Interesting Cache Pages

[gumpy]

Hey I just looked at a listing of a T.B. and there was music playing in the background. I was wondering if anyone knew how to do this, and if anyone else knows some other ways to make your cache page or T.B. page fun and interesting to read?

[+Renegade Knight]

Check out page page by Bons

[+CompuCash]

check out this page -

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...d8-6c6b0e7c13cf

[+Thot]

Opinions differ on whether sound adds "interest." From my point of view it adds annoyance.

 

But, if you feel you must add sound to a page you use a line like this:

 

<BGSOUND SRC="yourchosen.wav" LOOP=INFINITE>

 

LOOP=INFINITE plays the sound forever

LOOP=5 plays the sound file 5 times and quits

[CoyoteRed]

I'll echo Thot and say there are a lot of things that folks think adds interest and really just adds chaffe.

 

These do include background sounds, but also unnecessary graphics, wild fonts sizes and colors.

 

I personally prefer just plain text. If you have to add graphics make it relate to the cache. Tasteful affiliate badges and awards are fine.

 

I've found Jomarc5's cache pages, when he does have graphics, perfect examples of "value-added" cache pages.

 

Hope this helps.

[+Team Perks]

If you want to make a cache page interesting to me, teach me something interesting about the area in which your cache is hidden. Or at least have an amusing write-up.

 

Music on cache pages (or any other web page) is little more than a nuisance to me.

[+GreyingJay]

Yes, please don't embed music in your page.

 

Or code that forces my browser to do a slow dot-by-dot "dissolve" to the next link I click on.

 

Or anything that follows my cursor around.

 

Or anything that blinks or bounces.

 

Please.

[+nfa]

Here is an example of a cache page with some html added that adds to the presentation of the cache (in my opinion).

 

I find cache listings with sounds to be a distraction, and pages with too much ornamentation or flashy "stickers" to be an annoyance.

 

nfa

Edited September 24, 2004 by NFA

[+Jamie Z]

<BGSOUND SRC="yourchosen.wav" LOOP=INFINITE>

 

LOOP=INFINITE plays the sound forever

LOOP=5 plays the sound file 5 times and quits

Small HTML inquiry.

 

Shouldn't the attributes have quotes around them? As in,

 

<BGSOUND SRC="yourchosen.wav" LOOP="infinite">

 

(and lowercase to keep with standards)

 

Or am I incorrect?

 

Jamie

[+Planet]

Sounds take a lot longer for people with dial up to download. To me they are just a nuisance since none of my speakers work anyway and I'd still have to wait (if I WERE on dial up that is) for it to load. Add to that the fact that you can't take the sounds with when you print the page to go caching and what's the point? Add to that the other fact the I finally figured out how to go paperless, and I no longer print up the cache pages, or even read half of them before leaving the house, I really don't care what the page looks like. Things that move or dance on the page are just annoying and distracting. So the basic page that is offered by Groundspeak is all I really need. HTML and sound doesn't wow me much. Background pics are ok.

[+GreyingJay]

Here is an example of a cache page with some html added that adds to the presentation of the cache (in my opinion)

Wow. That looks really cool. Almost had me sniffling, too

Edited September 24, 2004 by notjustjay

[+Alan2]

Tell me about the place, the views (include pictures), whether I can take my dog, are there entrance or parking fees, how far can I expect to hike (I might not have enough time this day but will the next time), is it accessible in the snow, etc.

[+LthrWrk]

I personally find music/sounds on webpages extremely annoying.. and especially a pain you know where when there is no button to turn off the music. Regardless of how great the webiste/link/information could be... I always close the page.

 

Charles

Mt Vernon WA

[Major Catastrophe]

I'm with the other curmudgeons: any time a page loads with attached music, especially when it isn't a music-related site, I close it immediately. Caches with music included on their web pages won't be searched for by me. I suspect that's OK with the owners so we're even I guess.

