WHat to collect so to speak...

[+DeCoyote]

Ok,

 

As my other post have shown, I'm new. My question is kind of simple. When people way mark do they just do one or two different kinds?

 

Like bench marks and lets say monuments?

 

Also how do you scan and save those scans so you know where to go?

 

I know I will do most anything. But there are some that seem a little cooler than others that you might want to visit.

 

Also last question, what seems to be the big thing in Waymarking right now. As in everyone is doing this....

 

Thanks a ton. I want to do some and get a feel for it, before a post some. Kind of like what I did in GC.

 

Take care,

 

The Yote

[+Chasing Blue Sky]

Ok,

 

As my other post have shown, I'm new. My question is kind of simple. When people way mark do they just do one or two different kinds?

 

Like bench marks and lets say monuments?

 

Also how do you scan and save those scans so you know where to go?

 

I know I will do most anything. But there are some that seem a little cooler than others that you might want to visit.

 

Also last question, what seems to be the big thing in Waymarking right now. As in everyone is doing this....

 

Thanks a ton. I want to do some and get a feel for it, before a post some. Kind of like what I did in GC.

 

Take care,

 

The Yote

 

You've hit on what makes Waymarking unique and fun - everyone is different, and everyone can play it the way they choose. You can certainly choose to focus on one, two, or a hand full of categories; of course, choosing the categories that interest you the most. Conversely, you could focus on filling up your grid and not worry about how many of each category you're visiting or posting. You could focus on broad categories, such as History.

 

As for me, I've been geocaching for 5 years and started Waymarking 2 years ago. There were a couple of geocache challenges in my area that required finding waymarks. That got me started Waymarking. I first started visiting whatever waymarks were in my area - it didin't matter what category they were, I was just getting my feet wet and would take pictures of whatever I thought would fit into a waymark category. I still didn't comprehend all of the different categories and took some pictures that didn't fit any categories. After not too long, I went to an area that had a number of waymarks posted that I could visit, and I found that there was one, a unique crossing, that hadn't been waymarked. I figured that was one I could submit, so I did. After that, I realized that I needed to start taking multiple pictures of sites I visited, because sites that I thought would surely be waymarked hadn't been. I could be the first - if I had more than a single picture. I still try to visit as many of whatever category as I can, but it is pretty cool to find sites that have things that haven't yet been submitted. Especially when it is an area that has not had any waymarks or very few.

 

While I try to visit as many waymarks as possible, regardless of category, when I travel and have limited amount of time, I have to prioritize my time and effort on the categories that i am most interested in, and bypass many many existing or potential waymarks in other categories. Early on there were a number of categories that I didn't quite understand, and took a little more effort to know what was required to submit them, but that all comes with time and experience. Even after two years of Waymarking, I still feel like I'm learning. Speaking of which, don't be discouraged when your submission gets denied. It happens more than you would think. Sometimes, it was because you missed a specific requirement - simple to fix and resubmit. Other times, it is because it really didn't fit the category you've submitted it in, maybe it fits another category. Sometimes it seems like the reviewer is just being overly picky. Regardless, don't let it discourage you from submitting other waymarks.

 

So, I'd say, just start taking pictures, and make sure you get it from more than one angle, get a close up and a distance shot for perspective. Visit as many as you're interested in, and start posting those you find that haven't yet been waymarked. You'll start to find what categories are most satisfying to waymark.

 

Most of all, have fun. Play it the way that it is fun for YOU!

[+DeCoyote]

Chasing Blue sky Thank you!

 

A first class answer.

 

I'm just surprised that more people don't waymark. But thats good for me in that there are more to submit.

 

I find the web site is not too user friendly. Also how are you logging your finds in the field?

 

Do you take your picture then do your work at home?

 

Anyways thanks a ton. I will play around for a while then wait till I get to say 30-40 before I submit.

 

Thanks a ton,

 

The Yote

[+Chasing Blue Sky]

Chasing Blue sky Thank you!

 

A first class answer.

 

I'm just surprised that more people don't waymark. But thats good for me in that there are more to submit.

 

I find the web site is not too user friendly. Also how are you logging your finds in the field?

 

Do you take your picture then do your work at home?

