Hawaii is the second-healthiest state in the nation, according to metrics tabulated by Foursquare Opens in a new tab. The application allows mobile-device-wielding users to quickly post their whereabouts online, or “check in” to a location.
The New York-based company finds that its Hawaii users check in more frequently to gyms and other healthy venues than users in all states except Vermont.
The top two Hawaii health-related venues were the 24-Hour Fitness gyms in Pearl City and Honolulu.
SECOND TO NONE
Healthy Hawaii online check-ins:
» 24-Hour Fitness, Pearl City
» 24-Hour Fitness, Honolulu
» Dole Plantation, Wahiawa
» Waikiki Beach
» Ala Moana Beach Park
Source: Foursquare.com Opens in a new tab
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It clearly is not a medically based report, and simply giving a park location as a check-in point doesn’t mean a Foursquare user is there for a parkour lesson, boot camp session or Zumba class. A user could, for instance, be at the park to chillax, eat a massively fattening plate lunch and watch the world go by in a quite sedentary fashion.
The five top apparently health-related check-ins in Vermont are all resorts known for skiing, snowboarding and golf or other summer activities. Some or all have spas and, no doubt, bars. Twelve-ounce curls often are joked about as a form of fitness, but without seeing pictures Foursquare users might also have posted on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites, there’s no way to know that healthy physical activity was behind the check-in.
Still, it’s nice to be spoken of positively.
EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION
Employees of Servco Pacific Inc. Opens in a new tab will receive reimbursement of $300 on the purchase of one of six tablet devices through the month of August.
One reason is gratitude, said John Harris, group vice president and chief information officer. “We appreciate all the teamwork,” through all the external pressures employees have endured over the last few years and months, including the “economic downturn, the earthquake, the recalls,” he said. “They really helped us maintain a strong presence” in the marketplace, Harris said.
Another is that his technology group is rather pumped about the range of new mobile devices. Tablets are “something we see our customers using and we want our employees to get familiar with” as well. Employees are not required to purchase a tablet or use one for work, “but if they do, maybe they can find ways to work more efficiently,” he said. Servco has 900 full-time employees in Hawaii and Washington state.
Harris’ department researched numerous tablets and arrived at six that are eligible for the internal rebate program. The company chose “the ones we thought would have a greater acceptance,” but also wanted to offer diversity of choice. Choices include the Apple iPad2, Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101, HP Touch Pad, HTC Flyer, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Toshiba Thrive, which use different operating systems. Base prices for the tablets range from $399 to around $500, though prices can go up depending on the model and its capacity.
The company also will extend the $300 rebate retroactively to employees who purchased an eligible tablet as far back as June 1.
Harris’ department is ready for the influx of additional technical support the program might bring as users seek help with their new toys, er, efficiency boosters.
Reach Erika Engle at erika@staradvertiser.com.
