Do you waste your life online?
By GemmaR
@GemmaR (8517)
33 responses
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
13 May 11
I sometimes feel like I'm giving up my life. It's not social networking sites or games that I'm spending time on, though, it is online earnings. I write articles in order to make some money and I spend about 6-8 hours a day on that. It's like having a "real" job but at just 10% of the pay. Still, it's more than what I had before I started. There are no jobs here for people my age so this is what I do all day--write, take surveys, myLot and any other way I can make some money.
I don't understand why anyone would spend time on a social network. I've tried it and it just doesn't appeal to me. I'd much rather go next door and talk with my neighbor than talk to someone online that I've never met.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
13 May 11
That would be great but my articles are done for people who buy them and retain the copyrights. I'd like to know which sites you publish on. I've tried Triond and only make a few cents a month on that. Helium, I don't understand that place and no one there will help me when I ask.
@GemmaR (8517)
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13 May 11
It's Triond that I use for my publishing. The earning is slow, but as I said once the articles are up, they do earn for you forever. I make ~$3 the first day that I have an article online just from friend views, and then this levels out to ~1¢ per day per article, which all works out at ~$10 per day currently. It is good once you get your head around it and get your fan base up. I have a fair number of referrals as well, and earn a bit from them too.
@GemmaR (8517)
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13 May 11
I know what you mean about the articles, as I do that too, but just remember that the ones you write earn for you for as long as the website exists, so the more you publish, the higher your monthly earnings will be. I started in 2009, and now have almost 300 articles published and earning for me every day, and my income is fairly high from that, so you just need to keep going!
1 person likes this
@metrox324 (63)
• Philippines
13 May 11
I am not wasting my time on social networking sites because I enjoy doing it... :)
@GemmaR (8517)
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13 May 11
Yes I do enjoy being on websites such as Facebook and Twitter as well, but they're still incredibly addictive and I sometimes find myself refreshing the page to look for more updates even though there's not really anybody online posting. I guess it's about getting the balance right between socialising and becoming obsessed. I think a lot of people probably get a little too caught up in it.
@jackgone (50)
• China
14 May 11
Hello,guy!I think that I am not wasting my time on social networking too.I always use my PC most in studying.Then chatting with my friends.Sometimes have a relax.For instance;i will play games.I suppose that it is benefit for me.When i was depressed,I will watch movie online.By it,I get fun.Someone may be wonder how can you balance your time on line.To consider my eyesight,I will take less time in it.When I was offline,faced the people in the reality.I still very kind to chat with them.No matter how they are strange to me.The most important thing in communicating is that you should be sincere to everyone and trust each one.Thanks!Have a good time after reading my response
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
I have to think about my eye sight too, as I noticed about a year ago that my eye sight is not as good as it once was. Because of this I have had to wear glasses and be careful not to use my laptop in dim lights; however there is no way that I could ever stop using it altogether because of the way that I earn my money. If I stopped that, I would have to take an offline job which probably wouldn't pay as much, and I would have to spend longer hours working anyway.
@millertime (1394)
• United States
16 May 11
I spend a lot of time online but I don't consider it a waste. I create websites, write articles, blog, keep up with current events and keep in touch with friends and family. I don't consider myself a slave to it, indeed, I consider it a good use of my time and I also enjoy it very much, so in a way, it's also a form of entertainment. Probably better than watching TV all the time. I would find it hard to give up the internet. I could, but it would be like taking a step back in time. I guess it's the one piece of modern technology I have embraced 
and don't want to give up.
and don't want to give up.@GemmaR (8517)
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21 May 11
But you can earn money by doing all of those things, so that means it's not a waste, right? I love being able to do things that I enjoy, for example writing articles about things that interest me, and be able to earn money by doing so at the same time. I think the internet has changed our lives in that respect, and there is so much more that we are able to do with our time than there used to be.
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
16 May 11
I know a few people like this.
It seems like they can't go on doing anything without broadcasting it online through their FB page. Even if they are doing something fun, they would have put it in their account 'that they are having fun'.
Sometimes I wonder how much fun they are having if they have to put it up on their FB page.
