Readers,

You already know that words have the power to create and destroy. But you might not be aware of the folktale archetype (according to the Aarne-Thompson classification system) that involves, “a mysterious or threatening helper, defeated when the hero or heroine discovers his name.” Ancient storytellers recognized the magical power of names and naming. What you call a thing changes the very nature of the thing, as well as your relationship to it. So I’m thrilled to share this news:

reallyread.it is no longer. Long live Readup!

I like to think that we were never really reallyread.it. Namelessness is a metaphor for confusion, being lost, and we needed some time to figure out (1) who and how we want to be and (2) if we actually even care. The answers to those questions — just like the name Readup — arrived in a flash: (1) positive and (2) yes, definitely.

Clarity is a strange thing. Until it arrived, I had made two consecutive New Year’s resolutions to be more positive, and year after year I was unable to feel one iota better about my outlook on the world and my ability to do anything about it. In my own head, I was waging a war against the evil overlords of the internet, throwing pebbles at enemy walls and wandering off to hide, to lick my wounds. Turns out, that threatening helper wasn’t who - or what - I thought it was all along. Mysterious, indeed!

The new brand behind Readup starts and ends with positivity. That’s the “up” part. We’re on a mission to elevate the internet, to make it lighter and brighter by making it deeper, more honest, and more fair. It’s not about what others aren’t doing (double negatives are weak anyway) it’s about what we are doing: reading. When we read, the world reveals itself to us, shows us how to live and where we need to go. If we’re disciplined enough to focus, open enough to listen, and bold enough to never give up, everything will fall into place. It always does.

Onward!

-Bill

CEO & Co-founder, Readup