Geocaching and Flash Mobs

[DA Cachers]

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

 

In all the geocache event flash mobs I've seen, and the two that I attended, it didn't seem to work out the way a flash mob is supposed to. At the first one I attended, the person who organized the event used a megaphone to announce that we'd be gathering, "for the flash mob in one minute!" which alerted not only all the cachers, but all the muggles as well.

 

The second one I went to was very well organized with a great concept, but everyone gathered in the parking lot which was about 150 feet from the meeting spot 10-15 minutes before the start time. A lot of people even missed the start time because of the conversations already going on. And after it was all over, everyone stayed to talk and socialize rather than quickly dispersing.

 

I love the idea of drawings for prizes during the events, but it seems to take away from what a flash mob is all about. When a name is called and everyone starts clapping, there is no unusual action. I've talked to muggles who have just assumed it was some sort of party or a club taking a group picture.

 

The successful flash mobs I have seen and been a part of make people stop in their tracks and wonder what in the world is going on!

 

I'm just wondering, have you ever been to or heard of a completely successful geocache flash mob event?

[+Lag Pins]

So far we're learning from each Flash Mob we do down here. I have ran both WWFM events that SWFL has held and they have gotten better from experience. During the first one, we had the problem of cachers huddling around GZ and talking before hand. Also, with having just been in a canoe race (which was the attraction in the area big enough for the flash mob to work), I had to run to get supplies and things ended up a bit unorganized.

 

As compared to my first attempt, the WWFM event I held Saturday was a huge success as far as organization and people doing what they needed to. We held it in the food court of the local mall and all cachers attending sat at different tables and converged when they saw the signal. We were not totally sure of the stares from muggles, but the pictures sure showed that we were an unusual sight (people staring in many pictures). If anything, it is best to have a host that has experience with such an event because there is no real time for adjusting it during.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Lag Pins

[+SUp3rFM & Cruella]

We attended our first Flash Mob Event, the WWFM IV Lisboa.

 

It was great! Really, really great! :-)

 

The attendees had to get a map, whatever kind of map. Some brought huge ones, some of Portugal, some of resorts, etc. So, 10 minutes before, there was a mob around GZ wandering with open maps... going back and forth.

 

There was also something going on that really spiced up things. The place chosen, a famous square in Lisbon, was also a passing point of a teachers rally, protesting against the education laws in Portugal. They were 110,000!! Could that be the biggest event ever?

 

At the chosen time, I shouted that the event was going to start, gave the logbook and got assaulted by the hungry geocaching mob.

 

15 min later and after the group photo, everyone kind of went away. Some stayed.

 

It was great!

[+buttaskotch]

Yeah, I totally know what you mean about the flah mob events. I think its really a matter of education.

many of the people who come don't really understand the concept, other than its a 15 minute event.

 

I posted several "you tube" videos of Improve Everywhere's flash mobds in my local cache group to help them understand the flash mob concept a bit more.

May be this will give them some food for fodder for the Spring cache mob. Try sending those to your local organizer to assist with amplifying the concept.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

 

In all the geocache event flash mobs I've seen, and the two that I attended, it didn't seem to work out the way a flash mob is supposed to. At the first one I attended, the person who organized the event used a megaphone to announce that we'd be gathering, "for the flash mob in one minute!" which alerted not only all the cachers, but all the muggles as well.

 

The second one I went to was very well organized with a great concept, but everyone gathered in the parking lot which was about 150 feet from the meeting spot 10-15 minutes before the start time. A lot of people even missed the start time because of the conversations already going on. And after it was all over, everyone stayed to talk and socialize rather than quickly dispersing.

 

I love the idea of drawings for prizes during the events, but it seems to take away from what a flash mob is all about. When a name is called and everyone starts clapping, there is no unusual action. I've talked to muggles who have just assumed it was some sort of party or a club taking a group picture.

 

The successful flash mobs I have seen and been a part of make people stop in their tracks and wonder what in the world is going on!