Although I am on the online for most of the day, I try and make sure that I am not wasting my life away on the internet.
@GemmaR (8517)
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21 May 11
Oh well I know what you mean about people broadcasting their lives on social networking websites. I know so much about different people (who I don't really know) and could tell you many things about their lives just because of what they have written on their public profiles. There are just some things in life that I think you should keep private. It's all about having a bit of respect for yourselves, and also for others around you if it isn't any of their business.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
15 May 11
Well I don't spend all that much time on social networking websites. Every now and again, I might hop on there for an hour or so, mess around, get off and get on with my day. However, times like that is very few and far between. I really don't think that I am wasting a lot of time on the Internet. Pretty much everything that I am doing, has a purpose. I don't want to say all of the time is productive, because there are days, where I am not getting as much work done as I would like.
Regardless, everything is geared for getting something done. Therefore, it is not that much of a waste to be honest with you. Others may disagree, but in the end, one person's waste of time, is another person's productive day. So it really does depend on what someone would consider to be a waste is what another person would consider to be extremely productive. At least that's my opinion on everything. As I said, people may and will disagree.
@GemmaR (8517)
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21 May 11
Some people might not feel as though spending all day on social networking websites is wasting their time, and I suppose that they have every right to think that. However I would never do anything which wasn't really fun (because it isn't) for such a long amount of time unless I was earning money from it at the same time; which I am with everything that I do online in an average day. I don't like to do anything that doesn't achieve anything. I think too much about paying the bills to be able to do that.
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
14 May 11
No. I enjoy spending my time with people whom we do not know. There are no expectations from you. You do not have any expectations from me. This way we transact as the time goes. We also earn some amount!
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Yes, one of the things that I like most about the internet is that you can be whoever you want to be. By that I don't mean lie, but nobody on here knows how fat I am, for example, so I can just give my opinions without having to worry about what other people are going to think of me for it.
Obviously my friends on MyLot are lovely to me, but, without meaning to sound rude, their opinion doesn't matter as much to me as the opinions of my family and friends would. Because of that, I tend to air a lot of my problems online, to people who I don't really know.
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
14 May 11
This is the point I was stressing. People are able to tell openly what they cannot talk to their family people. Sometimes it is good. Sometimes it becomes bad. One has to be careful in not revealing secret information through net also to others though they are unknown people.
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
14 May 11
Well, if it allows u to pass time in a meaningful way, earning some cents instead of wasting electricity by playing games, i dun see it as a waste of life. After all, u are working too, just that we dun see people around us, in physical form. At the end of the day, u are just doing the same things like others, being in the office. Only difference is that they are paid, and free resources from the office 
@GemmaR (8517)
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15 May 11
That's true, it must be better to earn a little cash along the way than to just sit online and play games all day. I never feel as though I am working as hard as everyone who goes out to work when I am working online, even though I know that I am, because I spend hours and hours each day just trying to make some money. I wish that other people would understand that just because I don't leave the house to go to work doesn't mean that I don't work as hard (if not harder, sometimes) as those who do go out to work.
1 person likes this
@LadyDD (515)
• Romania
14 May 11
You are perfectly right. Internet has stolen many lives and is still doing it if we are nor cautious. Sedentary life is not good. I noticed on myself. I try to stay in front of the computer as little as possible. I feel so good when I leave for the countryside where I have not internet!
@GemmaR (8517)
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15 May 11
I agree that being still all day isn't good for a person, however that makes things difficult when you choose to use the internet for your job, as you can't just switch it off and not go on it for the whole day. I love going out for walks, as the countryside around our house is beautiful, however I just don't feel as though I can always go out and abandon my work for the day. I guess that's one of the bad things about working on the internet; you just can't see how long the income is going to last so you have to make the most of it while it's there.
@tiina05 (2317)
• Philippines
14 May 11
hello,
No, for me because I am not just wasting time around here using internet I make way to earn money. I know some also do this because I am just a student and I dont have any other way to earn. So, I decided to used internet to look some part time jobs and I never failed. It is really addicting to use internet specially if you are earning from home but I know how to handle myself and internet has no fault if I am taken over it and besides it is our choice. right?
