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How About We Don't Delete Newsfeeds
Replies
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IslandGal3 wrote: »I see there is a new food logging streak in my diary. Wonder if that will replace our login streaks.
That would be interesting!0 -
https://www.businessofapps.com/data/myfitnesspal-statistics/
MFP has 200 million users.
If 200,000 people used the News Feed, that's 0.1% of the total users.
If only 20 million people actively use MFP (10%), and 200,000 of them use the News Feed, that's 1% of the total active users.
When moderators etc. say that relatively few people use the News Feed, this is what they mean. To you, 200,000 people might seem like a lot, but when you run the math, it's not.
And quite frankly, I'd guess it's something more like 20,000 rather than 200,000.
Registered users doesn't tell the whole story though - how many of those are active users? That's a number I'd be more interested in and then see how many of those use the newsfeed (and how they measure 'using the newsfeed')
There has been protest here, but I think it's only a fraction of the newsfeed users - many of them probably aren't aware anything is changing. The only reason I know is because I'm active on the boards - I received no email informing me and the official post here didn't even specify newsfeed were disappearing, it only mentioned how this new 'activity feed' works.
We'll see if protest changes anything, but to say the new 'activity feed' in the boards (and groups) is a valid replacement is a joke honestly, just camouflaging for something they're taking away.
In my calculations above, I suggest that perhaps 10% are active users.
But let's say that 1% of 200,000,000 are active users = 2,000,000.
Now let's assume that 10% of 2,000,000 are News Feed users ... that's 200,000, and still a significant minority.
And again, looking at these numbers (and knowing the ghost town my News Feed has become in recent years), I'd guess no more than 20,000 (1%) of the possible 2,000,000 active users use News Feed.
If it is also old technology and not supported, why would they keep it?
If 500 people get miffed and leave, what kind of dent is that in active users? Especially if most of them are not premium users?
The reality is you don't actually have numbers. You are making them up to make a point. I see you point, but the issue is there are many active user who don't use anything but the food tracking. They don't use the newsfeed. They don't use the community. They just track their food. Whether that is successful long term, or whether they stick with things without any support is something I would love to have data on. For that matter, I would love to have data on what they consider "using" the newsfeed. Is that making posts other than the automated ones for one's exercise, weight loss, and closing daily diary? Is it giving "likes" or "comments"? Is it having friends? We don't know. There may be people who check in, and are motivated by the automatic posts of their friends in the newsfeed, but don't interact beyond that for the most part. I know there are huge numbers of people who don't use the community boards, but I don't see a move to get rid of them.
I am going to make some guesses here just like you did on numbers. I am going to guess there are a substantial number of people who don't use the newsfeed because they have never used the community boards and they have no friends. This lack of friends in the newsfeed is not because they wouldn't benefit and enjoy the support of others. It is because for me, other than the one person who directed me to MFP back in 2010 and friended me immediately when I joined, all my friends came from my posts in the community boards which back then were far more tightly linked to the main program. If I had not gone on the community boards, I would likely only have that one friend or none at all. To say that that the newsfeed is not used a lot without defining terms or looking at what may be the underlying reasons such as not having any friends for reasons such as I mentioned is not a good thing when active users who have had a great deal of success often because of the support of their friends and the interactions on their newfeed is short sighted. Will it make me leave after being here 14 years? I am not sure. I would have to see if there was an alternative that has something similar, the links well with fitbit, and does a good job of tracking. I can say that my willingness to stick with MFP is far lower with their current plans, especially in light of the way it is being implemented where many people won't even know it is happening. I didn't until all the posts about saving the newsfeed started popping up.9 -
Go to your App Store and change your rating to 1 star!
We have to do something to get their attention. I've emailed. I've canceled premium.
Tank the ratings until this is fixed!7 -
I'm here since March 7, 2012... 12 years !!!
And the only reason that kept me going here is my friends here !!!
Over the years, I have gone through so much (being diagnosed with breast cancer, seeing my only sis in a coma and passing away at the young age of 48, losing suddenly and unexpectedly my mom...) and my friends were here to lift me up !!!
