25 Ways to Spend Time Online praveen parashar 23/09/2008 1.

Either watch or shar

e videos Why: Exclusivity that videos have attached with them. They are entertai
ning, informative, can be funny and you feel engrossed. You have options of watc
hing informative videos, or movies and songs. Youtube is one of the most famous
site for watching and uploading videos. Sites that you can head to: 1. Metacafe.
com: Has a fast buffering rate and inbuilt rewind and forwarding options. 2. Vim
eo.com: supports HD content at a resolution of 1280 X 768, and has an inbuilt wi
dget for Facebook users. 3. Funnyordie.com: Has a good collection of funny video
s. 2. Explore what all you are capable of-with DIY sites Why: If you've craving
for doing new things, then visit DIY (do it yourself) sites. This way you can ex
plore the scientist, or artist within you. For instance, browsing through sites
such as Homedoctor.com can provide you with tips and tricks for maintaining your
�Home, sweet home.� Sites that you can head to: 1. Howstuffworks.com: A site for enthu
iasts, who want to know everything about technology, science and gadgets. 2. Lif
ehacker.com: An advertising-supported weblog about life hacks and software that
has the motto, �Don't live to geek; geek to live.� 3. Watch TV online, if you can't fin
anything interesting on your TV sets that is Why: One of the advantages of the
Internet TV is that it allows content delivery to a huge population with virtual
ly no geographical limitations. Secondly, for every second person, sitting glued
to their couches with popcorn bucket in hand and watching TV is an ideal way to
spend time. Sites that you can head to: 1. idesitv.com: The content on this sit
e caters to the South Asian entertainment. 2. www.123bollywood.net/tv: You can e
ither catch trailers of the upcoming movies or episodes of your favorite serials
. 3. ITV.com, Reeltime.com, Joost.com: Are exclusive sites for Hollywood content
. 4. Run, shoot, kill-do whatever. Play games! Why: You'll never realize how tim
e passes by and also you need not search for company for playing. You can play c
o-op combats over consoles, explore new games, enhance your brain power, and eve
n get rid of that anxiety or frustration that has been taking a toll on you. Sit
es that you can head to: 1. miniclip.com: Has a collection of various shooting g
ames, action games, and sports games. 2. Gamepuma.com: Includes action, adventur
e, shooting, puzzle, and card and casino games. 5. Gossip around with friends-lo
g onto the chat Why: Isn't this true? No matter what, we never get tired of chat
ting. It's all fun and the best part is that you can chat with your friends acro
ss the globe & share information for free. It also does make economic sense-with
PC to PC calls. These
days, chatting has become so popular that even colleagues sitting next to each o
ther talk over chat rather than strike up a normal conversation. Sites that you
can head to: 1. Meebo: Supports multiple IM services, including Yahoo! Messenger
, .NET Messenger Service, Google Talk and AIM. 2. Gtalk, Yahoo messenger, AIM ar
e the famous chat messengers. 6. Play around with the photographs available onli
ne Why: Creative shots, natural scenery, and photoshop images always make me fee
l better. Your reason for loving images might be different, but if they excite y
ou, then where else will you find some really great images. Sites that you can h
ead to: 1. Flickr: Explore the latest images that others have uploaded or share
your own images with the world. 2. Picnik: Features cool and powerful photo edit
ing tools. 7. Music lovers, please head to the streaming radio channels Why: If
the local radio that you tune to, doesn't play songs that you love, where else w
ill you get all the latest and old songs to listen to. Just tune into any of the
streaming radio stations and listen to the music of your kind. One thing I love
with streaming radio is that I don't have to make a playlist of my own; it will
make one based on my preferences. Sites that you can head to: 1. musicovery.com
: Define your mood, select your genre and it will take care of the rest. 2. desi
hits.com: From desi hits to Bollywood flavor and Hip hop/R&B, you get all here.
3. onlinehindiradio.com: Has 23 radio channels which includes Desi Radio. 8. Lis
ten Why: When offer for to a book to a book-this is not a typo man! I say listen
to a book, I am referring to audio books that many sites free. How do you find
the idea of plugging in earphones, and listening while sitting on your couch or
bed? Sounds fun to me.
Sites that you can head to: 1. Gutenberg.org has around 25,000 free ebooks (incl
udes audio books). 2. freeclassicaudiobooks.com: Offers audiobooks in the MP3 fo
rmat and the M4B format for iPod. 9. Come on ladies and gentlemen, Let's go on a
ride to the shopper's paradise Why: Don't roll your eyes ladies and gentlemen.
