+nfa Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Hi, When I downloaded the newest version of GSAK, I finally paid to register it, and that got me thinking about people paying for what they can get for free. I like PQs and the other member features of gc.com, but that's not why I am a premium member...I think it's worth supporting because it provides me (and the rest of the world) with a valuable service. I'm also a contributor to Buxely's, cachemate, terracaching.com, public radio, the Nature Conservancy, the Red Cross, a nearby animal shelter, and our local public library. I'm posting to get a feel for whether or not forum members pay for geocaching services, and why they do or do not. Thanks for any replies, nfa-jamie Quote
+BlueDeuce Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 (edited) paid. It helps keep the programer programming making GSAK even better. Edited February 19, 2005 by BlueDeuce Quote
+DelMarNorth Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Paid for premium membership, and for GSAK. Both are fantastic resources that help me, and my friends to enjoy ourselves, and get out and see the great things the outdoors has to offer. For the price, they are 2 of the best values I can remember. Quote
+Colorado Cacher Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Paid..........Why? Because it allows me the privilege of being a geocacher that knows he supports the cause for others; to keep the fun going and hope that they enjoy it for a long, long, long time to come. Where else are you gonna get this type and amount of exercise for thirty some dollars a year? Quote
+Team Tigger International Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Paid , If yiou enjoy a thing or support a project or idea of course we will support it! We even as a christmas gift gave a premium membership to a friend ! We are also members of the GWRRA , raise money for childrens wishes. Star donates to the United Way , with the money designated for the Red Cross and the local Humane Shelter. Star Quote
+Gob-ler Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 (edited) Paid - GSAK and all it features are worth every penny and the service from Clyde is exceptional. Also am a premium member. I feel I get more than my moneys worth. Edited February 19, 2005 by Gob-ler Quote
+ChileHead Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 If you use something, and you get value out of that something, and the provider of that something asks for money if you find it useful, then you pay. Else, later you may not have that something. Quote
+zcubed Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 GC is a great web site and I enjoy the member features. GSAK is a great program that makes caching easier so I registered it. If everyone knew how much work and time goes into a web site or coding a program they would cough up the small amount too! Quote
+Kit Fox Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Paid..........Why? Because it allows me the privilege of being a geocacher that knows he supports the cause for others; to keep the fun going and hope that they enjoy it for a long, long, long time to come. Where else are you gonna get this type and amount of exercise for thirty some dollars a year? My thoughts too. I paid for premium membership, GSAK, and Cachemate. Twice I have bought items from the Groundspeak store. I paid for the premium membership when I first started, and long before I went paperless. I didn't need an excuse to know that I was supporting a worthwhile cause. It makes me feel better that I pay my fair share. Quote
+sbell111 Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Whew, I thought I was going to miss out on the 'Let's pat ourselves on the back' thread. To keep my post on topic, I pay for my membership at gc.com and about a week ago, I finally got around to paying for GSAK. Quote
Black Mage Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Not paid. Full time student, can't afford it at this time. Though I do intend to become premium at some time. Quote
+zoltig Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Paid to GC.com and GSAK!! Both are great values. Quote
+Doc Gilbo Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 I pay for the same reason. When someone provides a service and requests support , (IE: Geocaching Premium member account or registering your GSAK Program) I feel if you can afford to, then you should pay the small fee. They both provide a service and I am proud to support these folks with the small voluntary upgrades they offer so as to keep things running smoothly. I don't begrudge anyone who truly can't afford to pay, but those who can should. 'nuff said. Thanks for the topic. Doc Gilbo Quote
+GixxerUT Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 I guess I am the only selfish person to admit that I paid for premium because of what I get out of it; pq's, .gpx files. And I think the cost is a bargain, compared to the NG Topo I bought, and the upgrades. Quote