 

Anyways thanks a ton. I will play around for a while then wait till I get to say 30-40 before I submit.

 

Thanks a ton,

 

The Yote

 

That is another thing I like about Waymarking - there are plenty of other waymarkers who are willing to help when you ask. Unless, of course, what you are having issues with is a known problem, then they are at least willing to commiserate with you.

 

Personally, I'm not sure why more geocachers don't come over to the road less traveled. All I know is that while I've been out Waymarking, I haven't been stung; I haven't had to stick my arm in a briar patch; I haven't ripped my pants on barbed wire; I haven't climbed a tree against my better judgement; I haven't opened a container full of slimey "water"; I haven't wasted 30 minutes looking for something that wasn't there; I haven't walked through poison ivy; I haven't examined every branch of a blue spruce; I haven't gone out late at night or early in the morning for that elusive FTF; I haven't stuck my hand anywhere it shouldn't have been; I haven't gotten in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, of my car on a power trail; I haven't worried about forgeting a pen; I haven't had to spend more time rolling a nano log than it took to sign it; sometimes I don't even have to get out of the car!

 

The other thing about Waymarking that I'd think would attract geocachers is the "numbers". For so many geocachers, it's all about the numbers! Why else would power trails be so popular - the scenery, the excitement - not! It's the numbers! Quite frankly, I've visited more waymarks in my two years of Waymarking, than I've found geocaches during the last five years of geocaching. And I've submitted way more waymarks than I've hidden caches during those time periods. That's efficiency in numbers - who couldn't relate to that?!

 

Actually, it is a mixed blessing that more don't waymark. It definitely provides more opportunities for creating your own waymarks, with not as much "competition". However, that is one of the reasons that the website is not more user friendly - there isn't as large a demand as there is on the geocaching side. The website definitely does take some getting used to. One of the complaints I hear from geocachers is why do I have to individually log a visit to a site that has multiple waymarks. On the surface, that is a good question. However, just because I visited a site, doesn't mean that I "visited" every category at that site. For example, I was forunate enough to visit Paris, France last summer with my family. While there, we stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral. The line was so long to go inside that we stayed outside for a while and enjoyed the area. This is a site that has multiple waymarks, yet I didn't actually "visit" all of them. I didn't go inside, so I didn't visit the penny smasher, the guest book, and I wasn't able to enjoy the cityscape view from the tower. That is one of the benefits of having so many different categories. Despite the 40 something waymarks at this wonderful site, I was able to find a category that fit the site and had yet to be submitted. So, at a major landmark that is a huge tourist destination, I was able to add a waymark - how cool is that?!

 

One of the frustrations I have with the website is not having the same ability to make something similar to geocaching pocket queries. I may be missing something obvious or even some tricks of the more experienced waymarker, but when I'm going to visit a new area, I'll take a look online and see what's there and try to remember the things I want to visit. Once I'm out there, I'm pretty much flying blind, hoping not only to visit the sites I've seen online, but maybe be able to submit some new waymarks. I can't tell you how many times I've been somewhere new and missed something I would have wanted to visit, by only a block or two, and not realize it until I got home. Doh! I was over a thousand miles from home and only a street away from the site - and I missed it! Now that's frustrating!

 

I don't submit anything in the field. I guess I'm not that savvy yet. What I do is take as many pictures as I have time for, and I'll go home and upload all of my pictures onto my computer. Then I start looking through what pictures I have and what has already been submitted in the area. I'll go through and log my visits and submit new waymarks and almost always run out of time to do them all.

 

The other thing you'll find is that Waymarking is more computer intensive than geocaching. Even when you're visiting a waymark, it does take longer to log your visit and upload a picture or pictures, than it does to type TFTC on a geocache find. Of course, I've never been one to be that brief, however, there are plenty of geocachers who are. Again, everyone plays differently. If I've taken pictures (plural), I'll usually upload pictures (plural), even though it takes more time, because it adds to the documentation of the site. It takes even more time on the computer when you're submitting new waymarks. Not only do you have to make sure you're meeting all of the requirements of the waymark category, try to answer all of the variables, and upload multiple pictures, but you'll end up doing a lot more research in order to submit a quality waymark. You'll also find that you'll take way more pictures than you'll ever have time to either log visits or submit new waymarks. Then again, just like you have to prioritize what you're taking pictures of, you'll end up having to prioritze what you submit.

