Its time to update and speak on some things.

I’m starting a blog and moving all of this over to Citizen Connelly (.com), I’m all for a business blog, but I also want to talk about personal things, such as the previous most and random other fun. There simply is not a place for personal things on a business blog. I haven’t blogged in so long, but I have been updating myspace, facebook, twitter and other fun. All the while completely letting this be, because I wasn’t sure what to write. When your personal life is thriving, the business aspects can fall by the wayside.

I appreciate candor with businesses, full disclosure and the kind of transparency that we’re starting to see in this day and age, but linking to a personal blog is much like linking to someone’s open myspace. You just don’t do it.

I won’t be linking to my Twitter either, but, like my myspace its there for you to find if you are so curious.

Other Notes:

• SilverStripe (a European php-based CMS system) is a perfect blend between thorough and simple all at the same time, much like WordPress, but it isn’t built for blogs.
• ContributeDesign is launched, and we already have our 1st applicant.
• You can follow ContributeDesign on their Twitter: twitter.com/condesign

Depression is something I know, all too well. Growing up I was the social outkast, the younger brother that tagged along, the socially awkward kid.
As I grew older, I learned how to deal with social downfalls. I learned, early on that in order to be happy with myself, that the source of that joy MUST come from interally, because I simply could find it anywhere else. I was rejected, dejected, misunderstood, and pushed away from.
I had 5 best friends growing up, but none for years. Chad moved away. Neil made an ugly turn into the occult. Daniel found someone cooler and Courtney left. Katie & Welsch I both broke up with.

So during loss or times of self-lacking, I’ve figured out how I deal with depression and I’ve mapped out exactly how I have dealt with things, in hopes that it will shed some light on how the pysche works with this pyschological condition.

Depression, in and of itself is made up of pain, saddness, grief, loss or lacking.
Three are 3 ways the mind, your body/self deal with this depression:
  1.    Deal
2.    Fight/Counter
3.    Postpone

Deal:

Dealing with the depression isn’t what it sounds like, because its less than fighting or counter, but not quite postponing. Its more like sufficing. In “Dealing” with depression, one looks for quick solutions or quick remedies that do nothing more than solve it for a time, a short period.
Many of these temporary solutions are:
-    Food- a very common way of dealing because when eating or in the process of looking for something to eat, your body and mind go for the “quick happy”, that brownie, that latte, the fast food. When eating that food, it temporarily sends you to a happier place, whether through reminescing or just chemical reaction.
-    Drugs- this one is kinda self-explanatory, but depending on the drug you can either get a high, pass out or just decompress the pain and loosen yourself
-    Alcohol- this one in the same light, it puts you in the mindset to either think of OTHER things or think of them differently, depending on how your mind reacts to the alcohol in the first place.
-    Impulse buys- much like food its the “quick happy” that you’re after, and after this purchase you HOPE that it distracts you long enough to get over whatever it is thats depressing you in the first place. If you are depressed, or not feeling well with yourself, the last thing you should do is shop, because if you don’t find that full distraction in the first item you buy…you will until you do.

Fight/Counter:

Fighing or counter is the one-way ticket out of depression, IF you stick to it. IF you find the right sort of help for you, IF you go into not looking back.  Whenever depression creeps up on you, fighting it standing up is by far, your BEST option:
-    Friends- they are among the best ways to counter it. Friends build up your confidence, provide companionship and love. Love, however one can get it, is the best medication to depression depending on what is bringing it.
-    Faith- Its a great way to get over and get rid of depression, whether it be through prayer, meditation or just praising your God or creator. Faith puts your mind at better ease because you loose that feeling or walking through it alone. In my walk with God, albeit a shaken one at times, its faith in knowing that he has my back, that he stands with me and that he watches over my life. Faith, at the same time, forces people to reevaluate their life and life choices for the better. Whatever got them into this depressive state, through the Bible or religious texts, in all cases sheds light on how to attack whatever is attacking them.
-    Exercise- Studies have shown that when increased levels of pheromones and in the body (through exercise) the mind becomes more at ease and less tense. It serves similar for depression, exercise renews your mind, your self because so much of it was just focused elsewhere for a time. It leaves you refreshed.

