Premium Caches

[Trianglon]

I think this "premium cache" thing is dumb! I don't have money to pay for a premium account and besides, when I first starting geocaching last year, there were no such thing as premium accounts and premium caches. I think it's unfair to regular members and people who are new to geocaching, especially when it comes to hiding new geocaches. Whose with me?

[+Panther&Pine]

Um, PM accounts and PMO caches have been around for a while now. Longer than a year.

 

And you can log a PM cache online if you find it, there are several work arounds.

 

I do see that there are a fair number of caches in your area that are PMO but not too many. Remember that you don't need to find every cache.

[+Shannon440]

Premium membership and caches hove been around for at least 2 years that I know of. I don't know what it cost to host a site like this but I think It's very generous to offer the site free for all with special benefits to those who would Like to pay.

 

Also keep in mind the cache owner, not geocaching.com, is the one who decides if a cache is premium or not.

[+Panther&Pine]

Oh and PMO caches are not the reason most of us have PMs. I have them for Pocket Queries.

[Pup Patrol]

when I first starting geocaching last year, there were no such thing as premium accounts and premium caches.

 

Er, I do believe that Premium Memberships and Premium Member Only caches have been around for a wee bit longer than last year.

 

Do a search of the forum for this subject, and see what you come up with.

[+Fjordi]

I think, I spend a lot of money on GPS devices, GC accessories, fuel and food for/while geocaching.

 

So the 30$ are certainly not a big amount of money

 

And I have only found 2 PMO caches so far, so I don't pay for those caches, but for some additional features on the website.

[Trianglon]

Oh and PMO caches are not the reason most of us have PMs. I have them for Pocket Queries.

 

Then why have them if that's not what most people get PMs for?

[+Bear and Ragged]

Oh and PMO caches are not the reason most of us have PMs. I have them for Pocket Queries.

 

Then why have them if that's not what most people get PMs for?

It's a good way to stop caches from being trashed by kids with phones, who download the free apps and can see that there's a cache near where they hang out...

Edited July 1, 2011 by Bear and Ragged

[+ryanr69]

I believe high-cost caches deserve to be premium. It keeps non-paying-muggles from going to the gc forums and finding free ammo cans.

 

We have a had a considerable number of ammo-can caches vanish.

[+Panther&Pine]

Oh and PMO caches are not the reason most of us have PMs. I have them for Pocket Queries.

 

Then why have them if that's not what most people get PMs for?

Depends on the CO's reasoning.

The main thoughts I've seen is to reduce the number of visitors to the location, keep the cache off the apps, and protect fragile or expensive caches.

I don't have any PMO caches although I've found a few I'm sure. The only cache that I have that is easy enough to get found often isn't one I'm worried about.

 

Oh and other then PQs the Off Topic Forums make it worth it to me to have a PM.

Edited July 1, 2011 by MooseJawSpruce

[+ARHogFanz]

I'm just a regular member (at least until I go back to work) & don't have any problem with the Premium Caches & memberships. What we get for free on this site is fantastic & personally, I think those of us who are regular members have no right to complain. If you have an Android phone, the needed apps are free so it's a cheap hobby for those of us who don't hide caches. (Due to hubby being military, we don't stay in one place long enough for me to hide caches, which I would LOVE to do.) Could you put aside $2-3/week and save up for that PM?

 

Just my 2 cents worth.

Melissa

[+Cache Raiders]

Some new players tend to tear up GZ, destroy the container, don't put the lid on right, don't follow directions on the cache page, are not stealthy enough when it is necessary, etc. So is it fair to me when I spend a decent amount of money to create a cool cache container only to have it destroyed by an unexperienced cacher? If I can guard against that by only allowing premium members access to the cache then I'll do whatever I want.

 

Like others have said, you don't have to find EVERY cache. Maybe when you own a cache that someone, with less than 10 smilies, finds and then leaves a log like "we rehid it in a better spot" only to have you go back and can't find it yourself, then you'll understand. Until then, enjoy geocaching your own way.

[+Nubcakes]

I didn't even know there were premium Caches until I read this thread. I have to say I think it's a good idea for the reasons already mentioned here. I've only been Geocaching for a little over a year and I've ran into some pretty retarded Geocache(ers). I cant believe that anyone would think it'd be OK to rehide a cache or take it home to "improve" it.

