Jump to content

Open Caching


Recommended Posts

While browsing thru my latest issue of Backpacker magazine,I came across an ad for a site called opencaching.com It is another website for logging geocaches and is run by Garmin. I`m just wondering what the point is of having another geocaching site since you can`t view any of the caches logged on geocaching.com here and can`t track any travel bugs? It would seem that one universal site such as geocaching.com is all that is needed.

Link to comment

A good proportion of the cachers over there were banned on here for various reasons, and most of the caches over there are cross-listed from geocaching.com. There's not really much point to the site, but to each his own...

 

IBTL, or the thread deletion... TPTB don't usually like giving competing sites free advertising.

Link to comment

While browsing thru my latest issue of Backpacker magazine,I came across an ad for a site called opencaching.com It is another website for logging geocaches and is run by Garmin. I`m just wondering what the point is of having another geocaching site since you can`t view any of the caches logged on geocaching.com here and can`t track any travel bugs? It would seem that one universal site such as geocaching.com is all that is needed.

 

Wanna have some fun?

Link to comment

IBTL, or the thread deletion... TPTB don't usually like giving competing sites free advertising.

The 26 page topic about the other site that is still open here shows quite the opposite. Just the other day I asked people to go look at Navicache if you want to see what a featureless, stagnant geocache site looks like. The other sites are competing with Geocaching.com in my eyes.

 

I do love that in their ad promoting their own site, the Garmin GPS in the ad has a Geocaching.com cache page open on it as Isonzo Karst pointed out. Giving away geocoins that can only be tracked on Geocaching.com to try to get people to list new caches on their site is too funny. Priceless.

Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

Link to comment

IBTL, or the thread deletion... TPTB don't usually like giving competing sites free advertising.

The 26 page topic about the other site that is still open here shows quite the opposite. Just the other day I asked people to go look at Navicache if you want to see what a featureless, stagnant geocache site looks like. The other sites are competing with Geocaching.com in my eyes.

 

I do love that in their ad promoting their own site, the Garmin GPS in the ad has a Geocaching.com cache page open on it as Isonzo Karst pointed out. Giving away geocoins that can only be tracked on Geocaching.com to try to get people to list new caches on their site is too funny. Priceless.

 

My mistake, and my apology! I thought that thread was locked, but I should have checked. Guess it just dropped off the radar.

 

The people over there seem to think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread - it's "the people's choice". Or something like that. Gotta admit, the flamewars are interesting and entertaining. The site is not as well moderated as this one.

Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

Uh.... no. National Parks do not allow geocaches (in lower-case). It isn't that Groundspeak does not allow it... the Federal Government doesn't allow it. The difference is that Groundspeak has reviewers to intervene before the cache gets published.

 

I assume you posted in jest... but I felt that a serious answer was in order anyway.

Link to comment

It's also not the only alternate site.

 

Correct!! I strongly support another "alternative" Geocaching website, which ironically enough, is also named "Opencaching". Don't even get me started on Garmin using that name 5 years after it was first used. :ph34r:

 

Opencaching.com came online in early December 2010. Then 4 months later, they came up with the amazing new feature of being emailed when someone finds your cache. They are still working on the totally unheard of feature of putting links on your cache page, or uploading pictures to the website. <_<

 

EDIT: Oh, almost forgot, they've had full page Glossy ads in the last two issues of Outside Magazine, which has 700,000 subscribers, and must have cost them a bundle of money. Opie the squirrel is definitely serious about taking on Signal the frog.

Edited by Mr.Yuck
Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

Uh.... no. National Parks do not allow geocaches (in lower-case). It isn't that Groundspeak does not allow it... the Federal Government doesn't allow it. The difference is that Groundspeak has reviewers to intervene before the cache gets published.

 

I assume you posted in jest... but I felt that a serious answer was in order anyway.

 

OK I thought it was just a Groundspeak prohibition but if the Federal Government doesn`t allow it,then there`s no point in placing the cache.

Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

Uh.... no. National Parks do not allow geocaches (in lower-case). It isn't that Groundspeak does not allow it... the Federal Government doesn't allow it. The difference is that Groundspeak has reviewers to intervene before the cache gets published.

 

I assume you posted in jest... but I felt that a serious answer was in order anyway.

 

OK I thought it was just a Groundspeak prohibition but if the Federal Government doesn`t allow it,then there`s no point in placing the cache.