Postpone:

There is nothing wrong with postponing depression as long as you realize that its not indefinite. Don’t want to deal with something now? Fine, but you’ll have to eventually. My advice, postpone ONLY when absolutely necessary. If you get bad news at work or something where you can’t just leave…postpone it. Otherwise, try to deal with it as soon as you get a clear head and mentally handle what you’re facing.
Ways we postpone are:
-    Work- Its probably my favorite way to postpone things because, given my work, I can literally start whenever I’d like. Don’t have enough work to do? Research, always a good time killer and way to dive into something but away from what you’re dealing with.
-    Intimacy- Intimacy is another brilliantly workable way to postpone depression. Whether is kissing or something more, the fact that your mind dives completely into something and away from any real issues, allows you to postpone things until you want to face them.
-    Hobbies- whatever they are, if you can completely place your mind in another place, its postponing.

I can only write from self-experience, self-exploration. This is everything I’ve picked up on in dealing with life and all its eccentricities. So what are you doing, dealing, fighting or postponing your present demons?

allbest,
-c

It’s something amazing, the human touch. The ability for one person to impact another just by making literal contact.

It can raise heart rates, emotional states, and even has the ability to cure.

This post is rather short, because I am in awe of the simple human touch. 

no seriously, monday’s are probably the worst work days for me. I’m getting into the flow of the week, doing most of my research, aimlessly looking for things to do, or research next.

Its the worst day of the week because its the first day of the week.

Tuesday-Thursday..I’m golden, getting a lot done, celebrating when I do and like a little kid that got a new toy during the week, I can’t wait to show my friends at show and tell on Fridays (the weekly digital sales meeting).

Friday, wrap-up, mop-up day…whatever I haven’t gotten done or pushed off…that’s the day to do it.

Monday’s are probably the only days I really count the hours and from what I’m seeing now…looking at around 2 hours left.

I literally stare at my mailbox hoping for something important or otherwise trivial to come in.

Side Notes:

• This article suggests consumers are shifting towards quality over price for their gas. That’s funny…but very hard to believe.
• These dress shoes are beat, I need to get new ones soon before they fall apart mid-stride at the office.
• 22 Days left until I’m in Mass.
• 12 Days until I’m at the Craig Ferguson Show.
• Run Kid Run rocks

When browsing on the web, we are in this constant search for things that engage us, things that bring us into the site, in a way that intrigues us.
As human beings, searching for the next big thing or the next little bit of excitement or happiness is natural. We do it all the time from consumer products, to food items.
Websites, are no different. No one will return to a site that lacks in fresh content unles they’re studying its design.
Half the sites I’ve ever bookmarked, I never visit because the ones I do frequent, appear in the address bar within typing a few characters.
For me, its as follows:
a- amazon
t- techcrunch
m- myspace/mail
f- facebook/freelanceswitch
c- for connsyde/contributedesign
d- dailyslurp
s- springwise

Thats about it. Everyday I check and look over those sites. When I am not looking over these areas, I’m aimlessly plugging away from link to link to find that next big bit of excitement to keep me busy and active while I’m trolling away on the laptop.

The sites I’ve bookmarked, I have so for the reason of SOMETHING I wanted to look over later there. Whether I was inspired by the site’s design, or it was such a unique idea that I didn’t want to forget it.

Sites that will best succeed offer 2 clear things to the user: interest and engagement. Interesting sites that can engage the user far outweigh those that don’t.

The reason behind the social networking BOOM of the 2000s- those basic premises.
The current boom in site trends- niche social networking. Users have become accustom to the catch-all social sites, at this point, having quenched that thirst they now yearn for more…not only tons of people but tons of people with the same ideals and interests.

I’m not going the way of dating sites, but business sites, mom’s sites, sporting sites, cancer survivors, disabled individuals.
Many of these areas are rising, all of them touched to some degree. Linkedin has to be my favorite for the moment. I go there at least once a week to see if there are any new individuals I can connect with professionally.

Users will find what they are looking for, and its up to you to engage and interest them into not only coming, but coming back.

Likes:

• Content Management Systems
• Open Source web applications, scripts, systems that benefit everyone through what they are able to accomplish
• Niche Social networks
• Freelancing and Freelancers
• Creative/artistic sites
• crowdsourcing
• Video Ads/Video Development progression

Dislikes:

• human-powered search engines…I understand the quest to make search more “relevant” and less Google-reliant, but lets be real here…you’ll never get it down. There are over 96 million sites on the web currently, not to mention the hundreds added, modified and re-done everyday.
• Any new mainstream social networks. Please, don’t waste you’re time trying to convince an already over-saturated market that you’re different, revolutionary and here’s how.
• Hulu
• Spam, spoofing, unsolicited junk…wastes of life

Undecided on:

• OpenSocial
• OpenID (until it becomes useful its really just a nice idea)
• Iphone…really guys, I just could care-less. I’m sure its great, but way over-hyped