History of Geocaching.com

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I know very little about the background of geocaching.com and Groundspeak.com.

 

For many of us geocaching addicts that company has more influence on us than any other except maybe our employer!

 

Perhaps others are curious as well?

 

Some of the basic facts have been mentioned in various places - can they be elaborated upon?

 

How did the game develop? It's mentioned at a relatively high level on some sites, but can more history be detailed?

 

How was / is / will be the game influenced by gc.com, and vice versa?

 

Who are the major players that guide Groundspeak (and therefore the game), etc. It appears Jeremy is credited / blamed for everything, surely there are more people involved in the decision-making that affects us all?

 

Who is Mount10Bike and why does everyone want his coin?

 

I see it mentioned that Jeremy took over a list of cache locations, but how did that grow into Groundspeak?

 

Who was involved in its beginnings?

 

Was it their intent to start a business or did it just sort of grow on them?

 

Obviously Jeremy must be a good manager, but is he a visionary who saw the potential explosive growth coming, planned and controlled it, or was he in the right place at the right time, struggling to keep up and before he knew it he was running a huge business?

 

Who put up the money for infrastructure and development before Premium Memberships? Are the senior Reviewers investors?

 

What's with the Charter Members - who are they, how many are there and how did they find out about geocaching.com? Are they the investors?

 

How did Volunteer Reviewers come about?

 

Obviously all Reviewers are not equal - where does the real power lie? CO_Admin has 'PA to the QOFE' in his avatar title, I am guessing that means Personal Assistant to the Queen of Freakin Everything (Hydee)? If so does that mean that he's the 'chief' Reviewer?

 

What makes so many otherwise intelligent individuals around the globe give so much time and energy to running somebody else's for-profit business for free?

 

What's on the horizen for Groundspeak? Will it stay a listing service or will it expand to provide other geocaching-related services?

 

If expanding, what services might be on the horizen?

 

Some of these may be too intrusive, if so we can delete / edit them, but these are things often discussed around event campfires that I would like to know!

 

Ed

[+mtn-man]

I can take a stab at some of this for you.

 

Who are the major players that guide Groundspeak (and therefore the game), etc. It appears Jeremy is credited / blamed for everything, surely there are more people involved in the decision-making that affects us all? Who was involved in its beginnings?

From what I understand, Jeremy, Elias and Rothstafari are the co-founders. Hydee is the Volunteer Coordinator and Community Relations Specialist. All the other folks at Groundspeak are Lackeys and are identified by nicknames assigned by Jeremy based on his whims. ( kidding!) The decision-making process depends on the issues involved and who needs to be involved in it I would suppose. That is just like any business.

 

Who is Mount10Bike and why does everyone want his coin?

Moun10Bike gives a pretty good synopsis of who he is and his involvement in geocaching on his web site. It is an interesting read. He talk about how he came up with his coin as well. His first coin is the most sought coin because it was the first one produced. You know how the first of a kind is. People want it. On his web site he says he had seen military challenge coins and thought that would be cool. He he, boy was he right.

 

Obviously Jeremy must be a good manager, but is he a visionary who saw the potential explosive growth coming, planned and controlled it, or was he in the right place at the right time, struggling to keep up and before he knew it he was running a huge business?

I would say both.

 

Who put up the money for infrastructure and development before Premium Memberships? Are the senior Reviewers investors?

I can only speak for myself, and at this time I am not. I wish I was.

 

What's with the Charter Members - who are they, how many are there and how did they find out about geocaching.com? Are they the investors?

Charter Members (vs. Premium Members) are those that chose to support the site in the first 12 months that membership for a fee was offered. No telling how many there are. Each of us would have a story about how we found out about the site and they would all differ. My story of how I got here is in my profile. Technically, since I gladly paid money, I guess I was a slight investor, so to speak. I paid for the first few years, but as of this year they will not let me pay now. My membership is now complimentary for my reviewer/moderator services. That and a cool t-shirt.

 

How did Volunteer Reviewers come about?

