Due to the absence of an empirical test to confirm the ability of varying degrees of public commitment to affect commitment strength, the present research tests a model within the exercise behavior domain. This study investigated the power of public commitment in a computer-mediated communication (CMC) environment to influence exercise behavior outcomes. Public and private commitment conditions are compared for their utility in increasing behavioral intention to exercise (BI) and exercise behavior. Participants completed a repeated measures questionnaire at the beginning and end of a two week period with physical activity (PA) items from the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). Results revealed a significant increase in exercise behavior for participants that made commitments on Facebook, despite decreases in behavioral intention for both private and public conditions. Findings suggest that a dichotomous measure of publicness is adequate in this web 2.0 context. Unanticipated differences were uncovered between participants' audience size and their perception of how many "friends" viewed their commitment.
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