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The Internet has completely changed our lives, from one end to another. Everything we do is different. We do our jobs differently than we would have twenty, thirty years ago. And we also do things at home differently.
That brings us to our question this week. We know a lot of people play games online, but other than that, what do you do to spend time and relax online? Social networking? Shopping? Watching entertainment? Reading news? Reading tech help sites? We asked a few of our writers this week, “Other than playing games, how do you spend your free time online?”
Our OpinionWe found that everyone spends their time differently. Derrik does many different things with his free time online. He likes to watch YouTube videos as much as he likes working on his own YouTube channel. He also likes to browse and keep up with reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter.
Ada doesn’t play online games but spends most free time browsing, noting “I usually do some sort of research.” With an ongoing home improvement project, “I am constantly looking for stuff and info about remodeling, home repairs, etc.,” not to mention recipes, health info for elder neighbors, and pet info for friends who don’t know English.
Simon gets very social in his free time. “I have a great group I keep in contact with with members from around the world, and it’s always fun.” Additionally he enjoys watching streaming content “from competitive games to someone working on an art project.” He finds that it makes great background sound while he gets other things done, so maybe that’s not just his free time.
Phil explains he doesn’t “want” to spend all his free time on Facebook, “but for some bizarre reason that’s the platform I use to publish my every harebrained passing thought.” He blogs on the social network to a restricted audience of invited friends and family. “It’s like the worst magic show put on by adoring parents for their snotty eight-year-old kid and everyone golf claps,” he jokes. He wishes he had more time for it, but he does spend a little time collecting things he would like to make in the future.
As for myself, like Phil I do a fair amount of Facebook, but I don’t really consider that free time, as it’s not “extra.” It’s just built into my daily life. And what complicates it for me even more is that my work time blends in with my free time. Along with writing and editing tech, I also write and edit entertainment. So every TV and movie I watch becomes work, and my research I do in entertainment news is actually what I would do if I wasn’t working. So I don’t have “real” free time often, but when I do I enjoy shopping on a resale site/app called Poshmark. There are great deals there!
Your OpinionDo you spend your free time online the same way our writers do? Do you spend it on social networking, researching, streaming, reading, and shopping? Or do you have other things you like to do in that found free time? Other than playing games, how do you spend your free time online?
Laura Tucker
Laura has spent nearly 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with more than 10 of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past three decades. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.
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You're reading Other Than Playing Games, How Do You Spend Your Free Time Online?
Forgot Your Screen Time Passcode? Here’s What To Do
Did you forget the Screen Time passcode for your iPhone, iPad, or Mac? Don’t worry—it’s not hard to reset it. Read on to figure out what you need to do.
A Screen Time passcode is the best way to protect content restrictions and app usage limits when handing over your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to someone else. Unfortunately, it can be pretty easy to forget unless you use something memorable.
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Thankfully, forgetting your Screen Time passcode is nothing to worry about. You don’t have to do a factory reset through an iCloud/iTunes backup or anything complicated to reset it.
So long as you’re the owner of the iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can reset or remove a Screen Time passcode with just your Apple ID—unless you’ve also forgotten that.
Reset Screen Time Passcode on Your iPhoneSuppose you forget the Screen Time passcode for your personal iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. In that case, you can reset or remove it immediately after authenticating yourself with your Apple ID or iCloud account credentials. To do that:
Open the
Settings
app in iOS or iPadOS and tap
Screen Time
.
Scroll down and tap
Change Screen Time Passcode
.
Tap
Change Screen Time Passcode
or
Turn Off Screen Time
Passcode
.
Tap
Forgot Passcode
?
Enter your Apple ID username, followed by your Apple ID password.
Tap
OK
and wait until your iPhone authenticates your Apple ID credentials.
Enter and verify a new Screen Time passcode. If you turn off the Screen Time passcode in
Step 3
, you don’t have to do anything else.
Reset Screen Time Passcode on Your MacLike on an iPhone or iPad, you can reset or turn off a forgotten Screen Time passcode on Mac using your Apple ID. To do that:
Open the
Apple menu
and select
System Preferences
(or
System Settings
if you use macOS Ventura or later).
Select the
Screen Time
category.
Select
Options
.
Select the
Change Passcode
button. If you want to disable the Screen Time passcode, uncheck the
Use Screen Time Passcode
box instead.
Select
Forgot Passcode
?
Enter your Apple ID username and password. Then, select
Next
to continue.
Enter and verify a new Screen Time passcode. If you opt to turn off the Screen Time passcode in
Step 4
, you don’t have to do anything else.
