Advertisement

Article

Weird Digital Hobbies you just might Love

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

  • Updated:

Hobbies are what you do regularly in our spare time. Having a PC, tablet,or smartphone opens up a whole world of new hobbies for you to get into. Everybody knows about sharing photos on social media or blogging about your analog hobby, but there are plenty of digital hobbies out there that you likely don’t know exist.

These hobbies won’t have you chained to your desk, either. Some will mix the real world in with your digital experience, while others can actually help you make some money. One or two will see you actively making the world a better place through your regular participation. They all sound good, don’t they? Well, let us not waste any more time and get straight into some of the best digital hobbies you’ll find.

Weird Digital Hobbies you just might Love

Weird Digital Hobbies you just Might Love

1. Taking Surveys

Who said a hobby couldn’t make you money? There is absolutely no reason at all why you can’t turn your spare time into spare change. Even if you’re not doing it to make money, filling out surveys can be a fulfilling pastime that sees you making active contributions to the society you’re a part of.

Weird Digital Hobbies you just Might Love - Make Money with your mobile

There are all sorts of surveys for you to fill out. You can let companies know what you think about their products or you can help people gauge what society thinks about a certain issue. If you’ve done this before and think it’d be something you’d like to do again or if you would like to earn a couple of bucks, you should check out sites and apps like Surveys on the Go, Toluna, Swagbucks, Valued Opinions, and Crowdology.

2. Being an Online Admin

Internet trolls have been around for almost as long as the internet, and if they were left unchecked, the internet would be a molten mess of vile bigotry. All the useful information would be lost in a sea of meta-hate and nobody would have the energy to search for it.

The Internet needs you - Weird Digital Hobbies you just Might Love

This is where a particular type of valiant internet warrior steps in. The online admin monitors activity that occurs in community forums to ensure that everybody’s chat falls within the community guidelines. They are the line that stands between unlimited chaos and reasoned debate among equal peers.

Sites like Reddit and other specialist online forum sites are in constant need of upstanding internet citizens to monitor the chat taking place on their sites. Wikipedia is a community run project also, which means official editors are a valued commodity that the world’s greatest ever depository of human knowledge needs if it is to continue its great work. Even Facebook pages need monitoring to ensure no laws are being broken or people being bullied.

Do you think you have what it takes to be an online moderator?

3. Geocaching

Do you know that there are thousands, if not millions, of treasure troves hidden all over the world just waiting for you to find them? They are there right now and all you need is to know how to find them. We’re not talking pirate treasure maps here, we’re talking geo-tagged caches full of all sorts of goodies left by geocaching enthusiasts.

Geocaching is real-world treasure hunting with players all over the world. The rules are simple enough and it takes no time at all to sign up and get started. Then all you have to do is start looking for some treasure or thinking about a great place to hide something special for others to find. If you think this could be something you’d be into you’ll want to start here, where you’ll find all the answers to any questions you might have.

Good luck.

4. Saving the World

Here we get to one of my favorites. Saving the World might sound like too lofty an ambition for you to do in your spare time,but it really is possible. If this sounds like something you’d want to do in your spare time, then you should head over to the World Community Grid.

save the world - Weird Digital Hobbies you just Might Love

The world Community grid allows you to sign up your device’s spare computing power to help scientists solve the world’s biggest problems. You choose a research area, download a toolkit, and then help scientists search for the answers to some of the biggest questions.

The World Community Grid has helped scientists identify new drug candidates to fight types of cancer that affect children, discover new compounds to harness solar power and develop nanotechnology that could help provide clean water to millions. Not a bad way to use your spare time, is it?

5. Digital Sightseeing

There are two sides this digital hobby. The first is what you’d expect it to be. You can see the world from the comfort of your own home using the power of the internet. Obviously, programs like Google Earth and Street View can give you a window to the world. Another great service you can use is EarthCam, which gives you access to live webcams all over the world. You can even zoom in on the live images that are being beamed direct to you.

Digital sightseeing - Weird Digital Hobbies you just Might Love

The flip side of this digital hobby is being a digital tour guide. Using EarthCam you can beam live images of where you are to the rest of the world but you can also go deeper by signing up to the Google Maps Local Guides program. If you’ve any local spots you’re proud of or that you really love, the Local Guides program allows you to upload photos and information about the spot directly onto Google maps. Not only that but Google will offer you prizes and incentives to do so. Not bad at all.

6. Restaurant and Food Critic

Restaurant and Food Critic - Weird Digital Hobbies you just Might Love

Some see this as just another form of internet trolling, whereas others see it as a great way to hone their photography and writing skills while enhancing their eating out experiences. If you think being an amateur food critic is going to help you bag a job being paid to eat, you’re probably kidding yourself, but you should at least check out this letter from renowned British food critic Jay Rayner.

There are now more sites than ever where you can post your reviews of the places you’ve eaten at, meaning there is good chance people will read what you’ve written. If you’re not quite sure what to write here is a handy guide to help get you started. Most importantly, remember to be fair and honest and make your reviews engaging and enjoyable to read.

This is Where You’ll Find the Best Meal You’ll Ever Eat

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney

Patrick Devaney is a news reporter for Softonic, keeping readers up to date on everything affecting their favorite apps and programs. His beat includes social media apps and sites like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat. Patrick also covers antivirus and security issues, web browsers, the full Google suite of apps and programs, and operating systems like Windows, iOS, and Android.

Latest from Patrick Devaney

Editorial Guidelines