On Disconnecting

Is this a familiar scene in your household? I often find myself sitting on the couch with my laptop, phone by my side and sometimes even the television turned on though I might not even be watching it. Even as I write this, I've been stopping every now and then to check Instagram. Technology and social media are a big part of my life and I'm someone that's always connected. It's not only a hobby but it's part of my job as a Communications Manager as well. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm a HUGE advocate for technology and social media - I think it's amazing! But lately I've been feeling as though I need to take a step back every now and then. I read two blog posts on this topic recently that really spoke to me. The first was by Naomi on Love Taza and the second by Christina on Profresh Style. Both are worth the read if you're feeling a little too dependent on technology, as I am at the moment. 

A few days after reading those posts, I also watched an episode of Parks and Recreation where Tom has a bit of a breakdown when he's not allowed to use technology for a day and even makes an Iphone out of paper. While being absolutely hilarious, it also really made me think about how I would feel if I challenged myself to do the same. You can watch a really funny clip from the episode here.

Image source.

So a few Sundays ago I decided not to check Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for the entire day. Catching up on my Instagram feed is part of my morning ritual as I eat breakfast, so not doing that was admittedly pretty hard. I actually look forward to it when I wake up because it's a huge source of inspiration for me and let's face it, mornings are not that great. Anyway, I managed not to go on any of those sites for the whole day though I did use my phone as I needed to make some calls. I'm not gonna lie, I did feel kind of anxious which just proves to me that I need to do it more often. I mean, what was I anxious about? That I wouldn't find out what someone had for lunch? Geez.

What about you? Are you suffering from the same technology dependency as me?

Posse.com

Have you heard of Posse? Posse is the world's first social search engine. What does this mean? It's a relatively new social media platform, that allows you to search for a certain type of place you might be looking for, wherever you may be in the world. It will then show you a list of places recommended by your friends or 'posse'. Posse was founded in Australia and have plans to launch in the US this year and eventually become global.

Say you're visiting a new city and you are stinging for some burritos. Well, you can search for burritos on posse and it will show you a list of places nearby selling them, as recommended by your friends. The advantage over other sites such as Yelp or Trip Advisor is that you get recommendations from people you're more likely to have similar tastes to and you probably trust these reviews more than that of strangers. The more people in your Posse, the wider your search will go and the more places will show up.

Posse works with retailers to help establish their presence on the site and creates virtual 'shop fronts' with their chosen branding/design. Retailers are then more aware of what their customers are saying about them and can even offer rewards or send thank-you notes to those who have recommended them on Posse. It's a win-win situation as users are always going to be adding places they actually want to recommend.

Once you create an account, you're able to start building virtual streets featuring all your favourite places. These streets build up a virtual 'town' with some funky illustrations with different themes to choose from. You can view my different streets and follow me here. Here are a few pics from some of my favourite places I have featured on posse.

Huge slice from Artichoke Basille Pizza in New York.

Red velvet cupcake from Magnolia Bakery in New York.

Breakfast from The Grounds of Alexandria, Sydney.

Ramen and tempura from Menya Mappen in Sydney.

Breakfast from Kitchen by Mike in Alexandria, Sydney