Groundspeak Portal

Some practical issue.  Firefox is my browser of choice, but I also have IE, and recently started using Google Chrome some.  I find it easier to keep two browsers open when I'm doing research and posting waymarks.  Chrome is almost a hybrid browser search engine.  There is no conflict among the browsers.

Font Size:  compose your descriptions off line using your favorite word processor and whatever font works well, then just paste it into the description field in normal.  I do this sometimes anyway (compose off line).   Remember, you are creating a waymark for someone else to read, not for yourself.  If they see a block of black text with not paragraph breaks, they will be less likely to read it.

Now, back to the style issue.  I think this has been hashed out about as much as we can.  And, you can be as "stubborn" as you want (as you say), but be aware that you are still likely to meet resistance and declined waymarks.

I think it is important to remember that a person, or preferably a group of people, create a category and define it to fit their preferences and style.  In a sense, they do "own" it as the creator.  So, when you create "your" category and submit it, you are submitting it to a category that someone else has defined.  They set the rules, within reason.  Some categories have very specific requirements for format and style.  If I want to have my waymark accepted, then I follow those guidelines, or I chose not to submit a waymark.  I'm not free just to say, "I don't agree with your requirements; I'm going to do it may way." 

Some categories, and reviewing officers, may be more open to subjective flair and nonstandard styles such as bold fonts, colored fonts, embellishments, etc.  Some will be very strict.  That is their prerogative.  (Spell checker helped me with that word!)  I get waymarks from someone that often uses some colored font, but it looks quite nice and actually enhances the waymark, in my opinion, so I allow it.  Some other wild font might not come off so nice, though. 

Anyway, I try to slant my waymark toward the style preferred by each category and the little "issues" each might have.  (They're not always spelled out in the category description and posting requirements).   It's just part of playing the game and being flexible.  So, chart your course as you will, but just don't be surprise if you still meet some resistance.

In general I like to see WM descriptions that are fairly vanilla and primarily informational (which does not mean I'll deny one for being more stylish).  There are a few categories, though, that are more on the light side in my mind.  I'm an officer on Omnivorous Trees, and to me, that's more of a fun category, so I don't mind a little bit of silliness in the descriptions there (I hope RNPH agrees or I may be getting a demotion now).

cache_test_dummies:

swizzle:

As far as not having a problem with the font size in the forums you are wrong. I do have a hard time reading the font size and proof-reading my post is tough.

Most browsers provide the ability to easily increase the size of the font on cache pages you are viewing (IE: View->Text Size; in Firefox: Tools->Options->Content). By changing the font size on the pages you view in your browser, you may no longer feel a need to vary the font size (or make Bold) the contents of the waymarks you are submitting.

And if you have a wheel on your mouse, Ctrl+wheel changes the size as well (I do this accidentally a lot).  This works in IE and Firefox.

Alright, I got foxfire all downloaded and even downloaded the spellbound, spell checker. Now where do I find it so I can use it? I've searched all of my tabs but can't seem to locate a simple box to type in my text and hit the spell check button. Am I missing something? As far as my FONT size goes. I'll remove all of the over sized fonts from my future waymarks just to avoid the extra emails and declines over such silliness.

Ok I see the spellchecker thing now. I didn't realize it would work as I type in any window. That's pretty cool. Do I need to download the dictionary too to double check my spelling? What about a sentence structure checker? Now all we need is a re-worder  to make sure I have "well" and "while" straight. This is making spell checking a whole lot easier. A lot of times I'm not sure or I honestly don't know such as my catagory vs. category. It sounded right and that's why I just roll with it sometimes. Swizzle

dinoprophet:

In general I like to see WM descriptions that are fairly vanilla and primarily informational (which does not mean I'll deny one for being more stylish).  There are a few categories, though, that are more on the light side in my mind.  I'm an officer on Omnivorous Trees, and to me, that's more of a fun category, so I don't mind a little bit of silliness in the descriptions there (I hope RNPH agrees or I may be getting a demotion now).

No, I'm sorry, dino. The category where we pretend trees are eating things is serious business!

I think our only real requirements for that cat is are (1) we gotta see it (2) it's gotta be a man-made thing. I love seeing people have fun with their waymarks in that cat.

