RESOLVED: Cheers and Taunts now provide Step Differences

[BLLingg]

This morning, I cheered my 55 Active FitFriends. I got back some weird replies. In order of appearance, they included the following:

 
#1) FitFriend Cheer: "cheered you! You're only 150,174 steps behind!"
#2) FitFriend Message: lol..yep that's will be easy to get to 😂
#3) FitFriend Cheer: "cheered you! You're 38,563 steps ahead!
I was getting very confused untll
#4) FitFriend Message: "When did Fitbit add, # of steps ahead, to cheers from others? I haven't gotten any cheers from one ahead of me yet. Is it motivating in your opinion?"

Later on, after several Messages, FitFriend #1 messaged back: "Brunetta, I seriously have no clue what you are talking about. I didn’t say anything to you other than clicking on cheers😳"
After several more Messages, he messaged back: "Hmm! It doesn’t say that on mine. Must be an Android thing then"

Those 150,174 Steps that were, I presume, intended to motivate me did not! Right now, I'm at 165,436 for the past SEVEN DAYS! How motivating is it to be told that you have to do almost as many Steps in presumably a few hours that it took you to get in an entire Week?

Worse yet, among those I cheered is one who is already insecure and if she has Android or uses her PC, she was told that she is only 156,515 Steps behind me.

I am mad. I am embarrassed. I feel guilty of having likely offended some of my FitFriends by appearing to brag. I am disgusted. I am not a braggart. I am neither a Sadist or a Masochist. I have never even intentionally taunted anyone. Until this is fixed, I can no longer cheer anyone. Friend #4 says that he feels ok cheering those who are ahead of him or very close behind him, but I would feel almost as guilty if I cheered only a few of my FitFriends!!!

Moderator edit: format

[Colinm39]

@BLLinggI agree with you... In Australia taunting can be seen as a form of bullying.. and my reaction today when I read two of my cheers I had no idea where the extra information came from..  The cheer will now be seen as a form of taunting..Maybe incentive, but hardly.

Another fiddle by Fitbit with no Announcements...  So I stop cheering now... I was using it as a from of "saying hello" from down under and it was always seen as "we are keeping an eye on each other."..

At my age 78..... I'm not sure what Fitbit had in mind.. There should be a tick option in our settings if this is going to be standard..

@MatthewFitbit  Can someone explain please.....

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@BLLingg wrote:

This morning, I cheered my 55 Active FitFriends. I got back some weird replies. In order of appearance, they included the following:

#1) FitFriend Cheer: "cheered you! You're only 150,174 steps behind!"
#2) FitFriend Message: lol..yep that's will be easy to get to 😂
#3) FitFriend Cheer: "cheered you! You're 38,563 steps ahead!
I was getting very confused untll
#4) FitFriend Message: "When did Fitbit add, # of steps ahead, to cheers from others? I haven't gotten any cheers from one ahead of me yet. Is it motivating in your opinion?"

Later on, after several Messages, FitFriend #1 messaged back: "Brunetta, I seriously have no clue what you are talking about. I didn’t say anything to you other than clicking on cheers😳"
After several more Messages, he messaged back: "Hmm! It doesn’t say that on mine. Must be an Android thing then"

Those 150,174 Steps that were, I presume, intended to motivate me did not! Right now, I'm at 165,436 for the past SEVEN DAYS! How motivating is it to be told that you have to do almost as many Steps in presumably a few hours that it took you to get in an entire Week?

Worse yet, among those I cheered is one who is already insecure and if she has Android or uses her PC, she was told that she is only 156,515 Steps behind me.

I am mad. I am embarrassed. I feel guilty of having likely offended some of my FitFriends by appearing to brag. I am disgusted. I am not a braggart. I am neither a Sadist or a Masochist. I have never even intentionally taunted anyone. Until this is fixed, I can no longer cheer anyone. Friend #4 says that he feels ok cheering those who are ahead of him or very close behind him, but I would feel almost as guilty if I cheered only a few of my FitFriends!!!

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Moderator edit: format

[BLLingg]

Moderator Intervention requested!

This probably doesn't belong under Android App. I put it here since the offensive (to me!) Step Difference wasn't showing up on my Friend's Apple. However, I can't even view Cheers, Taunts, or Messages in my Samsung Galaxy 7's Android App.

I'm seeing the Step Difference on my PC. Windows XP, Firefox 52.5.0 (32-bit).

Moderator edit: format

[BruceBu]

I'm with Colin. One of the stupidiest (of many stupid ) moves that I have seen Fitbit make as an unannounced 'improvement'. I never use the 'taunt' option as I find it disgusting. Now, since I take more steps than most of my friends, Every PM and cheer that I send is automatically turned into a Fitbit taunt. No thanks, I'll stop messaging until this feature is removed, or has a settings checkbox to disable it.

[WendyB]

Moving to the Dashboard forum as this effects all not just Android

[CityLion]

I got over the negative aspects of Fitbit’s  “Taunt” by  my choice of use. Now I am very upset by "Cheers" that do not Fit a Bit with encouragement, because they include the number of steps ahead someone is, but I want to cheer them on.  This was a blindside change again. No one knew with certainty for awhile that it was from Fitbit or their “friend’s” choice. So how might a friend I am encouraging feel about every cheer saying I am only 100 + days stepping of their current level ahead of them? Terrible! Just like the quality of the idea to slam another shortsighted change into the system with no choice given users. 

