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Chances Of A Real Locationless Cache Site?


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Just a few minutes after my last post defending Waymarking.com to the earthcachers I'm gonna start a similar topic. I don't necessarily agree with the earthcaches, I don't think their particular reasons for returning to geocaching are all that great. I think eventually when everything is moved over and everything is working Waymarking... well the problems the earthcachers are experiencing would fall into place....

 

My real issue has become that Waymarking.com is not the place for earthcaches, virtual caches, locationless caches, and maybe benchmarks. More and more Waymarking is seeming to be a directory first, a hunt not even down the road really... the old caches were never intended to be a "here's where there's a mcdonald's! See if you can find it!" but a "Here is an interesting place that we just can't get a cache at can you find it?" or a "here's a cool type of area, can you find something similar?" Now Waymarking.com resembles a "Here's a place." There's no finding involved, in many categories there is no challenge involved, or even thinking. This site is totally contrary to what these caches were originally supposed to be.

 

I was excited by the prospect of a new site that better organized the locationless caches... I do think that earthcaches, while they have a very educational element, are kind of a type of locationless cache as well, and while I don't think virtual caches quite fit, I understand the logic of the move. But now that this site is looking less like the new place for locationless caching and more of a "yellow pages with GPS coords" I gotta ask, could we get a locationless caching site like promised please? This is NOT it!

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Speaking of content, 28 waymarks placed yesterday and two so far today. Way to go!!! Take a look at who placed them. Look out for chstress53, there aren't going to be any waymarks left for anybody else. :)

 

This is how Waymarking is going to succeed. "boots on the ground" so to speak. Thanks guys.

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I originally thought much the same as the OP. It was one reason I proposed a Wow!!! category. People who want to find locationless, earthcaches, and virtuals may have a hard time using Waymarking to do this. Another issue is the logging requirements. I proposed allowing a category owner to specify requirements for a found log. You can visit a waymark and log it as visited but you must meet requirements to count it as a find.

 

Waymarking is a place where people can post the coordinates of interesting things and share their experiences with others. Some will use this mainly as a directory, whether they are looking for a McDonalds restaurant or seeing what historic markers are around that they can visit on a trip through Pennsylvania. Others will find ways to have fun finding places they would normally have visited and they will participate in games and challenges that will be created. I agree that the site needs a few features added to make it easier to stress the challenges and fun aspects of Waymarking. From what Jeremy and bootron have posted, I know some things are in the works. Other ideas have been, and continue to be, suggested by those participating in these forums. Give Waymarking a chance and participate in making it something that locationless, earthcache, and virtual finders will find every bit as enjoyable as what they did when these were geocaches.

Edited by tozainamboku
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My post wasn't about "there is nothing interesting"... not quite sure how that got accross... My point is closer to the fact that Waymarking seems like they are doing too many things at once and I'm not sure if it should. I kind of think that it would be similar to say Newsvine.com if they did News and say Fictional stroies at launch... both are somewhat similar things I guess given that they are both forms of writing, but instead they are offering just the news....

 

I guess I'm just wishing to seperate the hunt stuff from the directory stuff into two seperate sites. I don't mind a directory, maybe it is a good idea, I don't want that mussin up the rest of the site.

 

I personally don't mind that there is only a single waymark in my area. I realize the site isn't officially live quite yet. It's no where near that. I don't want to particularly go out and create waymarks right now in my Waymarking/geocaching career either. I suppose you could ask "well how many geocaches have I created" The answer there would be none as well, yet I don't give a crap either way. I apologize if it is winter here so any of the interesting spots are cold and that leaves me with McDonalds which, many of which may likely get me suspended from the boards.

 

What if I enjoy finding what other people place, and because of that don't appreciate the directory that this site has now become, and wish for the original promise of virtual caches, earth caches and locationless caches to return? I am personally starting to get upset about not being able to have any new virtual caches on geocaching.com because I've visited a few and I liked them and now those are pretty much going extinct because there isn't a real way to do that on Waymarking.com and even if you could, who cares? I'd get a log on a directory site... zippity doo da. Come on guys! Let's go find all the businesses in the yellow pages! Yippee!