You know, Swizzle, you could just call categories "cats" from now on. For some reason, calling a category a "cat" doesn't set off a grammar alarm. Don't ask me why.  

I've been having fun lately typing in the whole word catEgory for some reason. Well I got my 3 war memorials approved and that should put me in as the 10th highest poster in NY now, if I'm reading BruceS's statisics page right. HuckleBuckle had 114 last I checked (30 sec. ago) and now I have 117. Don't tell them though. I don't want to be number 11 again. Now to shoot for that 9 spot. Swizzle

swizzle:

I feel like I'm getting a one sided review here and think that there are more people out there like me that are having a really hard time with the proper way to submit waymarks when all 929 categories ask for different things. Swizzle

The flip side of asking for consistency across the categories, is providing consistency in the waymarks.

Even with inconsistent categories, we, as waymarkers can provide a similar look and feel by modeling ourselves after other waymarks.

dinoprophet:

And if you have a wheel on your mouse, Ctrl+wheel changes the size as well (I do this accidentally a lot).  This works in IE and Firefox.

Cool, I didn't know I could do that.

Mine just puts a circle with an up and down arrow on it and it makes the page go up and down faster. Swizzle

Redneck Parrotheads:

I could show you some emails I've received from Waymarkers that would make you blush.

to RNPH: Let's just keep those between us okay? {snicker/evil}

Back on topic:

As for the signature and "Happy Waymarking".. anyone that reviewed any of my waymarks will tell you that it is extremely unlikely that anyone will dissuade me from my boilerplate usage. I also believe in other things that many others do not support, like that I will title my waymark how "I" want to based on guidance from the category description, not because someone demands a certain scheme be utilized.

I've included my personal opinions in listings but only to augment the factual data and as part of customer service. Statements like "This place is really busy between 8am and 9am" or "High school kids fill this place before dinner so you might wish to avoid it then." .... I think I even said something like "This location has the worst coffee I've ever had and consistently fails to improve."

Sure, I wish that everyone was able to provide interesting descriptions that are free of typos, misspellings and grammar issues but that simply isn't realistic. I'd rather have a happy participant that adds to the category than drive someone away because they cannot accurately spell "Category".

And FWIW... I go to Wikipedia for information, not recreation. I Waymark for fun.

BQ

And I signed my name 'nya'!

swizzle:

Mine just puts a circle with an up and down arrow on it and it makes the page go up and down faster. Swizzle

Oops, sorry, I wasn't clear.  Ctrl + roll the wheel, not click the wheel.

That's weird, but I like it. Swizzle

When I reviewed your most recent WWII memorial, I was completely amazed at how drastically your waymarking skills have improved.

You've been good about asking for advice, and been completely showered in it.

Can you share with us what advice was the most helpful?

Excuse my French but I think the person who wrote you this letter has asuta.  It is only a game/hobby.

Well you've probably seen some of my better work then. adding all of the names on that plaque wasn't easy. At first I tried to put them in as it was written, 4 wide. I had to go back through and put in < br> every third one. The reason there is such a difference in this particular one is because I have relatives in the military, some who've spent years and some who are still in it. I figured if they can put in years of service to protect us and to fight for what they believe in then the least I can do is spend a few seconds writing down each name. When I get more time I'll be doing the same to all of my war memorials.<br>
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As far as one key piece of advice I can't say that any one person flipped on the light switch for me. I do care about the research and I do like to try to do a decent write up on each one. My biggest problem was the misspelling constantly being pointed out. I was lead to the firefox browser and that knocked a bunch of my frustration right out.<br>
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Another thing is extreme patience and understanding. If I had to pick out the one person who is very strong in both of these fields I would have to say ~SilverQuill.~ If it wasn't for him trying to continually give me pointers even when I was frustrated with him then I'd still be giving everyone a hard time. Some people take this game a lot more seriously then others and I have to admit that I haven't always played well with others. I just hope that anyone I've crossed can understand at I come across as a rather sizable jerk if things don't go my way. Its not ok and I'm trying to work on it.<br>
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I still get frustrated and I'll sometimes go a day without posting anything at all. I think my biggest thorn in the side is a particular humor category that is run by some humor challenged people. I'll still bump heads with people but I also want to make sure that I come out of it learning something and hopefully don't portrait myself as the A-hole that I was when I started this thread. One bad day really sticks in the minds of people and even a genuine apology isn't enough to erase the memory of my belligerence.<br>
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The biggest thing to me is when a reviewer takes the time to say something positive about a submission or to critic it in a more positive light. I still don't like declines but I know that you guys don't like declining waymarks either. I'm just starting as a reviewer so I'll be on the other side of the fence myself. Hopefully I won't be to crucial of other people's work and I can influence them as positively as some of you have influenced me.<br>
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 If I had to give advice to any of you reviewers then I'd say please be patient with the newbies. Simple advice such as foxfire, a research site, actually helping with research if time allows it, and a gentle reminder now and then that this isn't your job. You don't get paid to do this and you're only trying to help. Some people, me included at first, thought reviewers were paid. If bill collectors call here then I give them a hard time. They're paid to deal with me. You guys are here because you like what you do and want to share and experience it with others. If newby's understand this from the start then maybe it'll soften up and make it easier to talk to them. Swizzle

