Ehow.com Website Review

I'm proud to say that I've earned at least 2 dozen post-graduate degrees from my studies on the internet.  I don't generally like to brag, but I've achieved these degrees in lawn maintenence, wierd rash decoding, college football BCS standings complaining, smart-phone purchasing analysis, and writing poorly executed blogger code.

While this may sound ridiculous, it's more common than not.  How many of us spend 15 minutes on the internet researching a subject, and then become a self-proclaimed expert on the topic?  Anyone under 18 probably thinks that Wikipedia is the best place for facts on the Internet. (I don't trust anything that's monitored by guys who spend all their free time policing others' insertions while taking very short breaks for internet porn and cheeto binges.  Claiming to be in the "top 100" of wikipedia edits isn't a matter of pride...but of pity)

I've recently been doing a bunch of home improvement projects, and have found the internet to be a good source of just about every problem that arises.  The best results are usually message boards or videos on youtube.

Unfortunately, there is a group of terrible...and I mean TERRIBLE search results in Google when you are looking for instructions on how to do anything.  Millions of people around the world have also received their post-graduate internet degrees, and want to spew their knowledge around the interwebs more blatantly than Ariana Huffington.  Among these are ask.com, wiki.answers.com, and answers.yahoo.com.  But the grand-daddy of all is ehow.com.

Ehow.com is a site that churns out instructions, videos, and articles on how to do just about anything in this world.  They pay freelance writers to pump out content faster than Charlie Sheen gaffes.  Unfortunately, these articles by and large suck ass.  Is there a electrician monitoring the content given by an "electrician freelancer"?  No, or else this electrician could just write the article himself.  Do they have IT experts checking the facts on how to install a DSL modem? Nope.

This leads to articles being vague, poorly explained, and sometimes flat-out wrong.  Perhaps they need to screen their freelance authors a little more closely.

Even worse are the multiple articles by ehow that describe the same thing.  There are honestly a thousand articles on laying tile--none of which are over a few hundred words, and very few have videos.  Much like Glenn Beck, the site is full of useless information.

I put ehow to the test, and picked 3 items that should be something everybody should know, hopefully getting an explanation from ehow.com.

1--How do you wipe your butt.  NOTHING!!  Only references to butt acne. (I bookmarked it for later reference)

2--How to steal your neighbors cable.  Again, I was met by a blank look from ehow.

3--How to remove a website from Google search results.  Yet again ehow.com was stymied.  Luckily, Google didn't let me down.  Here is the skinny:

The next time you come across an ehow.com Google search result (inevitable), click it.  Then quickly click the "back" button, and an option below this search result should be there titled "Block all ehow.com results".  Thankfully click this link and be ehow free for all time and eternity. (Caveat--you must be logged into google)

3 strikes and ehow.com has struck out.  Pumping out innumerable crappy articles for the sole sake of generating traffic and revenue is reprehensible.  On a side note, Review Spew is now accepting articles written by freelancers reviewing any topic or item.  No skill besides an internet PHD is required.  Payment will be given with Dairy Queen coupons.

Ehow.com garners a big fat zero star rating for an utter fail.  Pwned.