One of the reasons I am becoming increasingly interested in the Quantifed Self is that brings together mechanisams for changing behaviour (that thing some people call PR) and concerns about privacy and constructed personality.
It so getting to the time of year that people make resolutions (which usually means less of the things we like). We all know that New Year resolutions seldom make it to the end of January, and that will power alone is not enough for many people (i.e. me).
One of the motivating factors can be visualisation, linked to tangible reward or disincentives.
The game plans for fitness and weight control businesses such as Withings and Fitbit draw on the benefits of sharing motivations and success. One of the areas that is likely to see a growth in the near future are aggregators which bring together results from QS devices, and Beeminder offers an interesting model.
I like the carrot and stick idea of a Yellow Brick Road showing a desirable path, and could sign up for mild punishments if I break my resolutions, but I don't really want to my penance to enrich a commercial organisation.
It is so obvious that many others must have proposed this, but wouldn't it be great if Withings used the model to bild a charity app, rather like Just Giving? It would be an sort of mirror image of charity - instead of being sponsored by the mile to run a marathon, I would pledge to make a smallish payment to a charity of my choice every week or month I didn't hit a weight reduction/drinking/smoking/book-buying goal?
The QS movement is an interesting one and it's exciting to see how it will map out.
I like your idea of paying a penalty for missing a goal for a particular month that would go to charity.
Let's hope this becomes the mainstream method for fundraising in the future rather than people bothering you on busy streets during peak times.
Posted by: Jonk87 | December 12, 2012 at 11:43 PM