wikiHow

wikiHow was founded by Jack Herrick on January 15, 2005, with the goal of creating an extensive how-to manual with accurate, up-to-date instructions for multiple tasks in many languages.[13] January 15 was selected as its launch date to honor Wikipedia, which was launched on January 15, 2001.[14] Herrick drew inspiration for wikiHow from eHow, a how-to website he and Josh Hannah purchased in 2004. After running eHow, Herrick concluded that its business model prevented it from becoming the extensive, high quality how-to site he wanted to create.[15] Herrick and Hannah sold eHow in 2006, allowing Herrick to focus on wikiHow full-time.[16]

In 2006, the non-profit foundation One Laptop per Child chose wikiHow as one of the content sources for the educational laptops it distributed around the world.[17] On September 21, 2007, the website's 25,000th article was published.[5] In 2009, it surpassed 20 million monthly visitors and completed a redesign.[18] In 2014, Google chose wikiHow as one of the launch partners for Google Contributor, an ad-free Internet product.[19]

wikiHow provides how-to content on the Internet by allowing anyone to edit pages.[23] As of February, 2015, it contains over 180,000 articles. Most follow a similar format with steps, tips, warnings, and a list of required things, and are complemented with illustrations.

wikiHow uses the wiki method of continuous improvement, allowing editors to add, delete, and otherwise modify content. Once an article is created, community members collaborate on it to improve its quality. Each edit is scrutinized during "Recent Changes Patrol", where volunteers review it according to wikiHow's standards, discarding bad edits (e.g. vandalism, test edits) and keeping improvements.[24][25] Typically, images are created by wikiHow staff, usually under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike-Noncommercial license; registered users may also contribute images.

The central hub for contribution tools is the Community Dashboard,[26] with several dynamic applets linking users to editing tools such as the Spell Checker; the Categorizer, where articles are assigned categories according to topic; and the Cleanup Greenhouse, where low-quality articles are copyedited and revised for style and format.

Registration and user rights

Workshop on women on wikiHow at Wikimania 2012.

Like many other wikis, registration on wikiHow is optional, and privileges such as creating and editing articles are available to those without an account. In compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), wikiHow users are required to be at least 13 years old to register. COPPA is regularly enforced and site administrators are expected to block anyone confirmed to be underage, though editing privileges may be restored if the company receives a consent form signed by the user's parents or legal guardian.[35] Underage users can still edit anonymously, but they are advised not to post their personal information.

Over 1 million people have created accounts, and over 15,000 people contribute to and edit wikiHow per month.[36] Volunteer contributors call themselves "wikiHowians". The most active, experienced and trusted wikiHowians may gain additional editing privileges to help them administer and protect the website. New Article Boost rights are granted to users with at least 300 edits, and who pass a three-part test on wikiHow policies.[37] People with NAB rights can use a special tool that lets them edit recently written articles to ensure their quality meets wikiHow's standards before they are made visible to all readers. Experienced users who are considered competent and "level-headed" may be considered for adminship, allowing them to use more powerful maintenance tools.[38]

wikiHow's initial startup costs were, to some extent, financed from Herrick's sale of eHow. It is now funded from advertising on its pages.[40] It does not seek contributions, and it is run as a "hybrid organization"—a "for-profit company focused on creating a global public good in accordance with our mission".[41] As of mid-2020, wikiHow was soliciting contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.[42]

wikiHow has won multiple awards, including a Webby Award for Community in 2009,[48] and the Co-Creation award in the Open Innovation competition, organized by The Guardian and Nesta in 2010.[49] Mashable selected wikiHow as runner-up for best wiki in its Open Web Awards in 2008.[50] In October, 2018, Gizmodo included wikiHow in its list of "100 Websites That Shaped the Internet as We Know It", referring to it as "a consistently useful resource." [51] More recently, Forbes recognized wikiHow in its list of "The Best Small Companies Of 2019". [52]

A PBS journalist reported that the "wikiHow app has an excellent set of articles to help you in just about any situation, from helping someone who is choking to handling vehicle emergencies, to natural disasters."[53] The New York Times reported: "Type in a few key words about the problem into the app’s Search page and the guide will return some advice. Its information pages are clear and well laid out. They begin with an introductory description, then offer a list of steps to follow. The app displays the necessary tools and items, and includes tips and warnings."[54] Lifehacker has described wikiHow as the "ever-handy guide site."[55] wikiHow has been positively described in many other media, including Inc. Magazine,[3] Cosmopolitan,[56] TechRepublic,[57] Condé Nast Traveler[58] and PC Magazine.[59]

wikiHow has also been the target of satire and criticism for its notable abundance of arguably eccentric articles. For example, American Public Radio show Wits has a segment called "wikiHow theater", where actors read obvious or ludicrous wikiHow topics, such as "How to Make People Respect Your Pet", for comic effect.[60] Two accomplished poets published a book called "How To Feel Confident with Your Special Talents", where each poem's title is taken directly from a wikiHow article.[61] Vice parodied wikiHow's article "How to Break Up with Your Boyfriend".[62] The Huffington Post created a list of bizarre life skills, such as "How to React to an Ugly Baby", that "you could only learn from wikiHow".[63] Illustrations are often criticized for being strange or eccentric.[64][65] Other publishers have criticized wikiHow for hosting instructions on topics of questionable social value, such as "How to get a thigh gap"[66] and "How to stop a wedding".[67] Other websites have created "worst of wikiHow" lists to highlight topics that are "deranged",[68] "brilliantly bizarre"[69] and otherwise controversial.

• Official website