 

That there is a major problem with the OC site. There's no oversight to make sure caches are legal. People in other states or countries can approve caches without ever knowing or caring about whether they are allowed in a particular area or not.

Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

Uh.... no. National Parks do not allow geocaches (in lower-case). It isn't that Groundspeak does not allow it... the Federal Government doesn't allow it. The difference is that Groundspeak has reviewers to intervene before the cache gets published.

 

I assume you posted in jest... but I felt that a serious answer was in order anyway.

 

OK I thought it was just a Groundspeak prohibition but if the Federal Government doesn`t allow it,then there`s no point in placing the cache.

 

Groundspeak has its own set of guidelines for hiding caches, but that is not one of them. And actually, you CAN hide a cache in a National Park if you can get permission from the local superintendent. It has been done, but it is unusual.

 

Just to clarify, one of the most important differences between Groundspeak's Geocaching and Opencaching is the concept of cache reviews. Groundspeak utilizes volunteer reviewers (often, but not necessarily local to the area), where Opencaching uses a peer review process. Opinions (ahem! excuse my understandment) vary widely regarding the effectiveness of each.

 

My personal opinion, if you are interested, is that one highly respected geocacher that has been involved in the activity for years and stakes his reputation on his ability to apply a set of guidelines fairly and consistantly easily trumps tens or hundreds of amateur reviewers that vote on a cache anywhere in the world, based primarily on their opinions and preferences.

Edited by knowschad
Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

Uh.... no. National Parks do not allow geocaches (in lower-case). It isn't that Groundspeak does not allow it... the Federal Government doesn't allow it. The difference is that Groundspeak has reviewers to intervene before the cache gets published.

 

I assume you posted in jest... but I felt that a serious answer was in order anyway.

 

OK I thought it was just a Groundspeak prohibition but if the Federal Government doesn`t allow it,then there`s no point in placing the cache.

 

That there is a major problem with the OC site. There's no oversight to make sure caches are legal. People in other states or countries can approve caches without ever knowing or caring about whether they are allowed in a particular area or not.

 

I will stick up for them here. Can't believe I am, but whatever. :o They have a peer review system, although they just came up with it on the fly after the site went active. However, there is at least one prominent peer reviewer who is outstanding, and looks into that stuff on every cache. Just from my observations, that is. Because believe me, it's a fun site to watch. :D

Link to comment

I took a look over there after my last post here. It looks promising, though I didn't care for their forums.

 

They don't have a lot of caches, but they do have a 12 hour review window for caches and I saw a few that were voted down and some discussion in the forums about it (some not so nice). I think they are just still in the first stages trying to figure out how to proceed.

Link to comment

However, there is at least one prominent peer reviewer who is outstanding, and looks into that stuff on every cache.

 

Does his name begin with "Ash" and end in "nikes"? :lol:

I just did a search for caches in Orlando on OC. Almost all of them owned by the infamous "He who must not be named."

Link to comment

 

I do love that in their ad promoting their own site, the Garmin GPS in the ad has a Geocaching.com cache page open on it as Isonzo Karst pointed out. Giving away geocoins that can only be tracked on Geocaching.com to try to get people to list new caches on their site is too funny. Priceless.

 

I recently bought a Nuvi. It came with an offer for a free membership here. This is months after the launch of their site and probably a year or likely more after it was planned. Even OC prefers GC.

Link to comment

Competition breeds innovation. If OpenCaching.com does nothing else than to make Groundspeak better, then it will have fulfilled its purpose. If Groundspeak doesn't get their site speed up and correct recent problems, having an alternative could be a very good thing.

 

You speak as if this is the first ever competing geocaching website. Navicache came online in early 2002, for one.

 

The major problem I see with Garmincaching is how quickly it was rushed to market, and that it's obvious no one with a Geocaching background was involved in it's development. I mean seriously, 4 months before coming up with the feature of being emailed when someone finds your cache? Puhlease. They couldn't have consulted at least one practicing Geocacher? They couldn't have tried to lure a Groundspeak employee away?

 

All the other competing websites that I'm aware of were programmed by Geocachers. Look at Terracaching.com; or better yet the country specific real opencaching network. Opencaching.us is absolutely incredible. And it's not even the latest build, because it had to be converted to English.

Edited by Mr.Yuck
Link to comment

IBTL, or the thread deletion... TPTB don't usually like giving competing sites free advertising.

The 26 page topic about the other site that is still open here shows quite the opposite. Just the other day I asked people to go look at Navicache if you want to see what a featureless, stagnant geocache site looks like. The other sites are competing with Geocaching.com in my eyes.

