Do-it-yourself Consumer Education

On October 24, 2006, the WSJ reports that numerous sites on the web are featuring short educational programs on a wide variety of consumer topics, from brushing your teeth to folding a shirt. These programs are produced by everyday consumers and are featured on the following web sites:

• http://www.viewdo.com/
• http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page
• http://www.videojug.com/

I find these programs interesting in that consumers, not necessarily companies, are producing these programs to share what they know about goods and services. It is a radical change to the consumer/customer education landscape, which puts companies in the position of having less control over teaching customers how to use various goods and services. Through inexpensive video cameras and computer-based editing tools, anyone can become an instructional designer and share their knowledge and expertise. The key problem, however, will be how will one search for and find the education that they are looking for.