 

I'm just wondering, have you ever been to or heard of a completely successful geocache flash mob event?

I happen to be one of those odd persons who believes, deep in my heart of hearts, that flash mobs, whether of the geo variety or ordinary garden variety, are bizarre and silly, and worse, a powerful tool of Satanic and Illuminati forces. And, I would personally never attend a flash mob, and, if I did discover that I had attended one, I would likely punish myself by standing half-naked in the desert for three days on end, mercilessly flagellating my bare bloodied back with a vinegar-soaked horsewhip in the fashion of the ecstatic and ever-blissful Desert Fathers (aka the Hesychast Fathers) of the 13th and 14th centuries.

 

However, having said all that, I agree with your vision of what a REAL flash mob event should be. And, I agree with you wholeheartedly that for someone to use a megaphone to organize or coordinate a flash mob event is not only totally retro, it is banal and inane, and it entirely perverts the entire meaning and significance, and impact as well, of a flash mob event. I would therefore like to propose that there be enacted in the USA a federal law stating that anyone caught organizing or coordinating a flash mob event with a megaphone or with shouts, cries or visual signals, be charged with a felony offense and forced to do hard time laboring in uranium mines in the cold frigid reaches of upper Siberia, the same general region from which Grigoryi Rasputin emerged before he made his way to St. Petersburg to chill with the czars.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Vinny & Sue Team

[+The Leprechauns]

I would likely punish myself by standing half-naked in the desert for three days on end, mercilessly flagellating my bare bloodied back with a vinegar-soaked horsewhip in the fashion of the ecstatic and ever-blissful Desert Fathers (aka the Hesychast Fathers) of the 13th and 14th centuries.

I don't know about three days in the desert, but wouldn't it be fun to do that for 15 minutes in a mall food court?

 

You'd get a smiley.

[+weinema]

I joined a flashmob last saturday and was really interested 'cause I never heared 'bout that before....

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...71-cb19a988c2a6

 

It was really funny!

In every corner of the place whre small groups of people looking like cachers (or not?!).

Suddenly at 7m the owner was singing "Taadaadadaaaa" (like Beethovens 5th)

and all the cacher came together with light candles :-)

Then we could grab log papers, sign it, put it back into a box and exchange TBs/coins.

15min later again a loud "Taadaadaadaaaa" and everybody moved away in different directions.

 

The muggles were really impressed and wondering whats going on :-)

 

Everything was super and it was well organiced by BROILER.

 

cu next year!

Martin

Edited November 10, 2008 by weinema

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

I would likely punish myself by standing half-naked in the desert for three days on end, mercilessly flagellating my bare bloodied back with a vinegar-soaked horsewhip in the fashion of the ecstatic and ever-blissful Desert Fathers (aka the Hesychast Fathers) of the 13th and 14th centuries.

I don't know about three days in the desert, but wouldn't it be fun to do that for 15 minutes in a mall food court?

 

You'd get a smiley.

Hey! Great idea! Why don't you create a "Christian Hesychast Desert Fathers" ALR cache up in your area, with the additional logging requirement (ALR) being that the prospective finder must, in addition to signing the log, flagellate their bar back with a whip soaked in vinegar (or dipped in salt from the little packets handed out by fast food restaurants) in the center of the food court in a nearby shopping mall? I promise that I will try to be FTF!

 

Oh, and do you know of any good attorneys who can bail me out of jail and handle my case if the mall management does not agree with the ALR stipulations?

[+J-Way]

I've personally never been to one. My real-life schedule always conflicted. (I'm refering to a WWFM event cache, not one of Vinny's self-flagellation parties)

 

As to "do they work"... well... did you get a smiley? If yes, then it "worked". If not, then no. If you didn't like the experience, then don't go to another one.

 

If you think geocaching flash mobs are poor quality and should be avoided, well, do a search of the forums for threads about micro caches, micro spew, LPCs, GRCs, urban hides, etc. Unless TPTB decide to specifically outlaw Flash Mob Events they're here to stay.