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
I agree that it is the perfect thing to do when you're a student. I am a student at the moment doing a Psychology degree and I manage to earn a fair amount of money by just doing odd bits and pieces on the internet in between my studying sessions. It is our choice, and I suppose nobody else can comment about what we choose to do with our time, as it doesn't affect them in any way.
@r3john_10 (96)
• Philippines
15 May 11
Haha. It sounds funny, and i guess so but i do believe internet is life not just because it's compulsory for an i.t student like me, but because i learn many things by just surfing, I was able to meet new people or knowing new things (especially the latest). Maybe we just embrace it.
@GemmaR (8517)
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21 May 11
You can literally learn anything you want from the internet. I can't even tell you the amount of things that I have learned just by doing a simple search for something, usually unrelated to what I end up looking at. About talking to people- I agree that is so important, and it can help us to reach out to people across the other side of the world. We can talk to people who live lives that we can only dream about, and I think that the internet is an immensly powerful tool to have at our fingertips for those reasons.
@gingerberrie (191)
• Philippines
14 May 11
I'm a busy mom with my family. Every minute of my life is precious. My time for my family (my husband, my children, and my pets {2 rabbits, 1 duck, 2 roosters, 2 chicks, cat, and my 4 dogs}), and my time for internet.
My online time is my relaxation time. The good thing in here is that I am spending my time learning with the discussion in MyLot at the same time I'm earning. Sharing different views in one topic can help your mind to develop your thinking ability. In this, I can't see any point that I am wasting my time online.
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Wow your life sounds really busy! We have lots of pets too, although they're relatively low maintenance so they tend to take care of themselves. I like to relax online in the evenings too, but I often get too tempted to check out my online earning accounts to see how things are ticking along, and then I end up writing another article or blog just to boost my earnings a little bit.
I guess as long as you enjoy what you do, it can't be called a waste of time.
@carvic08 (19)
• Philippines
14 May 11
I sometimes ask the same question to myself--what am I doing here letting others know what I'm up to.I won't let the day pass without visiting my accounts on social networking sites. Though, i don't think it's really a waste of time because for me it has some benefits like I get to interact with other people without exactly knowing them. It's also some sort of therapy to speak out everything that's happening to you without any fear of being judged.It feels good to tell others some things that I can't tell my very young kids.
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
I agree that there are a lot of benefits to social networking websites. It's easier to chat to friends online now than it ever has been, and there's no need for anybody to miss out on any events or gossip. Literally our whole lives are planned using social networking websites, to the extent that I strongly feel that it is those who do not use these websites who are ultimately missing out on the social life. I love being able to say things to people without being judged. It's literally what you would pay a counsellor for, and on here, you can get it for free.
@RabbitCanFly (120)
• China
14 May 11
I think it's human nature that a lot of us tend to enjoy staying at home more than going outside if the circumstances permits.
Surfing the internet is the easiest way to entertain and relax yourself after all.You don't need to go to the cinema,you don't need to use cellphones,you don't need to use the TV,you have accesses to many things you need on the web.
Internet taking over our lives is probably a bad thing if you don't have much self-control.
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Well I certainly prefer to stay inside and go on the internet if it's possible for me to do so. It's not that I'm antisocial, I just find it an easy way to relax and because my job is also online I have to spend most of my days on the internet otherwise I wouldn't have any money to pay the bills with. I am learning about self control, and am trying to cut down the hours that I spend working online, but I will have to work on that a little more.
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Yes but you need a lot of motivation to exercise, and I certainly don't always manage to find the motivation to be able to do that. Certainly whenever I think about going for an hour's jog I end up worrying that I could be losing out on too much money by taking an hour out from my earnings to do other things. That's one of the worrying things about earning online; you can never be sure whether the websites you work on will shut down, or whether you will get your payments. Not every website is as reliable as MyLot!
@sunny5u (2069)
• India
14 May 11
Hi GemmaR, at times when i completely had my day in front of net then i thought in such a way, may be in few years
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=88115844110
i may turn out like these, not only me, i've seen many, that's not be a shock even.