 

30 bucks a year is not that much people. I spend more than that to fill up my gas tank. If you don't feel that it's worth what you get for it, try thinking of it as a tribute to those who truly help maintain this wonderful community.

[+IslandCougGirl]

I have a cache that I'm almost ready to place that is a memorial for my doggies who died last year and I am placing a FTF geocoin and a TB in and it will be Premium. There is just too much in it to make it regular plus I know the PM will treat the cache well.

[+Fjordi]

I have a cache that I'm almost ready to place that is a memorial for my doggies who died last year and I am placing a FTF geocoin and a TB in and it will be Premium. There is just too much in it to make it regular plus I know the PM will treat the cache well.

 

So according to you, only PM are reliable?

 

I don't know how the situation in your areas is, but I have met a lot more cacher without a PM who are much more careful than some other cachers with a PM.

[+NeverSummer]

I have a cache that I'm almost ready to place that is a memorial for my doggies who died last year and I am placing a FTF geocoin and a TB in and it will be Premium. There is just too much in it to make it regular plus I know the PM will treat the cache well.

 

So according to you, only PM are reliable?

 

I don't know how the situation in your areas is, but I have met a lot more cacher without a PM who are much more careful than some other cachers with a PM.

I think it's less about reliability, and more about visit count. Owners can audit those that look at the page, and can also have fewer visits from the full group of folks using geocaching.com.

 

Most folks don't join up with a full paid membership when they start to cache. The idea for PMO caches can partly be attributed to owners wanting to have their caches available to those that might have gained a clearer understanding of how geocaching on this site works. Everything from hide types, containers and exchange of swag can have a lot to do with the level of investment one has in the game.

 

It may not be something you "like", but it is how it is. And I'm thankful for my PMO caches, as I've been very happy with the lower amount of maintenance and muggling that occurs at those caches.

[+Roman!]

I agree, the premium member cache is dumb, I mean come on, anyone with $30 can look up and find my caches. I want a super extra premium account so I could place super extra premium member only caches and I think these accounts should cost $30,000. Just my few bucks worth.

[+Fjordi]

@Never Summer

I absolutely agree with you!

If I lived in an area with high caching activity, I might think about placing a PMO Cache as well.

[thewhatupdog]

I really dislike this premium member stuff. It's really ridiculous, caches should be open to all members. I understand that some are trying to keep out vandals, but there should be some other way of achieving premium membership. What if after an initial period on the site, a member could earn access to premium caches? For example if a member finds/hides a certain number of caches, or something like that? You could put a verification code inside the cache to make sure people don't cheat.

 

It just frustrates me that because I can't afford to shell out $30 right now, I can't enjoy many of the caches in my area.

[7rxc]

I really dislike this premium member stuff. It's really ridiculous, caches should be open to all members. I understand that some are trying to keep out vandals, but there should be some other way of achieving premium membership. What if after an initial period on the site, a member could earn access to premium caches? For example if a member finds/hides a certain number of caches, or something like that? You could put a verification code inside the cache to make sure people don't cheat.

 

It just frustrates me that because I can't afford to shell out $30 right now, I can't enjoy many of the caches in my area.

 

The fact is that ALL caches are open to all members basic or PM... anyone can look for them and find them and log them online.

The PM Listings (cache pages) are NOT open to anyone but paid up PM's however. I have four PMO's locally, found 3 of them and the other was not accessible due to flood conditions when I was trying. One of those was a FTF for me! That said, they are fairly hard puzzles to locate without the listings, and we know people don't like doing puzzles in all cases. I do like to try though. You have NO idea what is there beyond difficulty and terrain and the size of the final. Sort of like the really old days...

 

As for money problems... don't we all? I hate to think how many times I've gone caching and collected refundables at the same time both coming and going to the caches. Up here pop cans, water bottles and other drink containers run 5 to 20 cents each, beer cans 10 cents, liquor/wine depending on size. Since people can afford to throw that away in high volumes, I can take the time to CITO it, helping me and the environment, and as I said I'm there anyway having fun. That said, I agree that other things sometimes take priority over PM so I'm still a basic member for now, but I am not complaining. Only thing I really miss out on is the OT forums and PQ's, but then I don't have that many to find most times so it's not too hard to live without.

 

Good luck with your caching, hope you keep having fun.

