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Change in how Fitbit points are earned

Since first integrating Fitbit into Earndit, we’ve awarded points based on the number of minutes users had in the “fairly active” and “very active” categories as determined by Fitbit’s algorithm. We liked this method of awarding points because it took advantage of a unique measurement captured by the device.

After many discussions internally and with Earndit members, we’ve decided to change the way we award Fitbit points to be based on the number of steps taken as measured by the device. There are three primary reasons why we feel this will be a better user experience for Earndit members who use Fitbit:

It’s simple to understand. Nobody knows exactly what level of exertion is required in order to enter the “fairly active” and “very active” stratospheres. Those classifications are a big unknown to Fitbit users. Many have even griped that they get different activity minute outputs from Fitbit for the apparently same workout on different days. On the other hand, everybody knows what steps are and they’re a completely objective measurement.
You can track progress on the device. By awarding points based on steps, it’s now possible to know how many Earndit points you’ve earned at any time in the day simply by looking at your device to see the number of recorded steps. In this way, if you see that you’re not tracking to the number of points that you’d like, you know that you need to increase your physical activity for the remainder of the day. With the prior method of awarding points, you were forced to upload your data to Fitbit and then come over to Earndit to see how many points you’ve earned.
Working harder gets you more points. Previously, once you were in the “very active” zone, any incremental intensity you exerted wouldn’t be rewarded. You capped out at “very active”. On the other hand, now that points are earned via steps, increasing intensity earns you points that much more quickly. It’s more intuitive.

As with any change, we know that there will be positive and negative reactions to the new way we award points for Fitbit usage. Ultimately we believe it’ll show to be a net positive change for Fitbit users on Earndit.

Andres

Fitbit recalibration

From the very beginning of Earndit, we’ve been big believers in data collected by devices as opposed to manually entered data. This is for two primary reasons:

Device-collected data is verifiable and more authentic than manually entered data. In order to maintain the integrity of our rewards and challenges, it’s critical that we minimize the potential for people to exaggerate the amount of exercise they do. This integrity is the reason why brands are willing to give you better offers than they give anyone else.
Device-collected data is a better user experience. Manually entering data is like doing homework.

When we first integrated Fitbit with Earndit, it was only possible to earn points for data captured by the Fitbit device. Eventually something changed in Fitbit’s API that made it possible for manually entered data to also come through to us. Hence some Earndit members were able to get points for manually entered data. This is different than the other tracking services we’ve integrated.

We’ve recently changed the Fitbit integration such that points are given for device-collected data only. This was necessary to ensure Fitbit gets the same treatment as the other tracking services. A couple important notes to this change:

If you’re physically active with the Fitbit device yet are no longer getting any points whatsoever, you likely need to re-authorize your Fitbit account with us. You can do this by going to your Settings page and clicking the “re-authorize” link next to Fitbit. Once you do this, your data should come over just fine.
If you’re receiving fewer points than you used to, it’s likely because you were manually entering some of your activities and thus are no longer receiving points for that data.

If you have any questions, or if you think there may still be an issue with your account, please email me directly at andres@earndit.com or click the “Email” icon on the bottom of any page on Earndit (other than this blog).

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we worked through those changes.

Andres

Company / Tracking — 1 Comment
23
Jun 11

Welcome RunKeeper users to Earndit!

In the fall of 2009, well before launching Earndit, we spent quite a bit of time studying the different fitness app communities because we knew we’d be partnering with them at some point down the road. It became readily clear to us that RunKeeper was going to become a leader in this space. We were impressed by the way the company engaged its users; we were impressed by how it made product decisions; and we were impressed by the way the company was managed. So we reached out to Jason and Mike in April of 2010 (the month we launched) to see if they’d like to integrate with Earndit. It turns out that conversation was a bit premature, yet we remained in touch with each other from that point forward.

Fast forward 14 months: RunKeeper is now the largest fitness tracking community with over 6 million users. The company recently raised $1.1 million from one of the best venture capital funds in the country – OATV – and may not need to raise another dime. RunKeeper is on a tear and it’s been really fun to watch.

It goes without saying that we’re ecstatic to announce the official integration of RunKeeper with Earndit. Now RunKeeper’s 6 million users can benefit from Earndit’s rewards program and get free goodies just by breaking a sweat with the RunKeeper app. Of course we have to thank all of our amazing reward partners for making these rewards available to you.

Welcome aboard!!

