July, 2010

Tracking / Website — Comments Off
29
Jul 10

We now support Garmin and EveryTrail


By now most of you have probably seen our new homepage.  Not only does it look different from a design perspective, but it has a couple new logos on it (namely Garmin and EveryTrail).  These new integrations are part of our quest to be device-agnostic and allow people to get rewards for exercise regardless of which device or app they prefer.  Plus we can now give you points for exercise other than running.

For the uninitiated, Garmin is the industry leader in developing GPS devices.  Their line of products for runners is a watch called Forerunner and their line of products for cyclists is a device called Edge.  They have a dedicated website called Garmin Connect which allows you to see a history of your activities and share them.

EveryTrail is a mobile app that can be downloaded to iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Blackberry phones.  They offer a free version and a paid version of the app.  It uses your phone’s GPS functionality to track your pace and distance, and presents your activities in an elegant format both in the app and on the website.  Please visit the EveryTrail website to learn more.

Thanks to these additions, Earndit will now reward you for running, walking, cycling, kayaking and skating.

New homepage

Old homepage

We always knew we’d have to revamp our homepage to accommodate new services we add to the program.  We also wanted to make it possible for someone to engage with Earndit before asking them to join.  Hence we decided to change the homepage and signup flow together in one fell swoop.  Now newcomers to the site can enter their Nike+, Garmin Connect or EveryTrail login info and immediately see how many points they’ve already earned with Earndit.  Only then are they prompted to join.

We hope you guys will try out Garmin and/or EveryTrail.  We will be continuously adding new devices and apps to the system.  And we hope you guys like the new homepage.

Company / Game / Rewards — 1 Comment
20
Jul 10

Fast Company interview with Michael Fergusson

Last week I read a wonderful interview Fast Company did with Michael Fergusson, founder of a company called Ayogo that develops games to help people modify their behavior.  While the entire interview is worth a read, below are a few gems I feel speak to our philosophy behind Earndit:

  • “We’re not trying to do huge things like make smokers into non-smokers, or basketball fans into soccer fans. We’re trying to motivate small actions by giving rewards.”
  • “Instead of making the primary goal getting one person to do a thousand healthy things, we focus instead on getting a thousand people to do one healthy thing.  To do this, we focus on two things:
    1. instant gratification rewards for healthy activity, in contrast to the usual approach of making long-term health your reward for doing healthy things
    2. making those instant gratification rewards something that you can use”
  • “Fun is functional.  One of the most powerful evolutionary traits is play—there’s no mystery to me why the more sophisticated the intelligence of the animal, the more likely we are to see play as a key behavior.”
Uncategorized — Comments Off
19
Jul 10

Great offer from Ebates

Hey Earndit members, we just caught wind of a nice offer Ebates is giving to anyone who signs up for their cash-back program, and we thought to tell you about it.  For those that don’t know, Ebates is an amazing online resource that allows you to get cash back on pretty much everything you buy online.  If you start at Ebates and shop at any of their 1200+ retail partners, you’ll get back a percentage of whatever you spend (usually around 3-6%, but it can be as high as 20% or more).  Ebates then sends you a check every three months for what is in your account. So it’s pretty much free money.

The deal we found out about is that Ebates is putting $10 into the account of anyone who signs up through the link www.ebates.com/workout.  That’s not a bad way to start off getting cash back for your purchases.

Company / Game / Rewards — 1 Comment
9
Jul 10

June Winner(s)!

The June leaderboard turned out to be the most competitive one yet. This would be material for Hollywood if screenplay writers lost all imagination. You would think it virtually impossible for two people to end the month with exactly the same number of points. Well…. it happened. Conspiracy theory???

Joanne Williams-Elliott and Neil Crellin each earnd 1,703 points for the month of June. This was quite an impressive feat considering the maximum possible was 1,800 points. What makes it even more interesting is that they each arrived at that total the same way:  they  maxed out every day of the month except for two days, of which one day they posted zero points and the other day they posted 23 points. Remarkable!

It would be a crime not to mention that Joanne and Neil were almost beat out by Susan Haynes.  Susan finished the month of June with an impressive 1,698 points.  That’s just 5 points behind the winners!  That’s just half-a-mile less over the course of an entire month!  Okay, maybe we could work this all in to a Hollywood movie after all.

Please join me in congratulating Joanne, Neil and Susan.  Because Joanne and Neil were the trophy winners for June, they each also receive 50 bonus points.

Go run.  Get rewarded.  You earndit!