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What Are Your Feelings Towards Groundspeak?

Milbank

By Milbank
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DaveA

+DaveA

Posted
Posted

Well, others have (in an attempt to be positive) likened it to Microsoft.

 

I would tend to agree, although that doesn't imply I am being positive :D

 

It is one thing to be the largest and most popular, it is another to try hanging onto that position by using one's leverage unethically.

 

Those who know, know. Those who don't, I can't help here :D

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Moose Mob

+Moose Mob

Posted
Posted

I think Groundspeak have done great. Although the forums seem to be thier main source of input, there are two types of cachers that you don't see here often. Casual family cachers and RV cachers. (yes, a few exist). But all in all, they seem to be less demanding and, like me, patient and quite happy with what this site does offer.

I think they have also done a great job in trying to keep the highly opinionated folks under some sort of order. But that's just my opinion!

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Escapades

+Escapades

Posted
Posted

I think Groundspeak is doing a great job. They have created a great web site \. Our family spends more time together, more time outdoors and have had tons of fun. It is the best hobby. They also keep making good updates on the site.

The only thing that could improve is finding a way to limit the complainers on the forums.

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New England n00b

+New England n00b

Posted
Posted (edited)
For example, it does seem quite USA-centric. There are features that make it useful to residents of other parts of the world, but functionality is at its best in the US. That is understandable - being a U.S. company, Groundspeak's primary responsibility is to serve U.S. citizens. However I can't help wondering if it would be possible to include such things as zip/postal code searching for other countries too, especially if residents of said other countries help set it up.

 

While you are at it semd them the $$$$ for maps for every country. They are extremely expensive! Or perhaps a universal Mapquest link that is useful outside the U.S. Still, it's a 3rd party solution - no other way around it. gc.com is only as good as the tools it can afford.

 

Several geocachers I've spoken to are also none-too-pleased with the rather arbitrary decisions made by Groundspeak staff in terms of cache types supported. The demise of support for mobile caches is lamentable, and the moratorium on locationless caches is also unfortunate. I've read about the practical considerations involved, and I'm sure they can be overcome with a little effort and common sense.

 

Virtual caches also receive very low priority. Believe it or not, some people find visiting a culturally or historically significant site, gaining knowledge and answering a question somewhat more fulfilling than visiting an ammo box (albeit one with a nice view), gaining a trinket and signing a log book. Others enjoy placing virtual caches - researching sites, logging them and then acting as quiz-master when others find them. Virtual caches also have an important role to play in making the sport more disability-friendly, offering a mental challenge rather than a purely physical one.

 

If geocaching.com claims to support the sport of geocaching, it should support the whole sport, not just those aspects of it popular amongst some participants. At the same time, I accept that there are many geocachers who seek only one or two cache types, and don't want to have to wade through heaps of others to find the ones they want. The Skip List mentioned elsewhere in this forum sounds like a way around this.

 

Jeremy said earlier this year he hopes to have Virtuals and other game types fully realized before 2005 is out. That said, what is wrong with teh concept of www.virtualcaching.com or some such thing? Why does gc.com have to cater to every single type of cache that can be imagined? They are the ones who have to maintain the servers and have the manpower to handle these things. Shouldn't they get some say in how they run things on their own site? It is OK to serve a niche market.

Edited by New England n00b
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sbell111

+sbell111

Posted
Posted

I like Groudspeak. <_<

 

Of course, they have yet to make a decision that I can't live with. Come to think of it, I'm not sure that it is possible for them to make a decision that I can't live with (short of banning my account). This is just a hobby, after all.

 

For the most part, TPTB appear to be interested in our concerns. While it is true that my priorities are not theirs; it is not my company, so I can't set the priorities or the direction.

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RuffRidr

+RuffRidr

Posted
Posted
Darn competent at creating/maintaining this website, and how they don't get driven NUTS by the nit-pickers, I don't know.

 

On the other hand, I am still puzzled by the whole Buxley thing. Ah well...

This is my take on it as well. They have done a very good job with the site. They should be commended for it. The greatness is part of what has help this sport boom.

 

On the other hand, their monopolistic behavior sickens me. Why do they crush 3rd party sites and then offer no viable alternative? Buxley's was one. Skydiver's cache notification was another. I can't remember the name of it anymore, but there used to be a great stats site out there. Why not work with these people instead of against them. Sharing and openness is the whole spirit of the game.

 

I'll continue to use this site for now as it is currently the best in almost all aspects. It has the greatest number of caches and its a place I know where people would look to find my caches. However, because of some of the previous actions listed above, I have absolutely no loyalty to this site. I'm just waiting for something better to come along.

 

--RuffRidr

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BigHank

+BigHank

Posted
Posted

They do a good job of the job they do. I do wish they hadn't squashed virts and locationless, but can also understand the reasons why...some folks abused it and ruined it for the rest of us, and they were not in concert with the originall intent and spirit of geocaching: finding a hidden object. Of course, following that logic, I think they should have done away with event caches too.

But, as others have said, it's their site, they can do what they want. If it ever was to get to the point where it wasn't meeting my needs as far as the way I cache, then I would go somewhere else. I hope it never gets to that point.

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