+Renegade Knight Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 (edited) What exactly is WOW? I've seen rejected caches that were better than some of the ones that were approved. However subjective standards will do that for you. This thread isn't for approvers or about approvers. By and large they have to enforce the will of the site and it's owners. Maybe they have an inside track on a wow approval conversation in their own forum, but when push comes to shovr cache owners make individual estimations of Wow then are shocked when their cache is denied. This isn't about getting caches approved. Quite frankly I don't care about what will get listed on this site. Only what cache owners think wow is. Unlike most virtual threads I'm not trying to get it one approved. So objectivly exactly what is Wow? In my opinion there is no universal WOW. WOW appreciation is as varied as WOW rating factors for approves. It's like the lame cache debate. Pointless. But I'm all ears in case someone has this figured out. What's WOW? Edited July 9, 2004 by Renegade Knight Quote Link to comment
+Hemlock Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Wow! I can't believe you're starting another thread to beat this dead horse! Quote Link to comment
+Corp Of Discovery Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 (edited) Wow! I can't believe you're starting another thread to beat this dead horse! WOW! I can't believe the first response was not only specifically going against what RK asked but also flamed him for opening this thread AND it was done by a representative of this site to boot. Edited July 9, 2004 by Corp Of Discovery Quote Link to comment
ju66l3r Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 What I think WOW should be by Ju66l3r I think "Wow" may better be summarized as the ability to impress someone with their find even if they were not initially interested in the topic. Of course, the way it is phrased does not mean that *everyone* needs to come away with an appreciation for what they've been shown (just like park'n'cache traditionals don't instill some sort of appreciation for me to do them either)...but the subject or way in which the virtual is accomplished should give the seeker at the very minimum a trivia fact to quote to someone a day later. I think that is a more pragmatic approach to defining a virtual than "wow". Finding a historical marker denoting the flanking point of General Hammersham in the Battle of Gettysburg....doesn't instill the person with anything. Finding every historical marker that follows the Union army's advance on the Confederacy over a 3 mile distance....instills at the minimum an appreciation for how far the soldiers had to go in the few days that the Battle took. And so on... Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 I shall not today attempt further to define the wow factor; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it. Quote Link to comment
+Metro Nomad Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 In my opinion there is no universal WOW. WOW appreciation is as varied as WOW rating factors for approves. It's like the lame cache debate. Pointless. But I'm all ears in case someone has this figured out. What's WOW? RK So many people, so many definitions of WOW. I like redheads, you like blondes. What's WOW to me isn't to you, and vice versa! Have you ever tried to define a piece of string? I would like it of some of the clever ones out there can come up with an answer to that one! That said, there should be a lot of people that appreciate the same kind of WOWs in life. There's a lot of truth in Ju66l3r's reply. This quest of yours will take you a long way on the road to the next millenium and all I can say is: May the force be with you! Happy hunting in the meantime. Quote Link to comment
Tahosa and Sons Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Wow is and undefined acrnoynm of . . . Just ask an old man what is a Wild Old Woman. and you'll get some good stories. And I like beer on the weekends, and Whiskey On Weekdays. Quote Link to comment
+The Cheeseheads Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 This cache was a WOW. It walked you through a small town in Wisconsin and brought you to a spot with a unique bit of history. True, you could say "take the year off the final marker and create a physical cache somewhere nearby" but I thin this is an example of what an acceptable virtual could be. A lot more than a "Drive to this sign, read something through your window and email me the answer." Quote Link to comment
Fakk 2 Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 WoW to me would be something unexpected that I wouldnt realize before hand. As for string=Collection of fibers, wrapped toegether. Quote Link to comment
+Team GPSaxophone Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Have you ever tried to define a piece of string? I would like it of some of the clever ones out there can come up with an answer to that one! String: A cord usually made of fiber, used for fastening, tying, or lacing. Quote Link to comment
+The Cheeseheads Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Have you ever tried to define a piece of string? Some people have some excellent theories about string... Quote Link to comment
+Polgara Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 What exactly is WOW? I've seen rejected caches that were better than some of the ones that were approved. However subjective standards will do that for you. This thread isn't for approvers or about approvers. By and large they have to enforce the will of the site and it's owners. Maybe they have an inside track on a wow approval conversation in their own forum, but when push comes to shovr cache owners make individual estimations of Wow then are shocked when their cache is denied. This isn't about getting caches approved. Quite frankly I don't care about what will get listed on this site. Only what cache owners think wow is. Unlike most virtual threads I'm not trying to get it one approved. So objectivly exactly what is Wow? In my opinion there is no universal WOW. WOW appreciation is as varied as WOW rating factors for approves. It's like the lame cache debate. Pointless. But I'm all ears in case someone has this figured out. What's WOW? Wow is when both of you are able to #$*%&$# and then %*&$#&%$ while $&*#%*$#&%....whoaaaa, family forum! Quote Link to comment
