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Forum Suggestion - Geocaching Organizations


DudleyGrunt

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I would like to suggest that the current "Geocaching Groups by Region / State" and "Geocaching Groups by Country" be reorganized / expanded to allow for a "Geocaching Groups by Interest" or "Geocaching Groups - Non-Geographic".

 

There seems to have been an increase in groups without borders that generally cater to people that share a common interest or profession. Currently, the mods seem to want topics on these types of groups posted in the "Organized Geocaching" forum, but I don't think that is really true fit. The subtitle of the OG forum is "Here you can share ideas on the next level of Geocaching - League games and other organized sports using GPS units." That is not typically what these groups are focused on.

 

I understand that there are two redundant (IMO) pinned threads in the OG forum about geocaching groups, but in addition to being redundant to each other, they seem to be duplicative of the similar pinned topics in most of the Region / State and Country forums. Therefore, I don't think most people end up looking there for groups and may not even be aware that there are interest based groups to supplement their experience with their local organizations.

 

Examples:

 

C4C - Cachers 4 Christ (German language forum)

GC4C - GeoCachers 4 Christ

GPA - Geocaching Pilots Assoc.

GT - GeoTruckers

MAGC - The Military Association of GeoCachers

 

There may be more, but if we had a central place for them to be promoted, it would be helpful to those that might interested in them.

 

What do folks think? I know some will say that these types of groups are a waste of time, but they ARE out there and do offer something that certain folks are looking for. Also, I think that the more of a tie people have to other cachers, the more likely they are to continue in the hobby / sport / game (that's another debate).

 

Please limit your comments on the topic at hand - how to best promote these types of groups her in the Groundspeak forums.

 

Also, if you belong to or know about other similar groups, please post about them.

 

Thanks,

DG

Edited by DudleyGrunt
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I think there are already enough subforums. I run a forum of my own and subforums are often redundant, turn off new posters, and add more grief for Mods that have to keep posts in the right areas. The expression "herding cats" comes to mind. The Organized Geocaching Forum seems to be the place for the groups you mentioned, and I am sure most of those groups have external private forums of their own as well.

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I think there are already enough subforums. I run a forum of my own and subforums are often redundant, turn off new posters, and add more grief for Mods that have to keep posts in the right areas. The expression "herding cats" comes to mind. The Organized Geocaching Forum seems to be the place for the groups you mentioned, and I am sure most of those groups have external private forums of their own as well.

I'm only looking for a better way to promote these groups, not to create actual discussion areas here. I guess I wasn't clear on that. So, it would only really be one topic area, but a central place to promote the groups.

 

I still don't think OG is the right place. First of all, it is part of the "Geocaching Adventures" area and it's not really relevant to that. Secondly, the subtitle of OG still implies that is about "next level of Geocaching - League games and other organized sports." Interest based groups don't really fit that description.

 

I think that even if a pinned topic under OG were set up, it would at least help direct people more. If that were the solution, though, I'd definitely suggest the subtitle of the OG forum be changed.

 

DG

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Approvers have been requesting links to geocaching organizations on cache pages be removed if the organization has any means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization. Typically a paypal donate button.

 

The lack of support for area organizations would seem to be one that would carry over to the general organizations with more specific target members.

 

The best way to promote all organization on this site is for this site to decide exactly what their goals are. Do they want to take the decision to pull links to local orgs and just ban them all as "Not Geocaching.com sanctioned"? Or perhaps they are ok after all?

 

TPTB have a decision to make before you can make progreess on your request.

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Approvers have been requesting links to geocaching organizations on cache pages be removed if the organization has any means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization. Typically a paypal donate button.

Did I miss a memo?

 

Ummmmm yeahhhh, did you get the memo? It's just we're putting the new cover sheets on our TPS reports now, so if from now on you could do that, that would be greeeeaaatttt. Thanks, a lot.

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Yeah, I was going to ask about that. I know MAGC had some issues with one version of our logo members had on some of their cache pages. One of the original explanations had to do with a Google ad on our site for some charity (later removed), but it was later clarified that the major issue was just with the phrase "Support the Troops".

 

I'd think that any organization would need to have a "means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization." Otherwise, it wouldn't last long.

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Approvers have been requesting links to geocaching organizations on cache pages be removed if the organization has any means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization. Typically a paypal donate button.

...

Could you cite some specific references please?

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Approvers have been requesting links to geocaching organizations on cache pages be removed if the organization has any means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization. Typically a paypal donate button.