 

Probably one of the best things that you could do - and it does take a while - is to familiarize yourself with all of the different categories. I still can't claim to have accomplished that yet, but I do understand the value in it. I can't tell you how many times I visited an area, taken lots of pictures, only to find that I didn't take the "right" picture from the "right" angle, or with the "right" gesture, to submit it in a specific category. When that happens somewhere near home, it's not a big deal; it's fairly easy to go back and take the right picture. When that happens at a place I was visiting a long way from home it can be frustrating. Of course, that was my fault for not fully understanding what is expected in each category. It still doesn't make it any less frustrating.

 

OK, that was probably way more than you asked for, but I hope it was helpful.

[+MountainWoods]

Yep. There's a lot missing like pocket queries and such.

 

I know what you mean about it almost being a blessing that we don't have a bunch more folks from the geocaching side joining so that we don't hit saturation too fast.

 

On the other hand, if more folks did Waymarking, Groundspeak would have to sit up and take notice and do something about a lot of the problems and missing features in Waymarking.com. So that's the flip side.

 

I was into geocaching for about 9+ months before I got into Waymarking. Now I'm developing a pattern. In the summer months I do very little geocaching. Just if I happen to be in a totally new area and thought to download some geocaches before going there. I do a lot more Waymarking -- both creation and visits -- in the summertime, and leave the geocaching for when I want to get out of the house in the cooler months.

 

I say that I'm developing the pattern 'cause I've only been geocaching for about 17 months and I've only been Waymarking for about 9 months.

 

When I started Waymarking I thought I would only be interested in visiting them, and I was having a riot learning about places and things that I hadn't known about before. (I didn't grow up where I'm at. I've lived here for 10 years.) But one day I noticed a Woodmen Of The World grave marker that hadn't been waymarked by our local, and highly prolific, waymark (and geocaching) guru. So I made my first waymark. From there I just branched out.

 

It's been a little difficult because that other guy (who is a geocaching and Facebook friend of mine) has been doing it a lot of years and had really blanketed the area. But I've still found a lot that he didn't get around to.

 

I started out just doing this-and-that category waymarks. Then I decided to really cover certain favorite categories in my county and a bit beyond. So, for example, I think I've got just about every Baptist Church in my county listed. I'm working on Firehouses (the ones that the more prolific guy hadn't done yet). And Cemeteries. And Country Churches. There's certain categories that I want my county to be really documented on.

 

The thing I hope that folks will notice about my waymarks is that the description is as much as I could find on the subject. That makes me take a lot longer and I'm not racking up waymarks as fast as I could if I didn't do as much research. But I get tired of the waymarks whose descriptions say "I happened across this while on my way to visit my aunt and decided it should be a waymark." Period. And there are a lot of those. They don't tell the reader anything about the waymark.

 

Unfortunately, since someone else got to them first, I cannot go back and give the things a decent description! Many of them don't matter to me. But there are a few that I wish I could go in and Edit the darn things.

 

Have fun!

Edited June 12, 2013 by MountainWoods

[+DeCoyote]

Wow,

 

Thank you very much. I'm using Geosphere app on my I phone and at least I can download a target and or page so this helps. Can't upload a log and picture yet.

 

This REALLY HELPS ALOT what you have written.

 

I enjoy peakbagger, MZ, GC, Benchmarking, and now Waymarking.

 

I feel that I will enjoy Waymarking a lot more just because of what you 2 have taught me. Thank you.

 

Kind of a more take your time and enjoy the outing, find out info. etc.

 

Yes it is too bad that more people don't do it but I feel that it gives us time to mark things for the future and then maybe more people will get into it and find out cool

things.

 

Take care and thanks so much for the help.

 

The Yote

[+Max and 99]

Chasing Blue Sky,

 

I hope you DO eventually have the opportunity to find a waymark that requires bushwacking, takes you thru poison ivy and gets you covered in ticks. They ARE out there!

