Walk With Me?
An Open Invitation to Join Me on WeWard, the Walking App
For 208 days, I have held a streak on WeWard to track my steps for rewards. That's easy to do — the only requirement is to convert your steps before midnight each day to maintain a streak.
The more you walk, the more Wards you get, and Wards can be redeemed for a higher value when you save them for a larger reward. I could convert 2,000 Wards for $25 today or continue saving for higher rewards (I am over halfway to 4,000 Wards for a $55 cashout already).
But the money is only part of the point. The app is intended to encourage more walking and a more active lifestyle. With challenges, weekly leaderboards, a virtual card collection feature, and an option to create your own community for step challenges specific to your group.
I will admit that WeWard's incentives and ever-encouraging panda mascot, Wardy, weren't initially inspiring on their own. I originally sought out walking apps after walking challenges I had come to enjoy at a previous job suddenly came to an end.
As part of a wellness initiative through HR, a university I worked for used to host staff-wide, team-based walking challenges on a regular basis with raffle rewards for individuals who met specific step goals and prizes for the winning team in each competition. My office participated several times as a bonding activity, and I eventually enjoyed tracking my steps and trying to get more physically active. It contributed to my decision to buy my first Apple Watch.
When those challenges ended, I still wanted a reason and a more enticing method for keeping a step goal.
I tried a few different walking apps, but WeWard is the only one that stuck. The encouragement from keeping a daily streak, the card collection, and the leaderboards that provide additional rewards for landing in the top three slots each week proved to be effective motivation. I even got a few friends to join, and I love the opportunity for social engagement and mutual support.
That leads me here to this offer to walk with me. WeWard, much like Vocal, is not a scheme for getting rich quick, but it is a great platform for a community surrounding a shared activity, done separately. That is what got me thinking about making an unofficial walking community for the wonderful writing community on Vocal.
If you are interested in joining me on the app, you can join the Unofficial Vocal Walking Community here or by scanning the QR code below. The French-based app is available in 29 countries currently, so this extra opportunity for enjoying community together is not as limited as some other walking apps would be.
The app does not share your location with in-app friends, teammates, or community members, but you can send messages, trade WeCards, gift WeCards, and see each other's streaks, Wards, levels, and step counts for the day.
If your interest leans more toward the rewards, additional earning opportunities include downloading and playing other games or shopping through the app's "Top Deals" partners. Personally, I have gotten some extra Wards through shopping I would have done anyway, including buying my shoes for a friend's wedding online through Macy's.
You can also earn free Premium status on the app for additional perks and bonuses after earning 2,000 Wards through games, videos, and shopping.
Payouts for earned rewards include PayPal, Venmo, gift cards, sweepstake entries, charity donations, and other gifts like a new iPhone (if you really walk and save up your Wards).
I hope you will join me, especially as spring returns with the perfect weather for a nice walk.
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