How to leverage how-to-ness

Today’s WSJ has an entertaining article on web sites playing to “the next iteration of the burgeoning self-help industry: teaching people the obvious.”

At Video Jug you’ll find films on how to fold a T shirt, and “use the shower.” Other sites include eHow, wikiHow, and ViewDo. The DIY Network and others are sort of getting in on this, blending amateur (I mean grass roots!) advice with that of experts. But as one DIY Network interactive guy notes: “companies need to be careful about how they incorporate tips from amateurs. ‘If someone gets electrocuted or their deck falls down, that reflects poorly on the DIY brand.'” Indeed.