thorin Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 WoW = World of Warcraft Thorin Quote Link to comment
+Mopar Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 It's almost impossible to define "wow". However, it's pretty easy to define what "wow" usually isn't. Signs, memorials, tombstones or historical markers usually do not "wow" the avg person. Quote Link to comment
ju66l3r Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 It's almost impossible to define "wow". Well, good thing we're using it as a subjective test for our caches! Quote Link to comment
AC Student Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 (edited) Yes, “Wow” is subjective, but that alone does not make it a bad criterion for judging virtual caches. The word “reasonable” is also subjective but it is used all the time in legal decisions that are far more important than approving or not approving a cache. edit: spelling Edited July 9, 2004 by AC Student Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 One mans wow is another mans so what. Kind of like, Some people like fireworks and some do not. Some people like going out to a movie some do not. Some people like seafood and some do not. Some people like driving fast and some do not. Some people like geocaching and some (the confused ones)do not . Some people like to go postal and some do not. Some people like S_X and some (Say) they do not. Some people like to watch Days of our Lives and some do not. Some people like dogs and some like Cats Some people like Horror films and some do not Some people like Ground speak forums and some do not Some people like Beer and other people like the american version Some people like Italian food and some people are just nuts. Some people like Counrty music and some like western music. Some people like to watch CNBC, some like the munsters reruns. Some people like cigars and some do not Some people like real coffee and some like Foo Foo coffee Some people like paying taxes and some people are republicans Some people like a color GPS screen and some do not. Some people have read this far in this posting some have not Quote Link to comment
MOCKBA Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 What exactly is WOW? well if you ask, honestly... GC.com's definition of WOW is numeric. Top 1 percentile of all cache submissions to a reviewer (of this narrow group, some may not be apoproved for other reasons, of course). But since they are too sheepish to admit that there is a numerical quota, they come up with a silly notion of regional unique-ness. For example, a Confederate attack monument at Gettysburg is not unique, but if there ever existed a plaque commemorating a Confederate attack in Central Park, that might have qualified as unique, despite its inherently lower intuitive WOW measure. You are in especially good shape if you invent a totally-unique category for you cache (should I submit the world's largest chemical weapons depot? You count the storage huts in the 3rd row from the South? I'm sure nobody submitted this kind of cr*p before. Gotta check a few things first - the info may be available on Terraserve for one thing, and I also need to come up with a specific GPS target since the depot itself is just too big ). The bottom line is, things which universally wow people are unfortunately non-unique most of the time. Peaks and canyons and waterfalls, buildings and ruins and monuments are everywhere. Which means that the virts like my latest submission are gonna rule, unfortunately. The one I got approved got a WOW factor of sorts ... it certainly wasn't the best view around here, but it beat the other viwpoints easily on the uniqueness criteria. It had only one visit since it was approved, and in so bad weather that the finder didn't see what was supposed to WOW him anyway. Maybe that's the ultimate intent of Jeremy's? To approve the new virts in such way that very few people will ever want to visit them ? Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Some people like fireworks and some do not.Some people like going out to a movie some do not. Some people like seafood and some do not. Some people like driving fast and some do not. Some people like geocaching and some (the confused ones)do not . Some people like to go postal and some do not. Some people like S_X and some (Say) they do not. Some people like to watch Days of our Lives and some do not. Some people like dogs and some like Cats Some people like Horror films and some do not Some people like Ground speak forums and some do not Some people like Beer and other people like the american version Some people like Italian food and some people are just nuts. Some people like Counrty music and some like western music. Some people like to watch CNBC, some like the munsters reruns. Some people like cigars and some do not Some people like real coffee and some like Foo Foo coffee Some people like paying taxes and some people are republicans Some people like a color GPS screen and some do not. Some people have read this far in this posting some have not But nobody doesn't like Sarah Lee. Quote Link to comment
+Gizmo & Brazin Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Ok...the opinion of a cache owner: "WOW" goes beyond just a simply like or dislike of something. I'm not a cat fan, but if I saw a 45 pound shaved cat, I would probably say "WOW". It doesn't have to be something I like, to have a "WOW" factor for me. It just has to be something that is more grand, or spectacular...like the Grand Canyon. Now that has a "WOW" factor. Quote Link to comment