Edit: Just did some checking... First welcome aboard! Not a bad start.. As for lack of choice... take a bit of time to use the Beta Maps provided on the site under the Hide and Seek tab. You'll get a good idea of just how many there are and are not... you will have a bit of a job finding the traditionals, not to mention the mystery and multi caches... In a similar area to that covered by your first finds, I have a total of about 8 of all kinds, not finds, caches to chose from.. all found.

Doug 7rxc

Edited December 28, 2011 by 7rxc

[Keystone]

Premium Member Only caches were introduced in 2002 as part of the initial package of benefits for the new concept of paid memberships. It was not without controversy at that time, and occasionally over the years we see discussions pop up along the same lines.

[thewhatupdog]

The fact is that ALL caches are open to all members basic or PM... anyone can look for them and find them and log them online.

The PM Listings (cache pages) are NOT open to anyone but paid up PM's however. I have four PMO's locally, found 3 of them and the other was not accessible due to flood conditions when I was trying. One of those was a FTF for me! That said, they are fairly hard puzzles to locate without the listings, and we know people don't like doing puzzles in all cases. I do like to try though. You have NO idea what is there beyond difficulty and terrain and the size of the final. Sort of like the really old days...

 

wait...so ALL caches are open to members and PMs and members can look them up and log them? Well then why can't I find the coordinates for PMO caches? Can you tell me how to access them without having to pay $30? I went out in SF with my niece and found one that was a PMO, but that was only possible because she has a PM.

 

I still think that a way to earn access to PMO coordinates would be really cool and should be something that Groundspeak/geocaching.com should seriously consider. Who do I talk to?

[jholly]

The fact is that ALL caches are open to all members basic or PM... anyone can look for them and find them and log them online.

The PM Listings (cache pages) are NOT open to anyone but paid up PM's however. I have four PMO's locally, found 3 of them and the other was not accessible due to flood conditions when I was trying. One of those was a FTF for me! That said, they are fairly hard puzzles to locate without the listings, and we know people don't like doing puzzles in all cases. I do like to try though. You have NO idea what is there beyond difficulty and terrain and the size of the final. Sort of like the really old days...

 

wait...so ALL caches are open to members and PMs and members can look them up and log them? Well then why can't I find the coordinates for PMO caches? Can you tell me how to access them without having to pay $30? I went out in SF with my niece and found one that was a PMO, but that was only possible because she has a PM.

 

I still think that a way to earn access to PMO coordinates would be really cool and should be something that Groundspeak/geocaching.com should seriously consider. Who do I talk to?

Looking at the cache page and seeing the coordinates on the cache page is the premium perk. Being able to log the cache is not a premium perk. The one you found with your nice can be logged, just use geocachingadmin.com and enter your log. There are other ways like changing the url on a regular cache log page, but the geocachingadmin.com is probably the easiest. It looks like you live some where around Corning, CA. That is a fairly cache rich area with few PMO caches. You will be busy for a while.

[+hpfenning]

I really dislike this premium member stuff. It's really ridiculous, caches should be open to all members. I understand that some are trying to keep out vandals, but there should be some other way of achieving premium membership. What if after an initial period on the site, a member could earn access to premium caches? For example if a member finds/hides a certain number of caches, or something like that? You could put a verification code inside the cache to make sure people don't cheat.

 

It just frustrates me that because I can't afford to shell out $30 right now, I can't enjoy many of the caches in my area.

 

That's only $2.50 per month...Less than a gallon of gas. How much does one spend to drive to a cache?? I like PM for the PQ's. I travel alot and it is nice to get a list of caches based on my driving route.

[+Roman!]

I think the OPs sense of entitlement is dumb, there are so many things I can't afford like going to space but unless I anti up I'll have to do without. Funny thing, I'd bet if you CITOd all the PMO caches you'd make enough on bottles and cans to pay for your membership and a lunch or two as well. Get ff your a** and try earning something.

Edited January 2, 2012 by Roman!

[7rxc]

wait...so ALL caches are open to members and PMs and members can look them up and log them? Well then why can't I find the coordinates for PMO caches? Can you tell me how to access them without having to pay $30? I went out in SF with my niece and found one that was a PMO, but that was only possible because she has a PM.

 

Well, going along with a PM is certainly a valid way to find PMO caches. This is used by family groups all the time. One parent has a PM and the others log to their personal account. There are many somewhat convoluted methods to log the PMO cache.

