+Snoogans Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 (edited) A couple months back a forum user that was known to me sent me a pm to call him. I had never really interacted with this person before, but I had a minute and I didn't mind burning a few minutes on my LD card. He was a bit in the bag, (tipsy) but we talked for a few minutes. His main point was to remove the "impersonal internet" from an interaction with another distant geocacher and it was kinda interesting to match the voice with the posts I had read. This is a half baked idea that just occurred to me, so bear with me. I have a verizon cell phone and I can talk to any Verison user for free. In this instance, I won't be posting my number. It would more likely need to work on a don't call me; I'll call you basis so folks feelings don't get hurt. So you, the Verizon user, would post that you are a user too. I guess I, or another user would pm, or email you to chat, or to set up a time to chat so our phones aren't ringing at inappropriate times. This would work for any cell service that lets its users talk for free. Sample post: Hi, I'm a Verison user too. I prefer to receive chat requests by email rather than PM. BTW- I'm only interested in chatting about geocaching/terracaching and geocaching forum related topics (off topic forum threads included.) If you're planning a trip to Houston, Tx., Mammoth Lakes, Ca., or even Las Vegas to cache, I'll chat about that too. Thanks, Snoogans Anyone that might want to talk to you can PM/email you with a request to chat at a specific time at which point you could exchange numbers. You need not reply unless you want to chat. Any feedback about this idea? (If this isn't a good idea, I'll lock the thread and move on.... ) Mods, if you really feel that this is OT, then feel free to move it. Edited December 2, 2005 by Snoogans Quote Link to comment
+Mopar Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 How about the same thing using a free voice over IP solution that everyone could use (not just on cell carrier's users)? Quote Link to comment
+Snoogans Posted December 2, 2005 Author Share Posted December 2, 2005 How about the same thing using a free voice over IP solution that everyone could use (not just on cell carrier's users)? Sure. I don't have that ability right now, but anything to go live with a distant cacher whom you might not get to meet at an event. Like I said, it was interesting to match the voice with the posts. I've greatly enjoyed meeting the forum personalities that show up at events all over the country. This would be a knock off from going to an event, but still a different experience and much less distracting.... Maybe this will catch on.... Quote Link to comment
Hugh Jazz Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 And Skype now offers free videoconferencing so you can see the face behind the avatar... Quote Link to comment
rescue557 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 I'm still a much bigger supporter of FRS / GMRS radios for Geocaching. They're underused in the field and are universal and free. In other words, there's no plans to pay for, and everybody can have different radios that are all compatable. If more people would carry them around in the field, I think that Geocaching would be more fun, and in some cases, safer. Just my ideas on the subject. BTW, I am a Verizon wireless customer, and I have been for some time now. Great service. Quote Link to comment
+CO Admin Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 I'm still a much bigger supporter of FRS / GMRS radios for Geocaching. They're underused in the field and are universal and free. In other words, there's no plans to pay for, and everybody can have different radios that are all compatable. If more people would carry them around in the field, I think that Geocaching would be more fun, and in some cases, safer. Just my ideas on the subject. BTW, I am a Verizon wireless customer, and I have been for some time now. Great service. Are we discussing a caching idea or are we drumming up new business for Verizon? Quote Link to comment
CoyoteRed Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Alltel does something similar; any customer who calls another customer while both are in their service plan area is considered mobile-to-mobile. Quote Link to comment
+Snoogans Posted December 2, 2005 Author Share Posted December 2, 2005 I'm still a much bigger supporter of FRS / GMRS radios for Geocaching. They're underused in the field and are universal and free. In other words, there's no plans to pay for, and everybody can have different radios that are all compatable. If more people would carry them around in the field, I think that Geocaching would be more fun, and in some cases, safer. Just my ideas on the subject. BTW, I am a Verizon wireless customer, and I have been for some time now. Great service. Are we discussing a caching idea or are we drumming up new business for Verizon? Uhh, OK. What warped logic turns a post that basically expands the topic of alternate modes of communication between geocachers further into a commercial? They were obviously just commenting on the OP with that last afterthought. If you weren't a mod I'd swear that was a troll post. Quote Link to comment
