Instructables
Encyclopedia
Instructables is a website specializing in user-created and uploaded do-it-yourself projects, which other users can comment on and rate for quality. It was created by Eric Wilhelm, a mechanical engineer, and launched in August 2005. Instructables is dedicated to step-by-step collaboration among members to build a variety of projects. Users post instructions to their projects, usually accompanied by visual aids, and then interact through comment sections below each Instructable step as well in topic forums.
, Wilhelm and Saul Griffith
founded Squid Labs, an engineering and technology company specializing in design and consulting. Instructables started as an internal Squid Labs project, which Wilhelm has since spun out as an independent company. He acts as its CEO
, and regularly contributes to the site.
A prototype version of the site, complete with the initial content of electronics, cooking, kiting, and bicycle projects, was released in August 2005 at the O'Reilly Foo Camp conference
.
The original content focused mostly on such projects as building electronic or mechanical devices to solve common problems around the home. The scope of the project has expanded to include a larger array of categories, including Food, Living, Outside, Tech, Play and Workshop. Sponsored categories are sometimes added for companies to advertise a specific topic on the site.
The site allows uploading of photos, diagrams, video and animation to help explain complex terminology and mechanisms in clear and understandable terms.
Instructables employs a full-time staff, and also has a volunteer group, who feature well-documented articles, welcome new users, and help out around the site.
Contests
are held each month, each with a unique category. People usually vote for entries in a specific competition, that they think are of good quality, and prizes are awarded to the winners. An Instructables-sponsored contest will usually award t-shirts, patches and stickers, but often more extravagant prizes are awarded based on sponsor availability.
A forum
feature was added for members to post ideas, questions, discussions, requests for help, and all manner of other things. Later on, a dedicated Question and Answer system was also spun out.
, The Daily Telegraph
, PC World (magazine)
. It has also received attention from National Public Radio (NPR).,
History
While members of the Media Lab at MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, Wilhelm and Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith is an Australian American inventor. He is best known for his inexpensive technique for making prescription eyeglasses. This method uses two flexible surfaces and a pourable resin.-Early life and education:...
founded Squid Labs, an engineering and technology company specializing in design and consulting. Instructables started as an internal Squid Labs project, which Wilhelm has since spun out as an independent company. He acts as its CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
, and regularly contributes to the site.
A prototype version of the site, complete with the initial content of electronics, cooking, kiting, and bicycle projects, was released in August 2005 at the O'Reilly Foo Camp conference
Foo Camp
Foo Camp is an annual hacker event hosted by publisher O'Reilly Media. O'Reilly describes it as "the wiki of conferences", where the program is developed by the attendees at the event, using big whiteboard schedule templates that can be rewritten or overwritten by attendees to optimize the schedule...
.
The original content focused mostly on such projects as building electronic or mechanical devices to solve common problems around the home. The scope of the project has expanded to include a larger array of categories, including Food, Living, Outside, Tech, Play and Workshop. Sponsored categories are sometimes added for companies to advertise a specific topic on the site.
The site allows uploading of photos, diagrams, video and animation to help explain complex terminology and mechanisms in clear and understandable terms.
Instructables employs a full-time staff, and also has a volunteer group, who feature well-documented articles, welcome new users, and help out around the site.
Community
Once joined, members can create Instructables that are step-by-step descriptions of projects they want to share online. They are written in such a way that they easily allow other members to replicate, and share with the rest of the community. Members can also upload videos and slideshows, depicting a project that they haven't documented.Contests
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
are held each month, each with a unique category. People usually vote for entries in a specific competition, that they think are of good quality, and prizes are awarded to the winners. An Instructables-sponsored contest will usually award t-shirts, patches and stickers, but often more extravagant prizes are awarded based on sponsor availability.
A forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
feature was added for members to post ideas, questions, discussions, requests for help, and all manner of other things. Later on, a dedicated Question and Answer system was also spun out.
In the press
Instructables has been profiled in Make Magazine, the Village Voice, Popular SciencePopular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, PC World (magazine)
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
. It has also received attention from National Public Radio (NPR).,
Pro membership
In June 2009, Instructables introduced a "Pro" membership account for about $2 to $4 a month. "Pro" memberships quickly became controversial when many of the membership features became restricted to Pro memberships, while few new features were made available exclusively to "Pro" memberships.External links
- Instructables
- Instructables History
- Article about Instructables from the Village Voice
- Article about Instructables from The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
- A restaurant based on recipes and instructions from Instructables.