+Criminal Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 WOW, that a virt has anything to do with geocaching WOW, that anyone would doubt that Seattle is going to start putting tradition or history of the game above profit. These people gotta bring home the cat food you know. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted July 9, 2004 Author Share Posted July 9, 2004 It's almost impossible to define "wow". However, it's pretty easy to define what "wow" usually isn't. Signs, memorials, tombstones or historical markers usually do not "wow" the avg person. The Minidoka Internment camp has nothing left of it but a stone guardhouse. All the buildings were sold and most of the residential dorms ended up serving as dorms for migrant farm workers. There is little to see but the plaque that markes the spot. It's a powerful spot just the same and while I normally agree that it's not the sign that I want to see but the location, sometimes that's about all you can get for the requisite verification. The verification requirement creates some of the lackluster signs we have to find. Without that a location could be marked in the middle of a field, but of course describing a blade of grass makes for lousy verification. Quote Link to comment
+wimseyguy Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 It seems that it is becoming easier to define what is not WOW! No historical markers, memorials, gravesites yadayadayada...... Here's one amazing virtual I found on vacation in Italy that a.-certainly had wow factor for the effort to get there, b. it's architectural and historical presence, and c. the amazing view once you got there. Could a micro be hidden nearby-no freakin' way! Would I have gone there if the virt wasn't? Maybe but I doubt it. Do other non caching tourists go there; all day long. So would this get approved today? Quote Link to comment
+TEAM 360 Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 (edited) It just has to be something that is more grand, or spectacular...like the Grand Canyon. Now that has a "WOW" factor. Uh, no. Been there, done that...BOOOORING! Just another hole in the ground to me, since I live so close... Which just goes to prove: the WOW factor is completely subjective and cannot be nailed down to a strict definition. Personally, I would find a famous gravestone more WOW than the Grand Canyon, or a plaque that told about a famous battle. At least I got the chance to read something, to learn something new, while getting a find, instead of: Open Altoids tin. Sign log. Rehide Altoids tin. Drive down road .1 mile and repeat. Edited July 10, 2004 by TEAM 360 Quote Link to comment
+Corp Of Discovery Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 It just has to be something that is more grand, or spectacular...like the Grand Canyon. Now that has a "WOW" factor. Uh, no. Been there, done that...BOOOORING! Just another hole in the ground to me, since I live so close... Which just goes to prove: the WOW factor is completely objective and cannot be nailed down to a strict definition. Personally, I would find a famous gravestone more WOW than the Grand Canyon, or a plaque that told about a famous battle. At least I got the chance to read something, to learn something new, while getting a find, instead of: Open Altoids tin. Sign log. Rehide Altoids tin. Drive down road .1 mile and repeat. In this thread I made an analogy like yours. In a nutshell it is this: a person works at the World Trade Center for 30 years, WTC not 'wow' for them, someone visits NYC and has never seen a building over 10 stories- WTC very 'wow' for them, 9-11 happens and I think the same spot, even without the buildings is VERY 'WOW' for everyone. Yes, this may be an extreme example but it goes to show that not only is something 'wow' on different levels for different people, the same thing can change 'wow' levels for any one person. And in the end isn't that what virtuals are supposed to aspire to? Make people see different things or things in a different way? Those to me are what makes 'wow'. BTW- I think you mean subjective and not objective. Quote Link to comment
Fakk 2 Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 Some people like fireworks and some do not.Some people like going out to a movie some do not. Some people like seafood and some do not. Some people like driving fast and some do not. Some people like geocaching and some (the confused ones)do not . Some people like to go postal and some do not. Some people like S_X and some (Say) they do not. Some people like to watch Days of our Lives and some do not. Some people like dogs and some like Cats Some people like Horror films and some do not Some people like Ground speak forums and some do not Some people like Beer and other people like the american version Some people like Italian food and some people are just nuts. Some people like Counrty music and some like western music. Some people like to watch CNBC, some like the munsters reruns. Some people like cigars and some do not Some people like real coffee and some like Foo Foo coffee Some people like paying taxes and some people are republicans Some people like a color GPS screen and some do not. Some people have read this far in this posting some have not But nobody doesn't like Sarah Lee. I thought it was Nobody does "IT" like Sara Lee As in Bake such crappy pastry. <gags> Quote Link to comment
+Robespierre Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 Robespierre's Dictionary of Hard-To-Define Words: Wow - a sense of wonder or respect which accompanies a location of note, or experience of rare accomplishment. I have seen a lot of "interesting" places, but my last real "wow" was years ago at the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. Is it a virtual? Quote Link to comment
