Jump to content

What New Features Would Entice You...


Recommended Posts

One suggestion was the idea to make new caches exclusively available for premium members for 24 hours after they are approved. This sits under the "take away feature" category which is not my intent for any change to the web site. Although I can see the attraction it is not fair for regular members to do this, especially since many cache placers are not paying members.

Link to comment

Before I became a PM, I was pretty clueless about what I got as a PM. Basically I still am. I don't see that I have anything different as far as access is concerned as before I joined except I get pocket queries.

So far I really don't grip how to use them effectivly so I would vote a toutorail would be great.

 

Maybe something along the lines of... when/if you join you will receive blah, blah, blah. THEN maybe you could tell me how to use the features in English so I can do it.

 

I don't want to sound negative but I am still pretty darn lost as far as those queries are concerned. I guess I havn't done enough to figure out how they are useful when the area I live in is pretty quiet as far as cache placement.

 

I also like the idea of items in GC that only PM's can purchase or get a discount for at certian times of the month/year.

 

Being able to take Debit/credit cards would probably be a + also. It took me forever to figure out PayPal enough to just PAY for the membership.

 

Thanks for asking and hope it works well.

 

Okpondlady

Link to comment
  Appeal to the non techie!  Tell me- what can be done with and without a PDA?  How will these features enable me to cache more easily?  For a person who likes this sport because they want to be out in the woods, not at a computer,  will this save me time at the computer, make it easier to plan caching adventures, and how so?       

 

TUTORIALS, again for the technically challenged.  :D  (And yes, I know I can search threads and piece together answers, but that is more time consuming).  Having it all in one place to refer back to, makes sense.   

 

I like the ideas of a membership "kit" or a Groundspeak discount.  These things simply add more appeal in general, and overall seem more professional.

A technoklutz here... <_<

 

... in agreement with the quoted post. I'm new to geocaching, have a relatively simple GPSr, don't use a PDA, not particularly handy with software applications (if I'm really lucky this will post correctly instead of a format scramble) I'm not sure I know enough to add anything to the wish list.

 

I'm not sure I understand all the benefits of PM as it is presently offered... all you may need to encourage (new) users to purchase a membership is an "improved" presentation of the benefits/advantages that are already available.

 

The only drawback (for me) to using Paypal or a similar service is that I use a different e-mail address here than at Paypal and am not confident of avoiding an "administrative disconnect" because of it. (I have inquired of contact@Groundspeak.com and am awaiting further instruction).

 

pghfrogstitcher

Link to comment

okay -- I've got it! This might come across as wacky or as if I'm joking, but.... how about an exclusive geocaching BEANIE BABY just for members!

 

These could be sold on the secondary market for far more than the cost of the membership itself. Thereby creating an economic scenario where Beanie Baby collectors suppliment this hobby. Bwaaa-haha! -- they could also be used as travel bugs....

 

Okay, I was joking.

 

I still like the idea of a membership kit? What should be in it?

 

Of course, it would be best economically for Geocaching.com if requested features where more digital in nature (ie, database, or site features), but I really think that any benefit package should be balanced as to attract the broadest base of consumers:

 

-- physical items

-- discounts and offers (exclusive)

-- priviledges

-- access

-- community

 

I think that the site currently does the last two quite well (Pocket Queries and Off-Topic Forums), but I honestly think even a phyical certificate that says "Geocaching Premium Member" would attract some folks to sign-up. It's one of those silly things that people say they don't want, but kinda like..... Human psychology is odd. Heck, give premium members the ability to print out "found" certificates for the caches they have found and I bet they would get printed.

Link to comment

I don't know if this has been mentioned. Not a feature really, more of a perk. How about a slight discount on items purchased thru the Groundspeak store? Or possibly an online coupon for say $5.00 off next purchase or maybe free shipping on next purchase?

 

 

Edit: Doh! Of course it was already mentioned.....

Edited by Corp Of Discovery
Link to comment
OK, I've been a premium member since day one and will probably continue ponying up for the foreseeable future. But I do think there are some features that, if introduced, could entice additional subscribers (if they were subscriber only).

 

1. A comprehensive stats page (similar to Dan's now defunct site). It would have to be "opt out" rather than "opt in" to be of any value. Those who opt out would still be listed, but under the name "anonymous".

 

2. Capability to see who is watching your cache.

 

3. Audit feature similar to the one available for subscriber caches

 

4. Ability to search along a route

 

5. Instant new cache notification for FTF hounds.

 

6. Ability to extract and download your own cache logs in doc or txt format.

I like a lot of the ideas brought up here!

Briansnat's list is pretty comphrensive for what we'd like to see. But some additions that other folks have mentioned:

1) The sub memberships for family logons (or some form of a family membership- say $45 so the secondary family member logons can be premium as well).

2) The ability to hide my amount of "finds"; to not have my numbers posted.

3) The membership package would be cool but could get expensive- but the 5% off for premium members that would happen once a year would be cool.

 

And to repeat again- some form of an opt out stats page for the number hounds.

-J

Link to comment
It's also not a thread for people to ask for policy changes - as some of the requests (opening the DB to other sites) clearly are. It's also not for a general wishlist of features that aren't necessarily for Premium members only (seen a few of those as well).