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As long as we can eventually get waymark PQ's, waymarks along a route, etc. and the ability to integrate them into existing GSAK databases, I think I'll make good use of them. I'm not sure I understand the whole concept and process well enough yet to consider placing, (creating?) my own waymarks, (categories?).

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Speaking of content, 28 waymarks placed yesterday and two so far today. Way to go!!! Take a look at who placed them. Look out for chstress53, there aren't going to be any waymarks left for anybody else. ;)

 

This is how Waymarking is going to succeed. "boots on the ground" so to speak. Thanks guys.

 

And what is the end game? Everything possible that exists on Earth will have be waymarked? I just don't see where adding more is a benefit if the existing direction is where it is going. "Waymarking is a way to mark unique locations on the planet and give them a voice." Be honest now, really, in looking over existing categories, how many actually live up to that expectation? To be fair there were a few LC's that were pretty commonplace but most were a real challenge to log and made you do your homework and hunt, especially if another local cacher had been busy racking up a few.

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I don't necessarily agree with the earthcaches, I don't think their particular reasons for returning to geocaching are all that great.

 

So we can create new earthcaches on geocaching.com again?

 

No, the poster was just saying he doesn't think there are strong enough reasons to validate them returning.

By the way, does anyone know if it was up to the GSA to move them to Waymarking and not geocaching.com?

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And what is the end game? Everything possible that exists on Earth will have be waymarked? I just don't see where adding more is a benefit if the existing direction is where it is going. "Waymarking is a way to mark unique locations on the planet and give them a voice." Be honest now, really, in looking over existing categories, how many actually live up to that expectation? To be fair there were a few LC's that were pretty commonplace but most were a real challenge to log and made you do your homework and hunt, especially if another local cacher had been busy racking up a few.

Good post. Waymarking is so all inclusive it is hard to figure out what it wants to be. I haven't been able to get the sense of point that others have and apparently I'm not alone. The next thing we'll be Waymarking is brick two storey houses.

 

JDandDD

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I just topped 500 waymarks listed in the four categories I manage. All four of them would have made good locationless caches, and examples from all four categories exist as virtual caches. Historic markers, historic places, landlocked lighthouses and iron furnace ruins are not "brick two story houses;" to those who visit them, they are interesting places.

 

Those 500 waymarks represent 500 virtual caches that never would have seen the light of day. It is refreshing to see new virtual locations posted for people to visit, instead of getting archived with a form letter.

 

Personally, I am enjoying the process of discovering new places, taking nice photographs and then writing up some history and other information on the website. I really *don't* need that wet piece of scrap paper in a leaking film canister to feel like I had a good time. To the contrary, hunting for a container can distract one from thinking about the history of the area. And no more feeling like I'm a clandestine spy, dodging the muggles to slip a magneted micro off a signpost so that I can sign my name. I'd rather just read the information from the sign.

 

I am very happy that we now have a real locationless cache site. From where I sit, with 500 waymarks under my belt as a manager, and 40-something as a waymarker, it's thriving.

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I agree with Lep. This is a real "locationless" site rather than a real geocaching site and it makes doing locationless that much easier. I started a new category (well, had one created and transferred to me B)) and have been having fun doing the research to make the page worthwhile.

 

My category = locationless

The waymarks in my category = virtuals

 

Everything that people complained about when virts and locationless were [insert appropriate adjective here] on geocaching.com has been established on Waymarking.com, except the icon_smile.gif.

 

You may just have to take off your geocaching hat to see it.

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Sorry Robert but I totally disagree.

 

Locationless caches on geocaching.com-----searching for something unique to fit a specific catagory that no one else had found!

 

Virtuals on geocaching.com-----knowing you are going somewhere off the beaten path to see something unique and probably educational.

 

Waymarking.com----a collection of waypoints without challenge or expectation of an interesting experience.

 

I visit Waymarking.com periodically. I've even "visited" a few waypoints like when I made a payment on a bike I had on layaway. The bike shop is a waymark!

 

However, if you're going to do that waymark, you might as well do the micro that I have in the same area. At least then you would have had at the least a minor challenge and seen more than a store!

