    Posted by: IPTV | November 28, 2007 10:59 PM



  15. Josh, thank you for this information you sure put together
    a very helpful list and links to some valuable sites. I am going to subscribe to the ones that are going to help me improve my internet skills and knowledge. Kudus to you for this great post.

    Posted by: paradise5000 | November 28, 2007 11:23 PM



  16. hey all...i personally like one site..it has music, videos and you can even earn money...try it out!
    http://www.spymac.com/details/?2311720

    Posted by: Rogue | November 29, 2007 1:17 AM



  17. You left out HowStuffWorks.com, which is a fairly large site.

    Posted by: Steven | November 29, 2007 1:29 AM



  18. Another great site is SpongeFish (http://www.spongefish.com)
    with great features like collaborative file-sharing, which allows you to leverage community resources when making your own How-Tos.

    Posted by: Kamo Asatryan | November 29, 2007 1:35 AM



  19. householdhacker is bullshit, none of the videos work. my friend just shortcircuted his xbox wifi adapter because of them

    Posted by: magnus | November 29, 2007 2:29 AM



  20. Thanks for a great list, I have put together a list of over
    277 free movies, cable and television site links, where all the content can be accessed free of charge
    NSR http://nosubscriptionrequired.blogspot.com/

    Posted by: Norman Roberts | November 29, 2007 2:33 AM



  21. To search over most of the sites mentioned in the post in one go, why not use the HowDoI Google custom search engine - http://ouseful.open.ac.uk/howdoi ?

    Posted by: Tony Hirst | November 29, 2007 2:59 AM



  22. I hope all of you know, that household hacker is a joke website, None of their content is real.

    Posted by: Andrew B | November 29, 2007 3:02 AM



  23. http://www.howtopedia.org/

    Posted by: tamberg | November 29, 2007 3:36 AM



  24. Thanks for the nice links.

    Posted by: CCNA Exploration | November 29, 2007 3:36 AM



  25. Thanks!!! Really a great list with very useful tutorials...

    And HowStuffWorks.com seems not be in the list...thats one of my favorites!!!

    And to know more about How-To's in technology related discussions join Discussweb, a leading community in technology discussions http://www.discussweb.com

    Posted by: Shiva | November 29, 2007 3:39 AM



  26. I'd also recommend Stefan Mischook's Killer Sites (http://www.killersites.com/), especially Killer PHP (http://www.killerphp.com/)

    Posted by: DM | November 29, 2007 4:46 AM



  27. Ahem. Let's try that one again.

    I'd also recommend Stefan Mischook's Killer Sites (http://www.killersites.com/), especially Killer PHP (http://www.killerphp.com/).

    Posted by: DM | November 29, 2007 4:48 AM



  28. What about those of us who are foodies? How about how to make sushi at home?:
    http://www.sushifaq.com/howtomakesushiathome.htm

    Posted by: Jim Golo | November 29, 2007 5:18 AM



  29. Thanks for great list very useful...


    http://www.pkmalls.com

    Posted by: PK | November 29, 2007 5:21 AM



  30. Very nice! How to sites make for some thought stimulating reading, even if you are not interested in doing that particular thing.
    Thanks!

    Posted by: James | November 29, 2007 6:00 AM



  31. I can recommend PracticalAnswers.org, which is a mine of information for appropriate technology.

    Posted by: Kevin Sedgley | November 29, 2007 6:07 AM



  32. I stumbled upon www.answerstv.com the other day looking for a chicken parmesan recipe. Interesting site w/ tons of food and serious health management information.

    Posted by: Michael | November 29, 2007 6:21 AM



  33. very nice thanks

    http://squidoo.com/ghettogrammar

    Posted by: Brett S McCluskey | November 29, 2007 6:55 AM



  34. The Household Hacker site is garbage. The only thing it will teach you is how to ruin your electronic devices. Honestly, the site seems legitimate but nothing shown actually works. I can't believe how many times I've seen this site recommended. Please remove it from the list!

    Posted by: TheDevilsDue | November 29, 2007 6:55 AM



  35. I agree... (on it being a great lists and on you forgeting a few websites)... you forgot HowStuffWorks and ListAfterList. Thye are both great websites full of How To lists.

    Posted by: Ryan | November 29, 2007 7:03 AM



  36. Thanks for listing VideoJug! We're producing tons of new films a month, and now have over 32,000 professionally produced videos on the site! We'd love to see more videos uploaded by our users too! Thanks again for the mention.

    Posted by: Charlie | November 29, 2007 7:15 AM



  37. Great list. The power of how to on the internet is expanding very fast.

    Posted by: Adam | November 29, 2007 7:41 AM



  38. According to Compete.com, http://www.soyouwanna.com/
    gets 3-4x traffic of some the smaller sites listed here. They've been around forever but were recently bought by Demand Media Inc.

    Posted by: Yuri | November 29, 2007 7:42 AM



  39. For software tutorials, try www.vtutorial.com as well.

    Posted by: ziad | November 29, 2007 8:17 AM



  40. http://www.inventgeek.com

    Posted by: geek | November 29, 2007 8:50 AM



  41. Another good one is www.asktheadmin.com

    Posted by: Michael | November 29, 2007 10:10 AM



  42. Another one, which is a podcast, can be found at OneMinuteHowTo.com - the show is always under five minutes total length.

    Posted by: George L Smyth | November 29, 2007 10:17 AM



  43. All about alternative media distribution and related open-source software in our:

    P2P Audiovisual Guide

    http://www.p2pfoundation.net/Category:Audiovisual

    (Larger update planned for December...)

    Posted by: indiworks | November 29, 2007 10:26 AM



  44. Good list but your missed HowStuffWorks.com which is also very good and informative website.

    Posted by: zParacha | November 29, 2007 10:42 AM



  45. Monkeysee.com is another great video-based website that has tutorials on anything from How to roast a turkey (used it for Thanksgiving) to how to master certain video games.

    Posted by: Win | November 29, 2007 10:52 AM



  46. What about http://tutorialninjas.net?

    Posted by: Corbin | November 29, 2007 10:57 AM



  47. Mahalo has put together an impressive list of How-Tos: http://mahalo.com/Category:How_To . There's a bunch of food ones, too, Jim!

    Posted by: Crystal Arcand | November 29, 2007 11:18 AM



  48. When it comes to tutorials you forgot some cool sites:
    http://www.howtogeek.com - Lots of great tutorials for geeks
    http://www.vista4beginners.com/ - Good tutorials about Windows Vista
    http://www.tweako.com/ - an "encyclopedia" of tutorials that covers lots of topics.

    Posted by: Chip | November 29, 2007 11:45 AM



  49. What about http://www.knowhow.to?

    Posted by: Eithkhad | November 29, 2007 12:04 PM



  50. What about a car repair wiki http://www.FixExpert.com

    Posted by: Mechanix | November 29, 2007 12:58 PM



    51. 1 2 Next
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