Searching For Waymarks

[+pghlooking]

If I am doing this correctly, I must enter a category before I can search from my home area. Wouldn't it be better for everyone, mainly the vacationer, to be able to do a blanket search for ALL waymarks from one spot? One may not know there is something neat nearby if they don't select that category. Maybe I am missing something, and if so please point me in the right direction. I would like to be able to see what the closest waymarks are to me regardless of category.

[+MountainMudbug]

Seems like you should be able to feed in a zipcode or whatever and it should spit out a list of everything within your specified mileage range. Just like at geocaching.com. Even though this isn't geocaching.com.

 

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edit: looks like there will be a search feature like this

Edited August 19, 2005 by MountainMudbug

[+Lux]

You can search across all categories with ground zero as a zip code or coordinate, the only caveat is that it is a maximum radius of 10 miles. If you want to see beyond that limit you have to drill into one of the three categories to do that.

 

I wish this were not the case as you need to do more than one search to get beyond 10 miles, but it seems that no one else cares.

[+The Leprechauns]

I also don't like the 10 mile limit. I don't understand the logic for this???

[+pghlooking]

Maybe Jeremy can let us know if this is subject to upgrade or is being worked on?

[+MountainMudbug]

This whole thing is confusing the crud out of me!

[+Haggis Hunter]

I would like to do a blanket search also, but it isn't allowing me for my post code, I have waymarks within the 10 mile radius.

 

Would it be possible to keep the search ability as it is for those that like it, but also implement something similar to GC.com for those people that want that type of searching.

 

At the moment my searches are turning up diddly squat, as the only way I can find to search is by postcode. I DON'T want to search by category, as I feel as though it defeats the object of finding new and interesting things, i.e. why look for something if you already know that it may already exist?

[+jdolson]

Please, Please, Please allow me to search properly by coordinates. Unless I'm missing something, I can't seem to do it now. Postal code searches aren't the way to go. For example, I'm going on a business trip to Taipei. I don't know anything about Taiwan postal codes, but I can easily get approximate coordinates for the city. I should be able to download the Waymarks within a radius of my choice. Upon arrival at my hotel I can them sort by proximity in my GPS. Then simply explore ! Even searching by keywords would help !

[+Tsegi Mike and Desert Viking]

I think you can search by coordinates by adding coordinates as an origin. From there you can search by origin. Premium members get 25 origins if I am remembering correctly.

[+Cheminer Will]

I also don't like the 10 mile limit. Right now when you search by zip code, you just get back a message that there are no waymarks in that area. I would like to have the ability to search for waymarks just like I do for caches. I seem to recall in sifting through all this information that pocket queries and searching will be similar to the ones at Geocaching.com. Am I remembering correctly? Maybe that functionality is coming?

[Jeremy]

I also don't like the 10 mile limit. Right now when you search by zip code, you just get back a message that there are no waymarks in that area.

Category filter is 10 miles. location search goes out to 100 miles.

 

The idea is to mark locations, not find them. Find a theme, go find it and mark it.

[+Cheminer Will]

Ok, so when I search by my zip code, and get no results, it is searching for all waymarks out to 100 miles. Guess we will have to wait a while to log our first!

 

Just was pointed to the "advanced" search function and got results for the whole state of Oregon. Now we know where to go! Thanks.

Edited September 8, 2005 by Cheminer Will

[Jeremy]

Just was pointed to the "advanced" search function and got results for the whole state of Oregon.  Now we know where to go!  Thanks.

No problem but please read my second sentence. It really isn't so much finding something that has already been marked. You're looking to find something that someone else hasn't marked already. That's the general concept of Waymarking (which is like locationless caches).

Edited September 8, 2005 by Jeremy

[+Tsegi Mike and Desert Viking]

I thought it was about finding something new and finding something logged already?

[+Cheminer Will]

Just was pointed to the "advanced" search function and got results for the whole state of Oregon.  Now we know where to go!  Thanks.

No problem but please read my second sentence. It really isn't so much finding something that has already been marked. You're looking to find something that someone else hasn't marked already. That's the general concept of Waymarking (which is like locationless caches).

Boy, I am confused, I guess. The attraction to us is to visit interesting new places others have waymarked, especially when traveling. We especially liked the informative and/or educational virtual caches of the past. So in our case, I would expect us to visit lots of waymarks done by other people. What am I not getting about this?