 

I do love that in their ad promoting their own site, the Garmin GPS in the ad has a Geocaching.com cache page open on it as Isonzo Karst pointed out. Giving away geocoins that can only be tracked on Geocaching.com to try to get people to list new caches on their site is too funny. Priceless.

 

The coin that you won for that is a non trackable garmin 62 series coin. The only site that the coin has on it is garmin.com/geocache. It was cool to win one though. :)

Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

 

Some one beat you to it. It is a cache hidden in the Grand Canyon that sounds like the log book is in with a sign in box. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=b581a457-f760-40d0-a4df-afd6a7b74343 GCNP Bright Angel. Sometimes it don't hurt to ask to place a cache. They might let you. ;)

Link to comment

It would seem that one universal site such as geocaching.com is all that is needed.

 

Gosh, I didn't even notice this in the OP. A privately owned for profit corporation? No, no, no. I couldn't go for that! Sure, they might always have 90% of the market, but there needs to be competition. You know, like Intel and AMD Pocessors. :D

Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

Uh.... no. National Parks do not allow geocaches (in lower-case). It isn't that Groundspeak does not allow it... the Federal Government doesn't allow it. The difference is that Groundspeak has reviewers to intervene before the cache gets published.

 

I assume you posted in jest... but I felt that a serious answer was in order atnyway.

 

OK I thought it was just a Groundspeak prohibition but if the Federal Government doesn`t allow it,then there`s no point in placing the cache.

 

That there is a major problem with the OC site. There's no oversight to make sure caches are legal. People in other states or countries can approve caches without ever knowing or caring about whether they are allowed in a particular area or not.

 

This is one of the major problems I see with that site.

 

Caches that are illegal or problem caches could get published.

When people go and search for these caches they may get into trouble, even ticketed or arrested, (if tresspassing or placing a cache somewhere the authorities don't want them, such as police stations or military facilities)but even that isn't the big problem.

 

The authorities and the general public won't recognize WHICH site the cache was published under, only that the cache is causing problems.

 

There are already many places that don't allow caches. This could make caching illegal in many other places.

 

I know people that are against caching because of the caches that have been blown up (costing tax payer money). We don't need to get a lot of people against caching because of caches placed on private property or National Parks or other places they are already outlawed.

We don't need people seeing us as a group out of control placing them everywhere we want regardless of laws.

Link to comment

It would seem that one universal site such as geocaching.com is all that is needed.

 

Gosh, I didn't even notice this in the OP. A privately owned for profit corporation? No, no, no. I couldn't go for that! Sure, they might always have 90% of the market, but there needs to be competition. You know, like Intel and AMD Pocessors. :D

 

As if the competitors aren't privately owned for profit?!?!

 

Why is it that some people think that just because something is fun people shouldn't be profiting from it?

 

Does your thinking extend to baseball and sports? Do you think ball players should play for free too? That's a game. They're making major profits off of it.

 

I rather think that things that are essentials people can't do without, such as water and garbage service ought to be for free.

But even that costs money to run. Just like Groundspeak does.

Link to comment

Funny you should mention that. Garmin just put out an opencaching iPhone app today. I downloaded it. It's very similar to the official app, just a lot fewer caches.

OK, I'm going to get the Android App. It's going to be interesting to see if the Opencaching App has the same big problem as the Groundspeak one.

Link to comment

It would seem that one universal site such as geocaching.com is all that is needed.

 

Gosh, I didn't even notice this in the OP. A privately owned for profit corporation? No, no, no. I couldn't go for that! Sure, they might always have 90% of the market, but there needs to be competition. You know, like Intel and AMD Pocessors. :D

 

As if the competitors aren't privately owned for profit?!?!

 

Why is it that some people think that just because something is fun people shouldn't be profiting from it?

 

Does your thinking extend to baseball and sports? Do you think ball players should play for free too? That's a game. They're making major profits off of it.

 

I rather think that things that are essentials people can't do without, such as water and garbage service ought to be for free.

But even that costs money to run. Just like Groundspeak does.

 

He didn't say that people shouldn't make a profit. He said that he thought there should be competition. I agree. There should be competition. And there is no reason those competitors shouldn't be allowed to profit if they can find a way.

 

As for free "public services" somebody has to pay for it. If the user fees go away then taxes go up. TANSTAAFL!

Link to comment

It's also not the only alternate site.