 

[And no, I'm not comparing a Flash Mob Event to an urban LPC, nor am I saying I'm for or against them. But it appeared to me as if the OP was using the same arguments the anti-micro groups have been using for years.]

[Skippermark]

In all the geocache event flash mobs I've seen, and the two that I attended, it didn't seem to work out the way a flash mob is supposed to. At the first one I attended, the person who organized the event used a megaphone to announce that we'd be gathering, "for the flash mob in one minute!" which alerted not only all the cachers, but all the muggles as well.

The thing with flash mobs is that they're supposed to be "sudden" and appear to be "out of the blue."

 

Someone mentioned a mall food court. That would be a great flash mob. It would be like a normal day then suddenly 45 people appear out of no where, do their thing and then leave, leaving muggles asking, "What was that...what just happened?"

 

I held one awhile back, and it went pretty much as intended. Some grabbed food beforehand but most showed up at the start time. We did our thing and then we left. As the host, I felt kind of funny, like I was being rude just getting up and leaving once it was done, but that's what a flash mob is and I figured if I stayed around, others might too. So I basically said thanks for coming and then left. Pretty much everyone else did the same thing.

[+Star*Hopper]

" ...it seems to take away from what a flash mob is all about."

 

Just one man's opinion, but I think Groundspeak ought to ban them completely. For much the same reasons they quit allowing 'Virtuals'. Stripped to the bones, a flash mob event about amounts to a virtual.

 

You wanta hold, host or attend a flash mob, by all means, have at it - and I hope you have fun! But as I see it, it's got nothing to do with "GEOCACHING"!

 

Geocaching is going out with a GPSr and finding a hidden container holding a log. One might surmise, flash mobs seem to take away from what geocaching is all about!!

 

~*

Edited November 10, 2008 by Star*Hopper

[+J-Way]

I held one awhile back, and it went pretty much as intended. Some grabbed food beforehand but most showed up at the start time. We did our thing and then we left. As the host, I felt kind of funny, like I was being rude just getting up and leaving once it was done, but that's what a flash mob is and I figured if I stayed around, others might too. So I basically said thanks for coming and then left. Pretty much everyone else did the same thing.

Umm.... so how did everyone sign the log book? Or did you just use the honor system for allowing online logs?

[+DavidMac]

Just one man's opinion, but I think Groundspeak ought to ban them completely. For much the same reasons they quit allowing 'Virtuals'. Stripped to the bones, a flash mob event about amounts to a virtual.

 

I would argue that a flash mob event is more like a micro than a virtual. One of the first events I went to was more along the lines of what I would call a "virtual" event... you stopped by a table at a festival and signed a guestbook to claim the smiley. You never met any other geocachers and there never really was an organized gathering of cachers... an event without an event, just like a virtual is a cache without a cache. And, like virtuals, the event would never be approved these days.

 

You wanta hold, host or attend a flash mob, by all means, have at it - and I hope you have fun! But as I see it, it's got nothing to do with "GEOCACHING"!

 

Geocaching is going out with a GPSr and finding a hidden container holding a log. One might surmise, flash mobs seem to take away from what geocaching is all about!!

 

Do "meet and greet" restaurant events have anything to do with caching either? Not always. The current definition of event caches is "gatherings that are open to all geocachers and which are organized by geocachers", and I believe that a flash mob fits this description just as well as an evening event at the local barbecue joint. The "event must be about geocaching" requirement was taken off the books a while back.

[+Lag Pins]

Honestly, we've had more of a varied crowd of cachers show up to the flash mobs held down here than our monthly events. It seems to be more of an ice breaker when you have to hug every cacher and literally sign them for credit at some flash mobs (yes, I come up with crazy things sometimes). To me, anything that gets cachers together, even just to meet for 15 minutes, is a good way to keep the spirit of the fun of caching going. Plus, even though its only 15 minutes, no one said you can't have an after flash mob non-event get together to talk more about caching and share experiences.

