This week, taking a cue from Katherine Boehret at the Wall Street Journal, we took a look at three web sites that make finding DIY videos easy:
• Howcast Media Inc.'s Howcast.com
• WonderHowTo.com from WonderHowTo Inc. and
• eHow Inc.'s eHow.com
Howcast.com, which launched in February, encourages users to make and share good-quality, entertaining videos by providing tools on its site, and has about 5,000 videos so far.
After testing each of these sites, she found that her favorite videos had steps that were clearly labeled and numbered and the ability to fast forward to or play back specific parts in the video -- tools that Howcast included in almost all of its videos.
These three free sites are advertisement-supported. Howcast's ads run alongside videos. WonderHowTo.com runs ads at the top and side of its own site, on which it will play certain videos.
Overall, she prefers the look of Howcast's site and its well-organized videos. But its content pales in comparison to WonderHowTo's 110,000 videos and even eHow's 100,000 instructional articles.
Howcast.com's content is informative with an amusing edge, including a video titled "How to Tell If Your Boyfriend's A Psycho."(If he calls 50 times a day, for example.) Other videos on the site are more serious, like "How to Make Sushi" by an executive sushi chef in New York City.
The founders of Howcast Media formerly worked in Google's video department, including during the acquisition of YouTube. It shows - literally.
In order to make it easier for us, average users, to upload better-looking videos, Howcast also provides an Upload and Enhance tool to simply and quickly add professional-looking graphics and printable steps to go along with how-to videos.
Videos made in the Howcast Studios include accompanying music, good narratives and actors who add humor to an otherwise humdrum how-to.
Howcast tries to run ads alongside videos that relate to the content. WonderHowTo.com was developed by a former television executive with the intention of using the site to produce its own video, like Howcast.com.
The Browse button pulls down 35 categories from which users can sort content, including Spirituality, Dating & Relationships and Fitness. In the Fashion subcategory under Beauty & Style, I found 290 videos including one on "How to Tie a Windsor Knot" and another titled "How to Turn Old Underpants Into a Bra" -- neither of which is up my alley.
WonderHowTo's content comes from over 700 sites, according to the company.
June submitted her song video (certainly not a "how-to" piece) to this site by simply entering a URL, without logging in. I never found the video she submitted on the site; WonderHowTo explained that it screens all videos prior to posting them, so it must have found hers. Smart!
EHow.com uses its database of articles to encourage people to watch videos, when they're relevant. This site uses calm, pastel colors to give a relaxed feeling -- especially compared with WonderHowTo, where banner ads surround the page.
Videos can also be found on eHow within a marked tab at the top of the page. But unlike the articles on eHow, they videos weren't well organized or easily searchable.
But the eHow videos were professional-looking and included quite a few tips that she didn't know.
It isn't always easy to learn from the information you find online. How-to videos can be a big help - especially if they're well-made and easy to find. Using any of these sites could give you a head start.
Cybercast credit: HowCast
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