swizzle:

I just hope that anyone I've crossed can understand at I come across as a rather sizable jerk if things don't go my way. Its not ok and I'm trying to work on it.

Not in my experience with you, but I've experienced "sizable jerk" on a much bigger scale. You'd have to work pretty hard to get there. ;)

swizzle:

I still get frustrated and I'll sometimes go a day without posting anything at all. I think my biggest thorn in the side is a particular humor category that is run by some humor challenged people. I'll still bump heads with people but I also want to make sure that I come out of it learning something and hopefully don't portrait myself as the A-hole that I was when I started this thread. One bad day really sticks in the minds of people and even a genuine apology isn't enough to erase the memory of my belligerence.

You were upset by a message somebody had sent you. Anyone who isn't sadistic or psycho would understand that completely. Nobody thinks poorly of you for this post. If you'd like this thread to die, I'd recommend messaging BruceS with a request for him to close it. I think he can do that. If not, he knows who can.

I'm happy you've stuck with the game. For a "sizable jerk" you've made the forum a nicer place for me to come back to. Thanks! :)

I think the sizable jerk part comes from some emails that I sent well I was a bit more frustrated. I made some pretty nasty jabs that were completely uncalled for to one of the reviewers. Let's just say that I had a rougher then normal childhood and it still shows at times. I really should have had anger management when I was younger. I see a lot of my father in myself and he had a hair trigger. I hate it because I tend to bite and then regret. I'm still trying to control that part of me and although I'm a lot easier going then I was in my 20's I still see room for improvement. All I can do is try to stop and walk away for a bit and then come back but only after thinking every thing out and chillin' out for a bit. After all this is just a game. Swizzle

swizzle:

Let's just say that I had a rougher then normal childhood and it still shows at times. I really should have had anger management when I was younger. I see a lot of my father in myself and he had a hair trigger. I hate it because I tend to bite and then regret. I'm still trying to control that part of me and although I'm a lot easier going then I was in my 20's I still see room for improvement. All I can do is try to stop and walk away for a bit and then come back but only after thinking every thing out and chillin' out for a bit. After all this is just a game. Swizzle

I could have written this myself. I am over 40 now and still working on the bites and regrets.

I agree with RPH. I enjoy having your insights and questions in the forums and as gt.us. said your waymarks are improving each time you submit one. It is a pleasure to see good waymarks in the new waymarks lineup.

Thanks for sharing your secrets to success with us. I enjoyed readinging your thoughts.

I'm going to have to get Firefox going, 'cause I can't type for beans.

Each handmade quilt has a vanity square, which is a piece in error, because only God is perfect. So, when I find a mistake in my quilt, I alwasys say I planned for it, and it's my Vanity Square.

So, my waymarks have a Vanity word, okay?

