WikiHow is a how-to website that teaches people how to do practically anything. And we really do mean anything.
You’ll find genuinely useful guides on things like fixing a drain right next to tutorials on how to clap, how to laugh, or even how to stomp on a Capri Sun. Whatever strange question pops into your head, there’s a good chance WikiHow has an article for it somewhere.
WikiHow was created by entrepreneur Jack Herrick in 2005, who had previously worked on another how-to website called eHow. While running it, he became interested in Wikipedia and wondered whether the same collaborative model could work for practical advice.
As he later explained, his idea was basically to do for how-to guides what Wikipedia had done for encyclopedias.
Herrick launched WikiHow on January 15, which happened to be Wikipedia’s fourth birthday. He used some of Wikipedia’s open-source software to build it and allowed users to write and edit guides themselves.
At first, very few people noticed. Herrick told WIRED that only around 2,000 people visited during the first month, and he would personally message people who made edits to encourage them to keep contributing.
Slowly, though, the website started growing. By 2009, WikiHow was receiving more than 20 million visitors each month. That number reached 100 million by 2016.
One big part of its appeal was simply how much information people could find there. Instead of sticking to a few popular subjects, contributors could create a guide for almost any question someone might have.
That meant WikiHow could get very specific. Alongside guides for everyday tasks, you could find instructions for problems that only a tiny number of people might ever face.
Herrick told WIRED that the goal was to give people a “practical education.” He pointed out that most people will probably never need to know how to control a frightened camel, but someone somewhere genuinely might.
The way articles were created also changed as the website became bigger. Volunteers could still write and edit pages, while paid editors and experts became involved too.
WikiHow began having professionals check articles about subjects such as medicine and finance, where getting the information right can be especially important.