Edited September 8, 2005 by Cheminer Will

[Jeremy]

Boy, I am confused, I guess. The attraction to us is to visit interesting new places others have waymarked, especially when traveling. We especially liked the informative and/or educational virtual caches of the past. So in our case, I would expect us to visit lots of waymarks done by other people. What am I not getting about this?

You're getting it all right. The point I'm trying to make is that since it is very early in the release of the site you will be largely disappointed in finding existing waymarks. The database is very sparse (think Geocaching circa 2000).

[+cache_test_dummies]

Right now you can only do a keyword search from the main Directory page. Would it be possible to add the keyword search option on the lower level category pages?

 

I find myself trying to remember where I saw a category, so I push down into People or Places or Things (then maybe push deeper in), and if I don't see the category I was looking for, I immediately want to do a keyword search. I have to go back to the main page to do so.

 

Not a big deal - I know it's only a single click to get to the keyword search.

 

edit: I just noticed that you can get to the keyword search from the Advance search option list too, but involves even more steps. But this does make me realize that there are many ways that people will want to search, hence the advanced search options.

 

Still, I love that keyword search, and wish it was on all the directory pages. Maybe it's just me.

Edited September 14, 2005 by cache_test_dummies

[+cache_test_dummies]

Still, I love that keyword search, and wish it was on all the directory pages. Maybe it's just me.

Hmm. I posted this more than two months ago, and killed off the thread. I guess it is just me.

 

[+The Blue Quasar]

I thought it was kinda funny when Jeremy suggested that the site is configured for people to go out an MARK locations, not as much as FIND them.

 

Totally get the point that there aren't a lot of Waymarks available for seeking/visiting but I could literally (not figuratively) go out and provide hundreds of Waymarks in my immediate area that fit the current Catagory base.

 

Just because I can, doesn't mean I should. I'm probably the first Geocacher in my area to embrace Waymarking, and if I take all of the good spots, or flood the local region with Waymarks... that would drive people away.

 

So instead I sit and wait for people that don't even live near here to place Waymarks and that I think is wrong, just like vacation Geocaches shouldn't be allowed, neither should vacation Waymarks.

 

There is no ensuring the Waymark is still accessible when the owner lives 500 miles (800 kilometers) away.

 

But with another Canadian winter knocking at the door, I'll be turning my attention to placing a lot more Waymarks over the next few months... till Spring when Geocaching starts for me again (Yes I know you can cache in the winter.. I don't like to, so Waymarking is perfect for me)

 

The Blue Quasar

[+ChapterhouseInc]

I think you can search by coordinates by adding coordinates as an origin. From there you can search by origin. Premium members get 25 origins if I am remembering correctly.

it is nice to learn of the origins thing. however, it would be nice if the search returned a listing of closest to coords to farthest (as on GC.com).

 

personally, i am looking forward to a Waymarking.com map system. i find that searching by the map is better for finding which way to go (routing). maybe i just like the little icons, and waymarks can provide a better picture with all the different icons already out there.

 

vacation marking will be an acceptable act. i waymarked 2 disc golf courses in augusta (ga) while on vacation. if these courses were to close, someone would state as much in a log. i could

 

in short: i should never have to visit the site again after Waymarking. there is no DNF in Waymarking. either you found it or it does not exist anymore--you just missed it.

 

just a note: in logging my waymarks, i made some double logs by mistake. no way to delete them, just archive them. the 2 logs on a single waymark did not affect my stats. so: if i eat at a McDonalds by the place that i work, i can log it every time and my stat # will not increase, but the log count will.

[+geoaware]

I WANT people to find waymarks as well as create them.

 

So far the waymarks I am involved with have an almost nil visitation rate....and I am hoping that this will pick up.

 

Developers love to have people visit....and I love to read peoples logs.

 

Guess I am just a log voyeur.

[+The Blue Quasar]

GeoAware said:

Developers love to have people visit....and I love to read peoples logs.

 

Guess I am just a log voyeur.

 

With you on that one!

 

I have several Waymarks.. and even though Geocachers drive right past them.. I've got maybe 4 vists to all of my Waymarks total.

 

Weird... everyone was whining "We want Virtual Caches"... they get an alternative option that is very similar to Virtuals... and they aren't interested.... no idea why.

 

Despite my best efforts to sell the idea of Waymarking to my Geocaching Friends... and I've learned why I work in the Service industry.

