How-to site wikiHow builds Chinese-language presence

The internet is a vast source of information, but it can be difficult to home in on what you want to learn. This is where online "how to" manuals come in handy - they provide quick guides to an enormous variety of undertakings, from traditional topics such as how to change a bicycle chain, to more offbeat subjects such as how to mount a unicycle. As long as the task at hand can begin with a "how to" question, answers can almost always be found on these websites.

WikiHow, which attracts more than 40 million viewers each month, according to Google Analytics, is among the world's top three sites in this genre. Last month, the California-based venture launched its Chinese-language site to coincide with Wikimania, the annual conference of Wikimedia users and developers, which was held in Hong Kong.

Inspired by Wikipedia, but not affiliated with it, wikiHow operates along similar lines. Articles are contributed by volunteers, and anyone can edit them.

"The world still needs one place to collect all this information as best as possible, and that's what wikiHow is. I want to cover every single topic, and have the best page about that topic on the internet," Herrick says. "I really want this how-to manual to be readable for every single person on this planet."

Such ambition makes a Chinese-language site indispensable, says Bridget Connolly, wikiHow's international project manager, who is overseeing its development.

"Developing a Chinese site is critical to our mission of increasing access globally," explains Connolly. "To fulfil that mission you really need to develop the sites in countries and languages where a lot of people speak them."