If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook, you have seen some of these motivators at work. As discussed in a previous post, I use Foursquare to keep track of when I check-in at the gym. I sometimes post these check-ins. LoseIt.com also includes motivators, which post my work-outs and weight gain/loss to Facebook and Twitter.

The motivation I receive from these postings is from my friends who write comments and “Like” my posts. These comments and “likes” keep me going by showing me the support of my friends during my journey.

This past summer I had an injury that prevented me from working out, which resulted in no work-out postings on Facebook and Twitter. A Facebook friend messaged me and asked why I stopped working out and stopped posting. Someone noticed, and I know now I can’t stop without explaining why. Again, it takes a virtual village, and the support from my friends during my journey keeps me going. My postings keep them informed, which keeps the pressure on me.

I have also received comments from friends offering advice from their experiences losing weight and getting healthy. Advice from those who are actually striving for the same goal is extremely beneficial to me and adds to my motivation. If they have been successful, I can/will too.

As you can see, even though Facebook and Twitter were not designed specifically for helping people get healthy, they are helping me.

Thanks go out to all my friends (and a few strangers) who comment/like and provide support and motivation during this journey. Please keep the pressure on me and continue offering advice and support.

Image Source: http://dominickmondi.wordpress.com/you/

Click Add New

Then search for the plugin, I typed “Embed Gist”

Search for Embed Gist Plugin

Then browse through the search results until you find it.  Once you find it click the “Install” button as I highlighted in the picture below.

Click me to view a larger image.

Follow the directions in the popup window and after you activate the plugin you can insert gists into your posts by inserting in this shortcode:

[ gist id=1333533 ]

This will produce the following:

References

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/embed-github-gist/

Stores and restaurants offer discounts to the people who check-in and to the mayor of the location, but for the most part being mayor is for bragging rights.

Three years ago, I visited my brother in India. While there, I checked in with Foursquare so my friends could visit India vicariously through me. A benefit of Foursquare in India was the ability to map where I was. I didn’t know Mumbai, so I didn’t really know where in the city I was. Foursquare showed me my location on a map and showed where I’d been.

Now you may be asking, “Mike how does Foursquare relate to your weight loss/getting healthy journey?”

Well, I check-in each time I go to the gym, and Foursquare keeps track. According to Foursquare, I have checked in to the gym 57 times (29 in last 2 months). Foursquare also shows that I have been to the gym 19 straight weeks.

Foursquare has awarded me with a mayor-ship of the gym and has even awarded me a badge for being a Gym Rat (10 trips in 30 days). As a bonus, Foursquare gives me extra points when I check-in multiple times in the same week (I checked in 8 days in a row to end 2011).

As I have discussed in previous postings, I “trick” myself into working out. Foursquare helps me by keeping track of my workouts and giving me badges and points, which is use as motivators. In next week’s post I’ll discuss additional motivators Foursquare and LoseIt provide me that help me with my weight loss journey.

Reference:1: Foursquare – Web 2.0 Tools – New Possibilities for Teaching and Learning – Confluence

One idea was to create a view, but I had never created a view from one server to another, so I looked for a solution for something like a remote view, if there was such a thing. It turns out there is with the MySQL federated storage engine. If you copy the create table syntax of the table you want to view remotely, you can create it on the other server with the federated storage engine and the connection details, and the table will be read from remotely.

First, setup each MySQL server to support the federated engine by turning it on. You can see which storage engines are supported by executing SHOW engines; in MySQL. If it is not supported, then you can turn it on by adding federated=ON to the MySQL configuration file (my.cnf) and then restarting MySQL.

Next, using the create table syntax of the table you want to view, change the engine to federated and add the connection details. For example,
ENGINE=FEDERATED
CONNECTION='mysql://fed_user@remote_host:9306/federated/test_table'

Once setup, you can view the contents of the table on the other server. There are some drawbacks though. The biggest drawback is the lack of speed. This is due to the remote connection and the fact that the federated engine does not support indexes. If the table is used in a lot of joins, the performance will definitely reflect it.

In the end, this was not the solution for my project, but it was something worth learning. To read more about it, visit the MySQL federated storage engine reference manual.

Mike's Gym

I found a workout DVD, Power 90 by BeachBody.com, that has two segments, aerobics and weight training.  I really enjoy the workouts, however, I have run into an issue.

I live on the third floor of an apartment complex.  I have neighbors on both sides of me, as well as below me on the second floor.  Due to my schedule, I have to work out at 4am, which is not a good time for jumping around my apartment doing the aerobic segment.  I’d wake up my neighbors and possibly lose my lease.

The apartment has its own gym, so I go to the gym and work out on the elliptical machine. The gym, however, doesn’t have a method for me to show the DVD.  I came up with a solution by digitizing the DVD and saving it to my laptop. Now I can go to the gym with my laptop and do the workout.  The gym is on the first floor and separate from the building, so there’s no worry of waking up my neighbors at 4am with my jumping from the aerobics segment.

