Want to succeed with your 2012 resolution? Consider using social media as a way to keep yourself accountable - in front of witnesses.
'Accountability' can be the key to eliminating bad habits - or achieving personal goals - especially when it's combined with the power of social media. stickK.com helps people use negative incentives (loss aversion) to positively influence behavior. It allows you to pledge money that will be forfeited to friends, charities, or anti-charities (organizations you HATE) if you fail to meet weekly goals. Stickk boasts nearly 150,000 stickK users and over 120,000 Commitment Contracts.
I've been using the site since September to track my goal of losing 30lbs in 30 weeks. So far, I've lost more than 20lbs with mixed success. I've reached 75 percent of my weekly goals.
"Putting money on the line raises the price of failure," said Sam Espinosa of StickK. "Money and reputation are powerful motivators, and we use both to positively influence your behavior. By combining incentives and third party accountability to your goal, stickK nearly triples your chances for success." The site encourages users to select a Referee that can verify your progress and you recommends that you invite friends and family to be Supporters. Supporters find out about your success each week over email.
"This way, it's not just your money at stake," Espinosa said. "It's your reputation, too."
Social accountability is also a powerful disincentive. That is why some police departments, like the Deforest Police Department (the small midwest town where I live) are learning to leverage these ideas are starting to share traffic violation videos on Facebook and YouTube.
According to Lieutenant Dan Furseth, the Deforest Police Department has been sharing squad car videos of local traffic violations on Facebook for two years. He said that reactions to shared videos have been overwhelmingly positive - except among those featured in traffic videos.
While no one likes the hefty fine that accompanies many traffic violations, they often aren't big enough disincentives to prevent unwanted behaviors. A bigger disincentive for many of us, is the embarrassment associated with a traffic penalty. We don't want to be seen on the side of the road or in the local newspaper's police report by people we know.
Caught in the Act
This video from my local police department in DeForest, WI, (population 9,074 ) show a driver passing another vehicle on a residential street, into oncoming traffic at 45 mph in a 25 mph residential area. Driver stated that he was late for work. $380 in fines and a 9-point reduction on his driver's license.