Site Enhancement Suggestions

[+CayenneTS]

I made some suggestions to the Geocaching.com site & they asked me to post them here for other users comments. Please list other suggestions that might be applicable.

 

There are some aspects to the geocaching.com website that make it difficult to easily identify certain types of caches. Therefore, I'd love for Geocaching.com to please consider the following suggestions for modifications to the site:

 

1. Include a 'location type' field for each cache. Each cache owner will have the option of checking boxes to indicate whether the cache is hidden in an urban, wooded, beach, etc area. Then when conducting a search for the area, you could use this field to narrow the results. This is a nice feature particularly for those with children who may be looking to avoid wooded areas with mosquitos in the summer.

 

2. Expand your search engine capabilities.

-Allow to search for text within a certain distance.

-Allow to search for cache sizes, difficulty or terrain ratings

-Allow for multiple search criteria to narrow the results (i.e. search for all in a zip code that have TBs)

-Allow for search of caches containing geocoins or travelbugs

 

3. Allow for sort abilities in the search results.

-Sort the results of a search by zip code &/or state in addition to distance. This would aid in grouping your 'plan of attack.'

-Sort the results of a search by last date found for those aiming to find caches that haven't been discovered in awhile.

-Sort abilities on all column titles in the search results.

 

I'd love to hear your suggestions in making this site even better. Thanks!

Edited August 28, 2008 by CayenneTS

[+Cache O'Plenty]

I'm all for adding search criteria for those fields that exist. Many that you suggest sound good.

 

For suggestion #1, that could be handled via "Attributes". There already are a number of attributes that address your suggested "terrain types". These are criteria available via Pocket Queries. Maybe some more specific types could be added to the list but it's pretty extensive already. Problem is that many cache owners don't bother with the attributes very well, only clicking those that are dangers (a good thing!!).

 

Suggestion #2 - most of this is handled with Pocket Queries. You can search via terrain, difficulty, cache sizes as well as types. Text is not one of those that I know of. The TB idea is also in the Pocket Query criteria selections. And GSAK (if you use that program) handles it as well.

 

Suggestion #3 - The paramount problem is that caches are not identified to zip codes; only countries, states and, of course, coordinates. The zip code searches that do exist are based on the distance from the zip code centerpoint as listed in some mysterious database. But the boundaries of the zipcodes are not mapped out. I'd be all for adding that field but many times an owner doesn't even know what the zipcode is for his actual placement. I'm not even sure all areas of the country even have a zip code (i.e. desert areas). But it could be added for those that do.

 

One approach to this is to determine the centerpoint of your target area by it's coordinates (Googlearth!!) and use that as your criteria in the "By Coordinates" section of the Pocket Query.

 

I'd like to see counties added to those states with huge areas (Texas, Calif, etc.)

Edited August 28, 2008 by Cache O'Plenty

[+StarBrand]

Pocket Queries are your friend. Here is a fine tutorial http://www.markwell.us/pq.htm

 

Of course some expanded search options in PQs would be very nice but it already does most of what you want and if you combine it with 3rd party software like Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (GSAK) would do even more.

 

The area description is interesting but would be best handled in attributes and I suspect would not be widely used by hiders unless it was forced.