Commercial Categories

[+lumbricus]

Hi,

 

today I thought about the commercial categories. Normally I don't do them. Many say they are boring and that you could look in the Yellow Pages for them.

 

But if you see it from the documentation side it's good that we are doing them. It's very interesting to see what changed over the years. If I would like to know how my home town looked 20 years ago I will not find many pictures with the coordinates to the location they were taken. I can remember some old stores but we have no pictures or informations.

 

If the Waymarking site will still exist in let's say 15 years we have a excellent documentation of our environment.

 

We Waymarkers are the documentarians of the whole planet! All for one and one for all!

[+BruceS]

But guess what.... in general they are still boring

[+The Blue Quasar]

But guess what.... in general they are still boring

 

Yup, the "Business" section is rather lack luster. I think I can say that since I lead several categories in that branch. Soggy paper game has a lot of lack luster entries too... only 10% are worthy of being "favorites", if you follow what I'm getting at.

 

My visits or logs are not intended to be "OMG that's amazing" but more of a "Thanks for giving me something to do."

 

BQ

[+silverquill]

It is interesting to note that there are only three commercial categories in the top 100. McDonalds at # 17 One of the original set of categories, with a huge international pool Subway at #37 There are more of these locations around the world than there are McDonalds and Starbucks at #48 Again a business with a huge, international pool of sites.

 

So, I think that is a good indication of what people find interesting and worthwhile to waymark.

 

In general I won't go out of my way for a waymark in a commercial category but will do them if I am close for some other reason. Sometimes a drive down a major city street can be overwhelming if one thinks of all the potential waymarks passing by! Try driving down a fast-food alley. But, in general, they can be quick and easy waymarks to put up and get the number bump.

 

Still, I think they have a legitimate place in the Waymarking universe. I think you are partly right in the reasons for this being documentation. I think this is also a weakness because no group of waymarks goes stale quicker than commercial categories. I've seen some businesses change two or three times within the first year! So, keeping our waymrks current in these categories is very difficult.

 

Another weakness of commercial categories is that the process is so hit and miss. No category is any where near comprehensive enough to be any sort of directory, so the value has to lie elsewhere.

 

Preserved for posterity, I guess.