One I found a while back is to go to the BETA Maps method of displaying caches, a PMO shows as a round dot, I see it as orange/brown on my screen. It only shows at certain ranges... too close and it vanishes to avoid details, too far out and you can't click on it.

Anyway... find the one of interest, click on the dot and an information balloon about the cache opens onscreen and in the lower right is the option to log it. The Balloon also shows the type, D/T and size (of final for some). NO COORDINATES Given. Although there was until recently a software error that left the download to GPS active for basics... proper coordinates given. That was fixed one or two updates back. It spoiled the fun anyway... I like the puzzle variant of finding. You can zero in on a broad GZ using data provided on the 'normal' GC webpages, but it's only sporting to find out how by yourself. My results so far have been at least as close as my GPS can find... under 30 feet in one direction or the other. Like I said, I managed an FTF that way on one.

Granted there was limited competition for it, that's not my fault. The flooded one (suspected) is simply not on my usual hunting area and it was a wet year. Like others have said, it's not impossible to get a PM, but life sometimes has other priorities.

There are certainly a lot of good NON PMO caches out there... if you choose to hunt PMOs the fun way, then I'd say avoid the mystery type, since you don't have enough information available in many cases. Multis generally have something at the coordinates, but mysteries tend to have 'false' coordinates posted which will leave you miles off base. Can't have everything now can one.

 

Doug 7rxc

[thewhatupdog]

wait...so ALL caches are open to members and PMs and members can look them up and log them? Well then why can't I find the coordinates for PMO caches? Can you tell me how to access them without having to pay $30? I went out in SF with my niece and found one that was a PMO, but that was only possible because she has a PM.

 

Well, going along with a PM is certainly a valid way to find PMO caches. This is used by family groups all the time. One parent has a PM and the others log to their personal account. There are many somewhat convoluted methods to log the PMO cache.

One I found a while back is to go to the BETA Maps method of displaying caches, a PMO shows as a round dot, I see it as orange/brown on my screen. It only shows at certain ranges... too close and it vanishes to avoid details, too far out and you can't click on it.

Anyway... find the one of interest, click on the dot and an information balloon about the cache opens onscreen and in the lower right is the option to log it. The Balloon also shows the type, D/T and size (of final for some). NO COORDINATES Given. Although there was until recently a software error that left the download to GPS active for basics... proper coordinates given. That was fixed one or two updates back. It spoiled the fun anyway... I like the puzzle variant of finding. You can zero in on a broad GZ using data provided on the 'normal' GC webpages, but it's only sporting to find out how by yourself. My results so far have been at least as close as my GPS can find... under 30 feet in one direction or the other. Like I said, I managed an FTF that way on one.

Granted there was limited competition for it, that's not my fault. The flooded one (suspected) is simply not on my usual hunting area and it was a wet year. Like others have said, it's not impossible to get a PM, but life sometimes has other priorities.

There are certainly a lot of good NON PMO caches out there... if you choose to hunt PMOs the fun way, then I'd say avoid the mystery type, since you don't have enough information available in many cases. Multis generally have something at the coordinates, but mysteries tend to have 'false' coordinates posted which will leave you miles off base. Can't have everything now can one.

 

Doug 7rxc

 

LOL, that is awesome. I'll have to try that. Additionally, I've been having no luck when it comes to logging my PMO cache that I found. It won't let me do anything on the cache listing page. How do you get around that?

[thewhatupdog]

Another question I have is where all these $30 payments go? Does this site really take that much money a year to run? (There seem to be a lot of premium members, if there were 1000 PMs, that would be $30,000 dollars a year, and that estimate seems astronomically low to me). I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not really that interested in the benefits of PM, except for the cache locations, and that alone isn't worth $30/year to me. Maybe if someone could demonstrate the value and transparency of where my money is going, I might consider it.

 

PS, I'm not trying to get on anyone's nerves here, (I can tell some of you think that asking these questions is ridiculous). I'm just curious. And I'm still suggesting a way to earn access to PMO caches, even without the other perks of PM.

[+6NoisyHikers]

It costs money to operate a business, and a business should be able to make a profit above its expenses. I'm not particularly concerned what they do with the money. Groundspeak is a business, not a charity. I suppose if I found out they were using profits to burn down rainforest, I would reconsider my membership, but it's likely they are just out buying fancy hamster food.