+mrking Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Pay for GC.com just for the PQ alone. Now the members have more features like the bookmarks as well. Using GSAK for free because I can, my 21 days are not up yet. I'll eventual pay for it though as I can see in this forum how active clyde is in his development. Quote
+vree Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 it's hard to resist paying for such a wonderful program for such a completely reasonable price... and that's coming from a cheapskate. my hat's off to clyde. (i hate hat hair) Quote
+BigHank Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Recently got a new 60CS, so recently paid for Premium Membership so I could get the PQ's. Didn't use them with my old GPS as there was no means to download to it. Haven't tried GSAK yet, so don't know enough to say whether or not I'd pay for it. Quote
+Miragee Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 To paraphrase what Daryl says on the website, this is what I'm using: . . . a clunky assortment of CacheMate Convert on my PC and CacheMate and Cache Log Book on my Palm . . . in combination with my standard map applications like MapQuest and DeLorme Street Atlas. Until this thread, I didn't even know about GSAK. But, I didn't start Geocaching until a little more than a month ago . . . I bought CacheMate and became a Premium Member as soon as I learned about going "paperless." So, now, thanks to this thread, I'm going to download GSAK and check it out, (even though with my slow Internet connection it is going to take about an hour . . . ) P.S. I haven't bought much downloaded software, but I did purchase my Opera browser! That was worth every penny . . . and I'm a cheapskate. Quote
+JohnnyVegas Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 Paid for GSAK, I would not want to cache without it. Quote
+fersman4 Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 (edited) I'm going to break the mold here. I have NOT paid for GSAK (though I do have premium membership, without which GSAK isn't as useful). 1) In my line of work, and for the past five or so years, open source and freeware applications are the norm, and people like me take advantage of the wonderful things others do. Of course, in order for this system to work universally, people like me who use these tools have almost an obligation to develop open our own open source or freeware applications for the benefit of others. It's like a new currency system, where the currency is useful applications rather than money, and the value of each application is irrelevant as long as at least a few can use it. 2) I'm new to this sport and I want to make sure that this is something I'm going to want to do more long term before I invest. This does not mean that I will not pay for GSAK. Indeed I have paid more than $30 to get rid of a nag screen on other applications, but I only do it after I'm sure it's what I want to do. Edited February 19, 2005 by fersman4 Quote
+justybug Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 i pay here and on terracaching.com, don't use GSAK yet, as my basic GPS can't really take advantage of downloading everything, and i don't really mind inputting stuff by hand. what would be nice would be having the cache pages available paperless, but i abandoned pda's a while back, and might have to get another one now.. nothing more frustrating than transposing cache descriptions, and wondering why nothing matches up at the site you're at.... makes for great moments when you find one and realize what you've done though.. when i upgrade my gpsr i'm sure i'll figure out gsak, and it's usefulness. i like geocaching, and will support it because it introduced me to my new favorite thing, that actually motivated me to get active again. i like the new look too. Quote
+welch Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 nope. don't use gsak. never looked at it, people keep recommending it, some day maybe Ill check it out. Quote
+Clan X-Man Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 I paid for premium membership, GSAK, and Cachemate. Twice I have bought items from the Groundspeak store. I paid for the premium membership when I first started, and long before I went paperless. Same for me KitFox I'm just to lazy to type it all over again. Gixxer you are not alone. I originally paid only for the PQ's. As I got more into caching and found the forums and started making friends here and there I found that I really got my moneys worth. I can't remember really fitting in with a group before, besides my Army days. You people are weird..... Quote
+AuntieWeasel Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 I don't use GSAK but, as a rule, I do pay for shareware, provided that I consider the asking price commensurate with its usefulness. Another happy paying Opera customer, incidentally Quote
+flask Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 paid. gc.com, GSAK, three public radio stations, local bike club, local climbing organization. i never thought i wanted PQs but golly them things are useful. Quote
