Since you asked . . .
crewahl
Posts: 5,353 Member
I shared the following with the email address WW provided in their obituary for the message boards.
"What do you want to see in a brand-new version of the Weight Watchers Community?"
What I'm looking for is the opportunity to identify and bond with a collection of like-minded people who are knowledgable and honest. That means seeing the same faces, learning their voices and styles, and understanding what motivates them. It means the opportunity to have give-and-take on a subject, gather input, share a plan of attack, and commit to it in front of people who will hold me accountable over time.
It means a message board.
Connect does not do that. It's an endless stream of affirmation from a broad and undifferentiated pool of people. There's no continuity of who you see, and no ability for discussion. It's broadcasting of a message, but there's no "communication" to it - it's just tweets fired into the ether with no regard or expectation for who may respond.
The difference between Connect and a message board is the difference between Twitter and a hand-written letter. One is a shallow blurb fired at random; the other is a communication between people who have formed a relationship.
I'll confess I have no expectation you will act on any of this - in fact, I suspect it will get the same sort of machine-reading response that a message to your Help Desk provides. I also suspect you're already committed to Connect and have no plans for a true "community" despite your request. However, you did ask, and I owed it to myself to give you an honest response.
"Communication", as it were . . .
"What do you want to see in a brand-new version of the Weight Watchers Community?"
What I'm looking for is the opportunity to identify and bond with a collection of like-minded people who are knowledgable and honest. That means seeing the same faces, learning their voices and styles, and understanding what motivates them. It means the opportunity to have give-and-take on a subject, gather input, share a plan of attack, and commit to it in front of people who will hold me accountable over time.
It means a message board.
Connect does not do that. It's an endless stream of affirmation from a broad and undifferentiated pool of people. There's no continuity of who you see, and no ability for discussion. It's broadcasting of a message, but there's no "communication" to it - it's just tweets fired into the ether with no regard or expectation for who may respond.
The difference between Connect and a message board is the difference between Twitter and a hand-written letter. One is a shallow blurb fired at random; the other is a communication between people who have formed a relationship.
I'll confess I have no expectation you will act on any of this - in fact, I suspect it will get the same sort of machine-reading response that a message to your Help Desk provides. I also suspect you're already committed to Connect and have no plans for a true "community" despite your request. However, you did ask, and I owed it to myself to give you an honest response.
"Communication", as it were . . .
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Replies
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I'm certain they'll respond with the same in-depth, thoughtful approach you used to formulate your message to them.0
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Well stated Charlie.0
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Mine fell far shot of this, though the theme was similar. Well said0
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As Steve suggested, my response to their request is equivalent to Connect - just a shot into the ether with no value.
But I felt it needed to be said.0 -
Well spoken Charlie.0
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"I'll have what he's having."
But it looks like it will be here, not there...0 -
I sent an email too. Not quite as eloquent as Charlie's. But (not surprising) no response.0
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I'll affirm what Charlie said. Teehee. ;^)
Yea I like being at least a bit less public and am definitely not a rah rah type for those wanting affirmation in less useful behaviors. Persistence is a value to me and certainly not perfection.0 -
Great response!0
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Amen bro!0
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Side note - no response or acknowledgement so far.0
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Note my restraint, Kim.
(And the silence continues to be deafening.)0 -
I'm concerned about WW in general surviving as an entity. The new plan - points plus - is ok, nothing great. My take away is - feel good about yourself and don't eat sweets. With the old plan we focused on exercise, water intake, fruits & veggies, low fat dairy and something to do with oils. Yet they say this is their best plan yet. People are loosing 15% more weight. I don't believe it.2
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I can see people losing 15% more - on a "per week" basis. After all, this is back to their old "diet-y" plans. I'm not sure people will stay on them as long, but maybe the Oprah-esque affirmation approach will keep them on program. WW is not saying you can't have something with sugar or fat, but it will likely come with a significant points penalty. I did feel more freedom and felt more in control on the prior plan - which works better for me.2
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In certain ways the new program is even more holistic. And less specific about everything except what you eat. (OK, technically it's not less specific but the new points calculation makes it more specific.)
Oprah has a strong track record selling affirmation and picking/making winners. So I wouldn't place an obituary just yet. Although, in truth, I am concerned.1 -
That's was so well said Charlie. A WW staff member tried to sell me on Connect and I didn't explain myself nearly as well as you did. The lack of a community that we 'know' makes it totally useless to me!
BTW, I'm Viviansdd Already had a MFP account, so just used that. 0 -
Well done.0
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linmueller wrote: »BTW, I'm Viviansdd Already had a MFP account, so just used that.
Hi Lin, good to have you back among us!
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