[+Sioneva]

We had 60 people attend the FlashMob event here on Saturday - it was held in the middle of the new walking bridge over the Missouri, between Nebraska and Iowa, so we had people coming from both directions!

 

Only problem was that we couldn't startle and confuse passing muggles, because there were only two... and I suspect they were Vinny and Sue in disguise - the temperature was about 30 degrees, with a cold wind blowing about 30-40 mph! In the middle of a river!

 

Never in the history of flash mobs has a group been so fast to disperse, I assure you! But still, we had 60 people.

[+KD7MXI]

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

 

In all the geocache event flash mobs I've seen, and the two that I attended, it didn't seem to work out the way a flash mob is supposed to. At the first one I attended, the person who organized the event used a megaphone to announce that we'd be gathering, "for the flash mob in one minute!" which alerted not only all the cachers, but all the muggles as well.

 

The second one I went to was very well organized with a great concept, but everyone gathered in the parking lot which was about 150 feet from the meeting spot 10-15 minutes before the start time. A lot of people even missed the start time because of the conversations already going on. And after it was all over, everyone stayed to talk and socialize rather than quickly dispersing.

 

I love the idea of drawings for prizes during the events, but it seems to take away from what a flash mob is all about. When a name is called and everyone starts clapping, there is no unusual action. I've talked to muggles who have just assumed it was some sort of party or a club taking a group picture.

 

The successful flash mobs I have seen and been a part of make people stop in their tracks and wonder what in the world is going on!

 

I'm just wondering, have you ever been to or heard of a completely successful geocache flash mob event?

 

http://www.podcacher.com/ is proof that it does work

[+markandsandy]

We had 60 people attend the FlashMob event here on Saturday - it was held in the middle of the new walking bridge over the Missouri, between Nebraska and Iowa, so we had people coming from both directions!

 

Only problem was that we couldn't startle and confuse passing muggles, because there were only two... and I suspect they were Vinny and Sue in disguise - the temperature was about 30 degrees, with a cold wind blowing about 30-40 mph! In the middle of a river!

 

Never in the history of flash mobs has a group been so fast to disperse, I assure you! But still, we had 60 people.

Just because someone wanders by half-naked, mercilessly flagellating their bare bloodied back with a vinegar-soaked horsewhip, you assume it's Vinny?

[+Sioneva]

We had 60 people attend the FlashMob event here on Saturday - it was held in the middle of the new walking bridge over the Missouri, between Nebraska and Iowa, so we had people coming from both directions!

 

Only problem was that we couldn't startle and confuse passing muggles, because there were only two... and I suspect they were Vinny and Sue in disguise - the temperature was about 30 degrees, with a cold wind blowing about 30-40 mph! In the middle of a river!

 

Never in the history of flash mobs has a group been so fast to disperse, I assure you! But still, we had 60 people.

Just because someone wanders by half-naked, mercilessly flagellating their bare bloodied back with a vinegar-soaked horsewhip, you assume it's Vinny?

 

When you put it that way... maybe I *was* jumping to conclusions.

[AZcachemeister]

Most of them (every one I've seen) are crap excuses to get another event smiley. You could hold one on every day of the week in a different park and get away with it.

 

There is no true 'Flash Mob' activity, other than gathering around to sign the logbook. Exceedingly lame.

 

VERY disappointing, and I won't attend unless there is a REAL flash mob activity included in the event...which I would love to see, but I'm not holding my breath...

[Skippermark]

Umm.... so how did everyone sign the log book? Or did you just use the honor system for allowing online logs?

I passed out log sheets that asked for their caching name and their first name. Everyone got one, so that several people using the same caching name (like a family) could participate. They signed in on those and then passed them in. We used them to draw names for a few prizes. It only took about 2 minutes to get them passed out and turned back in. They then got stapled together and became the logbook.