 

No, I don't like Waymarking. Yes, I do miss virtuals and locationless caches. And no matter how many times or ways someone tells me that Waymarking is the same, it isn't!

 

Terri

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I couldn't disagree more

 

Most Virtuals seemed to be ON the beaten path, as they were showcasing a special location of significance.

 

But Virtuals were nice... and will be again with effective Category creation in Waymarking. They will just be filtered and grouped, instead of free form.

 

But as for Locationless.... I'm sorry to be so blunt.... they sucked. I don't mean the Locationless Caches themselves, but the way they were designed.

 

If I found a location that met the qualifications for a locationless, I would do all the work of recording it... then try to determine if it had already been claimed by searching through the cache page for key words or part of the coordinates.... lots of wasted time.

 

But then the worst part... if I found out that my location was valid... no one else could use it, or have any need to visit it. I was effectively eliminating the spot from play.

 

Never once did I or anyone I know actually go to a spot that someone else had already logged as a locationless to see it. Instead it was more of a "Rats... it's already been claimed"

 

To me the big difference between the old Geocaching Locationless-Virtual and the new Waymarking Category-Waymark is this....

 

Locationless= Exclude everyone else from the enjoyment of that specific location

Waymark = Include everyone else in the enjoyment of that specific location

 

With the old system only two people got any joy out of it.... the Locationless Cache owner and the person that found a spot that fit the requirement.

With the new system the Category manager gets to see their database grow, the Waymark location owner gets to find interesting sites and others get to share in the logging of visits.... everyone wins!

 

<_< The Blue Quasar

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I totally agree with what robert & the blue quasar said , I could not have said it better myself. For instance the category for lighthouses. i LOGGED FINDS FOR ONLY ONE OF THOSE BABIES WHEN IT WAS ON GC.COM And I could do nothing even if I had been there because someone else already claimed the find. Now not only can anyone who visits a lighthouse can either create the waymark or log a find. And even if they come back year after year ( Scenery changes with seasons ; so will the pics, so you can log again and again, and viewrs will havee an up to date history of that waymark (Virtual) and you can create locationless now. I had always wanted to create one for B&B lighthouses but could not under gc.com, but I recently did just that underr this new format. Some of these places have educational places included in your stay ee the recent B&B lighthouse created in my category. It has a nature center within. As to being unique plkaces to visit. I challenge you personally 'terri & Billy to go and find an art o mat. ( These are totally unique and everyone is differrent. I think your problem is that the site still is in beta and has not been populated yet to what it can be.

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I guess I take a stand somewhere between Terri and the gung-ho on Waymarking folks. Locationless and virtuals had both good and bad points as geocaches. Waymarking provides something that is not exactly what we had for locationless and virtuals on geocaching.com. I think in trying to solve some of the problems with locationless and virtuals on geocaching, a new set of problems has been created. However, I do think that Waymarking is where locationless and virtuals belong. I think this because I can see how making a few changes/enhancements to Waymarking will make the locations and virtual experience even better than what it was on geocaching.com.

 

Terri's major issue seem to be that Waymarking is a collection of boring mundane categories with boring mundane waymarks. However, among these categories there are still categories that are in the spirit of locationless caches - people, places, and things that are a bit quirky and somewhat interesting, and where there is a challenge to find an example and be the first to create a waymark for it. There are categories as well whose waymarks make interesting places to just visit - places that are really unique and have some "wow" to them. The biggest fix need in Waymarking is a way to filter these categories and places from the mundane ones. I think that Waymarking needs something like a bookmark list - both for categories and waymarks. Individuals or groups could put together lists of categories that have the look and feel of locationless caches. (Its subjective as to how quirky and unusual something has to be be - I personally found 90% of the locationless caches to be mundane and uninteresting and never logged a locationless, but I suppose that locationless enthusiasts will be able to sort through the many categories and share their lists). Individuals and group could also create bookmark list of "Wow" waymarks. Places you should visit because they are unique enough they could have qualified as virtuals. (Similarly, these are subjective too, but the virtual enthusiast will be able to share their lists)

 

There are other problems with Waymarking that can be fixed as well. A suprise category for the virutals that did want to give away that you were looking for a particular item till you got there and a multi category for virtuals that had you look for several things in the same area. I would like to see a way to flag waymarks that have special logging requirements. One of the things that made virtuals interesting (and more cache-like) was having to look for the answer to some verification question. I think the list could go on and on. Instead of whining about locationless and virtuals disappearing from GC.com, think about ways to make locationless and virtuals better on WM.com.