+wilsonjw Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 I'm posting to get a feel for whether or not forum members pay for geocaching services, and why they do or do not. I pay for both. They're both great values, and paying for the service is my way of encouraging continued improvement and innovation. I'm also too lazy to carry paper along with me; I'd much rather have everything conveniently loaded into the electronics.... Quote
+sTeamTraen Posted February 19, 2005 Posted February 19, 2005 It took me 10 months to get round to paying for premium membership. I only discovered GSAK a couple of weeks ago, and I'm still getting used to it, so it's still at the stage where it costs me more time to use it than it saves. When (if) I get to the "tipping point" I'll pay for it Quote
+GSVNoFixedAbode Posted February 20, 2005 Posted February 20, 2005 Paid..........Why? Because it allows me the privilege of being a geocacher that knows he supports the cause for others; to keep the fun going and hope that they enjoy it for a long, long, long time to come. Where else are you gonna get this type and amount of exercise for thirty some dollars a year? What they said! Renewal time now rolling around for gc.com and I'll pay up again. Also GSAK and cachemate happily paid. I'm a great believer of the shareware / freeware / open source movement but as mentioned by others it is a Stone Soup concept: everyone put something in, get something out, and my code cutting days are sadly in the past (for many reasons). So I'm happy to support the continuation of these offerings. Quote
+kingquad Posted February 20, 2005 Posted February 20, 2005 I pay for geocaching.com, and really think it is a good thing to pay for since i use it alot and it brings the whole family together at doing something we all like doing, as for GSAK, I downloaded it like 2-3 times,....but it is a bit too complicate for me so I uninstalled it and probly wont use it again. so that is why I will not pay for it. Quote
+Team Tecmage Posted February 20, 2005 Posted February 20, 2005 We've had GSAK for a while, and will pay for it. Quote
+graldrich Posted February 20, 2005 Posted February 20, 2005 I payed for premium membership,GSAK and Cachemate!This is a great site and those programs I bought are great programs! Quote
+BillyBean Posted February 20, 2005 Posted February 20, 2005 PAID for the Premium membership and am currently trying GSAK (for less than a week) I am having problems trying to figure it out, but if I can I have no problems in paying. This is a great sport, and long story short, this is helping me recover from injuries from an automobile accident better than any Dr or physical therapy. So I support this sport to the fullest! Thank You Geocaching!!! Bill Quote
+Wyoming Travelers Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 I pay for services I use. I really like to take advantage of the 30day trial period many offer. There is nothing worse than purchsing software, and finding out it sucks. Quote
+Divine Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 I have paid for premium membership and bought some stuff from Groundpeak, because I want to support the site (even when it's been considerably more difficult from outside the US) that offers me so much fun. I have tried GSAK, but I haven't been using it almost at all so far, so I'm not going to pay for it yet. That may change after I get my new GPS unit. Quote
+WRITE SHOP ROBERT Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 Not paid. Full time student, can't afford it at this time. That's OK, that's right in line with the whole concept of having more than one way th use the site. I have to admit that I didn't start paying for CG.com until the GC.com maps started working right and wouldn't let me pan around without paying. This is my most common way to pick caches to seek. I pan along the map to see where caches are in relation to where I WILL be and that's how I pick them. I pay for public radio too. Quote
+AMH209 Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 Paid for GSAK and GC. I figure if its something I'm going to use a lot(which I do), I should help support it. Quote
+Divine Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 By the way, what's GSAK? Geocaching Swiss Army Knife. Quote
+robert Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 i pay. before it was just for PQs, now the new bookmarks feature looks like good fun and useful too! Quote
+Mejas Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 I pay. After getting started and seeing that I liked it. I felt like I needed it support it. Back before the internet, there were bulletin boards. My son had one, it got so large that he had one computer for it. A few donated most didn't they were the one that complained the most. Mejas Quote
+briansnat Posted February 21, 2005 Posted February 21, 2005 I pay for membership for this site because I think its the right thing to do. I also like pocket queries and some of the other member bennies, but I paid before I ever considered using any of them and I would pay even if they didn't exist, or were available to everyone. I also paid for Cachemate because I use it frequently. I downloaded GSAK, but have only used it twice in the 2 months I've had it so I haven't bothered to pay for it. If I find myself using it regularly in the future, I'll probably shell out the money. Quote
