Group tracking / Long term history

[kcella]

My family wants to do a fitbit challenge over the new year (2016). From what I gathered, the fitbit app only tracks one month worth of data.

Is there a third party app I can use to track the steps for the group and have access to the fitbit data for an entire year?

[Odyssey13]

Welcome to the forums @kcella

While the actual Fitbit device holds seven days of complete data and a an additional 23 days of basic information beyond that, your account will have access to everything you've done since day one.

I started my Fitbit journey September 2013 and I can look back and see everything using their calendar. I'm able to select a certain period of time and know how many steps were taken.

You'll each be able to look back and see your own data.

To keep track of a group, you can always use Google Docs, which is free and would allow you to do a spreadsheet of your steps. Each of you can enter in your daily (or weekly) steps.

Keep on stepping!

[kcella]

I was hoping there was an automated solution that could import the fitbit data and contain an out of the box dashboard with a leader board.

[SebringDon · Accepted solution]

@kcella

While it's not exactly what you're looking for, let me recommend taking a look at walking4fun.com 

@GreenTortuga, a Fitbit user, is also a thru-hiker. He's created a website where you can link your Fitbit and use your steps to "walk" a bunch of different trails, from the 36-mile Crater Lake Trail to the 2,689.5 mile Pacific Crest Trail. As he hiked these trails, he took literally thousands of pictures, so as you "walk" in his footsteps, you get to see what he saw.

You can have friends and see each other's locations on the trail, so the maps he displays of the route would serve as a leaderboard of sorts if you all started the trail on the same day. As with any trail, he includes a register you can sign which those who come behind you can read, so the leaders could leave messages for those that come behind.

If you picked a long trail like the Pacific Crest Trail, it would probably last most people longer than a year.

I've just finished the Crater Lake Trail and started the Arizona Trail, which is a little over 800 miles. I find the concept fascinating, the implementation excellent, and the photographs beautiful.

As an added bonus, you can find his blogs for the various trails online and read the blog entries that go along with the appropriate trail. I'm reading his Arizona Trail blog as I travel, and only read a new entry when I've covered all the mileage included in the present one. I'm planning to hook some family members and friends into joining me after the new year.

Anyway, I think it may work for your purpose, and add the dimension of vicariously exploring a famous trail as a bonus.

Here's a thread where I talked to @GreenTortuga about the idea of challenges on the site. It's apparently quite common.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Third-Party-Integrations/How-to-link-Fitbit-with-Walking-4-Fun/m-p/8...

Hope this helps!