It’s not like asking directions because you don’t have to admit to anyone you don’t know. As many as 60% of men have looked for do-it-yourself or how-to information and instructions online. My guess is they lost the manual.
According to Pew Internet and American Life Project, up to 55% of adult Internet users have looked for information on how to do it themselves. About 7 million (roughly 1 in 20), search for help on a typical day, indicating that practical information is one of the most sought-after categories online.
Searching for how-to and DIY information is perhaps the third most common Net activity. With 78% of respondents saying they have researched products and services, and 72% of Americans saying they have looked for news, DIY is more popular than chat rooms (17% admit to chatting) and online auctions (24% buy or sell online).
The findings come from a national telephone survey of 1,450 adult Internet users conducted late last winter (2005).
Having “always on” Internet access at home and work provides the largest boost using the Web as a how-to reference. Sixty-nine percent of respondents with an always-on environment use their high-speed connections for this.
“That compares to 61% of home broadband users and 55% of home dial-up users who seek do-it-yourself information,” said Pew/Internet Research Specialist Mary Madden.
The study sites Alexa Traffic Rankings to reveal that the top how-to website is eHow.com, which features instructional material on topics from computer repair to recipes to financial advice.