[Skippermark]

Just one man's opinion, but I think Groundspeak ought to ban them completely. For much the same reasons they quit allowing 'Virtuals'. Stripped to the bones, a flash mob event about amounts to a virtual.

 

Geocaching is going out with a GPSr and finding a hidden container holding a log. One might surmise, flash mobs seem to take away from what geocaching is all about!!

I've been to regular events where half the people aren't there for the event itself because they're out in the woods caching rather than being at the event. They basically sign the log to get credit and then rush off to cache. That's more of a "virtual" than anything.

 

At the flash mobs I've been to, things happen fast, but everyone is there and participating. If 45 people go to the event, you have 45 people there all at the same time, involved and participating. That doesn't always happen at regular events.

 

You wanta hold, host or attend a flash mob, by all means, have at it - and I hope you have fun! But as I see it, it's got nothing to do with "GEOCACHING"!

Are you saying that no events have anything to do with geocaching because you're not finding a container at them?

[+Prime Suspect]

Most of them (every one I've seen) are crap excuses to get another event smiley. You could hold one on every day of the week in a different park and get away with it.

 

There is no true 'Flash Mob' activity, other than gathering around to sign the logbook. Exceedingly lame.

 

VERY disappointing, and I won't attend unless there is a REAL flash mob activity included in the event...which I would love to see, but I'm not holding my breath...

They seem to be dying a quite death. In Texas, the last round drew about the same number, in total for the entire state, that we get for a single monthly breakfast meeting. The WWFMs only averaged about 17 attendants.

[DA Cachers]

I've given this some more thought and while I agree that it's a really silly idea to try and mix a geocaching event with a flash mob, I still go. Geocaching events in general don't make a whole lot of sense to me as a way to get a smiley, unless of course you have found an actual cache.

 

I think the major flaw in these flash mob events is that so many people don't understand the concept. So I'd like to make a suggestion to the future hosts...

 

Meet up somewhere off location from where the flash mob will take place. Explain to the group, in person, what is supposed to happen. Talk about how the group should come from all directions and then leave in all directions. Maybe even divide the group into small groups with specific instructions? Then plan to meet back "here" in the same spot AFTER the flash mob is over as a place to gather, socialize, raffle off prizes and take the group picture.

 

In theory, this will prevent folks from gathering too early, hanging around after the FM is over and you won't have to incorporate the "normal" activities in what is supposed to be "unusual." It also gives everyone the opportunity to stay and talk, which is the best part about going to the events!

[+DavidMac]

There is no true 'Flash Mob' activity, other than gathering around to sign the logbook. Exceedingly lame.

 

I guess the lameness of the event depends on the creativity of the organizer to some degree... I've been to a couple, and some have been more fun than others. At our flash mob event last weekend, everybody wore a red shirt and brought an umbrella. All the attendees descended on the target coordinates, popped open their umbrellas, and proceeded to march in a circle around the county courthouse. Now THAT got a few looks from passing cars!

 

The whole idea of a flash mob is that a group of people assembles seemingly out of nowhere and performs an odd or awkward task to get passerby scratching their heads wondering what they're up to. No, a group of people gathering together and signing a logbook is not really a true flash mob in my opinion, since to ab observer it appears to be no more than a crowd of people. But a group suddenly assembling and doing something silly like eating a banana in unison is a flash mob.

 

For a good idea of what flash mobs can be if they live up to their true potential, check out Improv Everywhere. The MP3 thing currently on their front page is kinda lame, but their Frozen Grand Central, No Pants, and Best Buy gags are classic.

[WashoeZephyr]

We've had some lame ones but they are progressively getting better. Here is the Video to our local flash mob on Saturday. We did this in front of a casino and were probably minutes away from being escorted by security. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the security guy in the suit and his radio.

[Mr.Yuck]

Most of them (every one I've seen) are crap excuses to get another event smiley. You could hold one on every day of the week in a different park and get away with it.

 

There is no true 'Flash Mob' activity, other than gathering around to sign the logbook. Exceedingly lame.

