Jump to content

The Great Cow Tag Race has found a home!


Jackalgirl

Recommended Posts

Generally, the activation code is included ON the packaging. Sometimes on a little teeny card in the packaging.

 

You did keep the packaging, did you not?

Many don't, then come here asking how to activate.

 

If all fails, try this: http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=158

 

Looked through the packaging. i supplied the number for the car bug. Got a letter with the bug..no activation code included.

When I ordered it they aced what number I wanted on the cling. I never gave them or asked about the activation code.

When I contacted the company they sent me to Groundspeak.

No luck yet..

 

If you gave Cache Advance, Inc a tracking number to put on the cling, you should have already had the activation code.

If you made up your own tracking code to put on the static cling, it is not a tracking code and you can not activate it.

 

As I stated before:

 

The Vehicle Travel Bug -Special Order that I saw on their site states: "Special Order Decals for existing/owned TBs!"

That means you already have a TB and you are transferring that tracking number onto the static cling.

Howdy!

 

April is "Pass on the Gift" month for Heifer International, a charity of which I'm rather fond. I've asked and received permission (from both GS and Heifer) to create a Heifer International Travel Tag -- it's like a Travel Bug in that it's an aluminum tag, but more like a geocoin in that it'll have custom icons. I'd like to promote Heifer International during the month of April because I think they do good, lasting, useful work (all around the world).

 

To keep it short: I'm looking for a large (annual) event in April, preferably a mega event, that would be willing to serve as the starting point for a travel bug race. I'm using, as my model, Cache Addict's Geocoinfest Butterfly race: the bugs would race from 2011's event to 2012's event, and there would be several prizes based on the first bug checked in (and physically verified by an event staff member), the bug that travelled the most during the year, and perhaps a juried competition of "most interesting travels" (a review of the bug's logs and photo record). There will also be other non-race contests, such as "most creative bug" (Heifer travel tag with the most creative item attached to it, preferably one that promotes self-replicating charity), "best photos", etc. I haven't gotten all of the details pinned down, but would like to do the race and would like to find a home for what I'm calling "The Great Cow Race" (apologies to Jeff Smith).

 

Here's the front of tag:

 

 

Racers would be sold as a discount and would have a pre-made racing card attached to them. They'll all be mailed to the event staff to make available in the TB trade/pickup area of the event. Though their owners would not actually have them in hand, they'll be given the original tracking code so as to activate them and create their pages, and will be provided with photos and graphics to use as desired. I'll make non-racers available for sale on my website once I have them in hand.

 

So if you're running an event in April, and you like Heifer's message, and you'd would like to help promote its work by hosting this race at your event, please get in touch with me through profile email or via PM. Thanks very much for your consideration!

Edited by Eartha
Link to comment

Howdy!

 

Given that April is "Pass on the Gift" month, I'd really like to find an April event. The tags are due to ship to me March 16th, so I think that the end of March might be cutting it a little close. Especially because I'll be preparing the racers (half of the order of 100 tags) with race info cards and am also preparing for a really huge Orienteering event* on the 1st of April. : ( (well, : ) for the Orienteering event, but : ( not being able to go for a late March event)

 

May might be close enough, Moozer -- let me see if any of my email/feelers for the Multi Event in the Netherlands get any response (it's in April); if not, you can bet I'll hit you up. Yeah, the event's in May, but you're right: with your name, "The Great Cow Race" would be a perfect tie-in. : )

 

That being said, I'm going to have 50 tags for general sale, and will be running a separate "tagtests" for those (Most Original Bug, and Most Interesting Journey [by April of 2012]). It would be awesome if some of those could make it to the block party. I think that block party photos would make for excellent candidates for the "Most Interesting" part of the contest. : )

 

*By "huge" I mean "involving something like 200 American & Japanese Boy Scouts", which seems pretty huge to me as I've never done anything like this before. In other words, I'll be tearing out my hair at the end of March. ; )

Link to comment

Tagged-Cow.png

 

A big thanks goes out to Moozer, who's given the Great Cow Tag Race a home at the 2011 Sonoma County GeoRally -- THANK YOU!

