Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to go a full 24 hours without using the internet at some stage. Unfortunately, for most of us, that simply means checking Facebook or Instagram to see how many likes the latest photo upload has received. In truth, though, the World Wide Web offers so much. And now is the time to start appreciating those opportunities. 

Embracing the internet in a more efficient manner can actively enhance your life in a variety of ways. Try these ideas for size, and you’ll soon be wondering why you wasted so many hours scrolling through those pointless newsfeed items.

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Learn A New Skill 

As humans, we should always want to become better people. Developing new skills is a great way to do this, but the complexities of work and other commitments can make this seem difficult. Thanks to online courses, learning a new language or talent in your free time has never been simpler. 

The motive for learning that new skill isn’t overly important. Utilizing your leisure time in this manner is surely more beneficial than catching up on the latest celebrity gossip on Twitter. In many cases, those new talents will open new pathways in other life aspects too. 

Browsing the internet is usually a cure to boredom, which stems from not having the money and freedom to pursue another activity. So why not kill two birds with two stones by building another source of revenue via the internet. 

Many inexperienced traders would ask can you make much money from penny stocks and small investments. You certainly can when they are managed in an effective manner. Even if your returns are limited, it’s more useful than the benefits gained from watching two hours of cat videos. In addition to investments, you could fill out surveys or offer freelance services. 

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Express Creativity 

Social media platforms are supposed to be a tool for communication and sharing. In reality, though, we’re all guilty of painting a life that’s better than the truth. This isn’t the only way that we censor ourselves, though. Most of us are aware that our friends and family are watching, which stops us from unleashing our creativity. 

Starting a blogging platform is the perfect way to embrace your creativity. Whether you plan to write an ebook, upload videos of you singing, or stick to basic blogging doesn’t matter. It’s a far more productive way to spend your time, and can be far more emotionally satisfying too. 

Find Love 

Social media is a great tool for connecting with old friends and distant relatives. However, there’s no substitute for being in a loving relationship. While traditional dating certainly shouldn’t be forgotten, online dating is now more common than ever. With this guide, your chances of finding love will suddenly seem brighter than ever. 

Even if it doesn’t lead to anything serious, the confidence gained will be far greater than the positivity seen on social media. Let’s face it; that’s one of the main reasons you use Facebook and Instagram anyway. If you do find love in the process too, then that’s just perfect.

Good news to all Facebook addicts! Globe is extending again their Free Facebook promo until April 25, 2014 - which means it will be available to over 38 million subscribers allowing access to this top social networking site with no data charges.

Amazing right?  This promo has been extended a lot of times already because of the overwhelming response from the subscribers. And it is just perfect for the summer season to allow users  to enjoy an innovative, seamless, and worry-free Facebook experience.

This  promo was even recently showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain by Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in his keynote.  Zuckerberg cited the partnership with Globe in connecting more Filipinos to the Internet, as he shared his vision of a connected world through his pioneering project Internet.org launched last year. The collaboration between Globe and Facebook paved the way for all Globe prepaid, postpaid, and TM customers to enjoy free access to the social networking site alongside customer experience innovations that address the fear of mobile browsing.

Among these customer experience innovations include accessibility on feature phones and smartphones* across all Facebook mobile platforms whether via the Facebook app or Facebook’s mobile site m.facebook.com.

Customers are also guaranteed of no billshock or “nakaw load” as you will be notified if you will incur data charges once a link that leads out of Facebook is clicked.

For a seamless experience, you can also enjoy a one-click registration to the data plan of choice to continue browsing sites or links outside Facebook without having to leave the site. In the spirit of customization, recommended data plans consider a subscriber’s available prepaid balance and/or megabytes (MB) balance of existing data plan.

Lastly, if you don't have enough prepaid load - you can “loan” a 10MB data plan for only P10 which will be deducted on your succeeding top-up so you can fully explore content outside Facebook.

So what are you waiting for? If you are still not connected just  dial *143# and select FREE FB or text FREEFB to 8888 to get more. You can also go to m.facebook.com/free on the phone's web browser or open the Facebook mobile app while on the Globe network to access Free Facebook.

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*Except BlackBerry.  Free Facebook will soon be available to Nokia Xpress and Opera Mini users

People love to upload pictures to Facebook. Recently, with the commencement of Facebook Timeline, users began to have the opportunity to use a cover photo as well. What does this cover photo say about you?

If you are not already aware, your cover photo is generally visible to all users on Facebook. Unlike your profile picture, you cannot make the cover photo go blank. Therefore, your photo tells people what your ideal level of privacy is. For example, if you have a picture of you, then you are clearly okay with strangers seeing what you look like. However, many people choose to put up a picture of a favorite snack or past-time, which indicates that they want to maintain a higher level of privacy.

Regardless of whether it's a photo of you or something that you enjoy, your cover photo gives a bit of a peek into your life. For example, if your photo is a picture of a tennis racquet, then you are clearly interested in this sport. On the other hand, a picture of you and your closest friends suggests that these are amongst the most important people in your life.

Individuals generally select a cover photo that has a lot of importance to them. A woman might put up a picture of her and her husband's wedding bands to indicate that this has been the greatest moment in her life so far. Others, perhaps those who are established in the field of the culinary arts, will post a photo of a delicious dish of food that they recently made. Whatever the case may be, your photo absolutely shows people what is important to you.

Generally, people use pictures that they have taken with their own digital camera for their cover photo. You always want to be careful about copyright laws if you are taking another individual's picture to use. Therefore, people who are looking at your page will get a sense of how strong your photography skills are. Why is this so important? Well, for people who are looking for a career in photography, your cover photo can be one of the many ways you advertise yourself. For other individuals, this component is not quite as important.

People with whom you are friends on Facebook can see both your cover photo and profile picture. By looking at both of these photos in tandem, your friends will likely get a better sense of who you really are. If your cover photo is a picture of the word "Mother" and your Facebook picture is of you and your children, then your friends will know this is how you define yourself at this stage in your life.