ReadCollect is a project that sprang from my frustration of forgetting 99% of what I read. There are plenty of ways to remember more, but I like flashcards (I am also a big fan of Anki, or check www.ankiweb.net). The problem has always been, however, that there is no tool that does exactly what I need:
- Spaced repetition (or check out the more in-depth article)
- Database of good flashcards for books
- Easy way to add the flashcards I like, discarding the flashcards I do not
- Easy access on all devices
Anki is great for downloading decks where it is very clear what needs to be in the deck (capitals of the world, bones in the body, etc.), but when everyone wants to remember something else from what they read, it gets tricky.
This website is an attempt to solve this problem together with you and the entire book-reading-internet (Goodreads has more than 120 million users, some of them should be interested in remembering what they put on there right?!) The goal is to provide a spaced repetition learning environment targeted specifically at remembering what you read. When finishing a book, you can look at all the flashcards that people have created for that book (sorted by the amount of people who thought it was a good card for the book). Simply add them to a card deck. Any important card that you might miss, can be added and is hopefully useful for future readers!
When a book is missing entirely in the database, anyone can add it, as long as you add at least a few cards for the book. Hopefully, together, we will create an extensive database of cards to remember what we read. An easy-to-use Anki for books, with decks of your own choice, questions of your own choice, and the power of the crowd to create the best cards for you. That is how I would like to remember what I read!
Check out the info page for more information on the use of this website.