University of Reddit

I've been lurking on Reddit for several months now. I don't really want to think about how many hours of potentially productive time I've spent (read:  completely wasted) on the website. Actually, I'm being overly critical. While it's given that any crowd-sourced aggregate of content is going to have its share of kitten pictures, tasteless f7u12 comics, and inane drivel, Reddit can be a useful tool for anyone interested in learning about new perspectives, information, and skills, if you're able to set it up correctly. That's why I posted it over on the "Brain Food" list of links.


However, Eric mentioned to me the other day that he had discovered the University of Reddit. I don't believe the two websites are legally affiliated, but share a name and probably many community members. Anyway, I checked it out for the first time today, and I was amazed by the variety of courses offered. They include:

• Spanish 101
• Web Design with PHP/MySQL
• StarCraft II Strategy (this one made me smile)
• Russian 101
• Differential Equations
• Logic 101
• Introduction to Chemistry
• Cooking for the Single Life

What I find to be especially great is that all the courses are taught by volunteers who basically want to share their expertise in a particular area. It's all free. I love the Web.

Of course, it could be argued that one gets what one pays for, so I'm going to try it out and keep you informed about my experience at Reddit U. I've signed up for Introduction to Web Design and CSS for Beginners.