I’ll admit it, I check out YouTube for various fads that are popping up daily.  As you may or may not be aware, there are more videos on YouTube than you could ever possibly watch.  One of the first questions is whether or not YouTube can be helpful to you.  Well, give it a try and find out how great this website can be. 

I play the guitar, so I started using YouTube to find videos showing me how to play different songs.  It’s really quite simple.  I just type in the name of the song and follow it up with “guitar lesson”.  There are usually many to choose from, so part of the task is to figure out which video or person creating videos works best for you.  In terms of learning the guitar, I stumbled onto “tripfuse04”.  This guy is fantastic and really takes his time showing you the details to play a song.  I was trying to learn how to play “blackbird” and I found this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAR8csOqzKQ.  I have used others, but tripfuse04 is definitely my favorite.

In terms of other helpful videos, I decided to see what else I could find.  My in-laws were talking to me the other day about a trip they are taking to Italy.  They mentioned they wanted to brush up on some Italian lessons, so I suggested YouTube as a great place to start.  Sure enough, there a hundreds of Italian lessons available.  If ordering a cup of coffee or finding a train station is all you need in Italy, my in-laws are all set.

Well, what about really something helpful?  Two weeks ago my Moen Kitchen Faucet started spraying out of the bottom.  I’m no plumber, but that isn’t good.  Before I could finish wiping up the water, my wife had already found a video on fixing a Moen Kitchen Faucet.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bD-89_Er3Y.  I watched the video first, and then I got on the phone with the local hardware store.  I asked if they carried the cartridge for the faucet and they said yes.  I stopped in and started chatting with the guy in the plumbing department.  I told him my problem with the water coming out of the bottom of the faucet, and he told me this probably wouldn’t fix it.  So I decided to test YouTube and its accuracy.  I went back home, watched the video again, and 20 minutes later I had a perfectly working faucet with no leaks.  Maybe now I can consider myself a plumber.  Probably not.

The moral of the story is simple.  If you need to do something that you don’t know how to do, check out YouTube.  I think you’ll be amazed at the helpful information that is just waiting out there for you.

If you have found other helpful videos, please share them in the comment section below.  Happy YouTubing.