We’ve all known that eHow is the go-to place for some pretty unique, informative and interesting content but it seems that some other folks have begun to notice. And by “some other folks,” we mean like the dudes over at The New York Times. eHow was covered in two different pieces on The New York Times in August. In “Tiny Talents,” journalist Virginia Heffernan was amazed at the unique party-trick type how-to information that you could find in how-to sites like eHow, ExpertVillage, and some other sites. Interestingly enough although the other how-to sites were mentioned in the article, nearly all of the examples in the article were eHow or ExpertVillage content (wink wink). Sure there is a bevy of serious topics like “How to Perform CPR” and “How to Thin Swiss Chard“ but if you feel like being the King or Queen of Awesome and want to learn “How to Make a SingaporeSling or “How to Survive a Zombie Attack,” look no further than eHow or ExpertVillage. Heffernan was also impressed with the level of quality in the user-generated video content. She says, “you’d think the shoestring budget would mean bad videos, but usually the reverse is true: (the content) is overseen directly by (people) with pet subjects and personal style.” Particularly on eHow much of our content is created by people who are passionate about their hobbies and the love for their particular craft or hobby helps us produce content with soul.
In “An Everywoman as Beauty Queen,” The New York Times covers the story of of self-made makeup artist, Lauren Luke and how she used social media sites to distribute their user generated content. Luke started selling makeup on eBay and shot pictures and video of herself trying out the products. She then began posting her DIY makeup videos on YouTube. Within months, she had more than 50 million views and 250,000 subscribers from around the world. Many people identified with the passion and soul that they saw in her content. Simply put, viewers knew that Luke wasn’t some model trying to sell makeup, she was an everyday woman showing how to use makeup. In her words she claims that people identify with her content because, “I’m an average-looking girl who can’t wear 10 layers of fake lashes to get that mascara effect.” YouTube, eHow and Vimeo have enabled Luke and other creators to distribute their content to a wide audience. The power of social media sites like YouTube and eHow is that we allow everyday people to create content and share it with other people trying to complete a real life project. Forget the glitz and glamour of TV personalities and models - people want their advice from people that have gone through finishing their projects with their own two hands.