 

If you are NOT a premium member, what FEATURES could GC.com add that would make you want to join?

Oh, sorry, my apologies.

 

Then my feature suggestion would be super cool custom color cursor animations and monthly pop tarts!!!1!1!

 

 

Just because you don't agree with my reason for wanting a bona fide feature does not negate that it is a feature. I am not addressing the policy decisions that would lead to the feature by any means. The website admin would have to justify implementing the new feature to itself, not to me.

 

I am naming a single feature (purchasable licenses to the DB for an extra fee) that would be the lynchpin for me to become a premium member. Sorry if that is too steep an implementation to garner my $3/mo at this time. I'm sure everyone else will be happy with their members-selectable smilie animations and scratch-n-sniff stickers with 2005 membership.

Link to comment
It's also not a thread for people to ask for policy changes - as some of the requests (opening the DB to other sites) clearly are.  It's also not for a general wishlist of features that aren't necessarily for Premium members only (seen a few of those as well).

 

If you are NOT a premium member, what FEATURES could GC.com add that would make you want to join?

Oh, sorry, my apologies.

 

Then my feature suggestion would be super cool custom color cursor animations and monthly pop tarts!!!1!1!

 

 

Just because you don't agree with my reason for wanting a bona fide feature does not negate that it is a feature. I am not addressing the policy decisions that would lead to the feature by any means. The website admin would have to justify implementing the new feature to itself, not to me.

 

I am naming a single feature (purchasable licenses to the DB for an extra fee) that would be the lynchpin for me to become a premium member. Sorry if that is too steep an implementation to garner my $3/mo at this time. I'm sure everyone else will be happy with their members-selectable smilie animations and scratch-n-sniff stickers with 2005 membership.

Actually, I totally agree with SD here.

 

You don't seem to get it... what you are asking for is a policy decision on this site that would allow for additional features on other web sites. You are also using this topic to dredge up topics that were closed (several times I might add). Frankly, I get all the DB information I need from this web site at this time (several different options for mapping, queries of the site delivered to my email box, etc.).

 

If you have questions about the DB issues, then write to the contact address.

 

If you have nothing positive to add to the topic then please stay out of it. (And I mean that in general terms, not just to you Juggler.) SD has tried to keep this a positive, productive discussion. I will be more than happy to help him accomplish that goal (hint hint).

Edited by mtn-man
Link to comment

I'm already a PM and enjoy the features that are available. There are a few features that would make it more valuable to me and I think would encourage others to join.

 

1. Maps with toggle ability. I'd love to have the ability from a map page to toggle caches I've found on and off. Would also like have checkbox availibility to only see certain cache types on a map.

 

2. Stats. I admit I like comparing stats. It would be great to see them on both macro and micro levels much like the way caches are listed; overall, by country, by state, by city. (I would even be okay if they were only updated weekly or bi-weekly)

 

3. Directional PQ's, or PQ's between locations.

 

4. Watched item notifications available in a single daily email with subsections for caches and TB's.

 

I realize some of these can be done with 3rd party packages and others may not be feasible to implement, but it is a wishlist.

Link to comment
One suggestion was the idea to make new caches exclusively available for premium members for 24 hours after they are approved. This sits under the "take away feature" category which is not my intent for any change to the web site. Although I can see the attraction it is not fair for regular members to do this, especially since many cache placers are not paying members.

  This would have the effect, in many cases, of denying non-paying members any chance at being FTF on a cache.  For my wife and me, trying to be FTF on a new cache in our area is a fairly significant part of the game.  As it is, I think I understand that the Pocket Query feature allows much quicker and easier finding of FTF opportunities, which already puts non-payers at a disadvantage when trying to be FTF.

Link to comment
3.  Directional PQ's,  or PQ's between locations.

 

4.  Watched item notifications available in a single daily email with subsections for caches and TB's.

Amen! I am already a PM, but I don't get much for my money (really, not trying to be a prick but it's true) compared to the non-paying members. PQs are really important to me though since I am paperless so I need to pay to get those. Directional PQs and Routed PQs would be fabulous. And I do mean fabulous. Please? :)

Link to comment

Hmmm, I don't think the $3 one month option is available unless you go through paypal, or is it? It seems that several folks don't want to use paypal.

 

Lemon Fresh, although I really like the idea of a membership kit, a premium member certificate or a found certifcate isn't going to do much to entice me, personally. Nor would any special premium-labeled cache container. That's just me. I do like the idea of discounts and perhaps a patch or sticker as part of a welcome kit, but the capabilities are the biggie for me. But again, I have to know how to use those capabilities.

 

Please clarify, aren't the memberships sold to the group or team? Or to individuals? In other words, if a team joins, are all members of that caching team then considered members?

 

I do not like the idea of being able to see who is watching your caches, although I am awfully curious, :ph34r::) I am still not sure about the whole privacy issue. I also do not like the idea of caches being available to members only for 24-48 or whatever hours. Hiders can choose to do this on their own, however. More often it is a couple of weeks, around here.