The needfeeds are ESSENTIAL !!!
Connections with friends are CRUCIAL as in life is full of ups as downs !!!
You know what, I have a fitbit, I can go there to log my food and activity, so what's the point to using MFP?
I don't like the community groups and discussions and not planning in using them !!!
I just want to interact with the friends that I want to interact with and not with everyone on MFP !!!
SO PLEASE KEEP THE NEWSFEEED
OR ELSE I'M GONE AND SO MANY OTHERS HERE...
AND YOU CAN'T HAVE AN APP WITHOUT USERS, RIGHT?
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springlering62 wrote: »I’m seeing user IDS on these threads I’ve never heard of, and (looking at their post counts) who seldom post on the “public” areas of the boards.
It strikes me there’s a huge number of users who bypass the boards and go straight for a direct connection.
The boards were vibrant and wonderful til the last batch of major changes, when they just shriveled and died on the vine.
I hope to heavens you guys have a plan and aren’t just winging it again.
I actually love MFP. Yep. I love an app. Anyone who asks me what made me successful, or whom I overhear in the dressing room struggling, I pipe up and tell them the wonders of MFP. I’ve tried to pay it forward on the boards with new and struggling members, Ive served on at least one “committee”, did a user zoom conference -happily, I might add- when asked. For heavens sake, somewhere in this app is GIFs of me hanging my stomach out versus sucking it in, and pulling extra skin out to here versus tucking it in to Lycra. I can talk with women about menopause, periods, etc etc etc when bashful me would have issues discussing them IRL. I’ve read and participated in convos about weight loss and bowel movements. There is no faffing way I’d share any of that anywhere else.
You’ve got a good, basic, intuitive app (sans the many crappy user food entries). It doesn’t have to be beautiful, it doesn’t have to be trendy, but it does need to serve our needs both logging and having the person-to-person interaction.
I’m with @KickassAmazon76 I run screaming from the idea of “groups”. I’ve got a curated list of meaningful friends. I don’t want to join a group who has friends of friends of friends, and share what is sometimes personal stuff.
I’ve got friends here going through major health, life, job, depression and relationship issues that they share with friends. I am, frankly, honored that I’m in their trusted circle.
MFP friends are not just weight loss pals, they are something more. They are an extended network of friends who share the good bad and the ugly of life and weightloss- unlike other social media sites where every damn person is perfectly dressed, perfectly coiffed, and puckering up for the camera with their perfect SO or angelic, faultless child.
MFP is real, when other sites are not.
Maybe you didn’t intend to go that route, but you did, and you incidentally created strong communities.
Why not think about that, and channel and monetize that, if it’s a funds issue? Maybe a mid-range subscription fee. The $100+ is hard for a lot of folks to swallow, but nor should folks expect it to be absolutely free. Or a staggered subscription fee?
But by the same token, if you go that route, how about doing some curating of your own? Ads for athletic wear or equipment, instead of the AI or cartoon ads of shrinking people who “lost 25 pounds of fat in a week”.
This Right Here!!! Give us a solution that lets the newsfeed stay rather than some careless, misinformed decision. What a well written post describing the intangible benefits of the newsfeed. The authenticity of the newsfeed has helped me in ways that I could never find anywhere else. You want to kill off what makes you unique? When in the history of EVER was that a smart business decision? Another user posted to contact the Francisco Partners Group CEO- Dipanjan Deb that owns MFP. Not a bad idea.6 -
For people who access MyFitnessPal via computers, the newsfeed is on our HOME PAGE. It's the first thing we see. It's not another clunky click. The only reason I ever use MFP on my cell phone is to scan a UPC.9
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This change is a HUGE step backwards.
No single space to follow updates from all of my connections/friends, really?
No one here has one homogenous group of friends that can be lumped together in one group. And I'm certainly not going to visit each friend's individual page each day to see if they have updates.
The newsfeed, a little used feature, really? More used than the boards, I'm sure!
The boards are nearly dead as it is, removing the newsfeed is pretty much killing the remaining community part of MFP, IMHO.
Well said!