At first, poor Jeremy was reviewing everything. He had a few others helping out, but he was doing the bulk of it. I am not sure how the others got involved. Don't ask me who they are because I am not allowed to say. Erik has told me that he emailed Jeremy one time asking if there was anything he could do to help. Jeremy welcomed the assist and Erik was a power cacher even way back then. Jeremy made him a reviewer. A few months later as the influx grew, Erik asked if he could ask gpsfun and me if we wanted to be reviewers. Jeremy said OK. gpsfun and I also said OK. That was around March of 2002 I think. We worked the whole world. Slowly but surely we added additional folks and then started doing regional reviewers, etc, etc. For the longest time no one knew who we were. Suddenly, the reviewer for the cache was listed at the bottom of your owned caches. We then became public. I actually spilled the beans about my status at a GGA meeting accidentally, but that is another story.

 

Obviously all Reviewers are not equal - where does the real power lie? CO_Admin has 'PA to the QOFE' in his avatar title, I am guessing that means Personal Assistant to the Queen of Freakin Everything (Hydee)? If so does that mean that he's the 'chief' Reviewer?

QOFE stands for "Queen Of Frogs Everywhere", though yours is funny. CO Admin is her PA, but he is not the "chief reviewer". There is no such thing. We all answer to Hydee and Jeremy. There may be senior reviewers, but we all *are* equal and don't look at any of the others as "above" or "below" the other one. We support each other. I have questions from time to time and bounce things off of the other folks to make sure I am thinking right. We all do.

 

What makes so many otherwise intelligent individuals around the globe give so much time and energy to running somebody else's for-profit business for free?

Why do people volunteer at hospitals or children centers or for the Forest Service doing trail work or whatever? Personal satisfaction and enjoyment.

[+LaPaglia]

What makes so many otherwise intelligent individuals around the globe give so much time and energy to running somebody else's for-profit business for free?

I was going to avoid this but I object to the snide insinuation that the volunteers are intelligent in everything BUT volunteering. Perhaps you can share with us why you were otherwise intelligent as a volunteer. I think you owe all the volunteers an apology for that slight at their intellect. Care to share the real agenda about this post with us? The volunteers are owed an apology. They do their job well. My other account is that of a volunteer and I am saddened that you would stoop to such a low shot. I ask with respect that you correct this grievous slight to our volunteers without whom much of this would not have been the same.

[+hydee]

Mtn-man has pretty much hit the nail on the head. In addition you may find more information here:

 

History of Geocaching

 

As for the volunteer team, I can think of a lot of words to describe them but "otherwise intelligent" would not be on the list. They are dedicated geocaching community members who deserve the utmost respect for stepping up and spending countless hours not only as site volunteers but also as active members of their local communities. In many cases they are not only your local reviewers but they are also those who volunteer to help run the local organizations, volunteer to work with land managers, organize events and many other things that help their geocaching communities function successfully. Thanks to all of you!!!

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

I know very little about the background of geocaching.com and Groundspeak.com.

 

For many of us geocaching addicts that company has more influence on us than any other except maybe our employer!

 

Perhaps others are curious as well?

 

Some of the basic facts have been mentioned in various places - can they be elaborated upon?

 

How did the game develop? It's mentioned at a relatively high level on some sites, but can more history be detailed?

 

How was / is / will be the game influenced by gc.com, and vice versa?

 

Who are the major players that guide Groundspeak (and therefore the game), etc. It appears Jeremy is credited / blamed for everything, surely there are more people involved in the decision-making that affects us all?

 

Who is Mount10Bike and why does everyone want his coin?

 

I see it mentioned that Jeremy took over a list of cache locations, but how did that grow into Groundspeak?

 

Who was involved in its beginnings?

 

Was it their intent to start a business or did it just sort of grow on them?

 

Obviously Jeremy must be a good manager, but is he a visionary who saw the potential explosive growth coming, planned and controlled it, or was he in the right place at the right time, struggling to keep up and before he knew it he was running a huge business?

 

Who put up the money for infrastructure and development before Premium Memberships? Are the senior Reviewers investors?

 

What's with the Charter Members - who are they, how many are there and how did they find out about geocaching.com? Are they the investors?

 

How did Volunteer Reviewers come about?