+geognerd Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 How about the same thing using a free voice over IP solution that everyone could use (not just on cell carrier's users)? or Google Talk or Yahoo Messenger with Voice...and so on. Quote Link to comment
+caylor Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 If you google "free conference call" you'll come up with several sites that offer "800" numbers for a conference call of up to 99 people. I've used them and they're great. And they really are free. John Quote Link to comment
+Moose Mob Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Since I have unlimited long distance 24/7 on my home phone (through local phone company, not internet based), I can call any land line or cell phone regardless of which service it's on. I imagine other folks have that capability also. I also have MSN and Yahoo, and I could probably gert my web cam to work if I really wanted to. There's a lot of possibilities here if folks really wanted to chat, they could figure out a way to do it cheap/free. Quote Link to comment
+Googling Hrpty Hrrs Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Skype rocks. Perhaps a dedicated Skype geocache listing would work well? Free download, crystal clear sound, and up to 4 chatters at a time. Quote Link to comment
+NoLemon Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Let's set aside the comments about wireless carries, wireline services, and various VoIP solutions and focus on the OPs initial intent was: getting cachers who regularly just communicate via the forums, email or PM to communicate real time and hear real voices. I've met a lot of great people and made numerous good friends by going to caching events. There are a lot of people I've "met" through the forums and yet I've never had a real-time, in person conversation with them. Due to whatever circumstances, it is unlikely that I'll ever get to meet them face to face at an event. Snoogan's suggestion is a great idea regardless of the mechanism used to facilitate it (Verizon, Skype, etc.) Thanks for bringing this topic up! Quote Link to comment
+Jamie Z Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Perhaps a dedicated Skype geocache listing would work well? If I recall, there is a geocaching group on Skype already. I haven't re-installed Skype after I wiped my HD clean, so it's been a while since I looked. Jamie Quote Link to comment
+sept1c_tank Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 I have always been a proponent of matching real people to cyber anonymity. Forum banter can be really deceiving. Anyone who has met, personally, people they encounter in the forums will tell you that. Chatting with real voices and sometimes video in Yahoo voice conferences is a blast. The cachers I’ve chatted with have always surprised me. They sound, and sometimes appear to think so much differently than I’d previously imagined from exposure in the forums. Maybe a directory of cachers and their preferred method of communication is in order. One nice thing about Yahoo is it’s (still) free to everyone in the world who has access to a computer. That includes all of us. Quote Link to comment
+Ambrosia Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Well, I'm a somewhat shy person....but I do really love connecting to all of you. I have gone to chat, and really enjoyed how quickly I felt more connected to the people there. I have also participated in quite a few private chats...this has been more of a stretch for me, but it's been great! I am enjoying getting to know people even more. Now the phone. I think that this would be fun, but I sure would have to be talking to someone who is outgoing, so I don't get too nervous. But so far, I haven't been the one to innitiate any of the private chats that I have been on...not that I don't want to, but I have a hard time feeling like I am "intruding". This would apply even more to a phone call. I do not have verizon, but I do have cingular, which does the same thing that verizon does. I also have unlimited long distance on my land line, so I can talk to people as much as I would like on that. I would be open to phone calls, in the right circumstances. Hey, I've talked to Torry on the phone, so I guess that I can talk to anyone. Quote Link to comment
+sept1c_tank Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Hey, I've talked to Torry on the phone, so I guess that I can talk to anyone. You should try talking to him in person sometime! His tail isn't as curly as you might expect. Actually, I hate talking on the phone, but somehow it's different, just a little less intimidating to chat cyber voice, and you can invite several people to a conference. I suppose you can do that on the phone, too, but I don't use mine (Verizon) enough to know. Quote Link to comment
+Dagg Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 He was a bit in the bag, Try all the way in the bag! Quote Link to comment
+carleenp Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 It seems to me that yahoo voice conferencing could work well because of the ability to get many people together talking at once. I'll pretty much stick with forums though. Some forum members have my phone number, but that is because I know them more closely or have done caching projects with them. I'm not much one for random phone chat with acquaintances. Although I like random beer meetings! Quote Link to comment
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