“Forgot Passcode” Option Missing? Update Your iPhone or MacIf you have trouble finding the “Forgot Passcode?” option, you likely use an older version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS. Consider updating the system software on your Apple device to iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4, macOS Catalina 10.15.4, or later, and repeat the above steps.
Update Mac: Open the System Preferences/System Settings app, select Software Update, and tap Update Now.
Can’t update the system software on your Apple device? Learn how to fix stuck iOS and macOS updates.
Reset Screen Time Passcode as a Family OrganizerIf you’re a family organizer and have Screen Time set up for a child’s iPhone, iPad, or Mac, the device’s Screen Time settings will not offer a “Forgot Passcode?” option to reset or remove a forgotten passcode. Instead, you must use your own Apple device to reset or remove it.
To do that on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:
Open the
Settings
app and tap
Screen Time
.
Scroll down to the
Family
section and tap the child’s name.
Tap
Change Screen Time Passcode
.
Tap
Change Screen Time Passcode
again. If you want to disable the Screen Time passcode, tap
Turn Off Screen Time
Passcode
instead.
Authenticate yourself using Face ID, Touch ID, or your iPhone passcode.
Enter a new Screen Time passcode and verify it. If you opt to turn off the Screen Time passcode in
Step 4
, you won’t have to do anything else.
On a Mac, you must:
Select the child’s name from the drop-down menu on the top-left of the window.
Select
Options
.
Select
Change Passcode
. To remove the Screen Time passcode, uncheck the box next to
Turn Off Screen Time Passcode
instead.
Authenticate your Mac user account using Touch ID or its password.
Enter and verify a new passcode. If you turn off the Screen Time passcode in
Step 4
, you won’t have to do anything else.
Don’t Freak OutAs you just found out, forgetting a Screen Time passcode on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac is not something to start freaking out about, so don’t let that put you off from unleashing the full potential of the feature.
If you’re still getting into grips with Screen Time, check out our complete guides to Screen Time for iPhone and Mac for all the best ways you can use the feature to monitor apps usage habits, impose restrictions, and use it as an effective parental control tool.
10 Best Free Mac Games You Can Download Now
Macs aren’t exactly known as the best computer gaming machines around, but everyone likes to kill time or relax with a video game now and then. Mac gaming is better than ever today with storefronts like Steam, GoG, EGS, and Origin joining the Mac App Store on the platform.
You can also simply install games directly, the same as any application. The only thing you need to do is pay. But there are also so many excellent free Mac games. Here are ten of the best free Mac games you can download right now.
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Fortnite is a phenomenon, a free-to-play battle royale shooter that just seems to go from strength to strength. It’s available on just about every platform (except iOS) and that includes macOS!
Hearthstone is best played on an iPad in our opinion, but if you need a fix of Blizzard’s brilliant and addictive card battler the macOS version is no less enjoyable.
Just as with classic card games such as Magic The Gathering, Hearthstone players put together decks of cards representing creatures, objects, and other bits of the Warcraft universe. Then they battle each other with said cards which can attack, defend or otherwise influence the course of play.
It’s a game that’s easy to learn but hard to master, making for a fantastic competitive scene. If you want to play at the upper echelons and rank, you’ll need to spend money on booster packs. If you just want to play casually, the game is as free as the air.
While Dota (Defense of the Ancients) was the Warcraft III mod that launched the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) genre, it has since been surpassed in popularity by League of Legends.
LoL is probably the most famous eSports title in history and you don’t need a beast of a machine or any money in your pocket to play it. What you do need is a lot of skill and patience for its learning curve
Not to be confused with the remade and upgraded Cave Story+, which is a paid title. Cave Story is a classic indie game that’s been ported to just about every platform.
Counter-Strike in its original form was an absolute phenomenon. While CS: GO doesn’t have much in common technologically with the original Half-Life mod, it has honed the formula to a razor’s edge.
CS: GO runs great on practically any hardware, it takes pure skill to get anywhere and the shooting is frenetic and fun. It may not be the nicest-looking shooter these days, but you won’t even notice as you desperately try not to get shot.
The original Dota mod for Warcraft 3 started the MOBA revolution, but these days League of Legends is the big dog of the genre. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give Dota 2 a look if you’re a fan of these games.
This official, professionally-developed sequel is a bit more refined and has its own character and feel. It’s not riffing off LoL at all. If you don’t have MOBA fatigue, it’s a great alternative to the market leader.
You may have heard of a little game called World of Warcraft. It was quite popular at one time. OK, WoW is still pretty popular. There are usually about a quarter of a million players online at any given time. If you want to know what all the fuss is about, you can play for free until your character hits level 20 in this classic MMORPG.