 

VERY disappointing, and I won't attend unless there is a REAL flash mob activity included in the event...which I would love to see, but I'm not holding my breath...

They seem to be dying a quite death. In Texas, the last round drew about the same number, in total for the entire state, that we get for a single monthly breakfast meeting. The WWFMs only averaged about 17 attendants.

 

I posted similar sentiments in a thread last week, and Prime Suspect was one of the posters who agreed with me. My observation is that the frequency, attendance, and general interest in these geocaching events has tailed off considerably.

 

This is a big worldwide game though, with new people joining every day. Perhaps they will live on with a small cult following. I don't know, sort of like Waymarking?

[+Sioneva]

Most of them (every one I've seen) are crap excuses to get another event smiley. You could hold one on every day of the week in a different park and get away with it.

 

There is no true 'Flash Mob' activity, other than gathering around to sign the logbook. Exceedingly lame.

 

VERY disappointing, and I won't attend unless there is a REAL flash mob activity included in the event...which I would love to see, but I'm not holding my breath...

They seem to be dying a quite death. In Texas, the last round drew about the same number, in total for the entire state, that we get for a single monthly breakfast meeting. The WWFMs only averaged about 17 attendants.

 

I posted similar sentiments in a thread last week, and Prime Suspect was one of the posters who agreed with me. My observation is that the frequency, attendance, and general interest in these geocaching events has tailed off considerably.

 

This is a big worldwide game though, with new people joining every day. Perhaps they will live on with a small cult following. I don't know, sort of like Waymarking?

 

Well, we had 60 people at ours, in bitter cold weather. Which is much bigger then last year's, so at least in this area, my observation is quite opposite yours.

[+Snoogans]

Most of them (every one I've seen) are crap excuses to get another event smiley. You could hold one on every day of the week in a different park and get away with it.

 

There is no true 'Flash Mob' activity, other than gathering around to sign the logbook. Exceedingly lame.

 

VERY disappointing, and I won't attend unless there is a REAL flash mob activity included in the event...which I would love to see, but I'm not holding my breath...

They seem to be dying a quite death. In Texas, the last round drew about the same number, in total for the entire state, that we get for a single monthly breakfast meeting. The WWFMs only averaged about 17 attendants.

 

I was the last person to arrive at our "flash mob" in Houston and I arrived right on time. I was number 20 to attend.

 

I don't think FM's are crap excuses for an event, because the 2 I have been to were FUN even if the traditional FM activity wasn't strictly observed.

 

I blame myself for the one I hosted having never participated in the real thing..... I won't host another FM event unless I have a better plan for a real FM type activity and Prime is right, the initial curiosity of the WWFM events wore off quickly after the first couple and now on the 4th round it's starting to fizzle in Texas.

[+Star*Hopper]

Are you saying that no events have anything to do with geocaching because you're not finding a container at them?

 

No, I said "... as I see it, it's* got nothing to do with "GEOCACHING"!

*Flash mobs, in case it needs clarification. And it was a generalization; ditto.

 

Better now?

~*

[+doingitoldschool]

I like WWFM's. I don't give a rip whether they are preceived by some to taint the purity of the flash mob genre. The game of Geocaching evolves, and so do flash mobs. If they come together in some way, not quite fitting into one or the other perfectly, what does it matter, as long as fun is had and laws are not broken? They are fun events, and I'll be looking forward to them as long as people are going to host them.

That's all I have to say about that.

[+deb3day]

I only recently found out about this type of event because one of my TB's was entered in one in Canada. In my area, I think my local Geocachers like to talk too much and I don't see how a 15 minute event would ever work. We would want to talk and never leave after just 15 minutes.

 

JMHO

deb3day

[+team_goobie]

I'm just wondering, have you ever been to or heard of a completely successful geocache flash mob event?

 

We've been to one, and liked it fine. We didn't attend the latest one in the area but will probably go to the next.

 

Anyone interested in Flash Mobs should check out Improv Everywhere for inspiration. Larry Niven be proud!