 

Obviously all Reviewers are not equal - where does the real power lie? CO_Admin has 'PA to the QOFE' in his avatar title, I am guessing that means Personal Assistant to the Queen of Freakin Everything (Hydee)? If so does that mean that he's the 'chief' Reviewer?

 

What makes so many otherwise intelligent individuals around the globe give so much time and energy to running somebody else's for-profit business for free?

 

What's on the horizen for Groundspeak? Will it stay a listing service or will it expand to provide other geocaching-related services?

 

If expanding, what services might be on the horizen?

 

Some of these may be too intrusive, if so we can delete / edit them, but these are things often discussed around event campfires that I would like to know!

 

Ed

Ouch! Double ouch! You have asked some very scary questions, and those questions, and the even more scary answers thereto, are ones which many folks at geocaching.com have been trying to sweep under the carpet for many years now. You see, not only this entire company/website, but also the entire. . . ahem. . . "sport", was really started by alien Grays from the the Zeta Reticuli system, and were not started for benevolent reasons, but as one more way to control the human race and ultimately take over the planet Earth and enslave the population; those who pursue geocaching are not much more than food for the space aliens.

 

And. . . Sad but true, now that you have asked the forbidden questions, you and you geo account will likely mysteriously disappear from the website and from the face of the earth over the next three days as if you had never existed, as such are the powers and malevolent intent of the alien Grays and their evil reptilian reptoid overlords. Sad. Goodbye!

 

Sob! How tragic!

[+Eartha]

I am not a reviewer, but I am a forum moderator. I volunteer to check the forums in my free time, and I do it to give something back to a hobby that has given me so much enjoyment.

[+D@nim@l]

Mtn-man has pretty much hit the nail on the head. In addition you may find more information here:

 

History of Geocaching

 

They are dedicated geocaching community members who deserve the utmost respect for stepping up and spending countless hours not only as site volunteers but also as active members of their local communities. In many cases they are not only your local reviewers but they are also those who volunteer to help run the local organizations, volunteer to work with land managers, organize events and many other things that help their geocaching communities function successfully.

 

You would think

[+5¢]

What makes so many otherwise intelligent individuals around the globe give so much time and energy to running somebody else's for-profit business for free?

I was going to avoid this but I object to the snide insinuation that the volunteers are intelligent in everything BUT volunteering. Perhaps you can share with us why you were otherwise intelligent as a volunteer. I think you owe all the volunteers an apology for that slight at their intellect. Care to share the real agenda about this post with us? The volunteers are owed an apology. They do their job well. My other account is that of a volunteer and I am saddened that you would stoop to such a low shot. I ask with respect that you correct this grievous slight to our volunteers without whom much of this would not have been the same.

 

[+briansnat]

What makes so many otherwise intelligent individuals around the globe give so much time and energy to running somebody else's for-profit business for free?

 

That wasn't very nice.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

What makes so many otherwise intelligent individuals around the globe give so much time and energy to running somebody else's for-profit business for free?

I was going to avoid this but I object to the snide insinuation that the volunteers are intelligent in everything BUT volunteering. Perhaps you can share with us why you were otherwise intelligent as a volunteer. I think you owe all the volunteers an apology for that slight at their intellect. Care to share the real agenda about this post with us? The volunteers are owed an apology. They do their job well. My other account is that of a volunteer and I am saddened that you would stoop to such a low shot. I ask with respect that you correct this grievous slight to our volunteers without whom much of this would not have been the same.

 

Wow, I certainly meant no offense!

 

I strongly suspect that any reader except one with a personal agenda will read and understand that as a joke, and not an original one - Reviewers use that line or one like it about themselves in a wholesome joking manner all the time.

 

Anyone who knows me or has read my posts knows me to be a huge fan of Groundspeak, a strong and active supporter of the game, and a cacher with the greatest respect for the Reviewer and geocacher communities.

 

I suspect strongly that offense to my posts is your personal chosen, rather than natural, response to my question, based on our history. You appear to have issues with me quite regularly that no one else has.

 

I do apologize if you or anyone is offended, that certainly wasn't my intent.

 

Some of those questions do border on intrusive, and I acknowledged that, and the Moderators right to edit them if they shouldn't be answered publicly. However, I do not mean to start trouble in any of my poasts, and think most folks will take them as intended.

