Research is a requirement for a career or hobby in any science, whether it be a hard science like physics or a social one like philosophy. You need to know the latest advancements in pneumatic conveying or ethics, how it relates to older theories and schools of thought, and what that means for you. To really keep up to date, you'd have to spend your entire life in a library. However, there are also some of types of online resources out there that you can use to keep in touch from home.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias are a great place to start. Their topical treatment of a subject can teach you just enough to know whether you need to delve deeper with your metaphorical electric cutters or move on to a new subject. General encyclopedias like Britannica are available online by subscription. There's also Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (but beware of unverified or improperly cited materials that can lead you astray) and special philosophy-centric encyclopedias run by the universities of Stanford and Tennessee at Martin.
E-texts
Just like used woodworking machines are cheaper than their newer counterparts, the older a book is generally the less you'll have to pay for it. Some are old enough that they've lapsed into the public domain and are thus available for free to anyone. Many of these texts have been scanned into online digital libraries that you can access without charge. Some examples of online libraries include books.google.com, which is a general collection, and the philosophy e-server at http://philosophy.eserver.org/, which is run by volunteers.
Study Tools
For those who are new to the study of philosophy, it can be quite overwhelming to simply jump into the topic, even at the encyclopedia level. However philosophers are nothing if not eager to spread their thoughts as far and wide as possible and have thus attempted to make it easy on newbies by creating websites full of study tools. Visiting one is like taking a cooking lesson in Toronto. One such website is Philosophy Pages http://www.philosophypages.com/, which includes timelines, dictionaries, and overviews of popular discussions.
Online Publications
Philosophers who are eager to keep up to date on what their peers are thinking about will want to concentrate mostly on reading academic journals. These are generally too advanced for a newbie, in the way that owning a construction franchise is beyond the ability of someone who has just learned to hang a picture. Many journals are available as e-book or online editions, such as the journal "Philosophy." You can view them online at journals.cambridge.org.
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