Living in a rural area has some major drawbacks when it comes to finding ways to entertain yourself. If I want to see a film in the cinema I have to travel a long distance to the nearest city, but I have discovered a way round this, thanks to websites such as YouTube.
With youtube.com I can watch short and long films from all over the world in my own home. Videos can be uploaded and downloaded by the public from the YouTube community and myself have been able to watch some of my favourite films on a regular basis.
The set up of YouTube is very simple. Join the community, upload videos and get them rated, or watch other users' videos and rate theirs.
There are other ways to ease your boredom also. For myself and most other young people in the countryside with computers, the Internet is an important lifeline for entertainment and socialising when so far away from friends and relatives.
If you are reading this column online you will realise the huge increase of young people using the Internet. It's a bit like a baby boom on the web.
Sites such as myspace.com and bebo.com, combined with other internet services such as instant messaging, have a huge appeal for teenagers who don't have access to the same facilities or experiences as young people living in urban centres.
I consider myself lucky, as I have access to both a computer and a broadband connection when living in the country. At times it can seem you are miles away from anyone, but its good to know that with the touch of a button you can reach out to so many!
About this team
This article was written by Conor O'Kane and edited by Gavin Leung. It was published on the Reach for the Sky website.