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There is nothing stopping a Category manager from setting the requirements to email an answer ; but no one has done that yet, but it is possible. I personally plan that when more art o Mat waymarks are created that I may change the requirements for finders of those waymarks, but the category needs to be more populated before that can happen. I do plan on having finders send an email regarding what kind of art they found in the art o mat, maybe even who the designer was for that particular waymark.

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Sorry Robert but I totally disagree.

 

Locationless caches on geocaching.com-----searching for something unique to fit a specific catagory that no one else had found!

No need to be sorry!

 

Have you found all the markers in my historical marker category? All the B&B Lighthouses in Chstress' category? That's the locationless aspect. I'm having a devil of a time finding more markers than the ones I already knew about. I think I was able to find one--and that was only after one of them more or less pointed me to it--I was hoping to find the actual building but chuckled at the fact that rather than the actual building there was a house and another marker :)

 

Virtuals on geocaching.com-----knowing you are going somewhere off the beaten path to see something unique and probably educational.

All those virts in DC aren't quite off the beaten path. :anicute:

 

Waymarking.com----a collection of waypoints without challenge or expectation of an interesting experience.

That's how virts felt to me. Sometimes they were cool, sometimes just another plaque.

 

I visit Waymarking.com periodically. I've even "visited" a few waypoints like when I made a payment on a bike I had on layaway. The bike shop is a waymark!

 

However, if you're going to do that waymark, you might as well do the micro that I have in the same area. At least then you would have had at the least a minor challenge and seen more than a store!

You chose to do that one. It's like the person that chooses their first cache to be a micro under the skirt of a lamp post in a Wal*Mart parking lot. Don't know that everyone who chooses that one would find a second cache. And honestly I'd rather do a waymark like the bike shop (if that was an interesting category to me) than try to look inconspicuous looking for a micro nearby, particularly if I'm by myself

 

No, I don't like Waymarking. Yes, I do miss virtuals and locationless caches. And no matter how many times or ways someone tells me that Waymarking is the same, it isn't!

It's not, it's a mix of the two. :) Did you do all locationless? I mean did you find all of them interesting and worth doing? It took me a while to "get" Waymarking but once I did it made more sense. I'm having fun browsing the categories and trying to think of how I can find those locations. I am a coffee lover and am going to find the independent coffee houses in my area. Already found one to add, but something in the submission form needs tweaking, I'll be sending an email to the owner shortly.

 

The trouble for me is finding time to add this to my already full plate, I tend to keep pretty busy. :anicute:

 

:D

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Basically, I think the way to truly "transfer" the virtuals and locationless to make them the fun challenge they were the "old" way is as follows:

 

1) Need to have some sort of category where the object is not given away; where you log your find but only tell the owner what you saw (this is in regards to the virtuals of course)

 

2) Need to record your number and type of finds. I'm sure more people would do Waymarking if they could get smileys for it.

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Another discussion thread in which it is hard to find a statement of what Waymarking is intended to be or what it should be. That is the most frustrating thing about the concept, whatever that concept is. I cannot figure out what it is that this site is supposed to do.

 

There seems to be no challenge in it, whereas geocaches always have a challenge to them. It doesn't require mapping skills or use of GPS, whereas geocaching does. So what is the thrill of going four blocks from the house to a McDonalds, or 1.25 miles to the Walmart, going to any shoreline and seeing a lighthouse etc, etc, and marking them down. There seems to be nothing that you accomplish with Waymarking other than saying to everybody that you drove or walked somewhere.

 

Even hiding geocaches has an element of skill in finding the spot, figuring out how you are going to conceal it and so on. With Waymarking, I look up an address, drive to it and say yippee I found a Walmart. Don't get it folks. So I 'find' 200 of these, so what would I have proven except that I've driven around a lot. So what! At least with geocaching I have had to do some hunting and can feel some accomplishment.