 

May I suggest a more "professional image" or "Better marketing"? The cheez whiz story just doesn't do it for me...in fact, it turns me off. Evokes the image of a starving guy working out of a closet and asking for donations. Perhaps that is the point, and that approach would be OK for a non profit, but this is a private for-profit. I would rather be told more about the features to come, or some other selling point. So I would say--improve the image, tell me how premier membership has impacted geocaching in a positive way, how it is helping the game, or how my membership would help improve the site, specifically.

 

I might add, to me, it is not about the cost. $30 is reasonable, and a bargain for some, for what they seem to get out of it. The problem is that not everybody gets something out of it. What I see needs to be done is a more broader appeal to the masses, particularly those of us who shy away from technical aspects of geocaching. :unsure: Again, this is why I think the suggestion of a trial period, discounts and a membership package are good ones. And as far as features: maps, maps maps!! The find-a-cache-by-scrolling-type, in particular.

 

Did I mention maps? :)

 

~katydid

Link to comment

I will begin by voicing my strong appreciation to the gc staff for several reasons. First, I appreciate their desire to not implement changes that would be exclusive for non-members. I also applaud them for seeking these suggestions. Finally, I want to thank them for providing this great site to people like me who enjoy geocaching at the most basic level.

 

I don't have any real new suggestions, but I'll echo some of the previous ones that have already been mentioned that I thought were good ideas.

 

I like the idea of better explaining pocket queries. I use an older GPSr that I bought used on E-Bay. I enter the coordinates by hand. I don't have any cables to connect to my pc and I don't have any mapping software on my GPS. The only time I really use it is for geocaching. I have no idea what pocket queries are, or how they may benefit me.

 

I like the idea of being able to see who's watching your caches or tbs.

 

I like the idea of offering discounts on merchandise, even if it is only done temporarily throughout the year. For Christmas this year, I got 2 gc shirts. Three of the team members (all of the two-legged members) got stocking caps, and my daughter got tattoos and a compass for her coat zipper.

 

Edited to add that I also like the idea of being able to search for caches along a route so that I could find caches close to the interstate on the occasions when I am traveling. (Maybe that's what pocket queries do. I'm not sure).

 

Finally, I would need to know exactly how it would benefit me to join. I live in a fairly small community and I have found most of the caches in my area. I am in a position where I need to travel 20-30 miles to find caches now. I usually don't have time to travel specifically for geocaching. That means my caching is now limited to whenever someone places a new cache or when I am traveling for some other reason (which is fairly infrequent).

 

Having said that, I will also add that I'm not sure there is any thing you could offer that would entice me to join. I want to clarify that I am not saying I won't become a premium member. The point is, if I choose to become a premium member it would probably stem from an intrinsic desire to support the site rather than because of some incentive that was offered.

 

Again, I sincerely appreciate the services that you offer to the non-premium members and I appreciate your desire to make sure we are not excluded from the benefits of the site.

Edited by Team Tayjam
Link to comment

It is a BAD idea to remove options and abilities of non-premuim members that they already have now (e.g. limiting number of finds).

 

Ideas:

 

Make a single-payment lifetime membership option in addition to the yearly renew option

 

Allow people to change the format/layout of the cache pages to their liking (though I think you should make sure to continue using mostly HTML as I have some scripts that read HTML from the site).

 

A free tell-us-what-you-want-and-we’ll-make-you-an-avatar/logo service

 

Anually, some free (or at least discounted) geocards or geocoins with our own personal design.

 

I really liked some other previous ideas:

 

The ability to rank caches and filter searches based upon rank (this also has the effect of reducing boring caches because people will strive to improve their caches’ rankings).

 

I don’t know the power of pocket queries because I haven’t been able to use them, and frankly, the definitions I read do not seem to be much more than the normal search. It would be nice to see their power, either with a thorough manual, or with a trial (or both). Also, it would be nice to try out using eBooks and going paperless, as this sounds enticing, but I'm not sure how much better it would be without trying it.

Link to comment

Well, many of my PM motivators have already been discussed, but I'll add X2, 3, 4, whatever to them:

 

I can afford the $30/yr for PM. I struggle to see the value provided for my $30.

 

1. Should the current features remain unchanged, simply promoting the value of PM would be one improvement. I know there is a page on the GC site that talks about the features of a PM. What I don't see are the benefits ... the WIFM (what's in it for me). For instance, how do Pocket Queries benefit an occasional cacher? I'm sure you get the idea, Jeremy.

 

2. Mentioned before, but a trial PM would help me see those benefits. You could use the combination of IP address, e-mail, etc. to filter out the "I'll sign up for multiple trials to receive the free services longer" people. This feature is both common and simple in terms of trial period for a variety of web-based services. Additionally, this could be set up like most other free trials where you have to cancel it in order not to be billed. A friendly e-mail reminder with a cancellation link could be sent a couple days in advance of the billing to keep this policy customer-friendly.

 

3. Recommendations and discounts on Geocaching tools and supplies. This may mean that GC/GS.com would have to advertise. Jeremy has stated that he's very anti-advertising but that he would consider it for things useful to Geocachers. I would agree 110%. I don't want a bunch of credit card popups while I browse the GC/GS sites. What I would like would be recommendations from Jeremy or very experienced cachers for helpful tools like GSAK, discounts on their purchase and how-to's that would help me make the most of them (Markwells to forum posts would be fine).

