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UPDATE: Final Straw or Boycott of SparkPeople?

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Hello friends and neighbors,


HOT NEWS FLASH


1/16/2012 9:30 AM

I WAS LEARNED THAT SP CHANGED THEIR MIND ON THIS ISSUE

I checked my page and that option was now deleted


YIPPEE


Thank YOU SP

Here is some drastic information / changes that SP has instituted recently and it rubs me the wrong way.

Here is a post about that information:


There is a new feature on SparkPeople that automatically added a "Share Bar" to our blog entries.

If you'll notice your own blog now there is a "Share" bar at the top of the blog. That means if someone likes your blog entry they can "share" on their Facebook wall! Who wants his/her blog about losing weight to show up on someone else s' facebook wall?

To delete this "Share bar" feature from your blog do this:

Go to your SparkPage.
Click to Edit the page.
On the top Un-check "Show share bar on my blog posts".
Save your changes. "



So if you do not want anything you write to show up on someones facebook wall, you will want to change this. Just passing along the info in case anyone wants it.




Considering this, and YES, I have already UN-checked that illustrious box, I am not a big fan of FaceBook and have quit it before only to re-instate it but currently limit my exposure on it. It is ashamed that SP would "sell-out" on it's members. I have read MANY blogs that their authors would NEVER in a million years want posted on FaceBook.


So it is with great regret that I've decided to take some drastic action of my own towards my SP account.

I'm either gonna quit SP,
just boycott SP
or drastically reduce my exposure here some other way.



Recently I did have the good fortune to find another FREE website for tracking my fitness and nutrition WITHOUT the benefit of having the FRIEND and fellowship of supporters like SP offers. That website is:


www.webmd.com


Thank you for your continued support through my nearly three years, as my anniversary will be April 2012. I will be wishing each of you the best wishes for a happy and healthy journey and will miss you all! SPark On and have a SPlendid Journey

See ya in the funny pages : )

Tony


HOT NEWS FLASH


1/16/2012 9:30 AM

I WAS LEARNED THAT SP CHANGED THEIR MIND ON THIS ISSUE

I checked my page and that option was now deleted


YIPPEE


Thank YOU SP
Share This Post With Others
Member Comments About This Blog Post
  • HSTENGER74
    Please note that if you do not set your SparkPage to "private" anyone can still share your blog posts on FaceBook. All they have to do is copy the URL in their browser and past it in their status box on FaceBook. This will give a preview and automatically link back to your blog post.

    Unless your page is private, then anyone can click that link and read your blog post. This has always been the case. It's nothing to do with SparkPeople and any setting they have created or removed. It's just the way the internet works.

    If you don't want anyone but your friends reading your blog, then please change your page to private.
    3375 days ago
  • OLDERDANDRT
    emoticon WHEW!!!!!
    3376 days ago
  • MUSTANG_SALLY2
    I really appreciate your blog. I've gone to my page and looked for the "Show share bar on my blog posts" but I don't see it on my page. Am I just lucky that mine wasn't updated with that feature? I HATE facebook and do not participate in it. I would be really mad if I found that someone had shared my blog up there. Not their place to share anything that doesn't belong to them.

    How do we get Spark to see how much we dislike this w/o leaving the site? I enjoy your company here and would miss you if you decide to go. I will respect your decision but wish there was another way.

    emoticon
    3376 days ago
  • INFLATED
    I changed my settings and think it was wrong not to be told about this before Spark People decided to do it.

    I hope you will stay, but if you decide to go, I wish you the best on your weight loss journey. You have brought a smile to my face many times with your blogs and I thank you for that.
    3377 days ago
  • JANIEWWJD
    You really shouldn't go. After all, some of us would not have known about this were it not for you. Stay, please. Be our SP police!!!!!
    emoticon emoticon emoticon
    3377 days ago
  • BKNOCK
    Please don't leave us!
    3377 days ago
  • CARTOONB
    Thanks for the info! I've unchecked my box.
    3377 days ago
  • KAYDE53
    I think a lot of us were upset to find this out, especially those of us who don't use Facebook! I think when SP finds out they'll realizes this, they'll act!! Hate to see you go!!
    3377 days ago
  • RAINTHIEF
    Thanks got sharing the info! I really hope you do stay though. You will be missed!
    emoticon
    3377 days ago
  • CATHYWITHAC1
    Thank you for sharing this information. I don't want my stuff posted on someone else's facebook page.

    I am sorry you want to leave. It appears you have lots of friends here.

    Good luck whatever you decide to do.

    emoticon
    3377 days ago
  • no profile photo CD10706677
    emoticon for sharing all this info with us! I had no idea and I do not want my blogs on fb either. I'm going to look into this right now. Thank you and I wish you the very best!
    3377 days ago
  • GOOZLEBEAR
    Tony, I will miss you being on SP and hope you will reconsider leaving. Several of my teams posted the info about FB and I "unclicked" mine too. I don't write many blogs but wouldn't want them posted anywhere elso.