 

I pay for a premium membership for two reasons:

 

1. I LOVE POCKET QUERIES. They are incredibly handy, especially PQs along a route.

2. I'm willing to put my money into things I value. I'm using a service; it's a service that works well for me and I feel I am getting a lot out of it.

 

BTW - I have yet to find a PMO cache, so I can't tell you whether or not they are better. Never thought about it.

 

THIS is more than worth $30.

So is THIS.

And especially THIS.

Edited January 3, 2012 by 6NoisyHikers

[+NicknPapa]

Another question I have is where all these $30 payments go? Does this site really take that much money a year to run? (There seem to be a lot of premium members, if there were 1000 PMs, that would be $30,000 dollars a year, and that estimate seems astronomically low to me). I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not really that interested in the benefits of PM, except for the cache locations, and that alone isn't worth $30/year to me. Maybe if someone could demonstrate the value and transparency of where my money is going, I might consider it.

 

PS, I'm not trying to get on anyone's nerves here, (I can tell some of you think that asking these questions is ridiculous). I'm just curious. And I'm still suggesting a way to earn access to PMO caches, even without the other perks of PM.

 

$30,000 a year wouldn't hire one half decent IT person in SW MO, much less enough to run a website this big based in Seattle WA. I doubt it would pay for office space in Seattle but don't quote me on that one, I haven't tried to rent any there. I suspect that salaries and office space are the cheap parts too, there has to be a fairly large amount of cash tied up in equipment. I suspect that the biggest expense would be bandwidth though. I don't know how much is used but based on the front page record of logs in the last 30 days it has to be a huge amount and it isn't cheap, especially when you start talking about big numbers. If the $30 each for premium memberships is the only income they have I am surprised they can keep it all going.

[+6NoisyHikers]

...And I'm still suggesting a way to earn access to PMO caches, even without the other perks of PM.

 

My suggestion is that you could earn access to PMO caches by spending more quality time with your niece.

[+t4e]

I really dislike this premium member stuff. It's really ridiculous, caches should be open to all members. I understand that some are trying to keep out vandals, but there should be some other way of achieving premium membership. What if after an initial period on the site, a member could earn access to premium caches? For example if a member finds/hides a certain number of caches, or something like that? You could put a verification code inside the cache to make sure people don't cheat.

 

It just frustrates me that because I can't afford to shell out $30 right now, I can't enjoy many of the caches in my area.

 

go get a quote from a web designer to build up a website for you and ask them how much will cost to have them maintain it for you, next get a quote on bandwidth for traffic of say 1000 people a day, plus equipment and lets not forget massive amounts of available storage, this is a very simplistic plan should not be an issue

 

take all that and multiply it by 5000...but don't forget that probably the majority of over 5 mil geocachers out there are not PM

 

and also keep in mind that the price of a PM has never increased since its inception, whereas the inflation has increased the prices on everything

[7rxc]

wait...so ALL caches are open to members and PMs and members can look them up and log them? Well then why can't I find the coordinates for PMO caches? Can you tell me how to access them without having to pay $30? I went out in SF with my niece and found one that was a PMO, but that was only possible because she has a PM.

 

Well, going along with a PM is certainly a valid way to find PMO caches. This is used by family groups all the time. One parent has a PM and the others log to their personal account. There are many somewhat convoluted methods to log the PMO cache.

One I found a while back is to go to the BETA Maps method of displaying caches, a PMO shows as a round dot, I see it as orange/brown on my screen. It only shows at certain ranges... too close and it vanishes to avoid details, too far out and you can't click on it.

Anyway... find the one of interest, click on the dot and an information balloon about the cache opens onscreen and in the lower right is the option to log it. The Balloon also shows the type, D/T and size (of final for some). NO COORDINATES Given. Although there was until recently a software error that left the download to GPS active for basics... proper coordinates given. That was fixed one or two updates back. It spoiled the fun anyway... I like the puzzle variant of finding. You can zero in on a broad GZ using data provided on the 'normal' GC webpages, but it's only sporting to find out how by yourself. My results so far have been at least as close as my GPS can find... under 30 feet in one direction or the other. Like I said, I managed an FTF that way on one.