+mtn-man Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 Yes, and it was done by me in 2001. It was the 7th virtual cache created in DC. So We Will Remember Them Quote Link to comment
CoyoteRed Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 Yes, and it was done by me in 2001. It was the 7th virtual cache created in DC. So We Will Remember Them Yes, this has "WOW factor" but today it wouldn't get approved. (Or at least shouldn't get approved by what I've been told, anyway.) Why? Because this website is about finding things with a GPS. You can just get in the general DC area, ask just about anyone, and they could direct you to this virt. While I haven't tested this assumption, I'd guess that technically no site that is WOW enough to have readily available directions to it would qualify under the "must use coordinates to find" rule. Why do I say this? Because I had to modify a hybrid a while back in order to get it listed. I was told there was some consultation among the approvers as to whether my hybrid could be approved when the coords pointed to the county courthouse. Something about the courthouse being readily findable with a simple map. The courthouse was then to be used as a landmark to start your hunt. There were other issues, but the crux of it was I was required to incorporate coordinates into the hunt somehow. I guess I "missed the finer points" on that. Quote Link to comment
+Team GPSaxophone Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 It just has to be something that is more grand, or spectacular...like the Grand Canyon. Now that has a "WOW" factor. Uh, no. Been there, done that...BOOOORING! Just another hole in the ground to me, since I live so close... Which just goes to prove: the WOW factor is completely subjective and cannot be nailed down to a strict definition. Personally, I would find a famous gravestone more WOW than the Grand Canyon, or a plaque that told about a famous battle. At least I got the chance to read something, to learn something new, while getting a find... Gravesites...BOOOORING instead of: Open Altoids tin. Sign log. Rehide Altoids tin. Drive down road .1 mile and repeat. I have found a few like that, but not every cache (virt or not) is going to be WOW. I've even placed an Altoids tin cache. It was intended to be an easy find that highlights a little-known park in Albuquerque. The WOW comes from the location, not the container. Albuquerque is a high-desert town with very few places having grass and large trees. This park is on one of the greenest streets in the city. There are tall trees providing plenty of shade, every business on the street has a great deep-green grass area bordering the street. The park itself has a couple of sand volleyball courts and a nice big grass area with picnic tables. It really gives you a chance to get away from the city, even though you're still in it. To me, that's WOW. However, that WOW isn't just one location, it's spread out over hundreds of feet. There's also no "one thing" that makes it WOW. Sure, I could easily find something with numbers or words on it to be verification questions for a virt, but why? I was able to place an Altoids tin in an easily-accessible spot at the edge of the park. Does the container detract from the park? Heck no! Many people have commented on how hard the container is to find. It has been there for quite some time with no maintenance issues. Quote Link to comment
+Webfoot Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 I shall not today attempt further to define the wow factor; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it. And as President Ronald Reagan said when he was governor of California, "You've seen one Redwood, you've seen them all." Yet, they are still Wow to me, so your answer, I know it when I see it is truly great, because Wow, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Quote Link to comment
+Sparky-Watts Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 Why? Because this website is about finding things with a GPS. You can just get in the general DC area, ask just about anyone, and they could direct you to this virt. While I haven't tested this assumption, I'd guess that technically no site that is WOW enough to have readily available directions to it would qualify under the "must use coordinates to find" rule. I agree in part. Every virtual cache I've found, I found without a GPS. There is one I'm working on now that is a 14-stage multi-virtual that I will need a GPS to find all the stages. But, for the most part, every one of them within 50 miles of me could be found without a GPS, except the multi I mentioned. As for "WOW", no....none of them I've found have any wow, at least not to me. Nothing "WOW" about a road sign on the interstate. Nothing at all...... Quote Link to comment
+PandyBat Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 I'm not sure if I understand all this but does it mean a virtual can't be approved unless its something that is not marked like a historical site is? Like a place you found out in the woods that does not have markers or signs pointing it out to you? I personally like historical marked sites and such unlike others here. Quote Link to comment
CoyoteRed Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 Who knows. The virt has to have WOW--whatever that is--,must be fairly unique, can't put a physical there or can't be part of a multi, I think I read somewhere it can't be a view but has to be a place, and has to have some kind of verification mechanism that can only be fulfilled by having visiting the spot. A tall order indeed, especially when you consider the subjective guidelines. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
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.