[+Prime Suspect]

Larry Niven be proud!

Flash Mob ≠ Flash Crowd

 

In the former, the group creates the event. In the latter the group appears because of some external event. Nothing really relates the two, except people and the word "flash".

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

At my Flash Mob Event this year, the event was kicked off by me playing some conga music, and then me heading up a conga line. Everyone joined in as we conga'ed around a square in downtown Newport. Quite in the public eye.

 

It was quite fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

[+vwaldoguy]

The whole idea of a flash mob is that a group of people assembles seemingly out of nowhere and performs an odd or awkward task to get passerby scratching their heads wondering what they're up to. No, a group of people gathering together and signing a logbook is not really a true flash mob in my opinion, since to ab observer it appears to be no more than a crowd of people. But a group suddenly assembling and doing something silly like eating a banana in unison is a flash mob.

Um, exactly what does that have to do with Geocaching? I'm not sure I get the whole concept, and how or why it applies to Geocaching.

[+sweetlife]

We attended a flash mob this weekend in Wausau, WI (the theme was crazy hats) it was in the town square, It worked perfectly, everyone came out of nowhere, met in the center, we signed the log, traded TB's and got a group picture, one team actually had a full size canoe on their head, Yes I said a actual canoe. they parked a block away, figure that drew some heads when you start carrying a canoe. After 15 minutes everyone was gone, it was prearranged to meet for lunch after and coordinates were given out at the event, but everyone was gone as fast as we arrived. Here is the group picture

 

[DA Cachers]

At my Flash Mob Event this year, the event was kicked off by me playing some conga music, and then me heading up a conga line. Everyone joined in as we conga'ed around a square in downtown Newport. Quite in the public eye.

 

It was quite fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

 

What a fantastic idea! I like that signing the log and putting it in the container was part of the conga line and you didn't have to stop the FM to do the technical tasks.

 

Is there a video?

[+Snoogans]

The whole idea of a flash mob is that a group of people assembles seemingly out of nowhere and performs an odd or awkward task to get passerby scratching their heads wondering what they're up to. No, a group of people gathering together and signing a logbook is not really a true flash mob in my opinion, since to ab observer it appears to be no more than a crowd of people. But a group suddenly assembling and doing something silly like eating a banana in unison is a flash mob.

Um, exactly what does that have to do with Geocaching? I'm not sure I get the whole concept, and how or why it applies to Geocaching.

 

FUN and variety. Duh, that's what geocaching is all about.

 

Tell me that 3 or more geocachers in the same spot at the same time aren't gonna be talkin' about geocaching at some point (which is the true meaning of an event) and I'll tell you that you're a liar.

Edited November 12, 2008 by Snoogans

[+OzGuff]

I have hosted two WWFMs and I have made sure that the attendees know that they need to be acting like non-cachers up until the point where I blow the whistle. There are two containers at Ground Zero -- one for logsheets and another for trackables. When the whistle blows the attendees converge on GZ and for five minutes we make sure logsheets are dropped into the container and TBs dropped/grabbed. The second whistle blows at five minutes and the real FM activity starts -- pillow fight (24 involved) and watergun fight (30 involved). The next five minutes at both events have been absolute riots! Seeing reasonably mature adults race around giggling as they swing pillows or "shoot" a cacher just makes you smile! The third whistle brings the FM activity to a close so that we can take the group photo. The fourth whistle brings the FM event to a close and everyone disperses. In less than 18 minutes -- me to arrive, 15 minutes for the event, me to leave -- all is over.

 

At the last event -- for the watergun fight held in a grassy area not far from the entrance to the Biltmore Estate -- I arrived to find a group playing Frisbee. I actually warned them of the impending watergun fight but they stayed put. Was I ever surprised when they answered the rallying call of the first whistle! They were cachers that had driven a long way just to participate in the watergun fight!