 

So here's the scoop:

 

The Great Cow Tag Race

Fifty tags race from the 2011 GeoRally to the 2012 GeoRally. In addition to bragging rights, there will be prize packages for the winners, including awesome/quirky/high-quality Japanese 100 Yen store swag in a cache as well as an unactivated "Good Deeds" Artist's Edition Geocoin. Cowtests include:

o First In -- first tag checked in to 2012 GeoRally staff

o Longest Journey -- tag with the most mileage by the time it arrives at the GeoRally

o Most Interesting Journey -- a juried cowtest (guest judges tbd) to award the prize to the tag that's accumulated the most interesting logs/photos by the close of the GeoRally

How does it work?

You can me for how to obtain a tag, via an email through my profile. When you make your purchase, make sure to include a note (or shoot me an email separately) letting me know your geonick and your cow's name (if you'd like your cow to have a name - family friendly names only, please!). I attach an information card to your tag, slip it into a polybag for safety, and ship it off to Moozer to be released at the GeoRally. Meanwhile, I'll send you the tracking and activation codes so that you can set up your tag's page.

 

Cows Around the World

Fifty tags will be available for general cowfoolery and will be mailed directly to you. Email me for information on how to obtain one. Then, if you're in a competitive mood, you can enter your tag into one of the non-racer cowtests:

o Most Original Tag -- pretty self-explanatory, but those tags that are original and reflect or relate the theme of charity - especially self-replicating/self-sustaining charity - get bonus points.

o Squee! - cutest tag. Make sure you check out Snoogans' TB Longevity Clinic, though, since cute tags have a habit of disappearing. If you have to deface your cute tag to make it not-so-cute, we'll take that into account.

Both of these will be judged by an esteemed panel of guest judges (tbd), and winners will be announced on July 18th (Children's Day here in Japan).

 

But wait! There's more!

o Most Interesting Journey -- just like the category above.

o Longest Journey -- ditto

The winners & prizes for these two cowtests will be awarded at the end of April, 2012. Prizes for all of the "Cows Around the World" event will consist of a slightly smaller cache than the racers' prizes, but still stuffed with awesome Japanese 100 Yen store goodness and an unactivated "Good Deeds" Artist's Edition geocoin.

 

You can read more about the tags and the associated cowtests at The Great Cow Tag Race website. I've also provided HTML link text to several graphics that you can use to dress up your tags' pages. Keep an eye on the News section for updates & additional information (such as how to submit your non-racer heifer tags for cowtests). And, of course, if you have any questions, post 'em here, PM me, or send me an email!

 

As much as I am excited to be supporting Heifer International's awesome work around the world, I'm even more excited to see what clever ideas you all have, and to see the amazing journeys I know some of these tags will take. Thank you!

 

(post edited, after discussion with Jackalgirl, to conform to the TB forum guidelines)

Edited by Eartha
Link to comment

YAY, more racers! Anyone who's interested in following the race standings, here's the link: The Great Cow Tag Race - Race Standings. Of course, the race hasn't started yet. But I'll be updating that page about once a week once things get started at the GeoRally. Moo!

 

Hey Jackalgirl. Went to the site to buy a tag but it keeps telling me I need to enable cookies (even though that are enabled). Do you have another way of purchasing tags?

Link to comment

Howdy!

 

That's odd; I'm not sure why you'd be getting an error if you've got cookies enabled. Alas, my technical support days are long gone; the best I can suggest is to clear your cookies & cache and then restart your browser. But if you shoot me an email (greatcowtagrace@grafikato.com), I'd be more than happy to help you out without resorting to the website at all -- thank you for still wanting to follow through despite the cookie situation!

Link to comment

Howdy!

 

That's odd; I'm not sure why you'd be getting an error if you've got cookies enabled. Alas, my technical support days are long gone; the best I can suggest is to clear your cookies & cache and then restart your browser. But if you shoot me an email (greatcowtagrace@grafikato.com), I'd be more than happy to help you out without resorting to the website at all -- thank you for still wanting to follow through despite the cookie situation!

 

Could also be that there is a pop-up blocker installed in IE or Firefox (or whatever browser) and that is blocking content. Or software installed out side of the browser that is blocking it.

Edited by keewee
Link to comment

Just wanted to let everyone know that there are still a few race tags available. Jackalgirl went out of her way to help me out this morning and get me all squared away.