 

Correct!! I strongly support another "alternative" Geocaching website, which ironically enough, is also named "Opencaching". Don't even get me started on Garmin using that name 5 years after it was first used. :ph34r:

 

Opencaching.com came online in early December 2010. Then 4 months later, they came up with the amazing new feature of being emailed when someone finds your cache. They are still working on the totally unheard of feature of putting links on your cache page, or uploading pictures to the website. <_<

 

EDIT: Oh, almost forgot, they've had full page Glossy ads in the last two issues of Outside Magazine, which has 700,000 subscribers, and must have cost them a bundle of money. Opie the squirrel is definitely serious about taking on Signal the frog.

don't forget that they also came up with this feature of editing and deleting logs too. :surprise:

Link to comment

They are really open. They have no reviewers so all you have to do is click the box that says your cache complies with guidelines and you can get it listed. I would imagine that when someone gets a cache denied here they take it over there.

 

Good point! I have always wanted to place a cache in the Grand Canyon. I could use this site for that cache and also use geocaching.com for most other caching! :)

 

Some one beat you to it. It is a cache hidden in the Grand Canyon that sounds like the log book is in with a sign in box. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=b581a457-f760-40d0-a4df-afd6a7b74343 GCNP Bright Angel. Sometimes it don't hurt to ask to place a cache. They might let you. ;)

 

Right near the top of the cache page

 

This geocache is located in Grand Canyon National Park. It was originally constructed BY the NPS and is maintained BY the NPS.

Link to comment

However, there is at least one prominent peer reviewer who is outstanding, and looks into that stuff on every cache.

 

Does his name begin with "Ash" and end in "nikes"? :lol:

 

Um no, it starts with D and ends with X. :lol:

 

Gotcha! :D

 

Looks to me that the Manville guy is the only one that doesn't have a clue. But him and ashnikes need to quit bickering so much. That's what I didn't like about their forums.

Link to comment

It would seem that one universal site such as geocaching.com is all that is needed.

 

Gosh, I didn't even notice this in the OP. A privately owned for profit corporation? No, no, no. I couldn't go for that! Sure, they might always have 90% of the market, but there needs to be competition. You know, like Intel and AMD Pocessors. :D

 

As if the competitors aren't privately owned for profit?!?!

 

Why is it that some people think that just because something is fun people shouldn't be profiting from it?

 

Does your thinking extend to baseball and sports? Do you think ball players should play for free too? That's a game. They're making major profits off of it.

 

I rather think that things that are essentials people can't do without, such as water and garbage service ought to be for free.

But even that costs money to run. Just like Groundspeak does.

 

Well, that competition is privately owned and for profit. But Navicache, GPSGames.org, Terracaching.com, and the pre-Garmin Opencaching network are not. C'mon now, what dude said was pretty much the same thing as "Windows is all that is needed", and would be the Operating system of every computer in the world. :ph34r:

Link to comment

I think I will put a couple in Yellowstone when I go back next year and see what happens. I love anarchy.

 

It would not comply with garmin's guidelines either, should the peer reviewers notice it. In all probably it would end up as the kind of geolitter that led to problems with the NPS. The NPS manager still equates caching with litter despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise.

Link to comment

 

I do love that in their ad promoting their own site, the Garmin GPS in the ad has a Geocaching.com cache page open on it as Isonzo Karst pointed out. Giving away geocoins that can only be tracked on Geocaching.com to try to get people to list new caches on their site is too funny. Priceless.

 

I recently bought a Nuvi. It came with an offer for a free membership here. This is months after the launch of their site and probably a year or likely more after it was planned. Even OC prefers GC.

 

If you spent any time at OC, you would prefer GC too. :)

Link to comment

It would seem that one universal site such as geocaching.com is all that is needed.

 

Gosh, I didn't even notice this in the OP. A privately owned for profit corporation? No, no, no. I couldn't go for that! Sure, they might always have 90% of the market, but there needs to be competition. You know, like Intel and AMD Pocessors. :D

 

As if the competitors aren't privately owned for profit?!?!

 

Why is it that some people think that just because something is fun people shouldn't be profiting from it?

 

Does your thinking extend to baseball and sports? Do you think ball players should play for free too? That's a game. They're making major profits off of it.

 

I rather think that things that are essentials people can't do without, such as water and garbage service ought to be for free.

But even that costs money to run. Just like Groundspeak does.