Granted there was limited competition for it, that's not my fault. The flooded one (suspected) is simply not on my usual hunting area and it was a wet year. Like others have said, it's not impossible to get a PM, but life sometimes has other priorities.

There are certainly a lot of good NON PMO caches out there... if you choose to hunt PMOs the fun way, then I'd say avoid the mystery type, since you don't have enough information available in many cases. Multis generally have something at the coordinates, but mysteries tend to have 'false' coordinates posted which will leave you miles off base. Can't have everything now can one.

 

Doug 7rxc

 

LOL, that is awesome. I'll have to try that. Additionally, I've been having no luck when it comes to logging my PMO cache that I found. It won't let me do anything on the cache listing page. How do you get around that?

 

Going beyond the balloon is PM country... won't happen. Looking it up normally you get the same Sorry! page. Just find the cache and click for the balloon. Then use the option to log. The balloon has some information regarding the cache, as does the listing generated by a location or coordinate search. All is useful at times.

 

I can't speak for the earlier techniques for accessing mentioned in another post earlier.

 

Good luck!

Doug 7rxc

[Mr.Yuck]

Another question I have is where all these $30 payments go? Does this site really take that much money a year to run? (There seem to be a lot of premium members, if there were 1000 PMs, that would be $30,000 dollars a year, and that estimate seems astronomically low to me). I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not really that interested in the benefits of PM, except for the cache locations, and that alone isn't worth $30/year to me. Maybe if someone could demonstrate the value and transparency of where my money is going, I might consider it.

 

PS, I'm not trying to get on anyone's nerves here, (I can tell some of you think that asking these questions is ridiculous). I'm just curious. And I'm still suggesting a way to earn access to PMO caches, even without the other perks of PM.

 

$30,000 a year wouldn't hire one half decent IT person in SW MO, much less enough to run a website this big based in Seattle WA. I doubt it would pay for office space in Seattle but don't quote me on that one, I haven't tried to rent any there. I suspect that salaries and office space are the cheap parts too, there has to be a fairly large amount of cash tied up in equipment. I suspect that the biggest expense would be bandwidth though. I don't know how much is used but based on the front page record of logs in the last 30 days it has to be a huge amount and it isn't cheap, especially when you start talking about big numbers. If the $30 each for premium memberships is the only income they have I am surprised they can keep it all going.

 

Psst. They've sold hundreds of thousands aluminum tags that cost about 3 cents to produce for $5.99. And they've gotten a $1-$2 cut of every single Geocoin ever manufactured.

[thewhatupdog]

Seriously guys/gals, I'm not trying to rock the boat here. I'm very happy to have found a great new hobby, and look forward to finding lots more caches, PMO or otherwise. Thanks to everyone who gave me constructive and helpful comments! Happy trails

[+Roman!]

Another question I have is where all these $30 payments go? Does this site really take that much money a year to run? (There seem to be a lot of premium members, if there were 1000 PMs, that would be $30,000 dollars a year, and that estimate seems astronomically low to me). I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not really that interested in the benefits of PM, except for the cache locations, and that alone isn't worth $30/year to me. Maybe if someone could demonstrate the value and transparency of where my money is going, I might consider it.

 

PS, I'm not trying to get on anyone's nerves here, (I can tell some of you think that asking these questions is ridiculous). I'm just curious. And I'm still suggesting a way to earn access to PMO caches, even without the other perks of PM.

 

$30,000 a year wouldn't hire one half decent IT person in SW MO, much less enough to run a website this big based in Seattle WA. I doubt it would pay for office space in Seattle but don't quote me on that one, I haven't tried to rent any there. I suspect that salaries and office space are the cheap parts too, there has to be a fairly large amount of cash tied up in equipment. I suspect that the biggest expense would be bandwidth though. I don't know how much is used but based on the front page record of logs in the last 30 days it has to be a huge amount and it isn't cheap, especially when you start talking about big numbers. If the $30 each for premium memberships is the only income they have I am surprised they can keep it all going.

 

Psst. They've sold hundreds of thousands aluminum tags that cost about 3 cents to produce for $5.99. And they've gotten a $1-$2 cut of every single Geocoin ever manufactured.

 

Pssst, profit is not a dirty word.

[+Planet]

The great thing about this website is that YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY. But those that do, get added benefits in return for their support of the site, and it's only $30/year, and that has never gone up.