 

I tip my hat to JG for stepping up and combining a worthy cause with our fine hobby,sport,game.

 

So let the race begin. My cow's got a Hemi !

Link to comment

Yay, just bought 2 racers and 2 personal travelers! Now I have a couple questions that may not yet have answers.

 

1) what happens if NONE of the tags make it back to the georally next year?

2) is it either in poor taste, or against the rules to grab my own racer tag? I dont want to be "that guy" if it's frowned upon, and since I'm new to the whole organized traveler thing I just dont know.

3) have the different contests been decided on yet?

Link to comment

Yay, just bought 2 racers and 2 personal travelers! Now I have a couple questions that may not yet have answers.

 

1) what happens if NONE of the tags make it back to the georally next year?

2) is it either in poor taste, or against the rules to grab my own racer tag? I dont want to be "that guy" if it's frowned upon, and since I'm new to the whole organized traveler thing I just dont know.

3) have the different contests been decided on yet?

 

Howdy!

 

Good questions all.

 

1) If none of the tags make it back to the Georally, I'll hold a random drawing to determine a winner of The Big Box o' Swag. : )

 

2) Well, I'll open up a dialogue with the person if their tag is not family-friendly or somehow inappropriate (e.g., makes fun of poor people, makes fun of people's ethnicities, or otherwise mocks the idea of sustainable charity). If it's not family-friendly, I /believe/ (though I'm not sure) that Geocaching.com might step in if I can't reach an understanding. Otherwise, if the person insists on being "that guy", I simply won't list it. It'll still unfortunately be listed in the system, but I won't make reference to it. I sure hope that no one decides to do this, since I'm offering them as a measure of trust and faith in people's honesty in wanting to support the idea behind the whole project.

 

3) They sure have! Check out the Great Cow Tag Race Cowtests and Rules page for more information. There are two categories: the race itself, and "Cows Around the World" (for those tags people have purchased and released themselves). In the "Cows Around the World" category, two "cowtests" -- "Most Original" and "Squee!" will be decided by July 18th of this year. Winners will get a small-to-medium cache (lock-n-lock) stuffed with authentic Japanese 100 Yen store swag* and an unactivated "Good Deeds" Artist's Edition geocoin. (The link is to the coin thread in the Geocoin Discussions Forum; to see the art for the coin itself, check out the Cowtest link)

 

*Japanese 100 Yen store swag is vastly superior to US dollar store (stuff. almost said another word). It is quirky and wonderful and makes outstanding trade goods.

Link to comment

Some of my tags decided to go check out the cherry blossoms this year (while I'm still in the process of setting them up). It's a really somber year in Japan, given that something like 25,000 people were killed on March 11 by the earthquake & tsunami in northern Japan, but cherry blossoms are a profound and inherent symbol of renewal and so they do bring some hope that Japan will recover from its devastating losses.

 

Rama-the-Ram_Cherry-Blossoms01.jpgShy-Heifer_Cherry-Blossoms.jpg

Spry-Heifer_Cherry-Blossoms.jpg

Smiley-Heifer_Cherry-Blossoms.jpg

 

They're all small chirimen (Japanese cloth) beanbags of zodiac animals, but also animals that Heifer provides to people in need. I have to find a pig and set up the rooster with a tag, and then the set should be more or less complete and ready to go. : )

Link to comment

Yay, just bought 2 racers and 2 personal travelers! Now I have a couple questions that may not yet have answers.

 

1) what happens if NONE of the tags make it back to the georally next year?

2) is it either in poor taste, or against the rules to grab my own racer tag? I dont want to be "that guy" if it's frowned upon, and since I'm new to the whole organized traveler thing I just dont know.

3) have the different contests been decided on yet?

 

Howdy!

 

Good questions all.

 

1) If none of the tags make it back to the Georally, I'll hold a random drawing to determine a winner of The Big Box o' Swag. : )

 

2) Well, I'll open up a dialogue with the person if their tag is not family-friendly or somehow inappropriate (e.g., makes fun of poor people, makes fun of people's ethnicities, or otherwise mocks the idea of sustainable charity). If it's not family-friendly, I /believe/ (though I'm not sure) that Geocaching.com might step in if I can't reach an understanding. Otherwise, if the person insists on being "that guy", I simply won't list it. It'll still unfortunately be listed in the system, but I won't make reference to it. I sure hope that no one decides to do this, since I'm offering them as a measure of trust and faith in people's honesty in wanting to support the idea behind the whole project.

