You have all heard of Wikipedia, but what about Videopedia?

Not clunky text, but homemade videos uploaded by users who are itching to share their favourite how-to's with the cyber world.

In the genre of instructional videos, such resource-rich websites are a breakaway hit from stodgy DVDs with predictable aerobic titles like Bikini Workout, and Trim That Tummy Fat.

Think of it as YouTube for all wannabe teachers.

Want to know more? Check out IN'ss top picks for online learning. www.5min.com

The concept of 5min is simple: Life's infinite problems can be solved and explained in no more than five minutes.

Its basic philosophy is that everybody is an expert in something.

So, why not share that knowledge for the betterment of mankind?

All content is created by the millions of users who pack the website with homemade videos on every possible aspect of modern living.

The information is organised in categories: Fashion (How To Put Lipstick On Correctly), Food (How To Make Pancakes), Arts (Fundamental Breakdance Steps) and Pets (How To Train Your Dog). There's something for everyone.

In January, Spark Capital, an investment company, decided to bankroll the 2006 start-up with US$5 million (S$7 million), fuelling speculation that this could be the Next Big Thing to rival Wikipedia. www.videojug.com

With video titles like Frienditis: How To Go From Friend To Boyfriend, many casual surfers have been drawn in and hooked onto this site. In many ways, the content on

Videojug is more sophisticated than most instructional websites, such as 5min.com. For one thing, the filming is done by professionals, so video-viewing is a more enjoyable experience (that is, No Blair-Witch, headache-inducing-type clips).

The Web design is also easy to navigate and is well organised.

The buffer time for the videos is negligible. And when played, users (such as this reporter) can't help but laugh out loud at some of the clips - most are cheeky, and some are side-splittingly funny.

Viewers are encouraged to submit their homemade videos, too.

Three cash prizes totaling US$3,500 (S$4,800) are awarded monthly to users whose videos have been rated with more than three stars.

The British website has been winning accolades from the online community since its inception in 2006.

Last year, it won the coveted Web User Gold Award from Web User Magazine, a highly regarded Internet magazine in Britain.

It also won Best Online Video Site by ovguide.com, a video search engine.

This story was first published in The Straits Times on Monday, 7 April, 2008.