 

4. A GC/GS.com User Group. Premium members would be allowed to participate in a user group that helped shape the future of the GC/GS.com sites and services. This is very common for highly mature product development companies and would seem to be a very motivational "benefit" for many of the people who post in the forums at least. Right now, I don't know enough to provide particularly salient input into this group but the opportunity to participate when I do know enough would be very enticing.

 

5. Helpful hints, not posted in forums or posted in a members-only area, for creating better cache hides. Things like containers (sure, forum posts exist but every non-PM can read these), camouflage, puzzles, etc. Make me a better cacher and I'll make your business more profitable - both by paying PM dues and by increasing the quality of your "product."

 

I've tried to suggest things that would be relatively inexpensive to implement. Probably the most expensive would be the functionality for free trials. However, the ROI on this type of development would probably only take as long as the first free trial period.

 

As a management consultant (I know, go ahead and flame me now...), I help my clients develop and implement similar strategies. We spend weeks, sometimes months developing these strategies. One of the first things we do, if the company has not already done it, is establish the organization's long-term goals. We can then tie business development (and other) strategies back to those goals ensuring that we are not only "doing things right" but "doing the right things."

 

For a free PM and some GC/GS swag, I might be willing to help GC/GS.com do the same. :)

 

Edited for spelling.

Edited by Mudinyeri
Link to comment

I have a premium membership, maybe I'm pathetic, I subscribed prior to getting a GPSr or searching for our first cache. I found the site by reading an article and believed it would be a fun family activity, I wasn't wrong. I could afford the $36 (I paid $3 monthly) and read the description of a premium membership as a way of supporting the site, PQ's were a mystery to us. The ability to pan and zoom the maps was cool. I finally discovered PQ's and now find them a valuable resource. Recently I had problems with my membership and lost the ability to get a new Pocket Query and couldn't scroll or zoom the maps, I am addicted to this functionality! Some things I would find valuable without having to know the value of Pocket queries:

  • Guaranteed access to the website during peak hours. At certain times it is frustratingly slow.
  • A collectible item of some kind. Sardonic comments aside, we like to collect signature items and this could be a collectible cache item, we like the idea already mentioned of a yearly patch or maybe special track-able Geocoin traveler.
  • A discount in the Groundspeak store.
  • The ability to pick a starting point and a destination and get a list of caches within X miles of the route. This would be like a combination of the routing capability found on map sites like Mapquest and the functionality of the Geocaching web site. Great while planning a driving vacation.

Thanks for the chance to contribute to a good discussion.

Link to comment

Ok, I just read the whole thread. I think the single biggest incentive would be to better explain the currently available features!

It seems many people say they would become premium members if they got features that they can in fact already do with the current premium membership.

I saw several requests for scrolling maps. That's already there for premium members.

Lots of requests for routing and multiple waypoints. While not exactly a feature of the site, it IS something that you can easily do using the the PQs. Many people seem stuck on the idea that the PQs are just something for PDAs. Perhaps if there was a central page that described all the features currently available using PQs besides putting a cache page on a PDA, it would entice people to join. How many non-premium members understand you can do routing, print maps with multiple waypoints, sort and filter caches by almost any parameter you want. Want to filter out micros or virtuals? Want to ONLY see virtuals? Want to filter out high terrain/difficulty caches? Want to ignore caches placed by Cacher X? Want to download 500 waypoints at a time instead of 20? Want to make a map of all your finds? Want to keep a record of your finds in case GC.com loses them? Want printer friendly cache pages you can print out even if the site happens to be down? want to bulk change the waypoints to something more understandable before uploading them to your GPS? Want to get a list of new caches in your area emailed to you every day? Want a list of new caches in your area as a homepage or shortcut on your desktop you can check every hr if you want? Want access to another forum where you can just "chitchat" about stuff other then geocaching?

All these features and MANY more are already there for premium members, but there is really no central place that tells them that. All they see is something about loading cache pages onto a PDA.

Edited by Mopar
Link to comment

I agree with you Mopar, but lets keep the ideas coming anyways. I plan to summarize everything after more people have had a chance to chime in. I think it's going well so far.

 

So far, SOME of the most popular requests:

 

---------------------------------------------------------

A full explanation of what PQ's are, how they work, and how they're useful to me.

 

Caches-along-a-route (in the works, btw, and it will probably be a Premium feature if they can ever get all of the kinks worked out)

 

A discount (and it doesn't have to be large or all the time) for Premium members.

 

Some sort of "Welcome package" or Members-only item or merchandise.

 

A trial period.

 

---------------------------------------------------------

 

Now, I have refrained from discussing these features (how to implement them, whether or not they're good or bad ideas, or already in the works) to keep the thread on topic. I would ask that others please try to keep it just to requests for features (feel free to explain how the feature would work if it's not clear).

 

I plan to let this thread continue until it starts to die down. Most people will be returning to work (and checking the forums from work... shhh!) and/or getting back into their normal routines so I'm sure many haven't had a chance to post.

 

When the action seems to have died out for the most part, I will compile a list of every FEATURE request so J can see what's been requested. At that point we can move the discussion of specifics to the GC.com WEbsite forum.