Enjoy what you get for free, and if you don't want to pay, that's your perogative, but don't get mad at the people who choose premium membership. Envy is one of the 7 deadly sins, after all.

[thewhatupdog]

The great thing about this website is that YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY. But those that do, get added benefits in return for their support of the site, and it's only $30/year, and that has never gone up.

Enjoy what you get for free, and if you don't want to pay, that's your perogative, but don't get mad at the people who choose premium membership. Envy is one of the 7 deadly sins, after all.

 

Yeah, I'm over it. Thanks.

[+Sol seaker]

How much do you pay for cable TV?

 

For one year, geocaching only costs a fraction of what TV costs for a month. Geocaching is so much better for your body and mind. If your finances are that bad, cancel your cable or dish and get a geocache account. You'll save thousands and be healthier too.

 

Groundspeak employs some 20-something employees, pays salary and benefits to those employees, pays for bandwidth and equipment for over a million geocaches, plus cachers, plus monthly rent on a large office building in Seattle. $30.00 really is a.bargain.

 

The benefits of premium membership go way beyond the PM caches. The more you cache the more you'll appreciate the other benefits and find you can't live without them. You can't call Comcast and ask to only pay for one TV channel, and you can't get premium caches without the other benefits.

[+Arndtwe]

How much do you pay for cable TV?

 

For one year, geocaching only costs a fraction of what TV costs for a month. Geocaching is so much better for your body and mind. If your finances are that bad, cancel your cable or dish and get a geocache account. You'll save thousands and be healthier too.

 

Groundspeak employs some 20-something employees, pays salary and benefits to those employees, pays for bandwidth and equipment for over a million geocaches, plus cachers, plus monthly rent on a large office building in Seattle. $30.00 really is a.bargain.

 

The benefits of premium membership go way beyond the PM caches. The more you cache the more you'll appreciate the other benefits and find you can't live without them. You can't call Comcast and ask to only pay for one TV channel, and you can't get premium caches without the other benefits.

 

Especially since it is not required! It amazes me that they can provide this whole game free of charge, and give you the option to pay to play. I pay them not for the features/PMO caches (though both are nice), but rather because it supports that site and helps keep this wonderful game alive!

[+Turtle_Sask]

Premium memberships is exactly meant so that noobs don't touch them, meaning if someone put together a really nice cache that relies on geocachers to not brake or put back pieces of the puzzle in the cache, they have experienced caches who find them and not people who have only found a few

[+Wadcutter]

Premium memberships is exactly meant so that noobs don't touch them, meaning if someone put together a really nice cache that relies on geocachers to not brake or put back pieces of the puzzle in the cache, they have experienced caches who find them and not people who have only found a few

Think about what you just wrote. Makes no sense. There's nothing to prevent a "noobs" from being a premium member. Anyone can be a premium member before they ever start looking for caches thereby tossing your "theory" into the wind.

[+hzoi]

Premium memberships is exactly meant so that noobs don't touch them, meaning if someone put together a really nice cache that relies on geocachers to not brake or put back pieces of the puzzle in the cache, they have experienced caches who find them and not people who have only found a few

 

We joined the site on 23 February 2007. I bought a premium membership the next day. PM has nothing to do with noob or not noob. It's who is willing to pony up a measly $30 a year versus who isn't.

 

One of the perks for that $30 a year (less than a night out at dinner, or a good bottle of wine, or a tank of gas, or nearly any GPSr you can buy, by the way) is the ability to designate a cache for other PM members only; another is the abilit to find such caches.

[diggingest_dogg616]

All I really care about is that I get the basic stuff for free

 

I don't want access to premium caches without paying for it.

 

I don't need pocket queries at this point in time.

 

I don't need to filter caches at this point in time.

 

I don't need statistics.

 

A lot of these would really handy, but I don't really *need* it right now. I've flaked out with this hobby once. Maybe I'm mega cheap but I don't want to spend 30 bucks and then not cache the rest of the year. As long as I can have what I have now, I'm pretty happy.

 

I believe in "levels". Free should be enough to get by. Anything above that should cost something and 30 dollars isn't too bad. I've read on here that some people get enough money from recycling CITO stuff to pay for a premium membership!

 

I have plenty of "free" caches to keep busy for a looong time!