 

My questions are in fact, as advertised, topics I am asked or hear talked about and do not know the answer to.

 

EDIT: Many thanks to Mtn-Man, who chose to read them as inoffensive and gave great answers.

Edited September 15, 2006 by TheAlabamaRambler

[+The Leprechauns]

Given your former service as a site volunteer, how could you possibly not know who Moun10Bike is?

 

Given your former service as a site volunteer, how could you possibly not know CO Admin's role as a member of the volunteer group?

 

Given your former service as a site volunteer, how could you possibly not know who else is involved in running Groundspeak? In addition to Jeremy, Elias, Rothstafari, Hydee, Raine, Solo Traveler, OpinioNate, Bootron and others post here in the forums from time to time.

 

Questions like this, along with your comment about "otherwise intelligent," led me to label your post as trolling. I won't bother responding to them.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Given your former service as a site volunteer, how could you possibly not know who Moun10Bike is?

 

Given your former service as a site volunteer, how could you possibly not know CO Admin's role as a member of the volunteer group?

 

Given your former service as a site volunteer, how could you possibly not know who else is involved in running Groundspeak? In addition to Jeremy, Elias, Rothstafari, Hydee, Raine, Solo Traveler, OpinioNate, Bootron and others post here in the forums from time to time.

 

Questions like this, along with your comment about "otherwise intelligent," led me to label your post as trolling. I won't bother responding to them.

 

I have never once placed a post as a troll. Ever. Here or anywhere else.

 

This thread was started out of genuine curiosity about this history.

 

I may have some of the answers, derived in part or in whole from things I heard around a campfire, but to get the whole or accurate answer I ask the questions.

 

I have no idea who Mount10Bike is. I know he's a geocacher and may or may not be a Reviewer. I have been told both ways.

 

I am in fact not sure of Co_Admin's role, I saw an email that he was being given some of Hydee's responsibilities just before I was fired and never heard what that meant. My question is honest and legitimate.

 

Human nature indicates that in a group of equals some are more equal, and despite all the best intent that's as true in the Reviewer community as it is anywhere else, despite Groundspeak's desire to keep it equal, and though in my experience Hydee does a better job of treating everyone equally than I have ever seen anywhere.

 

I don't talk much about things that happened or became known to me as a Reviewer; despite my unfortunate action that got me fired I do respect the need for privacy and some level of secrecy in Reviewer affairs. You in fact refer to my service more often than I, and rarely with any positive comment, despite the fact that I earned rather a good reputation in the states that I was honored to review.

 

I do know some of the names of the Groundspeak team, and have met a few of them, like what little bit I do know, but do not know who does what nor who was instrumental in the origins of the company.

 

Other than brief business-related conversations I have never spoken with any one of TPTB at Groundspeak, never spoke with Jeremy, spoke with Rothsafari briefly; there is no reason to assume I know anything about these folks... and I don't.

 

Yes, as a Reviewer I had access to a list of who is a Reviewer - I never studied it and to this day can't tell you who is and who isn't unless they are public in these forums or I have met them. That kind of stuff simply isn't on my radar.

 

When I was a Reviewer I dealt periodically (and quite happily) with Hydee and rarely with anyone else, though unfortumately you and I crossed swords from time to time, though at that time we were supposedly 'equals'.

 

I was never part of the 'in' crowd, my time was spent supporting my communities, helping geocachers get good hides listed, supporting geocachers with land-owner issues, traveling to events to build comraderie in the geocacher community, and was never a part of the Reviewer political or rumor stream.

 

I have never and will never use the fact that I was once a Reviewer to establish any sort of credibility, nor claim any special status from that experience. I was told when released that I would be accepted and treated as any other geocacher, and that's all I want. Mostly, folks do.

 

I hope this helps you, and this community, take me at face value and not look for or assume any hidden agenda or malice... I have none.

 

Ed

[+Jhwk]

How did the game develop? It's mentioned at a relatively high level on some sites, but can more history be detailed?

Ed

You see, not only this entire company/website, but also the entire. . . ahem. . . "sport", was really started by alien Grays from the the Zeta Reticuli system, and were not started for benevolent reasons, but as one more way to control the human race and ultimately take over the planet Earth and enslave the population; those who pursue geocaching are not much more than food for the space aliens.