 

So, this game (?) just seems to be building a directory for Groundspeak that they can market and little else.

 

Please, in one of these threads, someone explain what the challenge of this is supposed to be. :lol:

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Another discussion thread in which it is hard to find a statement of what Waymarking is intended to be or what it should be. That is the most frustrating thing about the concept, whatever that concept is. I cannot figure out what it is that this site is supposed to do.

 

There seems to be no challenge in it, whereas geocaches always have a challenge to them. It doesn't require mapping skills or use of GPS, whereas geocaching does. So what is the thrill of going four blocks from the house to a McDonalds, or 1.25 miles to the Walmart, going to any shoreline and seeing a lighthouse etc, etc, and marking them down. There seems to be nothing that you accomplish with Waymarking other than saying to everybody that you drove or walked somewhere.

 

Even hiding geocaches has an element of skill in finding the spot, figuring out how you are going to conceal it and so on. With Waymarking, I look up an address, drive to it and say yippee I found a Walmart. Don't get it folks. So I 'find' 200 of these, so what would I have proven except that I've driven around a lot. So what! At least with geocaching I have had to do some hunting and can feel some accomplishment.

 

So, this game (?) just seems to be building a directory for Groundspeak that they can market and little else.

 

Please, in one of these threads, someone explain what the challenge of this is supposed to be. :mad:

 

You found 14 locationless caches and 16 virts, what was the challenge in those? You got 30 smiley faces, was there no fun in any of them?

 

I've got no interest in McDonald's waymarks, but I have been having a lot of fun finding the historic markers in my state (link in my sig). Why obsess over the waymark categories you have no interest in, and find the one(s) you do and focus on those?

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Another discussion thread in which it is hard to find a statement of what Waymarking is intended to be or what it should be. That is the most frustrating thing about the concept, whatever that concept is. I cannot figure out what it is that this site is supposed to do.

 

There seems to be no challenge in it, whereas geocaches always have a challenge to them. It doesn't require mapping skills or use of GPS, whereas geocaching does. So what is the thrill of going four blocks from the house to a McDonalds, or 1.25 miles to the Walmart, going to any shoreline and seeing a lighthouse etc, etc, and marking them down. There seems to be nothing that you accomplish with Waymarking other than saying to everybody that you drove or walked somewhere.

 

Even hiding geocaches has an element of skill in finding the spot, figuring out how you are going to conceal it and so on. With Waymarking, I look up an address, drive to it and say yippee I found a Walmart. Don't get it folks. So I 'find' 200 of these, so what would I have proven except that I've driven around a lot. So what! At least with geocaching I have had to do some hunting and can feel some accomplishment.

 

So, this game (?) just seems to be building a directory for Groundspeak that they can market and little else.

 

Please, in one of these threads, someone explain what the challenge of this is supposed to be. :mad:

 

This sounds like some of the reasons that were given for moving locationless and virtuals. Many people said there was no challenge to them. Locationless didn't even need a GPS till you found a location that met the requirement. And all you had to do was get the coordinates and post them in a log. Most people found virtuals too easy as well. Some didn't even have good verification requirements. Just take a picture. Even with a question, the answer would be on a plaque or sign that you couldn't miss. And there was no skill in hiding a virtual. It was something already there. A lot of people thought that hiding a virtual was a lazy man's way to get a hide.

 

I wonder if you are just stirring the pot since elsewhere you indicated you are sad that locationless and virtuals have moved to Waymarking but here you criticize Waymarking for the same sort comings that were giving as reasons why locationless/virtuals weren't really caches.

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Another discussion thread in which it is hard to find a statement of what Waymarking is intended to be or what it should be. That is the most frustrating thing about the concept, whatever that concept is. I cannot figure out what it is that this site is supposed to do.

 

There seems to be no challenge in it, whereas geocaches always have a challenge to them. It doesn't require mapping skills or use of GPS, whereas geocaching does. So what is the thrill of going four blocks from the house to a McDonalds, or 1.25 miles to the Walmart, going to any shoreline and seeing a lighthouse etc, etc, and marking them down. There seems to be nothing that you accomplish with Waymarking other than saying to everybody that you drove or walked somewhere.

