The CHRONICLES of JOHN:

10. My Opera Allows You to Create Your Own World!
With 1GB of free space for your blog, photos and more, My Opera gives you the magic wand to create your own world! It even allows you to add color and uniqueness to your world by providing you with tools to customize your page, choose blog themes, background colors and much more!


9. Everyday At My Opera is a Whole New Experience!
Since my opera community allows you to explore, everyday becomes a new experience: a new wonderful friend, an exciting blog post, a new captivating picture, a new comment of admiration by a friend to your post... Whatever it is, at my opera everyday holds a new adventure, a new discovery that always puts a smile on your face and sometimes makes you laugh


8. At My Opera Community We Are The World!
With over 2 881 000 members (and counting), coming from all corners of the world: Africa, Asia, Europe, America and Australia, My Opera comprises of people from different race and colors coming together to share, explore and celebrate diverse cultures, ideas and expressions! At my opera we are more than a social community on the internet, we are a vibrant subset of the world. We are the world.

7. My Opera Can Be Your Home
Being at my opera allows you to easily relax and feel at home. Chat with friends (maybe share a glass of or ), read messages and comments on your blog, debate with the great debaters at d&d forum or laugh at the funny stuff at the lounge forum. Comment on the lattest community news and even hook up to your other social network accounts like facebook and twitter, synchronize you bookmarks and more. All from the comfort of your 'home' at My Opera!

6. My opera Gives You Value For Your Time
Every hour, minute or second spent exploring at my opera gives you an exciting thrill that makes it worth the time!


5. Friends!
They say gems are precious, but friends are priceless. I guess that’s why my opera opens up a window for us to meet new people from all over the world and make new friends to share our worlds with... And whenever language is a barrier, we still can express ourselves through similies!

4. Never a dull moment!
At My Opera, there is always a buzz of activities 24/7: from blogs to forums. From groups to community news and gossips! Never a dull moment, cos, Let's face it, what's more exciting than sharing and having fun with friends? Nothing!

3. At my Opera We Are Members Of A Family
At My Opera we are all members of the opera family. How? Come on! Where else do you get the latest updates and info on what's cooking at Opera Softwares? Or where else are your opinions about new opera innovations appreciated? You tell me.


2. Warning! My opera is Addictive
Ever wondered why you always want to be online at my opera? OK, I’d tell you why: it because you're getting addicted! . Well with all the fun stuffs going on at the community who can blame you? Definitely not me, cos I’m already an addict myself!

1. And It's All Free!
Now here's the best part: My Opera allows us to enjoy all these wonderful experience all for free! All the fun and excitement absolutely free! Where else can you get a better deal? It's official, My Opera community rocks!

I reckon, five to ten years ago, internet access for a majority of Africans was more of less a couple of hours or minutes at an internet cafe, which was only available in major urban cities.
While the average American or European had access to the internet at home, the thought was more or less a fairy tale to the average African. The cost was simply outrageous. I could remember vividly, back then my uncle in the village used to ride for miles on his bike just to accomplish the feat of sending an e-mail.
Years later, came the advent of 3G technology that enabled mobile phones with internet access through wap browsers. Yeah, it came with much anticipation and promise but then the charges by service providers were cut throat and access was limited to wap pages and much could not be accomplished. A majority of Africans still had limited access to the net. But then came opera mini; a browser software for mobile devices, that puts real web feel into your mobile phone, not the wap stuff, having far more processing speed, than other mobile browser software, and the part we love in Africa, it’s cheap to use! That is because of its ability to compress page contents.
At first the 2.6 version became a popular hit in sub Saharan Africa because it was cheap and easy to use. From Ghana to Nigeria, Cameroon down to South Africa the opera fever was on. Many stayed connected to the rest of the world with opera mini. I remember when I installed my first opera mini, a 2.6 version, I stayed online practically all day and most of the night, cranking up the net! It was quite a ‘wow’ experience. I remember, with a trace of nostalgia how I used to have a swollen thumb from excessive key pad assault. Opera mini gave me my first 24hours real web experience, with little, or no limitations! Then, came other upgraded versions, of which my favorite is the 4.2 version, with the ability to view as zoomed area or the whole page as it appears on a regular PC.
I guess, to the rest of the world, especially Europe and America opera mini might just be another browser software, but to us African users, its more than that. It’s a window that allows hundreds of thousands of us especially in Nigeria connect to the rest of the world, share ideas, views and information. it gives us the opportunity to be heard and be a part of the wild wide web and importantly,it gives us the avenue to learn new things.
My university professor used to say that globalization is a bridge that links Africa to the rest of the world. He might be right, but for me and the rest of opera mini users in Africa what links us to the rest of the world is simply ‘operalization’. The use of an approximately 200 kilo byte internet browser called opera mini.

B. Shaw once wrote that 'there are two great tragedies: to gain your heart desire and to lose it. Well i used to think it was a dumb quote until it stuck me...

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