 

I thought it was Lrrr from Omicron Persei 8.

[Max Cacher]

Thanks Ed ( TheAlabamaRambler ) for the cool thread, these are questions are asked of me regularly at events.

 

If you have only been in the sport for a year or so it would be hard pressed to find the answers doing a search of the forums. mtn-man answered pretty much all that as reviewers we are allowed to and was very informative. A couple of answers I have never seem posted here before.

 

“”What makes so many otherwise intelligent individuals around the globe give so much time and energy to running somebody else's for-profit business for free?””

 

To put it very plainly, I did not take offence to the quote above at all took it as tongue and cheek. Personally I freely give my time to the sport strictly for the love of the game ( don‘t care if it is for a profit or nonprofit ), and the folks I meet on the trail and at events. The reviewers just get to play a little different game. Have met most of the folks from the Grounspeak home office and they are regular people doing a job they love as well.

 

Have seen the QOFE on hydee’s desk an do know what it stands for but there does need to be a little mystery don’t you think.

 

Are we having fun yet, I am

 

Max Cacher

[+sbell111]

... Who put up the money for infrastructure and development before Premium Memberships? ...

While I don't know the inner workings of Groundspeak's finances, I assume the the initial funds came from Jeremy, Elias and Rothstafari's pockets. Prior to PMs, the company made a small amount of money through the sale of geocaching accessories and through donations. (There used to be a PayPal 'donate' link.) If I'm not mistaken, there were a couple of 'for profit' initiatives, also. (Wasn't there some sort of VW event in Seattle?)

[+Moose Mob]

I'm here to have fun. I volunteer because some folks go out of thier way to mess with other peoples fun. Then I get to put on my sheriff's badge. I can feel that urge now.

[+sbell111]

Does the Sheriff know that you have his badge?

[+El Diablo]

The early history of geocaching is quite fascinating. It was an idea that was first conceived in a newsgroup called USENET group sci.geo.satellite-nav. I don’t believe that those forums are still active today. Back a couple of years ago while doing research on an article for Today’s Cacher I read those forums.

 

Dave Ulmer came up with the original concept, and he was the first to place a cache. The next day it was logged by Mike Teague. It’s my understanding from talking to Dave that Mike has since passed away. The original cache was a 5 gallon plastic bucket that contained a logbook, can of Blackeye peas, mapping software, five dollars in cash, and a slingshot. The first logbook was damaged and Dave didn't keep it. At the time, he had no idea of its importance as a historical document. The can of peas is now in the possession of Team 360 who recovered it while placing a plaque honoring the first cache.

 

Originally the game was called “GPS Stash Hunt”, but the members of the USENET felt that the word “stash” had a negative sound. They tossed many names back and forth until May 30th, 2000. Matt Stum came up with the name Geocaching.

 

Jeremy Irish and Bryan Rothstafari were co-workers at Sunrise Identities I believe and also members of the USENET group. They had the foresight to register the domain name Geocaching.com first although it wasn’t the original site used to begin with. The first listing site I think was run by Mike Teague. That site experienced technical difficulties and went down. Jeremy stepped forward and offered to take over and the reins were passed.

 

I’ve seen the original listing site and I personally believe that if Jeremy hadn’t taken over, this game would not have lived long.

 

El Diablo

Edited September 15, 2006 by El Diablo

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I meant no ill intent.

 

I have no reason to insult anyone, and never have.

 

I apologize if anyone has been offended, I certainly never meant that.

 

They seemed like straightforward questions.

 

I alluded to a running joke that appears throughout these forums, even in this one! Why it is a joke when others say it and an insult when I do is beyond me!

 

Mtn-Man answered the questions nicely, MaxCacher agreed they are often asked and the answers hard to find.

 

<editted by moderator - there are proper ways to handle this>

 

In the face of such a threat I must ask the Moderator to close this thread... it's not going at all as I intended and I don't want to help him achieve his "goal"

 

Ed

Edited September 15, 2006 by Moose Mob

[+Moose Mob]

Thread closed by OP request. If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me. - Thanks