Virtual Caches and Waymarking

[+tozainamboku]

I had typed out a long response to RK and CR in the topic on reinstating virtuals in the Geocaching.com forum but the topic was locked when I submitted it. I understand that Jeremy locked the topic as he answered the initial question. I normally wouldn't start another topic (there are already enough) but I have special interest in responding to criticism that Waymarking is not an adequate replacement for virtuals. When Waymarking first went beta, I proposed the Wow! Waymarking category. That post was both sarcastic and serious. It pointed out some of the reasons that virtuals were broken on Geocaching.com as well as why waymarks weren't the same as virtual caches. As the process for creating and managing new categories became better defined, I started the Wow Waymarkers group to explore ways to provide the experience of virtual caches within the Waymarking framework.

 

Here is what I had typed in response to RK and CR

I have to agree with RK that a waymark does not a virtual cache make. But I think he is short changing what Waymarking can be. Most Waymarking categories are like locationless caches, find an example of something that fits the category and create a waymark for that object. Unlike, locationless caches, where once a location was posted other cachers had to find a different location that met the category, waymarks can be visited by other people who can then log their visit. This has been described as being equivalent to finding as virtual cache. Of course it is not. There is no guaranty that a Waymarking location is even remotely as interesting as a virtual. And there is no requirement that there is something to find (beyond just going to the location). My definition of a virtual is that there is something to find (either to answer a verification question or a specific object that you could take a picture of).

 

Waymarking categories can be viewed as something other than just a locationless cache. The category represents things that some group of people would be interested in visiting. Not everyone is interested in the same things. Some people like to visit historic sites, other like to see natural phenomena, and others like weird or unusual examples of art and architecture. You can browse the waymark directory to find the categories of places you would like to visit, load the nearby waymarks into your GPS, visit the places, and log your visits online if you like.

 

Virtuals provide a slightly different experience. Many times what you would find at virtual cache was a mystery. When you got to the location you found something that you didn't expect to find. You might think, "Wow, I didn't know this was here." Waymarking allows for categories that can be used to provide this experience as well. I started the Best Kept Secrets category to provide an experience like this. I know it doesn't capture all of the great virtuals out there. I hope that others will follow suit with creative Waymarking categories that will allow for other kinds of "virtual" cache ideas that would be enjoyable for waymarkers and geocachers to go find.

 

Waymarking is not locationless and virtuals. It is something far more encompassing. In fact, if Waymarking had come first, there could be a category of waymarks called "Geocaches", where people would hide a container and post the coordinates on the Waymarking.com website. Think of Waymarking as a tool for making new things that you can do with your GPS. As it evolves Waymarking will become a lot more than another waypoint.org. It may even become a resource for geocachers like CR who are looking for interesting places to hide a geocache.

[+sbell111]

Can I have a pony?

[+Renegade Knight]

Well...long story short, as much fun as we were having debating it. Jeremy pretty much said "No".

 

Perhaps someday that will change.

[+budd-rdc]

Well...long story short, as much fun as we were having debating it. Jeremy pretty much said "No".

 

Perhaps someday that will change.

 

Having .LOC files for Waymarking is a good step in making the experience more like Virtuals. There's still room for improvement like better filter criteria, Pocket Queries, and integration with Geocaching. Maybe months or years down the road, I can just download a PQ of random "Best Kept Secrets" Waymarks into my GPSr and have a ball.

 

As a replacement for Locationless, I think Waymarking has done very well.

 

I proposed an idea of "reverse migrating" popular/highly rated Waymarks back to Geocaching as Virtuals in another thread. The community can vote to "promote it" back to Geocaching. Maybe the reviewers will be spared some of the headaches this way. This has its own can of worms, like how to handle "finds" for people who've visited it before the migration. But then, Earthcaches are going through that process now, so we'll see how that goes.

[+Snoogans]

Well...long story short, as much fun as we were having debating it. Jeremy pretty much said "No".

 

Perhaps someday that will change.

 

*cough*cough*OT forum*cough*

[+tiki-4]

Having .LOC files for Waymarking is a good step in making the experience more like Virtuals. There's still room for improvement like better filter criteria, Pocket Queries, and integration with Geocaching. Maybe months or years down the road, I can just download a PQ of random "Best Kept Secrets" Waymarks into my GPSr and have a ball.

 

As a replacement for Locationless, I think Waymarking has done very well.

 

I proposed an idea of "reverse migrating" popular/highly rated Waymarks back to Geocaching as Virtuals in another thread. The community can vote to "promote it" back to Geocaching. Maybe the reviewers will be spared some of the headaches this way. This has its own can of worms, like how to handle "finds" for people who've visited it before the migration. But then, Earthcaches are going through that process now, so we'll see how that goes.

 

Most strongly agree with the 1st and 3rd parts....

one the 2nd, the LC replacement means that more people get to log the same site, but the rules regarding establishing them needs to be cleaned up.

 

The problem with WM is that it hasnt been allowed to be fully used with the parents sitting in the back seat.