 

Incidentally, I beleive somebody is already working on a PQ FAQ to share with people. If I get a chance I'll try to search for some FAQ's in the forums and create a new thread about what I can find.

 

-------------------------------------------------------

 

Back to the questions, and please feel free to say "I'd like X feature too" so we can gauge the interest.

 

What FEATURES could Groundspeak add to Premium Memberships that would make you want to become a premium member?

 

sd

Edited by southdeltan
Link to comment
Please clarify, aren't the memberships sold to the group or team? Or to individuals? In other words, if a team joins, are all members of that caching team then considered members?

 

In my case, my husband and I had separate accounts that were not premium accounts. We wanted some of the features available to premium members. We purchased a premimum membership, and made one "team" account.

 

We use the team account only to log benchmarks, and "member only" caches, and plan to put some joint hides under this account soon. We usually cache together, but not always.

 

He logs his other finds on his separate account.

I log my other finds on my separate account.

 

We do that because we want to be able to keep track of where we have each been and what caches we have found.

He has two hides that are 'just his' ...after he hid them, I went out and found them one day and logged them as finds.

I have one hide that is 'just mine' (although he was with me when I hid it, so he will never log it as a found).

Also, I like to log my DNFs and usually he only does that when he knows that he will never go look for that cache again, or when he has a really funny story to tell. I guess he feels that there isn't usually any point in both of us saying that we looked for it together and didn't find it.

 

There are downsides to all of this.

First, it's confusing to others to see us log as Team Neos, Neos1 and Neos2 (Lately I have been saying Neos2 of Team Neos when I write).

Secondly our cache find numbers aren't all in the same place. I have a few member only caches that aren't included in my total finds. It didn't bother me much until lately, when I realized that I am nearing 100 caches, and will actually be over 100 before my profile shows 100 on my personal account. Since I'm not really "after lots of caches", but just "want to keep track" it isn't a critical issue, but it is a trivial annoyance.

 

So yes, we are both "members" but no, we don't have full and complete access to membership features if we want to keep separate accurate logs.

 

If there is a way to have more than one account tied together under the umbrella of one premium membership, I am not aware of it. I can understand why Jeremy wouldn't want to offer this feature. Some folks might care enough about the issue to buy two premium memberships, so that would cost him money. If he did offer it, there would have to have some way to be sure that several friends didn't get together to share a membership--and for all I know, that isn't possible.

 

But it would be nice if a couple could share a team membership and log separately.

Link to comment

So, some will pay for monetary value, others join for community reasons.

 

I already responded with the monetary value reasons, so here is my post on the community reasons.

 

I posted a suggestion/request on the forums for a change I would like to see. I gave a detailed list of reasons why I thought the requested change was a good one and why the present system is annoying.

 

While I don't expect anyone to necessarily agree with my point of view, I do expect that any site I would send money to would treat the issue seriously.

 

The response I got from Jeremy was: No. Disagree with you. Not going to happen. This is a paraphrase, not a direct quote, but the point is my thought out reasons were basically dismissed in a very curt fashion.

 

In my personal opinion this is poor customer service. I don't insist I be agreed with, but I generally expect something more in terms of a response. Perhaps this is unreasonable of me, but am I, personally, going to send money to someone that I perceive isn't interested in giving me the time of day? Nope.

 

So, my suggestion is to provide better, more customer oriented service. You can still disagree, but do so in a customer friendly way. There is a reason CEOs don't handle customer service.

 

So yes, I could be persuaded to pay for membership via dollar value adds to what members get, but many are willing to join to support a community they value. For that to happen folks need to feel they are actually valued members of a community and that is accomplished by customer service.

Link to comment
Please clarify, aren't the memberships sold to the group or team?  Or to individuals?  In other words, if a team joins, are all members of that caching team then considered members?     

 

In my case, my husband and I had separate accounts that were not premium accounts. We wanted some of the features available to premium members. We purchased a premimum membership, and made one "team" account.

 

We use the team account only to log benchmarks, and "member only" caches, and plan to put some joint hides under this account soon. We usually cache together, but not always.

 

He logs his other finds on his separate account.

I log my other finds on my separate account.

 

We do that because we want to be able to keep track of where we have each been and what caches we have found.

He has two hides that are 'just his' ...after he hid them, I went out and found them one day and logged them as finds.

I have one hide that is 'just mine' (although he was with me when I hid it, so he will never log it as a found).

Also, I like to log my DNFs and usually he only does that when he knows that he will never go look for that cache again, or when he has a really funny story to tell. I guess he feels that there isn't usually any point in both of us saying that we looked for it together and didn't find it.

 

There are downsides to all of this.

First, it's confusing to others to see us log as Team Neos, Neos1 and Neos2 (Lately I have been saying Neos2 of Team Neos when I write).

Secondly our cache find numbers aren't all in the same place. I have a few member only caches that aren't included in my total finds. It didn't bother me much until lately, when I realized that I am nearing 100 caches, and will actually be over 100 before my profile shows 100 on my personal account. Since I'm not really "after lots of caches", but just "want to keep track" it isn't a critical issue, but it is a trivial annoyance.

 

So yes, we are both "members" but no, we don't have full and complete access to membership features if we want to keep separate accurate logs.