 

Even hiding geocaches has an element of skill in finding the spot, figuring out how you are going to conceal it and so on. With Waymarking, I look up an address, drive to it and say yippee I found a Walmart. Don't get it folks. So I 'find' 200 of these, so what would I have proven except that I've driven around a lot. So what! At least with geocaching I have had to do some hunting and can feel some accomplishment.

 

So, this game (?) just seems to be building a directory for Groundspeak that they can market and little else.

 

Please, in one of these threads, someone explain what the challenge of this is supposed to be. :D

 

Give up. Those that don't like locationless and virtuals are never going to get it.

 

They did have a challenge element that Waymarking doesn't seem to have. Every now and then, I give Waymarking another try and so far I get zero enjoyment out of it.

 

We recognize that there was a challenge to find that one whatever that no one else had found yet and quickly log it to get that locationless done. Or the wonder of where in the world is this virtual taking me!? And then, going, boy, I never knew this was here!

 

I did a virtual in DC and found something that I had never seen before even though I've been going to DC for about 40 years! Thank you geocaching. I would have never looked for it from Waymarking because 1)it's too hard to find anything worth finding and 2)being told there is another statue in DC doesn't tell me it's unique and 3)once a picture is posted, it just doesn't give you the same thrill as finding something yourself.

 

So, I will continue to do as many virtuals as I can while occasionally checking to see if Waymarking has gotten any better. Some how, I don't see it filling the gap.

 

Terri

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Give up. Those that don't like locationless and virtuals are never going to get it.

 

They did have a challenge element that Waymarking doesn't seem to have. Every now and then, I give Waymarking another try and so far I get zero enjoyment out of it.

 

We recognize that there was a challenge to find that one whatever that no one else had found yet and quickly log it to get that locationless done. Or the wonder of where in the world is this virtual taking me!? And then, going, boy, I never knew this was here!

 

I did a virtual in DC and found something that I had never seen before even though I've been going to DC for about 40 years! Thank you geocaching. I would have never looked for it from Waymarking because 1)it's too hard to find anything worth finding and 2)being told there is another statue in DC doesn't tell me it's unique and 3)once a picture is posted, it just doesn't give you the same thrill as finding something yourself.

 

So, I will continue to do as many virtuals as I can while occasionally checking to see if Waymarking has gotten any better. Some how, I don't see it filling the gap.

 

Terri

Well, Terri, you are likely right. I probably should give up trying to find something out of Waymarking. Your thoughts are exactly what mine are. I get zero enjoyment out of it. What you said about virtuals is quite right. That is why they were interesting and enjoyable and what you say about Waymarking is why it is not.

 

Funny how some extensions to the original geocaching concept, like multis and puzzles, are Ok even though not all like them while others, like virtuals, are considered bad. Somehow I have always hoped that geocaching would grow beyond the original concept and include and encourage other ideas that enhance the game and are both interesting and educational. Instead, as soon as the highly educational earthcaches come along they are relegated to Waymarking where fewer people by far go.

 

I guess I'll stop beating my head against the wall and go back to just looking at it rarely like I did before.

 

JDandDD

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Whine :D Whine :D Whine :D Whine :D

 

Virtuals, Earthcaches, and Locationless have been banished to the evil Waymarking site where they are lost among all the McDonald's Restaurants and Micro Brewery waymarks. I liked virtuals/locationless/waymarks because they were interesting (I don't care that some people might think McDonald's Restaurant and Brewpubs are interesting, these people obviously have no taste). I liked virtuals because they were challenging. I had to use my GPSr to find something and answer a question. Sometimes it was harder to find the answer than it was to find some physical caches. For waymarks I just go and log that I visited (at least for the categories I've looked at - someone said that some waymarks require I find something and answer a question but I don't know how to find these). I liked locationless because I got to try to find something rare but still common enough that it was doable. I somehow have missed that most of these locationless have migrated over to waymark categories and I can still find them. And beside I have no way to find the interesting ones among all the mundane categories. I liked virtuals and earthcaches because they were educational. What's educational about visiting McDonalds. Sure I can now visit all the Pennsylvania Historical Markers - but I can't figure out which categories might be educational. I liked virtuals that suprised me and wow'ed me. In Waymarking, I know what I will find because of the category. I don't see how the category creation process might work and whether there might eventually be a suprise category or a Wow! category that will address this problem. I liked finding virtuas and locationless because they counted as geocaching finds and I would get a smilie. I don't think the puritans that insist on a geocache must be physical have any right to suggest my find count isn't valid because it contains virtuals and locationless.