+Sharpshooter and Heidi Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 When I became a premium member, I didn't know what a PQ was, now I love them!!! Just yesterday we were out looking for a cache, that one didn't pan out, so we wanted to find another one to put a travel bug in, and without the PQ info in the pda, we would have been out of luck. When I paid for the premium membership, I did it just because I wanted to support the site. Servers aren't free, and we get a fair amount of entertainment from this. Heck, pizza and soda for two can easily break $30.00 Sharpshooter. Quote
+Mr Lost Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 Being a skinflint stingy b@$t@rd, I like free stuff. But... I paid for my GC membership because I like me some PQs a whole bunch. I paid for GSAK because I figgured that if I didn't, I would have lost that amount of moneys worth of my extraordinarily valuable time waiting for nag screens to go away. That, and I have never in my life seen customer service like that of Clyde. He honestly deserves every nickel that he asks for his liveliehood, which is what GSAK is for him now. Buy both. You will not regret it, or misss the money. Really. Quote
+NoLemon Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 Paid for Premium Membership a year ago and just re-upped for another year tonight. I use the PQs heavily and enjoy the other premium benefits. However, premium features aside, I would still pay the $30/year to support the site. I get a lot of enjoyment out of caching -- it is now my primary hobby. Plus, I've met a lot of great people and made some terrific friends from attending caching events. I wouldn't trade that for the world. In order to keep this site alive, I'm happy to pay. Despite a rough patch here and there, Jeremy and crew do a fantastic job and deserve to be paid for it. Paid for both Cachemate and GSAK. As others have said, kudos to Clyde for GSAK -- for me and the how I cache GSAK is worth every penny and then some. I can't begin to calculate how much time I have saved using GSAK. Quote
+Cardinal Red Posted March 9, 2005 Posted March 9, 2005 I have been a Premium Member for about a week. Checked it out for free long enough to see the value in this site. I read recent reports of clogged servers on Sundays. I decided if I wasn't part of the solution, I was part of the problem. Let me add that I think the availability of the Basic Membership is very important to the growth of Geocaching. I have made a few people aware of this game, and it is very important to be able to tell them that they can try it for FREE to see it they like it. Compare that to another Membership I claim, the U.S. Chess Federation. How many of you want to try that on for size when I tell you what it will cost up front. Quote
+Rainwater Posted March 9, 2005 Posted March 9, 2005 Paid for membership Tried GSAK. Loved it. Paid for it. Wouldnt try to cache without it now. Would recommend everyone to at least try it. sometimes I send Clyde some extra every now and again for his continuing updates and impovements. Yeah I know he doesnt request more money for updates and if you pay once you get liftime updates but hey I figure even a little helps him refine a great product. Quote
+Markwell Posted March 9, 2005 Posted March 9, 2005 Paid for both. Just sorry I didn't contribute EARLIER to both. Quote
+Haffy Posted March 9, 2005 Posted March 9, 2005 Yeah,pay for GC and just got a bot to inform me my membership will be running out in 29 days so I got to get the check in the mail. Use and paid for Cachmate and also use in a very limited capacity GSAK but havent paid as of yet but will when I get more used to understanding how to use it. Sure wish someone would write a book on using GSAK, I would buy that too. Quote
+badlands Posted March 10, 2005 Posted March 10, 2005 Haven't paid yet for GC but plan to. I want to support the people that develop and maintain the site. Quote
+Blaidd-Drwg Posted March 10, 2005 Posted March 10, 2005 First let me do my chest thumping. I've paid for, and use, both GSAK and Cachemate. I'm on my third annual installment of GC.Com. WHY. As for GC.com, I had been involved n the sport for about 6 months when the idea of the paid service was started. I had already seen how much enjoyment I got from the website and the service that it offered. So the decision to support the website to me was a no brainer. Even if there were no PQs, I believe I'd still support the site, just because I can see how much effort is involved to keep it up and running. As for cachemate and GSAK, my support is just a small way to say that their product is worth every penny. I used each for one weekend of caching and made the decision that they were right for me. Now, I don't know how I'd get along without this trio of products. (yes, for those of you out there already starting to type, I do know about the other paperless alternatives and have used them in the past) Quote
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