By then you’ll either have no problem paying the monthly subscription or you’ll know it’s not for you. Don’t blame us if you get way too into it!
The Asphalt series of arcade racers are well-respected on mobile phones, but now you can take that pulse-pounding experience and shift it straight into your Mac! Thanks to Apple’s Catalyst conversion system that makes it relatively easy to convert iOS games to macOS, Asphalt looks and runs great.
The gameplay is also pretty solid and unless you have no patience, you don’t need to pay any money. At least not right away.
Despite Macs not having a great gaming reputation today, Apple’s computers have an excellent gaming pedigree. Some of the best classic games launched or appeared on their machines.
Then we have the Marathon Trilogy from Bungie. This is their early work long before Halo, but these games are still a blast to play. In case you didn’t know, Halo was originally going to be a Mac exclusive, now you can see what Bungie cooked up not too long before that epic game.
Frugal FunHow Do Payday Loans Differ From Other Types Of Loans?
There are many types of loans that a person can take out and use, Online payday loans (also called payday
Types of LoansThere are many different types of loans, and payday loans are just one type of loan. Other types of loans include:
Long-term loans: These are typically used for larger purchases like cars or homes. You need to have a good credit score and a stable income to qualify for a long-term loan.
Business loans: These are used to finance things like start-ups or new businesses. You need good credit and a good business plan to qualify.
Personal loans: These are used for everyday expenses like groceries, clothes, or furniture. You don’t need good credit to get a personal loan, but you do need an emergency fund in case you can’t pay back the loan.
How do Payday Loans Work?There are a lot of things that can vary when it comes to payday loans as opposed to other types of loans. For example, payday loans can be much more expensive and difficult to get than other types of loans. Keep reading to learn more about the different aspects of payday loans. When looking at payday loans, the first thing that you will notice is the high price tag. On average, payday loans are priced at around 100% APR. This means that for every $100 that you borrow, you will owe $100 back in interest and fees within two weeks. When compared to the rates of other types of loans, such as vehicle or personal loans, this is quite high. Additionally, many payday lenders do not offer interest-free periods. This means that even if you only have a short-term financial need, you will still be subject to high interest rates and fees.
Repaying your LoanAs soon as your loan is fully repaid, you will have completely paid back this type of loan. This is in contrast to other types of loans where you may still have a balance due. When it comes to payday loans, it’s important to repay them as soon as possible so you don’t get into any further debt. The interest rate on payday loans is usually quite high, and it can be difficult to pay them back quickly. If you can’t afford to repay your loan on time, you may have to consider a longer payment plan or a different type of loan.
There are many types of loans that a person can take out and use, Online payday loans (also called payday loans offered by online lenders like FlashApply) were introduced to fill the void for those people who need quick cash and prefer it to be paid back right away instead of delaying loans over a longer period. This article shall tell you all you wish to know about this short-term loan option.There are many different types of loans, and payday loans are just one type of loan. Other types of loans include:There are a lot of things that can vary when it comes to payday loans as opposed to other types of loans. For example, payday loans can be much more expensive and difficult to get than other types of loans. Keep reading to learn more about the different aspects of payday loans. When looking at payday loans, the first thing that you will notice is the high price tag. On average, payday loans are priced at around 100% APR. This means that for every $100 that you borrow, you will owe $100 back in interest and fees within two weeks. When compared to the rates of other types of loans, such as vehicle or personal loans, this is quite high. Additionally, many payday lenders do not offer interest-free periods. This means that even if you only have a short-term financial need, you will still be subject to high interest rates and chúng tôi soon as your loan is fully repaid, you will have completely paid back this type of loan. This is in contrast to other types of loans where you may still have a balance due. When it comes to payday loans, it’s important to repay them as soon as possible so you don’t get into any further debt. The interest rate on payday loans is usually quite high, and it can be difficult to pay them back quickly. If you can’t afford to repay your loan on time, you may have to consider a longer payment plan or a different type of loan. Overall, payday loans are not ideal for long-term use. They are best used for short-term needs, such as when you need money right away and can’t borrow from your bank or another source.
5 Best Online Zombie Games To Pump Up Your Adrenaline
5 best online zombie games to pump up your adrenaline
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Ther’s nothing more entertaining than playing some good zombie games online, and this guide will surely help you choose.
The list we compiled in this guide covers a variety of games, stories, and video graphics quality.
Check out our detailed Gaming Hub for more useful guides, tips, and tricks for your favorite games.
Bookmark our extensive Online Games section for more detailed information about this topic.
