The internet gives us a mixed bag, including benefits, conveniences, trolls, disinformation and crude images. A friend years ago told me that WWW. stood for World Wide Waste of time, and it can certainly seem like that sometimes when I have wandered away from my original intent to smile at pictures of puppies. But with the advent of YouTube it has become possible to learn how to do many things.
I have always learned best by watching someone do something, whether it is cook or sew. But there is not always someone around who knows how to do something that needs doing. And I certainly don’t want to hire someone to make or fix something I could do for myself if I had the know how. Enter YouTube. In addition to endless videos of children making faces, cats falling down and people doing inane stunts, there is a treasure trove of how to films.
Among the things we have looked to YouTube for are how to prune blueberries, how to build a small shed, how to make a solar oven, how to sous vide, and how to repair a leaking gasket on a freezer. I must admit that the last one was something I attempted. When the repairman came after all he remarked “did you try fixing this with the YouTube video?” Apparently so do many others, making his visits more profitable than they would have been without the DIY effort. Oh well.
Here’s to the corners of the internet where people share their time and talents, first among them YouTube. Mostly the advice is sound, and it is always free.
Saved By Words 
I learned how to cook so many things from YouTube, and now it helps me with language practice. Movies and TV are good but sometimes just hearing colloquial Hindi helps a lot in terms of training my ear.
My next YouTube learning project is going to be to take apart our robot vacuum. It works OK but one of the brushes isn’t working and needs to have a belt changed. It’s buried surprisingly deeply inside so it’ll be a bit of a project. Fingers crossed!
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Pete used You Tube to fix his vacuum too. I am grateful to all those folks who put those videos up for us to learn from.
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I haven’t gotten into the habit of using YouTube for learning, except for some blogging and photography assistance. Most of my ‘fixit’ requests are sent to my husband and the price is right. 🙂
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This morning I saw my husband consulting it on fixing the chain saw. Your husband may surreptitiously be turning to it when he is flummoxed. LOL
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I have learned jewelry techniques, watched television shows from other continents, learned how to re-program a garage door remote, how to get ink pen stains out of my clothes dryer and so many more things. I have even watched movies on YouTube. I have also wasted time, but that is the norm I suppose.
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I hadn’t thought of international tv shows. Good idea.
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I haven’t watched YouTube much at all. Maybe it’s just as well.
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Well keep it in mind if you need to fix anything that John can’t handle.
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Good advice. Thanks.
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I seem to be in the minority in that I learn better from illustrations. I have used You Tube to learn to do computer repair, though. Somehow appropos?
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Now I know who whose IKEA drawings were made for. I have always wondered. LOL
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My list of using You Tube tutorials is long. It includes how to build a wooden log store that came with a sheet of pictorial instructions I couldn’t understand. How to change the filter in the vacuum cleaner, (I had it in upside down) and also how to set up my basic printer and change the ink cartridge. When I can’t find the answer on You Tube, I start to panic. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I hope you have never had to make any IKEA furniture. But if you do, the videos on You Tube are hilarious.
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I once built an IKEA side table. But that only involved attaching 4 legs with ‘IKEA lugs’, and even I managed that. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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That sounds like a very atypical IKEA purchase. Most drive one to drink.
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I love YouTube for those DIY too too but I love it better because I am able to listen to the songs of yesteryears.
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Yes. I do that too, usually because I have a link from a blog.
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