 

Sure there are problems with Waymarking. It is still in beta. New categories are being added. New features are being added. Suggestions can be made on how to make interesting, challenging, and educational categories and waymarks standout. (Though you might have trouble convincing TPTB that there is a value in subjective evaluations of interesting, challenging, and educational). You can, with a little work, find the categories that you find interesting, educational, and challenging; and can continue to enjoy doing the same thing that you did when they were called locationless and virtual caches. The problem isn't Waymarking. The problem is people who dislike change, who don't think of ways to make what they have work, and who don't have vision to see that with a little work change is an opportunity to make things better. Stop whining and start participating.

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Mr. T's post gave me an idea. It may have been suggested before.

 

What if Waymarking categories had "attributes":

 

Directory/Informational (the "Yellow Pages" type of categories, like WiFi hotspots, payphone booths)

Commercial (McDonald's, Brewpubs)

Educational (Historic Markers, Museums)

GPS Fun (Coordinate Play category, Scavenger Hunts, other game-type things)

[Others?]

 

This could provide another way to slice and dice the directory data and search results, depending on what you are looking to get out of Waymarking.

Edited by The Leprechauns
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It seems to me that Waymarking.com is a much better site for locationless "caches" than geocaching.com was, in terms of organizing locations in a category. It still has some problems, but already it is better than geocaching.com for locationless. I'm not sure how many of the old locationless caches have actually become waymark categories, but it seems like a minority. I'm not sure why. Many of the complaints about Waymarking seem to be focused on boring categories, but that is easy to fix -- just create some more interesting categories.

 

I do understand why people get discouraged with Waymarking by seeing a bunch of boring (to them) categories. Does Waymarking.com have an "ignore this category" feature?

 

I don't understand why some people who like locationless caches don't seem interested in the same type of categories as waymarks, either as finding waymarks that fit a category or creating a waymark category that previously was a locationless cache, or better yet a new and interesting category.

 

As for virtuals, I'm not sure yet. It seems like a lot of good virtuals might be difficult to fit into a category. I guess that's what the "wow!" or "surprise" suggestions are about.

 

I don't care if my waymark creations or visits have a smiley icon or not. The web site lets me see a list of waymarks I've created, and list of logs I've made, smiley or not.

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Locationless= Exclude everyone else from the enjoyment of that specific location

Waymark = Include everyone else in the enjoyment of that specific location

 

It's nice to know I'm not the only person who saw that. Many locationless fans liked the feeling of "getting one that hadn't been gotten yet". They're FTF hounds too. Funny that.

 

I understand why the McDonald's - like categories exist. The problem with virtuals and locationless is that to make them "great" required editorial control that nobody really wants to take the time or heat to apply. Eg, for awhile virtuals had to pass the WOW test, and there were endless fights about that and lots of hard feelings. Exercising the sort of category control some people think is necessary is just too difficult to do.

 

Instead, Waymarking tries to establish a sort of open marketplace of categories, where, hopefully, McDonalds will just sink to the bottom and be forgotten, more or less. You help that happen by participating in Waymarking categories you find worthwhile and by not participating in ones you don't.

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WalruZ Posted Yesterday, 10:43 PM

 

 

Locationless= Exclude everyone else from the enjoyment of that specific location

Waymark = Include everyone else in the enjoyment of that specific location

 

It's nice to know I'm not the only person who saw that. Many locationless fans liked the feeling of "getting one that hadn't been gotten yet". They're FTF hounds too. Funny that.

 

And now those FTF Hounds can get that excitement by Owning a Waymark. First to find an example, then log the Waymark for it not only get the rush of FTF, but gets to see the logs of the subsequent visitors and the joy they got too.

 

:laughing: The Blue Quasar

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