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Every online zombie game guarantees its own unique experience, even if the general action scenario remains the same, and it’s not a bad idea to know what level of excitement you’re in for before you consider playing online zombie games.
From series like Dying light to Arizona sunshine, we have tested these classic zombie games to figure out which one is scariest and above all, most fun to play online. There are more than enough online zombie games to keep to get your blood pumping.
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Dying Light brings together resource management, and crafting to develop an online zombie game that you either like or dislike. While playing Dying light you will feature as an undercover agent in an area that is heavily quarantined.
Zombies can easily be avoided with various gadgets that allow you to practice parkour when it is daytime. However, the case is quite different when its night time, zombies can move fast at night and are a constant threat to your survival.
The online feature offers a multiplayer mode, which can be exciting, with lots of close quarter tense conflicts. Dying Light is among the most complex open-world zombie games.
⇒ Get Dying Light on Steam
The favorite fan pic since its debut has been The cooperative zombie mode has been Call of Duty: World at War.
The game style and mission range from gaining access to new locations, unlocking new gear and weapons, and repairing structures while eliminating wide colonies of zombies.
The Black Ops 3 game stands out the most when compared to zombie modes in Call of Duty.
This Zombie Chronicles edition game comes along with map versions from Black Ops 2, and World at War that has been remastered to better fit your experience when playing this online zombie edition for the Call of Duty.
⇒ Get Call of Duty on Steam
Arizona Sunshine operates on the usual struggle survival mode, just like all other zombie game narratives before it.
The multiplayer modes and online co-op are excellent when compared to other online zombie games. You have to kill Zombies every day with little hopes of a safe haven nearby. You will fight your way through armies of the undead who want to eat your brain.
Expert tip:
The physics of the game and design of the map are well developed, and when in gameplay mode, you find yourself fully immersed in a post-apocalyptic world.
Overall, Arizona Sunshine is one of the best zombie VR online game ever created.
⇒ Get Arizona Sunshine on Steam
If you’re on a look for an online zombie game that lets you prove how long you can stay alive in a zombie apocalypse.
Project Zomboid is the definitive game on the market currently, and yet it is different from these other games that clot up the online zombie games genre.
When playing project Zomboid Long term survival means maintaining farms, constructing, building urban America, and adopting defensive playstyle.
What is more fascinating is the fact that’s it’s been on Steam for about two years. If you are gaining knowledge of this game for the first time, then I must say its worth your attention.
⇒ Get Project Zomboid on Steam
The walking dead offers a new perspective on a global level about the walkers trying to occasionally show us that there is more to them than the primal lust for human flesh, and loud noises.
In this final season of the walking dead game, the zombies continue to prove to us that they were once human before the outbreak.
The online feature for the Walking Dead gives you multiplayer options, and also updated reflexes for Clem and AJ in response to zombies.
As new ways to survive in the zombie-infested world arise, the reflexive response of killing every walker you encounter suffers changes too.
This is something you definitely have to find out for yourself while playing this wonderful online zombie game.
⇒ Get the Walking Dead on Steam
By now you should have successfully chosen the best online zombie games that keep you engaged and entertained.
Fortunately, all the zombie games talked about in this article can be accessed from Steam, and an online link to each of the games was presented.
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How The Facebook & Instagram Divergence Impacts Your Media Spend
Nowadays, a marketer will tell you the user demographics for Facebook and Instagram aren’t the same.
Despite being managed within the same ad manager interface, the reality is that these two avenues are starting to have less in common.
On the surface, it’s usually a tale of “Instagram skews younger.” That’s certainly true, but it’s interesting (and important!) to note that there are also vastly different goals for users on these platforms.
In the past, Instagram was a placement box that was checked, and little further thought was given to it. The inventory was smaller, so fussing with it didn’t necessarily result in more value; it was just gravy if it worked.
Now? We are seeing vastly different performances in the two channels, not only in age but also in ad formats.
Let’s take a look at both what we know about the users in each platform, and then a case study of how we see these truths manifest.
Age Distribution Between the PlatformsNow, these graphs look slightly different because one contains gender and one doesn’t. However, the takeaway here is very clear.
First, here is the user distribution by age for Instagram worldwide, as of October 19, 2023.
In other words, out of all their users, 71.2% are under the age of 34.
Now let’s look at Facebook. (These numbers vary a bit because they’re split by age.)
Even if we take the best case scenario of the male percentages, their distribution for the 34 and under set amounts to just 37.2%.
No doubt: the talk about Instagram largely being younger is true.
Reasons for Usage Between the TwoLet’s go beyond that for a minute, since to many this seems like common knowledge. There are interesting differences in the motivations behind why users are on these platforms.
