Do You Own / Plan A Webcam Cache ?

[+Reviewer Niatpac Nagrom]

Hi!

 

I want to remind all the webcam cache owners, that these special caches need also maintenance. Of course not the same way as physical caches, but you need to follow them all the time, to see if they go offline. And if the camera goes offline, you need to disable your cache as soon as possible. I don't want to point anybody with my finger, but unfortunately it happens every now and then that I have to disable webcam caches, when the cams go offline. Usually I notice the situation when some poor cacher contacts me after he/she has gone to webcam and then noticed that it's not working. And I'm not a cache guardian, just a cache reviewer... So it's your job to maintain your webcam caches - disable / enable it whenever needeed.

 

Easiest way for the maintenance is to create a simple "maintenance web page".

See for example my version:

http://www.myrsky.com/geocaching/webcams.htm

 

I've made it a default page in my browser, so every time when I open my browser, I can check if they are offline.

 

Regards, Olli

[+hedberg]

Crossposted this in Sweden and Norway.

[+Captain Morgan]

Thanks Claes, I was about to do the same, but you saved my time!

[+Liimes]

I'll just have to reply to this, as it was my webcam that made you upset.

 

First of all, I think it's a bit too much to ask people to check out their cameras on daily basis. All webcams have unreported service breaks and generally it's impossible to know when these happen.

 

It is of course frustrating to drive across Finland, only to find out that the camera doesn't work when you get there, but it's actually pretty much the same trouble to check it out before leaving home than checking out its active/disabled status. In this respect, I don't think it makes any sense to disable a cache if it has been down for a few hours or even for a day. If the official owner of the camera has been kind enough to inform about a break, then it's naturally wise to disable the cache for the given time perioid.

[+Captain Morgan]

No Liimes, it was not your webcam. It's just a coinsident that I happened to write this after your webcam cache was offline. I've been planning to write this already a long a time ago.

 

Yes, all webcams have service breaks but so far I have not seen any official camera owners, who would inform about the breaks. Cams just go offline or disappear totally from the net. I agree that it's unnecessary to disable the cache page if cam goes offline for few hours. But if the service break continues for days, the cache must be disabled.

 

Of course it's generally impossible to know when these breaks happen, but that's why I made that web page for my own webcam caches. All caches must be maintained, it does not matter if they are traditional caches, virtual caches or webcam caches.

 

Regards, Olli

[+hedberg]

Olli, you mean more like:

 

The website address to the camera changes and so on...

[Aimo Kulaus]

Lieköhän jo täällä kamerakätkö?

Ei olisi ainakaan tungosta. Tosin kohta on syyspäiväntasaus, ja maisema menee pimeäksi...

 

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np.html

[+Captain Morgan]

Lieköhän jo täällä kamerakätkö?

Ei olisi ainakaan tungosta. Tosin kohta on syyspäiväntasaus, ja maisema menee pimeäksi...

 

http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np.html

Siitä vaan tekemään, mutta muista tämä: When submitting a webcam cache you must submit a photo of yourself taken by the webcam used for the listing as an example to show that the images will be identifiable.

[+hedberg]

So if I change my username to "Icebear" and snaps a webcam shot of a bear walking by, is it okay then?

[+steve_c]

If I may revive an old thread ... in view of the restrictions on faces on Nordic webcam pictures, is it actually required to have a person in at all? The principle seems to be that the finder must show a picture of something distinctive to prove his or her visit. I have a cam in mind where a person cannot get close enough to fit the 20% nearness rule. Would it be acceptable if the requirement is simply to temporarily place something distinctive in the picture - I was thinking of a requirement to place a flag of the cacher's country of origin in the webcam field of view, capture the image, then remove the flag.

 

So is a person strictly required?

[+Reviewer Niatpac Nagrom]

If I may revive an old thread ... in view of the restrictions on faces on Nordic webcam pictures, is it actually required to have a person in at all? The principle seems to be that the finder must show a picture of something distinctive to prove his or her visit. I have a cam in mind where a person cannot get close enough to fit the 20% nearness rule. Would it be acceptable if the requirement is simply to temporarily place something distinctive in the picture - I was thinking of a requirement to place a flag of the cacher's country of origin in the webcam field of view, capture the image, then remove the flag.

 

So is a person strictly required?

Yes. Please read what is said in the general guidelines about webcams:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx#webcam

 

Regards, Olli

Edited August 11, 2005 by Tahu Nuva

[+steve_c]

OK if this is how they have to be defined, then that's how it is. Thanks for the pointer.