One additional benefit of bringing my laptop to the gym is that the laptop has a remote control.  I am able to pause the video when I need a break.

This is an example of using a piece of technology as a weight loss tool even though it wasn’t originally intended to be used that way.  My laptop is not a tool designed for weight loss, but I used it to help accommodate my workouts and make me more successful in my weight loss journey.

Title: Discussion of Web, Mobile & Social Technologies

Description: Emerge will lead a discussion on how web, mobile and social technologies can be used to improve marketing reach, increase participation and engage with customers. Topics covered will include Facebook, QR codes, mobile apps, email and text notifications.

Each year that we present at this conference provides a great opportunity for us to reflect on web, mobile and social technologies and how they effect Metro Parks. Our format is to list out 10 things we are following and discuss how it might impact metroparks.

Our goal is to present for no more than half the session time and then open up for discussion. This provides a great opportunity for different parks to brag about their progress and learn from each other. Additionally, it is a great opportunity for us to listen to the challenges and opportunities facing park districts.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to blog about each of the 10 web, mobile and social technologies I’m following and share my thoughts on how they are impacting park districts.

Here is my list:

1) Facebook Pages
2) Facebook Sharing from the Web
3) Facebook Sharing from the real world
4) Private Twitter
5) Mobile Optimized Websites
6) Mobile Apps
7) QR Codes
8) Email, Txt, Facebook Messaging
9) Counters and Cameras
10) Gaming Mechanics

Me in 4th or 5th grade

I, like many Americans, am overweight (obesity according to the BMI). I remember being overweight starting in high school. A few years ago I decided I had enough and have since been working to get healthy again.

I need to trick myself into getting healthy, as every other method I have tried hasn’t worked. Therefore, being the computer guy that I am, I looked to use technology to assist in my endeavor. Over the next 10 or so weekly blogs, I will be describing the various technology I am using during my journey. Some of the technology was designed for weight loss and some was not.

“There’s an app for that!” – LoseIt.com

In technology to help me lose weight, well, “There’s an app for that!”

The LoseIt.com app allows you to keep track of the foods you eat, as well as the amount of calories. It also allows you to set goals for weight loss. If, for example, you want to lose 2lbs a week, the LoseIt app will figure out how many calories you should eat in a day (mine is 1,697). When you enter the foods you eat, it will also tell you how many more calories you still need to meet your goal.

When you exercise (can’t lose weight without exercising), LoseIt will also give you bonus calories for the exercises you do. I’m an elliptical guy, and my 40 minute workout awards me 522 calories burned. This means I can eat 522 additional calories that day. I can also choose not to eat those calories to help me reach my goal faster.

At one time, I was going to a weight loss specialist. He asked for a log of the foods I was eating to compare the nutrients and calories and figure out what was best for me. Well, with LoseIt you can save the foods you eat and exercises you do and export them to an Excel Spreadsheet for review.

LoseIt also allows you to enter your weight for the day and shows you a graph of your weight loss/gain. Additional features of LoseIt are the optional motivators, which I will discuss in a future blog post.

Using tricks, such as the technology from LoseIt.com, has helped me over the last 2 years to continue on the track to healthiness.

Emerge Team at our 2012 Strategy Session held on December 28, 2011

Since we have a great team at Emerge, we want to encourage everyone to blog. Therefore we have set-up an incentive. Each team member who posts at least 2 blog posts a week for 10 weeks during the first quarter (January – March) will receive a $100 gift card to Apple iTunes or Amazon.com.

To kick this off, I sent the Emerge team the following email that I thought was worth sharing:

Hi Team,

I found this article that I though was worth everyone reading:

http://www.inc.com/hollis-thomases/mistakes-of-business-blogs.html

A few of my thoughts:

Company Voice

Some initial thoughts on company voice:

• Personal, your writing from you, not a public relations person or marketing person writing in corporate speak. I’d almost think of it as emailing your thoughts to a (professional) friend
• We work in partnership with clients and give them the glory. The client should be the hero, not Emerge. I think we make ourselves look better by positioning ourselves as being part of the winner team rather than bragging that we are the winners.
• We experiment, explore and seek further knowledge. Versus act as if we have the absolute answer.
• We are professional and work hard but we are also balanced and have lives outside of work

Content Strategy

I’m very interested in having everyone here at Emerge write blog posts, each person comes from a different perspective and is involved in different activities. The risk is that the blogs never reach the targeted audience because there isn’t enough content in any one specific area to draw their attention.

Therefore, I think everyone should think of 1 or 2 target audiences they are going to blog for and pick 2 topic categories per audience. 2 audiences X 2 topic categories = 4 total topics. If you write 20 blog posts in the quarter (2 blog posts per week for 10 weeks per the strategy session) then you will have 5 blog posts per topic and 10 specific to the chosen audience.