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Well if you do turn out like those people just make sure you've made some good software to leave your legacy behind! I have always envied some software producers as they have the ability to make a lot of money. I wish that I had the skills to be able to do what they do but unfortunately I don't and I doubt that I will ever be able to have the time to sort out a course or anything in order to develop the skills that I would need.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
14 May 11
I really do not think it is a waste of my time or my life. I work on here seven days a week to earn money to help my family pay the bills and buy extras. We are paying off debts also with the money so it is not a waste fo my time as long as I earn on here.
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Well if you're earning money to help your family then of course you're not wasting your time. That is very different to the people who are online to simply waste time by watching silly videos, or chatting to people on social networking websites even though there's no way they would ever chat to people like that in real life. Paying off debts is a really good way to spend your money, so well done for doing that. That's the first thing that I did with my first few big pay checks when I started working online a couple of years back. There's nothing that lifts a weight off your shoulders than realising that you don't owe money to people anymore.
@myfb2009 (8296)
• Malaysia
14 May 11
I don't feel that way because i had spend less time to online. Most of the time, i am online only when i am really very free and have something need to complete through online. I spend my online time productively, as i seldom visit social network. I spend most of my time into posting in forums and writing sites. Although i don't really earn well yet, but at least i have earned some income from my online activities every month.
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Well the good news is that there is so much that you can do online, you're bound to be able to find something that will suit you and also suit your style of working. Earning at least some income is a good start, as some people can spend their entire lives online and still not manage to earn so much as a single cent from it. At least you have a productive time online though. The good news is that the internet has so many opportunities we can make our fortune, providing that we don't get side tracked by something that we can't earn from.
@lipstick2009 (1236)
• Philippines
14 May 11
It seems we are on the same boat right now (^_^)? Yes i think i have wasted my life doing social networking instead of doing mylot or exploring some possible venues where I can earn online.
No regrets though.But as i look back , it looks like it would have been better if I didn't.But who knows really. I guess I can just say, i learned a lot of lessons from my mistakes and is why I can never consider them mistakes for they taught me some lessons.
In the meantime, i must spend more time in online jobs rather than finding Mr.Right online.
(^_^)
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Social networking is dangerously additive, and you can often spend hours and hours on the internet without even realising that you're doing it. I have been sitting here for two hours this morning and it doesn't feel like all that much at all.
However I don't really have any major regrets either. Without the mistakes you make in life, you'll never be able to improve yourself and allow your life to take shape for the future.
Luckily for me, I have already found my Mr Right, so online dating has never been something that has attracted me. It's probably for the best, as I would only have wasted more time trying to find a parter, and I waste enough time as it is.
@Leeteukwifey (42)
• Philippines
14 May 11
its okay to waste your time online but make sure its always worth it as for me i waste my time online checking emails and doing my assignments in school whether it is program, website, or research. Internet has taken our life in such a way we forget we still have books around and in our country the interaction of the children decreases because computer or technology affects our lives.
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
Oh, I do always make sure that the time I spend online is worth it. I probably shouldn't have put "wasting time" as that does make it sound as though I'm not doing anything worth while, when in actual fact I am. I am earning money and wouldn't be able to live without the cash that I make online. I do a lot of research for my degree on the internet as well, which is awesome and I doubt that I would be able to pass it without being able to use all of the information available to me on the internet.
@lilyfang1991 (164)
• China
14 May 11
Actually,I also have the similar thoughts as you sometimes, when I encounter some things I don't know or could not solve alone online, especially when I am not clear what to do, but however, I don't always waste my time online, I could do more meaning matter and learn much knoeledge what I need, which makes me feel content……
@GemmaR (8517)
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14 May 11
I find that you can find most of the things that you need to know on the internet if you look hard enough. It's very rare that I come online in hope of finding something and leave disappointed. I think search engines are fantastic because not only do you get the facts, but you also get the opinions of millions of people, and I often find that they are just as interesting and wonderful to read as the facts themselves are.