[CityLion]

BruceBu, you say that PM include friends relative steps. I have not seen that in app, or web, messages yet. Are you referring to a Personal Messages that you might be sent from this forum? Could you clarify for me? I think I've annoyed enough of my friends by no notice, or choice already. 

[BruceBu]

I meant the 180 character 'instant messenger' that is part of the dashboard web page and the friends list that is there, which has the choices of 'comment' (what I meant by PM), cheer, or taunt.

[SilviaFitbit]

Hey everyone @BLLingg, @CityLion, @BruceBu! I understand what you mean with this. Although getting an encouragement like, "keep up you are just a little bit away", which is what the intention behind this change seemed for, can help you give that extra effort, it can become discouraging if the difference is more than a little. I truly appreciate you letting the community know how you feel about this, as it allows Fitbit to know how people experiencing this, feel about it. 

Thanks for your advice @WendyB and @Colinm39! 

[BLLingg]

@SilviaFitbit, I'm sorry, but I have to tell you that I don't have much comfort in your reply. I would prefer to be told that the Program Development Team who came up with this blankety blank idea in the first place would either come up with a filter or would remove it completely.

While I'm on this vein, I would also like to see FitBit provide your Users with some kind of a "What's New" Notification when things are going to be changing. It's extremely frustrating to be told that you must or cannot do something today that you did yesterday!!!

Understanding those of us who are aware of what happened when we tried to encourage our Friends and who sought out the Community Forum isn't doing diddly squat for us. Nor is it doing a blasted thing for all of your other FitBit Users who may be unknowingly cheering right now and possibly having one or more of their "Friends" unfriend them due to outrage at their gall!

Moderator edit: format

[BLLingg]

Thank you, @WendyB! Android was my first thought since my iPod using Friend didn't see the Steps Difference when I cheered him.

Moderator edit: format

[BruceBu]

@SilviaFitbit I appreciate the intentions, but bottom line: these are our messages and we should be able to control their content, not have forced suplementation from Fitbit. Should we actually want to taunt/cheer someone with how many steps they are behind/ahead, most of us know how to subtract.

I'll give you an example of the unintended consequences of forced comparative content. I have a fitbit friend who is in the final stages of cancer and is lucky to take several thousand steps a week. I have been regularly sending 'cheers' to let know that I care and that I am thinking of them - something that will be appreciated but does not require the energy of a response. Now, Fitbit has decided that this must be suplemented by a mesage to the effect "cheers, you are 279,243 steps behind this week'.

Good intentions, horrible implementation - it has to be optional..

[Colinm39]

@SilviaFitbitYou have my thoughts in an earlier post, but now I have to get walking because I need at least  33 days to catch up to one of my friends..

Many of us have friends because of the mental relationship and discuss the benefits of Fitbit and other issues and the Friend request is an, "I'm thinking of you" message.

I have an 80 yr friend who I cannot sent a friend cheer now.  They are still hanging in there, active, but my cheer would be derogatory.

[WendyB]

I have to agree with everyone. This just is not right In my opinion. I won't use this function anymore as I'm afraid I will offend someone. 

@SilviaFitbit

[BruceBu]

I've noticed that the step differential is appended only to taunts and cheers, not to messages. I still won't use the 'cheer' button for reasons stated above, but at least I can send a simple message "cheers" without having the intent changed by Fitbit.

[sandycrochet]

This is 2,000% on the mark.  I too have several friends in that category.  My cheering them is my way of checking on them.  Letting them know I'm thinking about them.  You don't always have time to type a message.  I am truly appalled this change occurred.  How truly thoughtless on Fitbit's part. I have over 100 friends, and I feel the need to somehow communicate to let them know I was purposely being obnoxious but that you/fitbit was.

Being fit, is suppose to be about helping each other out.  That's the benefit of community.  This change does just the opposite.  I might also add, I moderate of group of senior citizens.  We've become quite close, some of us have even met face to face.  So when I say community of support is important.........I know what I'm talking about.

Change it NOW!  Send a note to all user to please disregard cheers that seemed more like taunts, that the person sending them knew nothing about them, that it was a program change.

[Colinm39]

Here is a Tiny URL of this post which you can send via a Friend message...

http://tinyurl.com/yab8fxj8

Every message I have read has my exact sentiments... We are here to Support each other in our personal best..

[WendyB]

Yes a got a cheer saying I was 44,000 steps behind a friend. Encouraging?  I think not

[Colinm39]

I tried a "bump" on this to keep it at the top but was rejected because there wasn't enough body text..

bump and bump....

[MzP]

@BLLingg we meet again  thanks to @Colinm39 alerting me of this post. I posted my concerns under the Android app forum with the heading “What do you think about the new Notifications messages format”. I feel the same way. When I first saw this I thought the Fitbit friend was personally telling me how many steps ahead they were so I sent them a message that they must be cheering me straight from Fitbit website instead of the app since they noted the step difference as shown on the website. They did not message me back and must have been super confused! I am in total agreement, this new format seems more of a taunt than an encouraging cheer. This is not motivating at all! The only way to avoid this is to send actual message of a cheer instead of sending just a plain old cheer like a big hello to that person. What a hassle to have to send a cheer this way! Then to find out that this is yet again an issue/feature for non-iPhone/ Mac users, well I don’t know what to say about that. I’m glad to hear we are not alone in our gut reaction to this. @Colinm39 I agree it does feel like a form of bullying or it can inadvertently cause bad feelings between folks. 

Seeing that people are nearby in steps or passing up can be fun, if shown in a different format. For example on the Friends list a person can perhaps have the option to see the actual step count difference, instead of the current format which is based on the weekly step average for total steps.