 

If there is a way to have more than one account tied together under the umbrella of one premium membership, I am not aware of it. I can understand why Jeremy wouldn't want to offer this feature. Some folks might care enough about the issue to buy two premium memberships, so that would cost him money. If he did offer it, there would have to have some way to be sure that several friends didn't get together to share a membership--and for all I know, that isn't possible.

 

But it would be nice if a couple could share a team membership and log separately.

How about a family membership? Make it like family plan cell phone deals. It could be maybe $5-$10 a year for each aditional member after the initial $30, more to cover the administrative costs then anything. Just like with the cell phones, the family shares the PQs. The same 5 per day, 20 configured limits, but the ability to break them up among the various member accounts. If Hubbycacher runs 3 PQs on friday, Wifeycacher can only run 2 more that day. This way all the family members can log a MOC, and get PQ's of their finds, but aren't really using many more resources then a single premium user.

Edited by Mopar
Link to comment

First we are PM. The cost saving to go paperless far outweighs the $30 per year.

 

There are lots of good suggestions that I like.

 

PQs along a route, Ability to see who is watching, etc.

 

We fall squarely in the want to see stats catagory and that could be an enticement for some, as long as those that desire can opt out. Allow those that want to play that way to play and those that don't want to play to be hidden.

 

How about the ability to allow others to see your DNFs? My brother in law and I have a fun low key competition. We enjoy reading each others DNFs. We think the might be the best logs to read.

Link to comment

This is all going to sound negative - but that is not the purpose of my post .......

 

I am based in South Africa.

 

PDA and, for that matter, GPSr equipment, is VERY expensive.

 

Foreign currency exchange rates make the $30 an appreciable amount of money in local currency. Payment can be difficult.

 

There are few caches in this country. In fact, there are probably more caches in one large urban park in USA than in the entire country of South Africa.

 

Maps are poor or unavailable in electronic format.

 

So ...... joining up for pocket queries would be a non-starter. If a small percentage of the local caching community became premium members and were placing member-only caches, there would be even fewer caches for non-members to seek and, IMHO, the sport here would, in all probability, die.

 

At the present time, apart from the 'status' of being a premium member, I don't feel the need to outlay the fees for services that I would never avail myself of.

 

On the other hand ......

 

The sport has helped bring families together, gets people out and about to explore places they didn't even know existed, and is a HUGE amount of FUN!!!

 

In order to keep the sport alive, I would be happy to contribute (a smaller amount perhaps, but on a regular basis) to keep the geocaching site viable.

 

Could there not be a tiered payment system - one for those who are living in technologically advanced countries (electronic maps, easy internet access, low-cost electronic aids etc) and one for those of us who live in 'third-world' countries with the attendant low level of basic services and high foreign currency exchange rates?

 

Or, establish local representatives who could collect fees in local currency and remit to GC on an annual or quarterly basis?

Link to comment
How about a family membership? Make it like family plan cell phone deals. It could be maybe $5-$10 a year for each aditional member after the initial $30, more to cover the administrative costs then anything. Just like with the cell phones, the family shares the PQs. The same 5 per day, 20 configured limits, but the ability to break them up among the various member accounts. If Hubbycacher runs 3 PQs on friday, Wifeycacher can only run 2 more that day. This way all the family members can log a MOC,  and get PQ's of their finds, but aren't really using many more resources then a single premium user.

I think the trick here would be more of what individual gets the credit for the find. Would it be member #1, #2,.... or the entire team. That would be the complicated part. Still, a good idea for teams or familys.

 

I have been a member since I found out about the site and will probably remain so, but the features I have long pined for as follows.

  • 1) Routable PQ's (I know you can download a radius of the nearest 500 from a given point and then modify via 3rd Party software.) The ablity to plot a route similar to mapping software and then select a width from centerline of route (eg 5 miles 20 miles) to search would be so much easier.
  • 2) View Cache and TB watchers of any page or TB. I have seen posts of privacy about this feature but we are already as anonymous as we can be online. I think this would be a great community builder as well.
  • 3) Faq or tutorial page for PM options would be nice. As people have mentioned in the past some of the features can be quite technical for some players and require third party software. Mind you it is a tachno hobby but obviously the attraction spans many levels.
  • 4) An annual token such as patch or those hat pins like the curling guys have could be a real source of pride in maintaining memberships. Just imagine 20 years from now some of the old salts strolling into an event with their canes and hats full of pins from years gone by. I think if this were implemented it would be a great gesture to reward current members for previious years support with like retro swag.

Definately an issue past due in being dealt with.

 

Thanks

Link to comment

  I've just put my money where my mouth is.  I received an semi-unexpected windfall today.  Someone in Switzerland wanted to use sixty copies of a small shareware program that I wrote ages ago, and sent me a check for $250, which arrived today — not enough to make a serious dent in my general financial troubles, but enough that for now, I could (and did) squeeze out the $30 for a year's Premium membership.

 

  I didn't do this because of any additional features; I did it because I get a great deal of enjoyment out of geocaching, and I think it only fair that I do my part — as I am able — to help support it.

 

  Having said that, now I have tasted the Pocket Query feature; it is indeed a very useful feature for anyone who is serious about this hobby.  I bet that if more non-paying members were able to get a good idea of just what they would be able to do with Pocket Queries, we'd have a lot more paying members.