[+CompuCash]

I personally find music/sounds on webpages extremely annoying.. and especially a pain you know where when there is no button to turn off the music. Regardless of how great the webiste/link/information could be... I always close the page.

 

Charles

Mt Vernon WA

In most cases and with most browsers you can kill the music with the stop button.

 

Page makers used to include the control to turn off the music. No one does any more -

arghhh....

 

I agree - music usually makes a page really slow to load - a real annoyance. There are a couple cache pages with short sound bites that are kind of cute - and startling if you don't expect it.

 

If I can't stop the music I kill the page.

[+tirediron]

Another thumbs down vote for music, transition effects. and stupid things that follow the cursor around. Those bug me more than anything!

[+Thot]

I personally find music/sounds on webpages extremely annoying.. and especially a pain you know where when there is no button to turn off the music.  Regardless of how great the webiste/link/information could be... I always close the page.

In most cases and with most browsers you can kill the music with the stop button.

 

Page makers used to include the control to turn off the music. No one does any more -

arghhh....

 

<. . .>

 

If I can't stop the music I kill the page.

For some reason cachers seem to like music more than most webpage makers. Several cachers in my area use sound (noise?). If I excluded all their pages I eliminate a lot of the local caches. I simply turn off the sound with the "Volume" control – the little speaker in the area near the time (called the SysTray). Just click the speaker then the “mute” box.

[+OzGuff]

Ditto to what most of those above have said re annoying music/graphics.

 

On a similar but tangential line, what about caches that have no hint EXCEPT a photo/spoiler? I really hate it when I get to the desired coordinates, can't find the cache, look at the hint which reads, "See photo." Aarrgghh! I suppose it is incumbent on me to research the caches I am hoping to find, but as a paperless cacher I just want to pick up the GPS and PDA and get going! Anyone? Anyone?

[+SixDogTeam]

Aarrgghh! I suppose it is incumbent on me to research the caches I am hoping to find, but as a paperless cacher I just want to pick up the GPS and PDA and get going! Anyone? Anyone?

We want people to read our oh so cleverly written and extremely informative cache page descriptions, as well as the logs, to get the total picture of the cache experience, and it irritates us no end when people don't, dagnabit! After all, it's not like we're just heaving those 35mm canisters into cemeteries we don't even know the name of..we research the sites when possible, and provide photos and interesting data, you know like yada yada yada! BLah, Blah, Blah.

[thorin]

Another thumbs down vote for music, transition effects. and stupid things that follow the cursor around. Those bug me more than anything!

Agreed. All those elements are about as useful/creative as the blink tag.

 

Thorin

[+CapnJackSparrow]

Sounds take a lot longer for people with dial up to download.

What's dial up?

 

Anyway, ditto about the sounds. I usually leave any page, web site ... etc. at the first sign of a .wav file.

[+globalgirl]

As a website designer in the RW, I would whole-heartedly agree with a U.N. ban on dancing elephants and blaring renditions of the Star Spangled Banner 'n such (even FLASH is rarely welcome/enhances a site's product/service/mission) on the WWW. g-knows the majority of folks are still on dialup, and stats show that most of us surf the Web for INFORMATION - not blinking penguins and sticky stars that follow our cursors (the surpreme ack! The person who wrote that JavaScript ought to be strangled with his own computer cable!)

 

Personally my site design style has always followed the "K.I.S.S." principle. But that doesn't mean a cache page has to be boring. A nicely tiled background, a wee image, and a spot of color adds a miniscule amount of kbs to the download, and arguably a bit of fun to the cache page (much as do our beloved avatars here in the forums, no?)

 

I just placed my first-ever cache, and hopefully even the most austere pixel peepers will find the page - if not a pleasant augment to the total caching experience - than at least not offensive: Clam Cowboy Cache

[+GreyingJay]

I'm not particularly partial to the use of the "Comic" font on web pages, but I have no complaints, globalgirl

 

Now you've made me hungry for chowder.