Company / Tracking — 9 Comments
1
Jun 11

Fitbit is now #3 most popular device

The past couple of weeks have seen a boom in the number of Fitbit users signing up with Earndit. In fact, today Fitbit surpassed Garmin as the #3 most popular tracking method (behind Nike+ and Foursquare). Let’s keep it going!

Many people have been asking about the timing of when we award points for Fitbit. Because the Fitbit monitor collects data all day long, we have to wait until the following morning to award points for the day’s activities. This differs from the other tracking methods whose activities have specific start and end times which allow us to give credit for them shortly after they’re completed.

An important thing for Fitbit users to keep in mind is that if they’ve already received points for an activity with Nike+, Garmin or Everytrail on a given day, they won’t receive points for Fitbit activities monitored that day when we try to import them the following morning. This is currently the only way for us to ensure people aren’t “double dipping” by running with both a Nike+ and their Fitbit, for example. We know this isn’t an ideal solution but it’s the best we can do at the moment. We’ll be working to improve how these conflicts are handled.

In conclusion, we give a warm welcome to all you Fitbit users out there and congratulate you for surpassing Garmin as the third most popular device on Earndit!

Exercise / Tracking / Website — Comments Off
12
Jan 11

Fitbit now earns you rewards on Earndit

I first learned about Fitbit when they presented at the TechCrunch50 conference in 2008. For those that aren’t familiar with the conference, it was an annual 3-day event that had a stronghold on the attention of the technology world. The brightest minds in the industry would speak on panels, while the most promising startups were given a chance to show their dreams to the world on stage. These startups were competing for a grand prize, and Fitbit was chosen as a runner-up. At the time I was an Associate with a venture capital firm in New York. I was so impressed by Fitbit that I reached out to the founders to ask if they needed some funding. Though my firm wasn’t able to invest, they ended up raising money from one of the most respected venture capital firms in the country, True Ventures (the company also recently raised more money from another top-tier fund, Foundry Group).

Fitbit has developed a compact sensor that you can wear all day long to track your steps, calories burned and even sleep. The device uses a 3-axis accelerometer to determine your movements. It then uses the intensity & duration of those movements to determine calorie burn. It’s a magical technology! All of this data is then wirelessly uploaded to their website where you can see it in graphical form and identify patterns. On the website, you can also manually log your food intake and body weight to complete your overall fitness picture.

Because the Fitbit is worn all day long and monitors even the slightest movement, we had to use a different formula to assign points to Fitbit activity. As opposed to the typical “10 points per mile by foot” we give for other devices, we came up with a unique formula for Fitbit. In a user’s daily report, their activities are classified into one of 4 buckets: sedentary, lightly active, fairly active and very active. We decided not to give credit for sedentary and lightly active minutes, opting to focus on fairly active and very active minutes. As such, we give 0.1 point for each fairly active minute, and 0.75 point for each very active minute. While it’s difficult to standardize points across different fitness devices, we feel that we’ve done a good job of creating a way to compare apples to oranges. We’ll also continue to evaluate our formulas to ensure accuracy.

Finally, I’d like to give a big thank you to Paul Marcum who gave us access to his Fitbit account while we worked on the integration. He trusted us with his personal data, and for that we are very grateful.

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.

Tracking — 12 Comments
15
Feb 10

Potential Data Partners

We want to give you credit for doing any form of exercise. The catch is that we must rely on data collected from a reliable source (i.e. non-human). It’s not that we don’t trust people, it’s just that we know that the lure of rewards creates the temptation to exaggerate how much exercise you’ve done. It’s only natural. In order to do away with such temptation altogether, we will have to rely on technology to collect the data for us.

Fortunately we are at the beginning of a growing trend known as “The Internet of Things.” While the concept is much larger, it implies that our daily activities will soon be trackable and managed the same way all data is. The world of exercise has a plethora of such devices, many of which are made possible by the iPhone.

Examples of devices that are currently on the market which could potentially feed us data on your exercise include:

Nike+ sensor
Adidas miCoach
Garmin heart monitors
Garmin GPS watches
Polar heart monitors
RunKeeper iPhone app
MapMyRun iPhone app
EveryTrail iPhone app
FitBit
BodyBugg
and many more!

Eventually we would also like to tie-in with gyms so that you get credit for every time you visit the gym.

At the beginning we will use only Nike+ data because they have an open API that allows us to collect that data without a formal agreement with them. Of course we will still need someone’s permission and Nike+ login info in order to retrieve that data.

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