...

Could you cite some specific references please?

A request on a kisses18 cache.

Same request on a trackerjack cache.

At least one other report of the issue in these forums.

 

Text from one email:

 

I'm filling in for your usual local Volunteer Reviewer and I noticed that the image in your Description is hyperlinked to the SEIGO website. Unfortunately, on the SEIGO site there is a link that asks for support by redirecting folks to paypal.com. Under these circumstances, the SEIGO site would be considered a "solicitation" by the Admins and I cannot Publish your Listing with the link in place.

 

Link to SEIGO so you can see the offending link

http://www.seigosite.com/

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Approvers have been requesting links to geocaching organizations on cache pages be removed if the organization has any means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization. Typically a paypal donate button.

Did I miss a memo?

You either missed the memo or there is a consistency problem in how reviewers interpret solicitation for local cache group websites.

 

If you don't think it's an issue to support your local cache group, I like your thinking and hope your take is the correct side of the consistency issue.

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Approvers have been requesting links to geocaching organizations on cache pages be removed if the organization has any means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization. Typically a paypal donate button.

Did I miss a memo?

 

Ummmmm yeahhhh, did you get the memo? It's just we're putting the new cover sheets on our TPS reports now, so if from now on you could do that, that would be greeeeaaatttt. Thanks, a lot.

 

Um, excuse me...I think you have my stapler.

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A request on a kisses18 cache.

Same request on a trackerjack cache.

At least one other report of the issue in these forums.

So you meant:

 

"An approver [sic] has been requesting links to geocaching organizations on cache pages be removed if the organization has any means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization. Typically a paypal donate button."

 

Your assertion was all of us were, so please be careful in how you generalize, particularly when it comes to the review team of which you are not a part of (this is the second such incorrect generalization I've seen recently). With your post count people will take what you say as truth when it may not always be the case.

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A request on a kisses18 cache.

Same request on a trackerjack cache.

At least one other report of the issue in these forums.

So you meant:

 

"An approver [sic] has been requesting links to geocaching organizations on cache pages be removed if the organization has any means of collecting funds to meet the expenses of the organization. Typically a paypal donate button."

 

Your assertion was all of us were, so please be careful in how you generalize, particularly when it comes to the review team of which you are not a part of (this is the second such incorrect generalization I've seen recently). With your post count people will take what you say as truth when it may not always be the case.

Not quite.

 

My assertion is that more than one approver has made more than one request to more than one cacher and this request being a new development gives some of us cache owners pause for concern that a new policy is getting out into the world. I'll go one extra step and assert that since that reviewers are supposed to be fairly uniform in how they enforce the guidelines, it's reasonable to ask about a developing trend. My assertion and request for clarification stands especially since you have not actually addressed the issue.

 

The reality is the damage has been done with at least two caching organizations. The word is on the street and cachers who don't post in these forums are wondering what the heck the deal is.

 

Either they are "rogue" and need to be brought back into the fold, or you didn't get the memo. Which is it?

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Are we veering slightly OT from the OP :)

 

Since I've filled in on occassion in Idaho I'll be glad to render an opinion. In one of your posts a few up RK, you state that the following Note was attached to a cache that presumeably had a link to the SEIGO site.

 

Text from one email:

 

I'm filling in for your usual local Volunteer Reviewer and I noticed that the image in your Description is hyperlinked to the SEIGO website. Unfortunately, on the SEIGO site there is a link that asks for support by redirecting folks to paypal.com. Under these circumstances, the SEIGO site would be considered a "solicitation" by the Admins and I cannot Publish your Listing with the link in place.

 

That doesn't sound like one of my Notes (I could be wrong), but it's not too far off from my template letter for commercial Listings (yes, I'm a shameless user of form letters in order to maintain consistency). Unfortunately, you've left off what I consider the most important part of the Note (and I believe most/all of the Volunteer Reviewers say something similar):

 

Commercial caches are not permitted without explicit permission from Groundspeak. Feel free to send an email to contact@Groundspeak.com to obtain permission. Please specify in your email that you are referring to cache GC????.

 

The Admins are the ultimate arbiter in this situation. They, and only they, can determine if the link to SEIGO or any other organization is acceptable or not.

 

Rest assured, that if I'm incorrect in my assertion, they WILL notify me. Consistency with the Admins wishes and the rest of the Reviewer Team is my primary objective.

 

My apologies if it was me and it caused some concern amongst the members of the SEIGO.

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