[+Arndtwe]

In case anyone is interested, I made a quick tutorial on how to log a PMO as a basic member. I see a lot of people not understanding how this is done. There are many ways to accomplish this, but the easiest that I know of (that others have mentioned) is in the video.

 

Edited March 13, 2012 by Arndtwe

[+Turtle_Sask]

Premium memberships is exactly meant so that noobs don't touch them, meaning if someone put together a really nice cache that relies on geocachers to not brake or put back pieces of the puzzle in the cache, they have experienced caches who find them and not people who have only found a few

Think about what you just wrote. Makes no sense. There's nothing to prevent a "noobs" from being a premium member. Anyone can be a premium member before they ever start looking for caches thereby tossing your "theory" into the wind.

 

I did think about what I wrote and I do realize I did not use my best efforts in trying to explain "my theory". I was trying to get across that a premium member cache is less likely to get ruined/degraded by fellow cachers because the % of cachers that practice good caching techniques far out weight the "new" people to the hobby that are not yet experienced enough. And im sorry if I came off angry or judging of new people, I simply believe that if you put a lot of effort into a cache then I think that listing it as a premium member cache "should" have a better chance of lasting longer. I do realize that that's not the case 100% of the time like you stated "Anyone can be a premium member before they ever start looking for caches". However most premium members get a feel for geocaching before forking over money(regardless of the amount). I think the one thing that could be "tossed into the wind" is your attitude and tone in your response.

 

-Cheers

[+Mr.Benchmark]

I think this "premium cache" thing is dumb! I don't have money to pay for a premium account and besides, when I first starting geocaching last year, there were no such thing as premium accounts and premium caches.

 

You've found 8 caches so far. Perhaps if you found a few more, the premium membership would seem worthwhile to you. If you find more caches and the premium membership still doesn't seem worth it, then perhaps this just isn't the game for you.

 

I'd submit that $30/year - less than $3 / month - is pretty cheap for entertainment.

 

This is about the price of going to two movies, twice - depending on your area. (Some places it is the price of just two people going to the movies once.)

 

Some popular online games cost about this for two months of play.

 

A single console game, that you play for less than a year can easily cost $30.

 

If you rent a DVD from redbox a couple or three times a month, you'll spend about this much over a year.

 

So I don't think this is very expensive, at least in comparison to other common forms of entertainment. The alternative would be for the site / game to be ad revenue based, or something less palatable. Indeed, be thankful that the site doesn't pimp everything out with ads for people who DON'T pay for premium memberships. (Click to find this one weird old tip to lose belly fat. <insert your state> If you drive less than <insert totally average number of miles> then YOU are getting ripped off for auto insurance! Etc.) This is a pretty good deal, I think.

 

I'm sorry you don't have money to pay for a premium account - solving that issue is beyond the scope of this forum. If this still seems unfair to you, well, I suppose it is. Life is unfair though, sorry to break the news to you.

[+Sol seaker]

Rather than complaining because you don't get a very small percentage of the caches, perhaps you should be thankful that Groundspeak is kind enough to make a large percentage of the caches available to everyone.

 

They could have chosen to make the website only viewable to those who had paid.

Instead, in their great wisdom and fairness, they decided to make the website available to everyone.

 

And you should rejoice in that.

 

And rejoice there is more to look forward to once you decide it's worth putting more money into it.

[+Manville Possum]

Rather than complaining because you don't get a very small percentage of the caches, perhaps you should be thankful that Groundspeak is kind enough to make a large percentage of the caches available to everyone.

 

They could have chosen to make the website only viewable to those who had paid.

Instead, in their great wisdom and fairness, they decided to make the website available to everyone.

 

And you should rejoice in that.

 

And rejoice there is more to look forward to once you decide it's worth putting more money into it.

And those of us that are PM's and have taken the vow to never make our listings PMO are worthy of praise. So rejoice basic members, and if you own a Garmin GPS unit, register it with the Company and take advantage of the free 30 day PM. Garmin's gift to you for buying their products.

[+ras_oscar]

To the OP: pmo caches are not better than non pmo caches. They are there as an option for the CO to choose. Many COs start out a PMO and then go to open access once the initial traffic has died down. If you feel the website is valuable to you, and you enjoy the sport, please consider financial support by becoming a premium member. If not, please continue to be the guest of myself and everybody else that chooses to support this site with premium member payments.