Beyond Books: New Ways to Teach Yourself New Skills

I love to read. At any given time, I've got three books in progress (most related to business and personal growth), and I religiously read two newspapers a day (the NYT & WSJ). When I was growing up, I always ate my breakfast while reading the back of a cereal box. Now I read (and highlight) at the gym on the elliptical, while walking my dog, and while eating breakfast. For me, reading is how I teach myself new skills (with a healthy dose of practice, of course). For some, reading is enjoyable and educational - for others, a complete chore. For those of you kinesthetic, tactile and visual learners who prefer to learn by watching and doing - there are a number of websites to help you do this. The New York Times Magazine ran an article on Sunday about this very topic, called "Tiny Talents: Instruction, especially in trivial skills, is one of the Web's great giveaways."

The following are popular instructional sites mentioned in the article to get you started:

Howcast: "Cool how-to videos and guides from cutting-edge filmmakers, savvy experts - and you!"

eHow: "How to do just about everything"

WonderHowTo: "Video instructions, tutorials and hacks"

Instructables: "The World's Biggest Show and Tell"

SuTree: "Learn How to Do Anything on the Web"

VideoJug: "Life Explained. On film."

ExpertVillage: "How to videos, free clips, and more"

And of course, there is always YouTube (motto: "Broadcast Yourself"). Happy Learning!