I am not asking you to spend money, I am talking about window shopping. Visit th
e sites, see the product catalogues, and never mind there will be no salesman th
at will be staring at you in anger. So, shop till you Drop! Sites that you can h
ead to: 1. Future Bazaar.com, eBay.in, Rediff.com, SifyMall.com , and Indiaplaza
.in-you'll get a collection of all the products from gadgets to home d�cor on these
sites. 10. Hey, all those who have a flair for languages, how about learning a n
ew language? Why: You add a new language to the list of the languages that you c
an speak. Also, you can get rid of the problems you face in cities like Bangalor
e or Southern India, where most of the people understand only their native langu
age. Yes I am talking about the troubles you faced while purchasing fruits from
the local vendor
or negotiating the taxi fare. And, by the way, how about cursing your Punjabi bo
ss in Tamil? Sites that you can head to: 1. babelnation.com offers French, Spani
sh & Italian lessons. 2. word2word.com offers 86 languages including Punjabi. 11
. Setup your own blog/Read a few interesting blogs Why: It's a place where you c
an talk about all that you can't share with others verbally. It is also an extre
mely powerful medium to reach out to the masses, and making your concerns, views
etc sound loud and clear. You can use it for satisfying your urge for writing,
you can talk about political or general topics that really concern you and also
make other people aware of them. Sites that you can head to: 1. Wordpress.com ,
Blogspot.com, IBIBO.com, and Bloggista.com: Are free blogging websites and have
a few interesting and worthwhile blogs. 12. Do Social Networking Why: Contact al
l those with whom you lost contact because of your busy work schedule or change
in geographical location. Head over to the social networking site that you're a
part of and scrap those who matter and also those who don'tjust for making sure
that your social links remain intact. You can even expand your professional cont
act list, which is now one of the preferred ways of IT companies to find suitabl
e candidates. Sites that you can head to: 1. Orkut, Facebook, Friendster, Hi5 ar
e famous social networking sites. 2. LinkedIn.com and techtribe.com are sites fo
r professional connections. 13. Expand your knowledge Why: Expanding your knowle
dge base is undoubtedly the best thing that you can do, use your leisure time, w
hich is a rarity in today's fast-paced lives, just for that. Sites that you can
head to: 1. britannica.com, encyclopedia.com, wikipedia.com, and Xrefer.com; fro
m news to technology to space and so on-all your queries will get answered on th
ese websites. 14. Podcasting Why: Podcasting is an acronym for Personal On Deman
d broadcasting that initially began as a method to distribute individuals'own ra
dio-style shows, but today it is used more for educational and official purposes
. The podcasts enable you to share information with anyone at any time. If a stu
dent is absent from a class or an executive is absent from a meeting, then they
can listen to the podcasts of the classes and the meeting respectively. Sites th
at you can head to: 1. Druid internet.com, PodKive.com, and PodcastAlley.com are
the sites that offer free podcasts about topics that interest you. 15. Have fun
with Translation, Conversion! Why: Exclusivity is attached to it. Convert the p
rices in dollars to Indian rupees, see how statements like �Who are you? I love my c
ountry. etc.� will read in French, or Spanish by heading onto the translation Websit
es. Sites that you can head to:
1. YahooBabelfish.com translates sentences in English to Spanish, French etc. 2.
Onlineconversion.com: is a site for converting any units. 3. www.xe.com/ucc is
a daily updated currency converter. 16. Enhance your Word Power Why: Learning ne
w words will not only improve your vocabulary but will also help in making you s
tand out while you strike a conversation with anyone. Also you can play around w
ith words, make harsher comments sound decent to your colleagues, etc. Sites tha
t you can head to: Yourdictionary.com, Dictionary.com, Askoxford.com, Thesaurus.
com, and Merriamwebster.com are some of the sites that will really help you in e
nhancing your word power. 17. Become a mixologist Why: The next time you throw a
party at home, serve your friends those special drinks for which previously you
used to head to a bar. A number of sites offer these and they may also tell you
the ways to spice up such a party. Who knows, with your new-found knowledge you
may land up a new job! Sites that you can head to: 1. mixologist.com 2. drinkst
reet.com 3. thamixologist.com 18. Acquire a new skill Why: Learning a new skill
set is not a bad idea at all. You can learn things such that will make you feel
proud and if you like you can even flaunt them and become a center of attraction
in any gathering. Sites that you can head to: 1. Vedicastrology.com: Learn astr
ology and grab the attention of ladies in any gathering! 2. Astroinsights.com 3.
Majortom.biz/classes 19. Get yourself a Second life Why: Visit the virtual life
websites and get yourself a second life, away from this world and do things lik
e fly and all others which are impossible in the real world. Sites that you can
head to: 1. Secondlife.reuters.com 2. Imvu.com 3. There.com 20. How about being
a Beta tester? Why: If you are a developer or a tester, you can make use of your
skill set for testing the software, apps and sites that are in the development
stage, and contribute to them. The high point is that you get hands on the softw
are even before the launched and with your contribution you can reduce the holes
that might bother others later. Sites that you can head to: 1. Babbledog.com is
one such site. 21. Try out your luck and play online contests
Why: See how lucky can you get and gamble online. Who knows, if the stars are in
your favor, then you might win a handsome prize! You can also try bidding on sh
opping websites-who knows you might be lucky enough to get a great accessory at
a competitive price. Sites that you can head to: 1. Indiatimes.com 2. Contests2w
in.com 3. Criccontest.com 22. Plan your vacation Why: Go to travel websites, and
find in and out info about the destination that you are planning to visit this
Christmas! The info will help you in making a list of places that you must see o
ver there, and the travelers' blogs will let you know whether that destination i
s actually worthwhile or not. Sites that you can head to: 1. Lonelyplanet.com 2.
Yatra.com 3. Cleartrip.com 23. Read online comics Why: Comics and their charact
ers will take you away to a wonderland where there'll be no place for stress and
tensions. If you think that Comics are meant for kids, think again. I know quit
e a good amount of adults who prefer reading comics other than those heavy novel
s in their leisure time. But of course, ultimately the choice is yours. Sites th
at you can head to: 1. gocomics.com 2. superdickery.com 3. whattheduck.com 24. T
hink Business, make some money Why: Money of course. We all work for money, isn'
t it? So, if you've leisure time then you can earn money in several ways: write
a blog, review a product, or sell a photo. Sites that you can head to: 1 blogbur
ner.com, BloggerWave.com, BlogFeast.com are the sites where you can write and ea
rn. 2. digitaljournal.tv: Become a citizen journalist and earn money. 3. reviewm
e.com: Review or promote products and earn! 4. istockphoto.com: Sell your photos
on this site. 25. For general time pass a. Add Stumble upon toolbar to your exp
lorer. b. Visit www.darkroastedblend.com to view weird as well as wonderful thin
gs. c. Piclens-watch your image search results in an unusual 3D manner. d. Watch
out for optical illusions