 

 

  And in any event, major kudos are due to Jeremy.  Thank you, Jeremy, for making this hobby happen.  I understand that there's a great deal of time and work and money that goes into making this site run.  I'm impressed, in particular, by your apparent dedication to making sure that as many people as possible are able to get as much enjoyment out of this hobby as possible, and to the principle that Geocaching should be available even to those who are unable or unwilling to pay for access to the site.

Link to comment
How about a family membership? Make it like family plan cell phone deals. It could be maybe $5-$10 a year for each aditional member after the initial $30, more to cover the administrative costs then anything. Just like with the cell phones, the family shares the PQs. The same 5 per day, 20 configured limits, but the ability to break them up among the various member accounts. If Hubbycacher runs 3 PQs on friday, Wifeycacher can only run 2 more that day. This way all the family members can log a MOC,  and get PQ's of their finds, but aren't really using many more resources then a single premium user.

I think the trick here would be more of what individual gets the credit for the find. Would it be member #1, #2,.... or the entire team. That would be the complicated part. Still, a good idea for teams or familys.

Credit for the find would not be a problem under a “family Plan” as the members would have there own user names etc. What they would be sharing are the benefits of one Premium Membership e.g. PQ’s

 

The real trick would be are they from the same family, household or whatever other criteria that would need to be met.

Link to comment
The response I got from Jeremy was: No. Disagree with you. Not going to happen. This is a paraphrase, not a direct quote, but the point is my thought out reasons were basically dismissed in a very curt fashion.

This was my response. If not liking an answer is a reason for not being a member, that is fine. However, from a previous post you are a self-proclaimed tightwad and don't see any need to be a premium member anyway. So please refrain from posting unless you have an actual FEATURE enhancement request.

 

If the complaint is I don't sugar coat responses, it's true. I don't. I think responses are better if they are given honestly and directly.

 

Thanks again for everyone who has provided feature requests. Keep them coming!

Link to comment
Give TB-like distance based on the point-to-point distances of our logged caches, in order. Could be kinda cool....

Or you could create your own Personal Travel Bug.

It is a great way to view your enitre geocaching history or to review those bygone caches to see what adventures others have had since your visit.

 

Now in the theme of this thread I suppose providing a Free TB to new PM's for a personal TB to log would be a great idea. Perhaps the logs could also be created automatically to save the need to double post (once for the find and once for the TB log) as I do now.

Link to comment

I just became a premium member yesterday. I became acquanted with the GC site only this last summer. I eventually payed the $30 more out of a sense of duty to support the sport than for the (few) added features. What would have caused me to join sooner (and renew in the future) is an ability to quickly search along a travel route. I'd even pay more for this one feature. I just don't find I have much time to compile a good list for a trip of any significant lenth. I know I'm missing good caches as I drive somewhere, but I didn't have an hour to spend manually finding them.

 

I know it is technically difficult, but the technology/programming is already out there (i.e. Mapquest you can search for any gas station or other place that meets your criteria along a route). Can I designate that my PM fee goes to support this cause?

Link to comment
I know it is technically difficult, but the technology/programming is already out there (i.e. Mapquest you can search for any gas station or other place that meets your criteria along a route). Can I designate that my PM fee goes to support this cause?

The technology to do this can cost more than $250,000/year. We are still looking at this feature in a significantly cheaper way. This is definitely something we're working on, albeit slowly.

Link to comment

I agree with some of what is being said. I'm not a premium member because I can't really afford the $30. However, I'd be more likely to roll pennies if I knew I could get a couple pairs of TB tags/Geocoins or something *physical* out of it. A voucher for free shipping off of a GC store Purchase woud be a really nice perk too.

Link to comment

Like others I'm already a PM. I found my first cache on 1 May and became a PM on 10 May. What's kind of funny is that I didn't realize some of the features of the website (scrolling maps for example) were features tied to my being a PM.

 

Here's some suggestions that would make me become a PM quicker and/or support paying a higher PM fee next year.

 

- Gallery space for hosting images. I know we can upload images to cache logs and TB pages but sometimes I want to post an image here in the forums and have to use a free hosting site such as photobucket to host the image.

 

- Ignore cache feature. There's some caches I just do not plan to hunt. I would like to not see those caches when I view lists of caches and download PQ's.

 

- PQ 101. Through trial and error I have come to understand how PQ's work and the benefits they offer; however, it would be nice to have a step-by-step tutorial of how to create PQ's. (I'll step up and offer my assistance in this area if Jeremy's interested).

 

- Instant cache notifications. Give the PM the option of either receiving an email as soon as a cache is approved or a daily summary of approved caches. Contunue sending weekly notifications out to non-PM members on Thursday.

 

- Instant cache notifications part II. Make this work like PQ's. Say for example I want to receive instant cache notifications for GA, FL, SC, AL and NC. Or I should have the ability to receive notifications within XX miles of a coordinate specified.

 

- Keyword searching in PQ's. Suppose I wanted to find every travel bug motel/hotel. A keyword search would allow me to do this. Search title and descriptions like Ebay does.

 

- Create a XML schema for travel bugs. Have it include all information about the travel bug.