I learned a while ago that I can stay in this rut and go no where's if I want to but why. I'm always looking to self improve. I've never been much for groups of people, generally because of past experiences. Stabbed, mugged, slapped, punched, beat up everyday, hair pulled, hit with brushes, combs, rulers, kicked in the ribs, hit between the eyes with a padlock a few times, 4 guys tried to give me a swirly. I use to come home with bruises 10" across. I was raised in a Christian school with 21 kids K-12 and when I hit 12 we moved out of state and away from everyone I knew. Our Christian class rooms had dividers. You weren't allowed to talk or touch anyone or get smacked with a ruler. My graduating class in KY was 200 people. I was never taught any decent social skills. Even my home life. I played in my room, well more or less cleaned my room constantly and played video games. Saw my mom maybe an hour a day well she screamed at my sisters and Dad came home late nights to beat us to our rooms. He was the angry guy that we feed and took care of. He use to beat my mom until she held a knife to his throat so yeah I got a few issues and that's why I strike out sometimes. Its a pathetic learned behavior and I'm trying to stop it and be more of a father to my 2 boys then my dad ever thought of being to us. If you stop growing, your dieing. Swizzle

swizzle:

Its a pathetic learned behavior and I'm trying to stop it and be more of a father to my 2 boys then my dad ever thought of being to us. If you stop growing, your dieing. Swizzle

Hang in there Swizzle. We're rootin' for ya. Parenting, the hardest job you'll ever love. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrx9Ywlev1Y

One of my favorite songs when my first son was born. I just sang along with the video and acted a bit goofy to make my boys laugh. Now they want me to sing it again. They got the cutest little laughs. I think its time to play the tickle monster for a bit. Thanx for the video. Swizzle

An Open Letter to Swizzle:

You came bursting in on the Waymarking scene with a lot of enthusiasm and passion!  Boy, do we need that.  The give and take that we've had has helped all of us and the result is a stronger sense of purpose and a better hobby.  Your persistence has paid off and you're well on your way to becoming a premium waymarker.  We're glad you're here!

We all carry baggage and recognize that it can spill over into other areas and affect relationships.   Sometimes someone hits one of those triggers and the gun goes off.  That's never fun.  But, believe me, you've done well here.  There is a big difference between contending for one's ideas, and being nasty, and you have never been that.  Even in your frustration, I sensed your good heart.  So, don't be too hard on yourself.  There are always plenty of people to do that, so we don't have to join them.

So between your hard head and my hard nose, something good has come.  I'll look forward to working on some things together, and to being challenged along the way.  We can become complacent and it's good to have fresh ideas and a different way of looking at things - new perspectives.

No one really owns waymarking - except Groundspeak, of course.  But, it has developed out of the cooperative experience and views of the participants, and there has been a lot of give and take along the way.  And, now you are part of that community and will help shape the hobby.   Your uniqueness is so valuable.  So, I'm glad we both stuck with it, and am thankful for others who have helped you along the way.  And, if we can laugh a little, we've got it made. . .

On to the next waymark!

~~ SQ  (maybe it's SQ for "squiggles")

Maybe I'll start a category for ~'s in stone. lol. I'm still striving to better myself and I think I've always been my biggest critic so when someone is critical of my work and my effort to contribute then I feel like its nit pickin'. No matter how well intentioned.<br>
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I recently had an old church declined. Not enough historical information about it. I have the link to 2 paragraphs of text and that's all I could find. There's nothing "historical" about it other then its age. I put a lot of time and effort into looking for that info and all total over 3 hours of different search terms and dead ends for one waymark. What do I do? Throw it all away? For now its on the back burner until something exciting happens with it. Now I have an even older church that I want to waymark, circa 1835, but even less info on that one. Still a lot more fun then waymarking another Mickey D's.<br>
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Would it be feasible to start a category on 100 year old churches that don't fit into your category? How many declines do you do for really nice looking churches that never get resubmitted? One is a Calvary Reformed and the other just says Fultonville Reformed. Maybe a category for the over 100yr old reformed churches with no history?<br>
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I'm always thinking and I guess it has its good, bad and ugly sides but at least I'm trying. I'm hoping to join that 5,000 club someday soon and from there who knows? Thanx for the encouragement and all of the help and advice. You know, this is exactly where a thread on resources, html help, and advice and tips from others would be great. Foxfire for example I just learned about after 125+ waymarks. That tiny bit there saved me a ton of frustration. We need to get this type of information pinned in the getting started section of the forum. If anyone wants to add to it then email a tip, trick or link to an admin and have him add it to the list. Swizzle

A good source for old church info is

books.google.com

Use advanced search. Select full text. Put your county name in the title box.

This will bring back old county history books written in the late 1800's. A bonus is that they are past their copyright expiration.