Are You Well-Read 2.0?

Photo courtesy of Chaparral

What does Shakespeare, Plato and Seth Godin all have in common? You can read some of their best work for free on the internet.

With Web 2.0’s shift in transparency and idea-sharing comes a shift in what it means to be well-read. Until the internet’s rise to informational world domination, access to resources were limited to your relative location to the right texts or quality of education. Lived in middle of nowhere? Too bad, you’re stuck with knowing only what surrounds you.

Of course, that is no longer true. The playing field has been leveled. An 11-year old in small Kenyan village has access to the same resources as an MIT grad in Boston.

But are you making the most of all the internet has to offer? Regardless of your profession, niche or unique interest, you can find enough information online to keep you busy for years.

Remember all that time you spent in English class, asking how reading Dickens is going to help you in the real world? Well, now you have no excuse. Everything you need to succeed is out there 24 hours a day, for free. No more reading Cliffnotes the night before the essay test. No more pretending to know more than you really do.

Be honest with yourself and think about those topics you’ve been faking your way through in conversations with co-workers and friends (we’re all guilty). Learn how to change your brakes, take a course on eco-engineering, or become a more passionate kisser.

Open your browser, invest some time and contribute to the conversation. We’d love to hear what you have to say. But be warned, if we call on you during class, we’re going to know whether or not you did your homework.