Hey guys (and gals), use the Web to help you around the home and yard!

By Rick Castellini Special to PRIME Guys tend to be stereotyped as not liking to read directions. I don't have any statistics to back it up, but the stereotype is plausible. So, in honor of father's and guys everywhere, this will be one of my most succinct articles ever . just the facts, Jack! Home improvement for dummies At some point, we all have to tackle a home improvement or repair job that we may not have tackled before. Enter the web. The Internet offers many great web sites for getting step-by-step information on home improvement/repair projects from fixing a garden hose to installing a new ceiling fan. Use any of these sites to get started on the right foot: www.onthehouse.com www,doityourself.com www.bobvila.com www.hgtv.com These sites include all the well established sites to get great information. For visual learners However, in the past two years, YouTube.com has taken the Internet by storm and transformed it from a static text-based system to a rich, vibrant video site. And this transformation has added some fantastic video channels to actually watch and learn how-to-do a particular task. Here are some great video web sites to learn new repair and maintenance skills: www.expertvillage.com/ about_9_home-garden.htm www.411homerepair.com/ contractor/how-to_video.shtml In addition to these two great sites, you can search youtube.com, metacafe.com, or videos.google.com for how-tos of your choice as well. If you are like me, these sites won't make you a good enough handyman to start your own business, but it will help you stop that leaky toilet from keeping you up at night! Write to me at my web site if you have a how-to site that you like to use that I didn't mention, I would love to hear from you. Rick Castellini hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, is an author and computer consultant in Colorado. Visit his web site at HelpMeRick.com for practical tips and computer information every week.