I have a small, carefully selected group of friends on here and few have any connection to one another. The newsfeed is one of the features I use daily and enjoy seeing updates of what my friends are doing. I rarely have time for the boards these days.
I was hoping for enhancements to the feed so I could finally post pics from a browser, not to see it killed off completely.9 -
AmyDahlTorres wrote: »For people who access MyFitnessPal via computers, the newsfeed is on our HOME PAGE. It's the first thing we see. It's not another clunky click. The only reason I ever use MFP on my cell phone is to scan a UPC.
When I access MFP, I go straight into Community.
I rarely look at my Home page except when I go through to log some exercise.1 -
AmyDahlTorres wrote: »For people who access MyFitnessPal via computers, the newsfeed is on our HOME PAGE. It's the first thing we see. It's not another clunky click. The only reason I ever use MFP on my cell phone is to scan a UPC.
When I access MFP, I go straight into Community.
I rarely look at my Home page except when I go through to log some exercise.
Most of my access to MFP is my computer. App is for scanning bar codes as I find the app clunky.1 -
I'm commenting on this thread again purely so it gets bumped up to the recent activity and gives others a chance to see it.6
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@Betty I agree with @springlering62. Up until yesterday, I only had two MFP friends. By joining a community group, I no longer have control of whom I communicate with. Not enough time!
Also, I was involved in a few community discussions. But I never got notifications of new content unless I actually went to the community section. It may seem petty. But I only have so much time to devote to this resource.3 -
I’ve been on MFP for over 13 years! The newsfeed has been vital in my progress. Connection with like minded individuals is critical in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I’ve made many friends who are real, honest, struggle and get it back together- because of the support and encouragement we give each other. Please DO NOT delete this vital part of your website. I cannot imagine how this would be positive.
Please keep the newsfeed. It really makes a huge difference and impact to so many of us on here.
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@springlering62 @SHW33TP3A @KickassAmazon76 have nailed it. MFP is pretty much my FB now. The feed is where I cheer with, empathize with, pray with, etc. etc. my friends. All the connections are very important to me. So much more than a calorie counter app.10
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sunrise611 wrote: »https://www.businessofapps.com/data/myfitnesspal-statistics/
MFP has 200 million users.
If 200,000 people used the News Feed, that's 0.1% of the total users.
If only 20 million people actively use MFP (10%), and 200,000 of them use the News Feed, that's 1% of the total active users.
When moderators etc. say that relatively few people use the News Feed, this is what they mean. To you, 200,000 people might seem like a lot, but when you run the math, it's not.
And quite frankly, I'd guess it's something more like 20,000 rather than 200,000.
Registered users doesn't tell the whole story though - how many of those are active users? That's a number I'd be more interested in and then see how many of those use the newsfeed (and how they measure 'using the newsfeed')
There has been protest here, but I think it's only a fraction of the newsfeed users - many of them probably aren't aware anything is changing. The only reason I know is because I'm active on the boards - I received no email informing me and the official post here didn't even specify newsfeed were disappearing, it only mentioned how this new 'activity feed' works.
We'll see if protest changes anything, but to say the new 'activity feed' in the boards (and groups) is a valid replacement is a joke honestly, just camouflaging for something they're taking away.
I think many people still don't know yet. I found out from irate friends on here yesterday.
Same. Ironically, I only learned of the Newsfeed's impending demise from a friend's post on.... wait for it.... my Newsfeed.
Irony #2 is that there are a few people on this thread who I probably should have friended long ago but, gee, there isn't any point in doing so now.15 -
save the news feed
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Sent my email to theSpaff_luceat_lux_vestra_BSB wrote: »not sure if they will listen but here are some emails for CEO'S at Francisco Partners. I'm sending an email to all of them...you never know
Sent my email too!3 -
Isn’t the newsfeed where they post articles? Where people connect with each other like this is called the Community…???… I think the Community will remain. I’m new coming back after a long time away so maybe I’m off in what I’m seeing….if so I apologize. But the below article states “ Members will now be able to access latest food and nutrition content via the Blog and interact with others in the Community tab, both can be found in the More menu.”
https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/26953529858317-Retiring-the-Newsfeed-feature-by-the-end-of-June-20241 -
I'm a fairly new MFP member, and I too am sad to see the activity feed will soon be no more. It's a simple way to share and stay in touch with ALL your friends.4
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What a great way for everyone to keep in touch why get rid of it?4
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This change is a HUGE step backwards.