 

The Blue Quasar

[+Jake39]

So far the waymarks I am involved with have an almost nil visitation rate....and I am hoping that this will pick up.

I know exactly what you mean

My 'Unque Birdhouses' had 2 logs in 3 weeks and I even removed the stipulation of having a GPS photo after a number of complaints.

The 'Locationless' site Not Your Ordinary Birdhouse. has had 21 entries during the same time span, with 44 users watching the site. (owners last visit Nov.2nd)

Soooo... you can see a lot aren't interested or don't know enough about 'Waymarking'

[+Tsegi Mike and Desert Viking]

It works for locationless cache replacement, but does lack the wow factor a bit since you have to specify the category it goes into. When they eventually get the wow or surprise category up, that should make it an exciting replacement for virtual caches. I have some ideas on that category if tptb are interested. I also have a few that Im eager to place in that category too, once it gets set up. I think puzzle waymarks should be allowed. People do like the game aspect, not merely a listing service.

 

It would be nice to have others playing in my state too. They seem to have lost interest after a brief look at it.

[South Surrey Scavengers]

I have a disappointing find rate for the Canadian Benchmark category. Not including my finds, there are only 3 other finds out of 43 listings. True they have all been listed only for 1-2 months and the site has only been running for a month but this is still a really low find rate when compared to geocaching. The average geocache gets maybe 10 finds in the first month depending on its location and difficulty of course. But waymarks in my category and it seems most other categories are getting visited at a rate of 0.1 finds per month. That's about 100 times less then geocaching. What can we do sell this new type of game to the masses?

[Jeremy]

It'll be interesting to see the perspective of newcomers once we actually announce Waymarking to the masses. Keep in mind that the only way people find out about Waymarking is through these forums (which are admittedly at the bottom of the page). We're intentionally holding off announcing it to the wider geocaching audience until we have group functionality in place. At that point we'll open up category creation to a wider audience.

 

In a way I find it a detriment that there is a certain amount of history with locationless caches and Waymarking. With locationless caches no one really cared about searching the coordinates, while here the absense of waymarks is a Bad Thing. It's an interesting look into how display of information can cause different reactions to users.

 

This is of course a marking site more than a searching one. The major problem is there is no reward system in place (yet). We have lots of ideas in this regard but the group functionality is first priority.

[+ChapterhouseInc]

With locationless caches no one really cared about searching the coordinates, while here the absense of waymarks is a Bad Thing.

we did, but there wasnt a way. locationless caches are so complicated. this is easy....or will be.

 

and it is bad that there arent more out there....the caching zealots should be all over this type of thing....of is it that there IS NO REWARD that is keeping them away....ie: no Waymarking stat on gc.com page or more 'competitive' wm.com stats.

[Jeremy]

Actually I don't mind offering rewards for "finds" as long as there is more concentration of quality over quantity. We had a topic somewhere offering a little hint into the bounty concept but it didn't get much traction for discussion. Generally we have to create something to get it criticized and talked about. I do think that bounties, if well managed, would make this game really interesting.

 

(oops. I had don't like instead of don't mind)

Edited December 16, 2005 by Jeremy

[+ChapterhouseInc]

these bounties are the thing that will attract cachers to marking, thus transforming it from the database that it is to the game that caching is.

[+The Blue Quasar]

The experience is the reward.

 

That's all it should be about.

 

Oh... and the numbers.

 

I don't need a 'tangible prize' to go Visiting Waymarks, I must already be interested in that Catagory in the first place, or desire to increase my Visit Count.

 

 

But yes... Quality over Quantity when it comes to Listing Waymarks. Quantity yourself silly when it comes to Visting Waymarks.

 

The Blue Quasar

[+az_pistolero]

So far the waymarks I am involved with have an almost nil visitation rate....and I am hoping that this will pick up.

I know exactly what you mean

My 'Unque Birdhouses' had 2 logs in 3 weeks and I even removed the stipulation of having a GPS photo after a number of complaints.

The 'Locationless' site Not Your Ordinary Birdhouse. has had 21 entries during the same time span, with 44 users watching the site. (owners last visit Nov.2nd)

Soooo... you can see a lot aren't interested or don't know enough about 'Waymarking'

I'll bet the hit rate on Waymarking.com is way below geocaching.com's hit rate.

 

The approach of "controlled growth" while the site is being populated is wise, I think of it as a beta.

 

When will the "GA" (general availability) date be for Waymarking.com?