Active.com, which operates nearly 20 online sites that enable peoople to register and prepare for everything from 10K races to Little League games and summer camps, said women are 2.5 times more likely then men to share details of their participation in Active.com events on Facebook and Twitter. Of all the links shared on the Active.com Facebook page last month, women were 43 percent more likely than men to view an event that a friend recommended.
Active.com said its fan base has grown 297 percent over the past year to more than one million fans and followers across all its channels. Through the site, users can interact with like-minded individuals; engage in online training programs; and access nutrition, fitness, and training tips. Through both original and syndicated content, its Schwaggle daily deal program, Active.com Trainer plans and a lively community forum-Active.com provides a robust online destination for social fitness.
In March 2011, the company released a new, beta version of Active.com Trainer-an online training program to help people reach their fitness goals-with social integration features. Since then, roughly 83 percent of Active.com Trainer beta participants have posted their progress on Facebook for their social network to appreciate. Further observation of Active.com social media behavior found that the gamification of activities and the ability to earn badges throughout the training journey seems to encourage people to stick to their goals. Since the integration of Badgeville with the Active.com Trainer beta, close to 36,000 High Fives have been given by Active.com Trainer participants to encourage one another, and roughly 27,000 badges have been awarded.
Through Active.com, users can interact with like-minded individuals; engage in online training programs; and access nutrition, fitness, and training tips. Through both original and syndicated content, its Schwaggle daily deal program, Active.com Trainer plans and a lively community forum-Active.com provides a robust online destination for social fitness.Were seeing a huge shift in how our consumers approach health and fitness, said Jon Belmonte, chief media officer at Active Network. While online fitness tools remain as popular as ever, we believe its the growing social element that is making a real difference in peoples fitness efforts. Its no longer a personal decision-in fact, its almost not ‘real until you socialize your fitness commitment through Facebook, Twitter or your blog. Thats why we believe studying the trends in what we are calling ‘social fitness is worthwhile. It will help us-and our partners-to better understand the wants and needs of our extensive user base.
Also in March 2011, Active.com created its Couch-to-5K community for people who are new to exercise and fitness. These individuals may have never run or exercised before, but have made a commitment to changing their lifestyle. With the encouragement of their peers and the broader Active.com community, they are finding success in reaching their fitness goals.