 

But to answer the OP -- my events haven't strictly been real FM events as we congregated for five minutes before getting to the activity. But they were pretty darn close and those non-cachers close by must have surely wondered why 24-30 folks appeared almost out of the blue to meet on grassy areas. Whether they were true FM events or not is immaterial as we definitely had fun!!

 

Edited November 12, 2008 by OzGuff

[+DanOCan]

I attended one of these WWFM events just to see what it is about. Basically, we signed the logs and talked about caching and then went our own ways. I consider them the lamp post cache of the event world and thus haven't attended another one.

 

If I really want to do something in public that attracts the attention of strangers and leaves them scratching their heads, I'll just poke around with my 60CSx looking for a cache, thanks.

[+Indotguy]

In my opinion, any type of event purposely designed to confuse and possibly frighten spectators is not a positive public relations tool for the sport. I suppose they are however a neat way to add a smiley.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

" ...it seems to take away from what a flash mob is all about."

 

Just one man's opinion, but I think Groundspeak ought to ban them completely. For much the same reasons they quit allowing 'Virtuals'. Stripped to the bones, a flash mob event about amounts to a virtual.

 

You wanta hold, host or attend a flash mob, by all means, have at it - and I hope you have fun! But as I see it, it's got nothing to do with "GEOCACHING"!

 

Geocaching is going out with a GPSr and finding a hidden container holding a log. One might surmise, flash mobs seem to take away from what geocaching is all about!!

 

~*

 

I don't know about that. I've never attended a flash mob event but it seems to me that unlike non geocaching flash mobs we have a distinct advantage because we all have a GPS (okay, I realize that some people geocache without one). That means that not only can everyone find a specific geographic location based on coordinates we also all have a really accurate clock in our hands that is synchronized with everyone else that is planning to attend. If everyone used there GPS, and the clock on it, there wouldn't need to be any announcements for where and when to gather and when to disperse.

 

If geocaching was all about finding a hidden container with a log, unknown/puzzle caches and many multi-caches would not exist.

[Skippermark]

I posted similar sentiments in a thread last week, and Prime Suspect was one of the posters who agreed with me. My observation is that the frequency, attendance, and general interest in these geocaching events has tailed off considerably.

That's kind of the opposite of what's happening here. There's a regular monthly caching event in the state where people gather together and hang out. Two years ago, they would draw 80 people from as far as 75 miles away. Then, it dropped to around 40. Now, it's down around 25 or less regularly. At the last one, a whopping 11 people showed up.

 

The flash mobs I've been to routinely draw 40-50 caching names, usually consisting of 2 or 3 people under each name, like a family. I think people like the fun and variety they offer.

 

No, I said "... as I see it, it's* got nothing to do with "GEOCACHING"!

*Flash mobs, in case it needs clarification. And it was a generalization; ditto.

I hear what you're saying, but many events have anything directly to do with caching. The monthly events here are just a chance to get together and hang out.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Skippermark

[Skippermark]

I attended one of these WWFM events just to see what it is about. Basically, we signed the logs and talked about caching and then went our own ways. I consider them the lamp post cache of the event world and thus haven't attended another one.

I'm sorry you didn't have a good time at your flash mob event. It sounds like the organizer didn't really know the concept of how a flash mob works.

[+DavidMac]

Um, exactly what does that have to do with Geocaching? I'm not sure I get the whole concept, and how or why it applies to Geocaching.

 

What exactly does meeting a bunch of people in a park for a potluck lunch have to do with geocaching?

What exactly does eating at a restaurant have to do with geocaching?

What exactly does picking up and removing trash from public places have to do with geocaching?

What exactly does the designing and trading of small metal coins have to do with geocaching?

[+simpjkee]

to answer the op's question, no

 

to add my own imput, I dont really get the whole flash mob thing. I love events, but the idea of a 15 minute event is contradictory to the whole idea of an event. And then people are supposed to suddenly, out of nowhere, converge for 15 minutes and then disperse? What? whats the point of that? How is that fun? I don't get it.