 

- I like the idea of multi-year membership and/or lifetime membership. Some cool pin identifying you as a lifetime member would be very cool :D

Link to comment

The only reasons I have not become a PM are that as a student i have a hard time affording either gas or ramen noodles and that i'm not really as "into" caching as others seem to be.... for me it is a stress-reliever, exercise, and something to do. I'm not after the numbers and I express my 'in-ness' with the crowd by buying bumper stickers or antenna balls not membership cards. Which by the way, half of my x-mas presents came from the Groundspeak store so in a way I am paying my way.

 

How about reducing the price of a membership with certain purchase requirements from the store? And a gentle suggestion at checkout that for just X dollars more you can upgrade your account?

Link to comment

As others have mentioned it would be great to be able to search by a route and

See who is watching your cache.

 

I'm a premium member for a backgammon ladder site and I pay for the priority customer support that is available to paying members. This could be priority cache approval or turn around time on questions sent directly to admin.

Link to comment

I must admit that I'm part of the "what's in it for me" crowd. I usually only do geocaching as a motivational tool for excersize. Therefore, I look for caches I can reasonably reach on my bicycle.

 

Here's how I geocache:

1. Log onto the site, look at what's available in my area.

2. Copy & paste the coordinates into DeLorme Topo if I'm going to enter more than one or two.

3. Fire up my Geko 201 and enter coordinates. If its just one or two, I'll do it by hand.

4. Wander off and get into trouble, hopefully stay out of jail (not been there) or the hospital (been there).

5. Post my results.

 

I would suggest a patch or a window sticker, maybe the CITO tee-shirt, for becoming a premium member. What you have as "perks" are things that only real power cachers appreciate. If you want the unwashed masses to rise up and join, then you need something which appeals to the occasional cacher. Most of the suggestions I have seen are from caching junkies, and a lot of it just doesn't appeal to me.

 

If you want to do a teaser, show the caches that are premium-member-only, but without the coordinates or the log entries. There are four (4) member-only caches within 20 miles of me. What is in them, I don't know, and I don't know if they are worth $30 to find them. After all, there are something like 400 others within 20 miles, what's special about these four?

Link to comment
(i.e. Mapquest you can search for any gas station or other place that meets your criteria along a route).

We are still looking at this feature in a significantly cheaper way.

Perhaps instead of a route along a road, it might be more than sufficient to show the caches along a line. Say a cacher is travelling from A to Z, show all the caches within 5 miles or so of a line drawn between the two points. A non-member would be shown one cache, and a premium member would get to set the search criteria.

Link to comment

I recently read most of the replys & just now browsed threw them all.

Excellent ideas from both briansnat & especialy dunos!!! And others too.

 

Having just spent some time updating the html on some of my cache pages I came upon a "Great Idea". See idea#1. I also am adding a few other thoughts.

Hope they help!

 

Seems to me minor features and functionality aren't enough to entise members to pay up.

 

More html Functionality for premium members I think is what will ultimetly achieve it.

1. When updating our cache page give paying members a Preview option.

 

We can modify the looks of our pages by writting html but as said by someone else it is limited to certain pages and not all.

2. Ability to write html on all pages as well as logs for caches we found.

2 1/2. "Generic" page design of our Cache pages for non members. Choice of a couple different customizable designs/layouts for paying members.

 

3. Abilty to bold or italicise type in the forums, like the numbers of my ideas for instance.

3 1/2. Spell chek fer us bad spellers.

 

In another thread it was mentioned, by Jeremy I believe, that a flower idea was kicking around to show the owner activity of a cache page.

4. For paying members be able to do this and 1 step further hows about a choice of flowers or plants ect.

 

5. Automated html for those who don't know how to write html.

 

Some have come up with a membership package idea. Though that does sound interesting it would also bring up the membership fee too. Those of us who paid anyway might not dig the higher renewel fee's. Many may not be interested in the items & not willing to pay more.

6. What if there was a package available only to members? At a lower price of course, at cost even. The site already now has the money from the premium membership so if this option brings the number of members up then you have already gained. Does that description make any sense?

 

As always keep up the existing Great work.

Edited by NoRain
Link to comment

Happy premium member here, I agree that many of the requests we have seen are for features that are already available to us. While the idea of a yearly "token" collectible is interesting, I would rather see it available for sale to premium members than as an automatic thing. I want my $30 dollars going to run the site, not to buy trinkets. I am a very happy member, but i would like to see an option to get a PQ of all of my finds, including archived caches. Even if i could only run one a month or even less often, it would be awesome to get a PQ that was not constrained to 500 finds, and that could span the US and Europe. I know it is silly but I would like to throw all the finds up on a map and see where I have been. The mileage between caches is interesting as well.

 

Edit: to add

 

My wife and I are both Premium members, so we each pony up the thirty dollars a year. We share PQ's so the only real reason for having two memberships is MOC's so we might buy a family membership if it was offered, just to save a few bucks, but we will definitely continue to purchase two premium memberships if one is not offered. We are definitely getting more than 60 bucks worth of fun out of Geocaching, heck maybe we should have an option for paying more that is targeted purely for development.

Edited by Monkeybrad
Link to comment

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.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...