 

3) They sure have! Check out the Great Cow Tag Race Cowtests and Rules page for more information. There are two categories: the race itself, and "Cows Around the World" (for those tags people have purchased and released themselves). In the "Cows Around the World" category, two "cowtests" -- "Most Original" and "Squee!" will be decided by July 18th of this year. Winners will get a small-to-medium cache (lock-n-lock) stuffed with authentic Japanese 100 Yen store swag* and an unactivated "Good Deeds" Artist's Edition geocoin. (The link is to the coin thread in the Geocoin Discussions Forum; to see the art for the coin itself, check out the Cowtest link)

 

*Japanese 100 Yen store swag is vastly superior to US dollar store (stuff. almost said another word). It is quirky and wonderful and makes outstanding trade goods.

 

Oh, I didn't mean if the traveller is in poor taste, my mistake. For the racers, do I need to make it a point to NOT grab my racer from the event if I make it there? I'll take one to start it, maybe two if there are a bunch sitting on the "grab it" table, but I don't want mine to be one of them if that's not cool.

 

Nice pictures BTW.

Link to comment

Sorry for the delay in responding, and also very sorry I totally misread your post -- some days are just not my days for reading posts well. ; )

 

I actually don't think it's a problem if you start your own racers (if you want to). I'd be more concerned with people "armchair logging" their racers into caches they haven't actually visited (e.g., in Koeln one day, then Anchorage an hour after that) than I would be with someone taking his/her own bug from the event and then logging into a local cache. : )

 

Thanks for the pics kudos! All the blossoms are gone and the trees are all dressed in pale green now. Very pretty!

Link to comment

We need a way to sneak last minute publicity for this into the Geocoin Discussions forum... any ideas?

 

How about I sponsor one as the prize for a cointest? Promote the race at the same time!

 

I like it, but does it count as a coin?

 

Whatever, I like the idea :)

 

Shhh - just don't tell the mod's... :)

Link to comment

What a fabulous idea! And I finally (duh) figured it out -- sorry, I wake up slowly. ; )

 

I'm going to go ahead and leave the store open until I get home from work tonight, at approximately 10pm my time (which is about 8am on May 2nd for the east coast of the US), since I can't do anything with tags while I'm at work anyway. At that time, I'll unfortunately have to disable the Cow Racers as I've got to get the tags ready for shipment to Moozer tomorrow. So if you'd like to participate in The Great Cow Race, now's the time to get your tag ordered!

 

Here is the link to the Great Cow Tag Race "cowtest" information, as well as information for Cows Around the World (the "cowtest") for regular, non-racer tags.

 

And here's the store link once more!

Link to comment

i'am trying to get the pictures to show up in the bug page where do you go to alow htm code?? don't see it on the edit page. thanks all

 

Are you trying to insert a picture of your own, or are you trying to (hot-)link to one of the pictures listed on the graphics page?

Link to comment

i'am trying to get the pictures to show up in the bug page where do you go to alow htm code?? don't see it on the edit page. thanks all

 

Are you trying to insert a picture of your own, or are you trying to (hot-)link to one of the pictures listed on the graphics page?

the graphics page,,, i copy and paste but that didn"t work

Link to comment

Just a quick note: if you haven't activated your racers yet, please do so - the event is this coming Saturday (the 14th). If you haven't heard from me regarding tracking codes, etc and if I haven't send you an email asking for information (e.g., your caching name, your cow[s'] name), please shoot me an email and give me a kick.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment

The race is coming up this Saturday, can't wait!

 

Here's a picture of what a prepared Racer Cow looks like:

 

GreatCowTagRaceTags.jpg

 

I'll be updating the racer list tonight, so if you've activated your cows, links to your cows will be updated. If you haven't, please do, and thanks!

Link to comment

I activated our cows about an hour ago, finally. :)

 

When activating them I had to got find out where Sonoma County was so that they got the correct starting State :laughing: And now I know - they're starting in sunny California :)

 

I just need to sit down and put some content up on the tag's home pages now. That can wait until this evening.

 

Thanks for organising this guys - great job!

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...