    Please reconsider.


    3377 days ago
  • JLPEASE
    Thanks so much for the information. I was completely unaware of this. I just followed your directions to stop it.
    I don't think my blogs are very exciting for others, so it probably won't be an issue for me, but it would have been nice to have a heads-up about it.
    emoticon
    3377 days ago
  • LINDAJ0621
    I was also upset to find out this was done without our knowledge. I HOPE I have taken the necessary steps to prevent this from posting to FB...I would be so embarassed to have everyone reading about my Spark journey there!
    3377 days ago
  • GEMINIAN1
    ... 'I'm either gonna quit SP'

    -I- don't want you to quit SP

    ... 'just boycott SP'

    -I- don't want you to boycott SP

    ... 'or drastically reduce my exposure here some other way'

    I understand your being upset.
    It is totally understandable.
    You are not alone.
    There are so many: Blogs; Current Status Statements; Forums; about this. It is the biggest uproar that I've seen.
    (Many Members have stated that, Spark People was their "private place" away from everybody.)

    (I do not belong to Face Book; so, maybe I shouldn't talk? Don't have the right to talk?)
    But that doesn't change the fact that I'd hate to see you go Tony.
    emoticon emoticon emoticon emoticon emoticon
    3377 days ago
  • MILLISMA
    I am also upset along with you and many others. Most of my teams have posted this information. Thanks for helping to get it out there.
    3377 days ago
  • SHERYLDS
    anything you post or put in an email has a potential of exposure.

    WebMD has a lot of great tools and info.
    3377 days ago
  • ANDREWS_MOM
    emoticon for letting us know! I was clueless! Just un-checked the box. I'm not - nor was i ever on facebook- and I certainly wouldn't want anything i do shared there.
    I hope you'll reconsider & stay here. Spark just wouldn't be the same without you!
    3377 days ago
  • FANGFACEKITTY
    The share button was always there, just not so obviously Facebook. When you clicked on it you got a choice on how to share it - FB, twitter, e-mail, RSS, SP mail, etc. And clicking on it had to be a active conscious manual act.

    That said, I too am a bit upset over the change to it's current version. I even accidentally "liked" someone's blog to FB because it was not obvious that was what it did. And clicking "Like" doesn't take active conscious thought.

    Like every comment I've seen on this since Thursday, I do not want my blogs all over FB without my knowledge or permission. I understand that our blogs here are "public" on the Internet, people can find them in a search...but the new share bar amounts to advertising it is there and I really feel violated that SP would do this to us WITHOUT TELLING US! It's one thing to warn us it is being implemented and tell us how to turn it off; it is quite another to drop it on us with absolutely no warning or announcement. And even after all the uproar I still have not seen any statement from them. Very disappointing.
    3377 days ago
  • WINE4GIRL
    Oooh, thanks for the info Tony! Not liking that and I'll edit my page in a sec. Check your SPmail before you exit the building!
    emoticon
    3377 days ago
  • no profile photo CD4515830
    Thank you for telling us about this. I had NO IDEA. I don't understand why they would do this. I hope no one has already shared anything of mine. It is not cool.

    I just can't understand why they would have done such a dumb thing. It makes no sense!

    Thank you for saving me from embarrassment! I feel horrible.


    3377 days ago
  • NANCYBOAT
    Thanks for the heads up - I also unclicked that on my page.
    3377 days ago
  • UNSTOPPABLE_
    I heard about this on Thursday & immediately unclicked my box. I DON'T have a FB Account & I would be very angry if my stuff was pasted on someones wall. Tony you are a lot stronger than I am, are you realy quitting?
    3377 days ago
  • no profile photo CD11085420
    I unclicked the box when I first noticed the "like" tab on others blogs. I agree it is a sort of sell-out.
    I took the time to thoroughly revamp my FB accounts, AND my SP account today.
    Both FB and SP are tools that help me. SO, for the time being I am staying. I'm taking what I need, and leaving the rest.
    I applaud your standing up for what you believe and taking the appropriate actions.
    May you continue to become more and more healthy, and enjoy your life journey!
    Peace be with you!
    3377 days ago
  • MRSMOPP
    thanks for sharing, i will do this not least because i just posted my own blog entry which is a big thing for me as i am intensely private and would be very unhappy about having my thoughts littered all over the web without my permission or knowledge
    3377 days ago
  • no profile photo CD9374878
    I, too, was disappointed with the same FB/SP meld. I unclicked the box before you shared this (thank you for doing it) as someone else was kind enough to do so. I am sad that SP would add such a feature that would compromise our privacy.
    3377 days ago

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    Disclaimer: Weight loss results will vary from person to person. No individual result should be seen as a typical result of following the SparkPeople program.
 

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