 

Well, that competition is privately owned and for profit. But Navicache, GPSGames.org, Terracaching.com, and the pre-Garmin Opencaching network are not. C'mon now, what dude said was pretty much the same thing as "Windows is all that is needed", and would be the Operating system of every computer in the world. :ph34r:

 

I sincerely doubt they could stay free if they were hosting over a million caches and had traffic this site has.

Link to comment

I do love that in their ad promoting their own site, the Garmin GPS in the ad has a Geocaching.com cache page open on it as Isonzo Karst pointed out. Giving away geocoins that can only be tracked on Geocaching.com to try to get people to list new caches on their site is too funny. Priceless.

The coin that you won for that is a non trackable garmin 62 series coin. The only site that the coin has on it is garmin.com/geocache. It was cool to win one though. :)

I never said I won a coin from them. I commented that they were giving away coins trackable on this site. If I am incorrect, it would not be the first time. I have been a long time, die hard Garmin supporter and user. I have owned 3 yellow eTrex units, a Vista, a 60CSx, an Oregon and a Nuvi for the car. I own two versions of MapSource so I could get turn by turn street maps on my 60CSx and Oregon, plus I owned Topo Maps for my Vista. The fact that they opened this site has disappointed me so much that I will never buy anything from them ever again. My next GPS will be a DeLorme.

Link to comment

... The fact that they opened this site has disappointed me so much that I will never buy anything from them ever again. My next GPS will be a DeLorme.

 

As long as they continue to support PQs on this site and do not get overtly pushy with pushing products only for their little site - I might buy a Garmin again. But they better know that I'll look a lot harder at the competition next time around.

Link to comment

It would seem that one universal site such as geocaching.com is all that is needed.

 

Gosh, I didn't even notice this in the OP. A privately owned for profit corporation? No, no, no. I couldn't go for that! Sure, they might always have 90% of the market, but there needs to be competition. You know, like Intel and AMD Pocessors. :D

 

As if the competitors aren't privately owned for profit?!?!

 

Why is it that some people think that just because something is fun people shouldn't be profiting from it?

 

Does your thinking extend to baseball and sports? Do you think ball players should play for free too? That's a game. They're making major profits off of it.

 

I rather think that things that are essentials people can't do without, such as water and garbage service ought to be for free.

But even that costs money to run. Just like Groundspeak does.

 

Well, that competition is privately owned and for profit. But Navicache, GPSGames.org, Terracaching.com, and the pre-Garmin Opencaching network are not. C'mon now, what dude said was pretty much the same thing as "Windows is all that is needed", and would be the Operating system of every computer in the world. :ph34r:

 

I sincerely doubt they could stay free if they were hosting over a million caches and had traffic this site has.

 

True. I am a free opencaching kind of guy, believe me. However, I've brought up examples of there needing to be competition, even when one entity does it best, and has 90%+ of the market. I say again, Microsoft vs. Apple, Intel vs. Advanced Micro Devices. Competition is a good thing. :D

Link to comment

Funny you should mention that. Garmin just put out an opencaching iPhone app today. I downloaded it. It's very similar to the official app, just a lot fewer caches.

OK, I'm going to get the Android App. It's going to be interesting to see if the Opencaching App has the same big problem as the Groundspeak one.

I tried their Android App today and it worked flawlessly. Think it might be a battery hog though.

Link to comment

I do love that in their ad promoting their own site, the Garmin GPS in the ad has a Geocaching.com cache page open on it as Isonzo Karst pointed out. Giving away geocoins that can only be tracked on Geocaching.com to try to get people to list new caches on their site is too funny. Priceless.

The coin that you won for that is a non trackable garmin 62 series coin. The only site that the coin has on it is garmin.com/geocache. It was cool to win one though. :)

I never said I won a coin from them. I commented that they were giving away coins trackable on this site. If I am incorrect, it would not be the first time. I have been a long time, die hard Garmin supporter and user. I have owned 3 yellow eTrex units, a Vista, a 60CSx, an Oregon and a Nuvi for the car. I own two versions of MapSource so I could get turn by turn street maps on my 60CSx and Oregon, plus I owned Topo Maps for my Vista. The fact that they opened this site has disappointed me so much that I will never buy anything from them ever again. My next GPS will be a DeLorme.

 

More like the fact they opened the site, and did it so badly. :lol:

 

And of course stomped all over the existing name "opencaching". But I'm sure most of the people who don't like that do not have English as their first language, and will never post here. I'm with you on this one, bring on the Delomres. :anibad:

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...