First, let’s stick with Instagram and look at the usage reasoning there:
As with many social networks, there’s a large friends/family component.
The part to pay attention to is after that:
47% follow for entertainment.
34% do it to follow brands and companies.
Juxtapose that with usage reasons for Facebook:
Yikes!
They really just want to keep up with friends and family, and maybe have some entertainment. They aren’t about your brand.
How Does This Work Functionally in Ads?This dynamic started to play out across accounts of all types last year.
There were general complaints of longer sales cycles, less user engagement, and generally lower ROAS for Facebook from marketers and brands.
There were two major additions to the Instagram platform that subsequently rolled out to Facebook:
Story Ads.
Polls.
The success of Story usage organically on Instagram is undeniable, and this chart only goes through last year at this time:
Stories were subsequently added to Facebook. Their belief in its growth on the Facebook side was so fierce, their app redesign put Stories as the first row in the experience.
While a formidable number, this is truly where the difference in why users are on the platforms seems to rear its head, and it combines with the lower distribution in the younger ages to make Facebook Stories a tougher ad landscape than the fertile ground we’re repeatedly finding in Instagram Stories.
A Study in Demographics & Placements for StoriesWe have seen the dynamic of Instagram Ads with age demographics play out fairly consistently over the past two years.
But starting last year, we started to see the shift into Stories become apparent. Not just from an inventory and adoption perspective on Instagram, but also in superior ad performance.
The pattern of Stories outperforming Feed has been noticeable on both small and large scale.
Here is an example from earlier in 2023. This spend took place over a couple of weeks, where we simply had Instagram Stories checked as ad placement.
We designated separate creative for it to maximize the screen experience, but deferred to Facebook on budget allocation:
This became a common occurrence, leading to the next steps on the path:
How much should we focus on a whole separate creative process for Instagram Stories? And then whether we should be allocating budget manually to get as much inventory as possible.
In some cases, we were finding that Stories performed well with the creative, but the budget allocation was scattershot.
Once we took control of assigning budget, we were able to maximize volume more and scale it efficiently:
The key to making this kind of results possible is understanding the two factors outlined at the start of this post:
It’s a different age skew.
They want something different from the platform.
Instagram users want and expect to hear from brands, combined with the desire to be entertained.
Story placements achieve these goals in spades.
The full-screen experience is immersive, and interactive elements like polls are there specifically to draw users in for engagement.
Spending at Scale: What Facebook Story Ads DoThis obviously brings up the question of Facebook Story Ads.
Understandably, Facebook is focused on these being adopted as a large part of user interaction on the platform.
Unfortunately, getting traction on them has been more difficult.
In almost every case, we encounter low inventory, low engagement, and low (or no) conversion volume.
Your mileage may vary, but when compared to Instagram Story Ads, they aren’t in the same league.
We recently put this to the test in a large ad buy over the holidays. The buy was focused on app installs, specifically to try and conquest against a main competitor.
When the results were in, we rolled up Feed vs. Story performance, and the difference was marked.
Spend allocation
Facebook Stories: $6,706
Feeds: $601,102
Instagram Stories: $145,367
CPMs
Facebook Stories: $16.63
Feeds: $15.94
Instagram Stories: $12.70
And this was how cost per install shook out across the three:
Though a small part of the buy, Facebook Stories lagged far behind on installs while having the highest CPM.
Feeds were still fairly high on cost, though their volume was much greater, but at the end of the day, Instagram Story Ads continued to win.
What Does This Mean for Advertisers?No, the feed isn’t dead.
No, it doesn’t mean Facebook Story Ads will never work.
What it means is that user needs and expectations are different. It isn’t just about age groups and where they hang out, it’s also about meeting them at the intersection of their interest and engagement tendencies are.
Facebook is taking cues from Instagram and rolling them out as offerings, but do not expect the same adoption rate.
Just as we will see Instagram’s user base likely trickle into older demographics over time, expect the adoption curve to work the same way on new types of ad units and experiences.
The key will be when that shift happens. The data shows us right now, it’s not happening yet.
As marketers, our job is to watch these shifts happen, because they will be slow.
Story Ad success didn’t happen overnight, but the ones who watched it and saw it happening shifted and merged into that lane quickly.
The bulk of brands still don’t do justice to the ad unit and assume they don’t work. These are the golden times to capitalize on them as a brand because competition is far behind where you can be.
On the other hand, understand ad success on one platform doesn’t beget automatic success on the other. The time has come to treat these as the two different ad platforms they are.
Instagram is no longer just a checkbox within Facebook’s ad interface, and it shouldn’t be that way in your marketing plan, either.
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