Koonji is an interesting community website of how-to guides that show you how to achieve practical things (as opposed to ‘hobbyist,’ i.e. Instructables) through resources on the web. According to their research, nearly half a billion people use search engines to find out how to do various things, and Koonji plans to cater to this market through a much more practical and focused option.
How It Works
Users post guides, dubbed ‘Koonjis,’ and gain points by doing so (examples: ‘How To Immigrate to Canada‘, ‘How to Make Turkish Coffee‘). A Koonji, unlike an ordinary guide, is basically a collection of resources from the web rather something that user ‘generates.’ For example, a Koonji on ‘how to sustain relationships’ can include a video from YouTube featuring a speech by expert XYZ, a cartoon the creator found on Google Images, and a number of tips found on Wikihow. This way, the user isn’t an expert but merely a compiler of sorts. Once a Koonji is posted, others can contribute to it and add things.
Opinion
I’m absolutely in love with some of the online how-to guide communities — I can literally spend hours looking around these sites. So now to accompany Instructables and Wikihow, two of my current favourites, is Koonji. The idea is great, and I’ve been able to find some truly interesting stuff in there. And if I had enough spare time, they’ve created a good ‘points’ incentive for me to contribute. Great idea and execution, I wouldn’t be suprised to see it take off.