Edited June 13, 2013 by Max and 99

[+MountainWoods]

BTW, I see that you had your first Waymark published, DeCoyote. I really like the description. It tells me something about it.

 

That's a world of difference better than some of the "I thought this would be neat to waymark. Period; End of Description." types of descriptions that I've seen in a bunch of waymarks. It takes a little longer to do that kind of research and typing.

 

But at the end of the day, each of your waymarks in your collection is something to be proud of, rather than just the number of them.

[hankpac]

I have only just now started geocaching, although I have known about it for some time. I just learned about Waymarking as a recreation, ( I way mark on my GPS all the time).

I submitted three sites, and already had one approved. I am pending on another, and will post a third when I get back there for a photo.

 

In my youth I visited a lot of places not often traveled. I tried to visit every place described by John Muir in his journals, while traveling in the Sierra Nevada. For instance I spent the night on top of Banner Peak above 1,000 Islands Lake. I had better gear than he did, but it was very cold. There were so many stars, I couldn't pick out many familiar constellations. I will never get back there again, so I don't have a photo to submit with the waymark.

There is an overlook on HWy 299 that looks down on the now abandoned mine of my old friend (now deceased) Gus Gustafsen. He sat at the trail head of the New river. A very isolated spot indeed. The Forest Circus in their infinite wisdom took down the Indiana Jones-type bridge that once spanned the Trinity River, and the cable car that replaced it. So, no one can get in there anymore.

Too bad we weren't doing this 30 years ago.

Well I stil visit some choice places that I will share with people.

Edited October 6, 2013 by hankpac

[+silverquill]

Well this is an old thread, and I think Blue Sky guy has giving some good answers.

 

hancpac - Reminds me of one of our older categories Ansel Adams Photo Hunt - taking a photo matching the view of any of his published photos, and getting the coordinates, of course. Our Philatelic Photos - taking a photos matching a view depicted on a postage stamp. In fact, we have quite a few categories that will take you to unusual and less visited sites. Waterfalls, Mountain Summits, Wilderness Shelters, Long Distance Hiking Trails, and a host history and art categories.

 

Waymarking can be just as fascinating and as adventurous as you want to make it!

[+flipflopnick]

To help with what each Category needs, load the zip file of text files I maintain onto your smartphone. Then search those text files for specific words to see whether it is possible to Waymark what you are about to photograph. Originally created text files to know which needed GPSr in view.

 

In time you will not search that often. Only when you are unsure what is needed. Take pix of everything including the coordinates after 2 minutes. Writing stuff down can lead to "transmission" errors.

 

Prior to visiting a site, I download a .gpx file of existing Waymarks. And load into app on smartphone.

HTH

[+iconions]

Just to add my two cents worth...

I've been geocaching since '05, and I started Waymarking because of the demise of the reverse caches back in '07, I think. I have really started focusing on the Historic Buildings, Historical Markers and really anything associated cemetery wise. I returned from a vacation to Charleston, SC and was able to post lots of visits and, surprisingly, several new posts. I did get caught up in the government shutdown, so I didn't get my Ft. Sumter visit that I really drove from Kansas City to get. Getting to post the gravsite of John C Calhoun went a long way to make up for it!

 

I consider myself very lucky to have started when I did - I was taught to try and "sell" my waymark and get people to visit my waymark. I always try to use these waymarks as a chance to play Chamber of Commerce member for someone who is looking for that specific infomation. I have been contacted a couple of times by people thanking me for the pictures of headstones of relatives that they had been searching for.

 

Go forth and waymark! Besides, it's a great day when one gets to fill BruceS's emailbox with visits to congratulate him on all of his hard work! (Hopefully, I get to do just that this weekend!)

[+MountainWoods]

I like that terminology: try and sell your waymark. I guess I hadn't thought of it in exactly that term, but that sounds like what I've been trying to do. Make the waymark so that other folks want to visit it. Good way of putting it.

 

I wonder if the reason that some folks mostly make waymarks and don't visit other folks' waymarks that much is because perhaps they looked around and only saw a bunch of waymarks that didn't "sell them" on the idea of visiting. If so, I hope they took away from that that they themselves should make their waymarks "sellable".