No single space to follow updates from all of my connections/friends, really?
No one here has one homogenous group of friends that can be lumped together in one group. And I'm certainly not going to visit each friend's individual page each day to see if they have updates.
The newsfeed, a little used feature, really? More used than the boards, I'm sure!
The boards are nearly dead as it is, removing the newsfeed is pretty much killing the remaining community part of MFP, IMHO.
Well said!
I have a small, carefully selected group of friends on here and few have any connection to one another. The newsfeed is one of the features I use daily and enjoy seeing updates of what my friends are doing. I rarely have time for the boards these days.
I was hoping for enhancements to the feed so I could finally post pics from a browser, not to see it killed off completely.
13 year DAILY member, free user. Depend on my newsfeed for friends connection. Am I of value to MFP, you bet I am. Smart advertisers want “active” member count, so my daily usage is of value as are our daily premium folks!
Why do I stay, yep friends support through my newsfeed. Public boards have their place for sure but not as a stand-alone feature for any success MFP may achieve. MFP has to make money to survive, but when you don’t listen to understand what keeps active clients in your portfolio then shame on you.
You cannot please all of us as we are very diverse in needs and wants, replace the newsfeed for technical support issues, ok BUT offer an improved option to meet your business needs but keep loyal customers. Obtaining NEW clients demands more time, effort and money, then maintaining most of your existing client base, particularly in this new ‘click’ value world. So sales and financial executives do your job!
Truly disappointed from my point of view, but as our folks use to say “when one door closes another opens”. I’m off to find the new door very soon. Good luck MFP Community, you’ve been great.
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Heather_71 wrote: »Isn’t the newsfeed where they post articles? Where people connect with each other like this is called the Community…???… I think the Community will remain. I’m new coming back after a long time away so maybe I’m off in what I’m seeing….if so I apologize. But the below article states “ Members will now be able to access latest food and nutrition content via the Blog and interact with others in the Community tab, both can be found in the More menu.”
https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/26953529858317-Retiring-the-Newsfeed-feature-by-the-end-of-June-2024
The news feed is where you see status updates only from people on your friends list. You are able to comment on them or go to their wall to leave a comment.
The community is the place where the forums(like this one) live. It's open for all to see and respond. (and now whether you want to kiss the above poster *eyeroll*, lol)
Private groups are like sub sections of the forum where a moderator (or group owner) decides who gets to join, and it's like a mini community of ours own.2 -
https://www.businessofapps.com/data/myfitnesspal-statistics/
MFP has 200 million users.
If 200,000 people used the News Feed, that's 0.1% of the total users.
If only 20 million people actively use MFP (10%), and 200,000 of them use the News Feed, that's 1% of the total active users.
When moderators etc. say that relatively few people use the News Feed, this is what they mean. To you, 200,000 people might seem like a lot, but when you run the math, it's not.
And quite frankly, I'd guess it's something more like 20,000 rather than 200,000.
Sorry. Inflated number. If remotely true, the majority are bots (Remember the Russian spam/fake friend requests? ) at least I got to decide whether to accept or not. New system. Public or completely private. No filter between.
For 200 million people, im certain MFP would be inclined to fix this entire site. Otherwise they are more inept than believed.
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For what it's worth.. I used to be far more active on here when the newsfeed was more stable. The bugginess of the feed, the constant bugs "this page is not available" when trying to go to a friend's wall (when they were quiet for a while, and the inability to properly comment on responses to posts all became cumbersome. It was a failure when they stopped showing community threads your friends posted on. But I've stayed because of the logging and in particular because of the friendships I have been able to make here. (I've been here almost 15 yrs and even had over a ten year login streak.
If MFP actually put MORE effort into stabilizing and enhancing the news feeds (instead of saying it's too hard to fix), you might get people coming back. The bugginess and instability of the app is one of the reasons why I never went premium. There's no way I would pay that much for a buggy app.