Audience

Here are some audiences that I think make sense for the Emerge and LorainCounty.com blogs

• Potential Employees (Coders, Account Reps, Web Developers, Content Producers)
• MetroParks (Directors, Marketing Managers, IT Managers, Reservationists)
• Public Health (Directors, Marketing Managers, IT Managers, Public Education, HR Managers)
• Lorain County Business Owners/Marketing Directors
• Lorain County Influencers (Political, Sports, Membership Organizations, Non-profits, Education)

Topic

Pick topics that 1) would be of interest to the targeted audience; 2) are as specific as possible, but broad enough to do at least 5 good blog posts.

Emerge Blog Format

I would like to update the Emerge blog’s right side bar to list the topics that we are going to cover, so as soon as you have decided on those, please send them to me.

LorainCounty.com Blog Format

There was some discussion of moving the LorainCounty.com blog to being a section of LorainCounty.com so that blog posts aren’t missed. I think that goes against the idea that LorainCounty.com is about the users and the community and not about us. So instead, we have updated Newsroom to enable you to link the ‘Read More’ button to a specific URL. This way we can write the blog in the blog area and then write a summary story on LorainCounty.com linked to the full blog post. The summary story can appear in the appropriate sections on LorainCounty.com (i.e. business, entertainment, etc.) and link directly to the blog for the full content.

If you have any questions or if I can provide additional information, please let me know.

Ed

Based on the red color of my selected date range, May 1 through May 5, it appears that their are no rooms available. Fortunately, we are flexible on our travel dates and it appears that every other day is available according to the green color.

When I select the following week, I learn that week also has no availability. As you might expect, as I check other weeks before and after my preferred dates, these also had no availability. I was impressed with my resort selection, obviously this was a great place as it was sold out for the near future.

I imagine most users would have moved on to some other website by now. But, I decided I would need to book early next year so there would be some availability. No matter what dates I choose, no matter how far into the future, they was no availability.

While preparing to close that browser tab and start searching for another place to vacation, I noticed something in the bottom left corner. A ‘Continue’ button.

I went back and put my original dates in and they did have rooms available. In retrospect, the red indicating my dates selected is a few shades different than the red indicating no availability. Obviously, this subtle difference didn’t catch my eye.

Simple Solution

A very easy solution would be:

1) Change the color used to indicated selected dates
2) Add this color and explanation to the key
3) Move the submit button to be inline with selecting dates

An even better solution would be to add real time updates that provided the rooms and rates for the dates selected immediately after the date is selected.

How valuable is this usability update? If conversion increases up by just 1 paying customer per day and they 3 nights in the least expensive room I saw ($230/night), then revenue would increase $251,850 in the first year.

We are currently accepting applications for the following full-time positions:


Ruby on Rails- Lead Developer

The RoR Developer will be responsible for bringing concepts from customer models to functioning applications. The ideal candidate will have:

• An academic background in programming or related field (BS in Computer Programming or Software Development a big plus).
• Expert knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Extensive experience with Ruby, jQuery, MySQL, Linux and Apache.
• A love for new technologies, and a passion to keep yourself, and us, on the cutting edge of the industry.
• The discipline to work independently or collaborate with project teams to produce well-structured, readable, and documented code.

User Interface/User Experience Designer
The UI/UX Designer will be responsible for designing and prototyping the user models for client projects and applications. The ideal candidate will have:

• An academic background in web design, information architecture  (Bachelor’s Degree a big plus).
• An impressive professional portfolio of well designed interfaces or applications that you can’t wait to show off.
• A demonstrable love for interface design that clarifies, simplifies, and streamlines the user experience and information flow for our customer’s customers.
• Experience with wire frames, rapid prototyping, A/B and conversion funnel testing.

And is knowledgeable in:

• HTML, CSS, and multi-platform technologies to implement prototypes and wireframes
• Experience with interface designs for mobile devices a huge plus
• Basic graphic design/media tools in the industry (this is not a graphic design position)
• Basic database design, types and their methods of operation

Internet Marketing Strategist/Coordinator
The Internet Marketing Coordinator will be responsible for designing and implementing comprehensive, measurable marketing solutions for clients as well as internal projects to market existing products. The ideal candidate will have:

• A degree in marketing, multimedia advertising, web design or related (again, Bachelor’s Degree is a plus)
• Experience creating long-term marketing plans and incremental implementation strategies for clients
• Extensive knowledge of current marketing techniques and tools, KPI’s and best web practices.
• Experience with design testing, conversion tracking and funnels, Google AdWords and other metrics technology
• Excellent communication and team collaboration skills as well as the ability to present information to others in a clear and concise manner.
• Active participation in twitter, blogging or other social media technologies also a plus.

If you are interested in any of the above positions, please send a resume along with salary requirements to: resume@EmergeInc.com