As it stands, I often get duplicate entries when copying a meal from a previous entry, clicking on notifications to a comment takes me to a blank page, and I cannot like a comment on my feed if it's the last comment in the thread.
Seems like mfp is giving up and the future does not look good for this app.
I miss the MFP of the past.8 -
IMO the best part of MFP is the Newsfeed. The community pages have always been too large and clunky to navigate and even if we set up a select small group it's impossible to incorporate all our friends into a private setting. Most of my friends aren't friends with each other. Something else I haven't read here is that there are too many unverified folks trolling the community groups. I for one have come across too many who are here for all the wrong reasons. The newsfeed is a safer environment.
I hope you will consider all the complaints you're receiving about eliminating the newsfeed and realize the quantity and quality of people you will be losing, many of whom who have been here for a decade or more. For most of us it's not just about the logging, we can do that anywhere, it's about the friendships! It simply won't be the same!
BTW, I've been here since 2013 but just came back under a new name a few days ago because of a creeper who would not leave me alone even though I blocked him. Sometimes having too many friends and being part of a large community isn't all that safe. That's my experience anyway.....sad to say.11 -
save the feed3
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Been here since 2012, been paying premium all that time, cancelled
the renewal.
Newsfeed is the only reason I’ve stayed so long.
They are taking away the support system most of us rely on.
Seems completely counterintuitive to the point of the app.
So terribly disappointed.
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I wouldn't know what other web page/app would have something similar to the newsfeed. I know I tried some others several years back, but between losing all my recipes, foods, and friends; I decided to stay here. The few I have checked, don't sync with fitbit in the free version, and I have no desire to pay just for that feature.3
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OK, here's an issue with moving toward "private groups". They don't seem to be so private. I joined a friend's new *private* group that she made due to losing the news feed. In it, she asked if anyone knew another member. No one did, so I did a search on MFP of the member's user name. My search yielded a number of threads the member participated in or was mentioned in...and the "private" chat thread in the supposedly "private" group was one of them. This is exactly why I don't use Community. I've searched my user name and found my posts from Community on the internet. I don't want that. I want private discussions with people I've decided are safe to associate with. The newsfeed offered that, but I can't see that anything else this site offers provides that kind of privacy.7
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OK, here's an issue with moving toward "private groups". They don't seem to be so private. I joined a friend's new *private* group that she made due to losing the news feed. In it, she asked if anyone knew another member. No one did, so I did a search on MFP of the member's user name. My search yielded a number of threads the member participated in or was mentioned in...and the "private" chat thread in the supposedly "private" group was one of them. This is exactly why I don't use Community. I've searched my user name and found my posts from Community on the internet. I don't want that. I want private discussions with people I've decided are safe to associate with. The newsfeed offered that, but I can't see that anything else this site offers provides that kind of privacy.
You could see that because you were also a member of that private group, were you not? I was also concerned about this as I belong to a few private groups but most of my friends did too. I had to go out of my way to grab one of my friends who was NOT a member of at least one of them and they could only see the groups they also belonged to. (Not that I am advocating groups instead of a newsfeed. I want our freaking newsfeed.)4 -
Hi @springlering62 Thanks for the tag and questions. We'll work on getting an informational post up. I'll do my best to answer some of your questions here.
First off the Friend's List is not impacted by Newsfeed going away. You can still add friends, as you do need to friend someone to send them a Private Message. From the Friends List you can still click on your friend's profile and find the Diary icon to access their Diary if diary sharing is enabled.
As I mentioned, I know some of the community options aren't super ideal as a Newsfeed stand in and I think there will be growing pains and learnings as y'all find what works best for you and your friend groups.
Private Messages are still very much an option for one on one communication, and Private groups are a way to communicate with a curated group of people. But yes, not everyone may want to join a group.
I'm reading all of your feedback and passing it along to the team. We'll continue to research and explore other options for the future that better support different social interaction needs.
Personally I don’t think private messaging is a great replacement for any of the social features here.
1) By its nature it is only a limited discussion.
2) The creep factor can be significant.
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