Groundspeak Portal

As I understand it, Waymarking was an outgrowth of Virtual Caches from Geocaching. Virtual Caches were originally created because there were legitimate places (such as National Parks) where Geocaches were (and still are, I believe) prohibited. The issue at hand was that with a Virtual Cache, there was no 'log' to sign as 'proof' of the find. So the original Virtual Caches were grandfathered into Geocaching and Waymarking was born.

So why Waymark? Is Waymarking like Geocaching where the goal (other than fun and exploration), in a friendly competition, to see who has the highest number of finds? Technically a geocache is supposed to 'take you  where you would not have gone to show something you would not have known about.' Often this is the case of me, as I have, through Geocaching, found many small parks, unique Public Sculptures, and hidden footpaths. But I have also found a bunch of lamp posts and metal traffic signs.

I believe that Waymarking is evolving quickly into a social networking activity instead of just "number of posts -- number of finds." We are creating a virtual world that helps us and others to explore the real world instead of vice-versa on many other social networking sites. For myself, my primary reason for posting is to share what I have found with others. I also use Waymarking as an inexpensive travel channel and learning channel, sometimes just looking at posts in various categories in other states and countries. I am so grateful to the other Waymarkers who took the time to share with me and the officers who allowed the Waymarks to become public.

Perhaps category owners and reviewers should rethink their understanding of Waymarking. We are not "Geocaching-lite." We are share the wonders of our world and making beauthy and rememberance available to all with an Internet connection. We are documenting humanities creations and humor and sometimes folly. We are enrighing ourselves by sharing with others.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Take care,
Outspoken1

I got into Waymarking because the geocaches are lacking down here south of the equator.  I like it because I get excersise walking, plus I've seen more of my surrounding and learned new stuff.

Outspoken1, you have lived up to your moniker well, you have out spoken well.  Yes I agree waymarking has evolved into much more than numbers and is much more a sharing of community.  Be it the good of the community or the bad.  It is also about friends, not saying that geocaching does not also involve friends, but I now have friends in all parts of the country and in several countries who I communicate with through waymarks, through approval of waymarks and in many cases regular emails.  It is also about learning, as I read waymarks by others or when doing research for my own I have learned so many things about the world around me.   Thank you to all who contribute.

I was introduced to geocaching a few years ago by my nephew.  He was visiting from out of state and brought some cache item (a toy buffalo) that he found in South Carolina with a tag "take me where the buffalo roam."  So he located a simialr cache that was hidden very near our Museum and placed the buffalo here.  He then took the hawk feather at this location to Connecticut where he thought he could find another trade near his parents' house. 

We wondered if it would be viable to have a cache that he could create IN the museum, or perhaps a game that would have people try to get the cashe to all of the towns Buffalo Bill had visited.

But he told us the best thing would be a "Virtual Cache" because we have so many really fun photo opportunities.  By the time I got around to exploring this, though, the virtual cache system had been replaced by waymarking.

My first impression was that waymarking was a way to find and post really cool things that other people would like to see.  Now, 7 months later, I still think this is true, although I do acknowledge that some of it is a race to post things that aren't necessarily interesting, but categorical.

In discribing this to my peers in the Museum field, they all come up with the same conclusion ... Waymarking is "Virtual Collecting" that logs physical locations of the "collectors'" travels, research, and topics of interests.

Why I Waymark?  It's fun and I get to learn and see interesting stuff.  Those being true whether I am creating listings or visiting those of others and most especially when reviewing submissions in categories that I am involved in.

Long ago I gave up on the whole numbers game.  It holds no appeal to me what-so-ever.  And I agree with the comments of the social aspect in Waymarking.  As time passes I think far less about how the two games, Geocaching and Waymarking, are alike or different.

One person in the Geocaching forums once said that "Waymarking is nothing more than an online scrapbook" as part of a diatribe about the game.  I laughed and said "Yes it is, and so is Geocaching.  If they weren't, we would not have the ability to log our entries."  (implied 'duh')

Both are hobbies, games, pasttimes, whatever.... but some reason, be it stats most likely, there are those that chose to engage things competatively.  Those people amuse me... run rabbit run.

 

BQ

 

My flippant answer is I was never a boy scout and I want to collect icons since I never got to collect merit badges.

The truth lies within the previous posts, though.

For me, the photography is a big part of it.  I enjoy posting my pictures and browsing certain categories.

Also, I got into geocaching as more of a hiking/outdoors activity.  When I'm out and about in the car, I'll look for park and grab caches, but for the most part, they don't really appeal to me.  The hunt is fun, but it's just not why I got into caching.  This works a lot better as a driving around, park and "grab" activity.

Finally, I'm about 1000x more aware of my surroundings now.  The same way a cacher looks at everything and thinks, "Would that spot make sense for a cache?", now I look around and think "Would that qualify as a waypoint?"  And the answer is yes much more often with waymarking.  Similarly, I look at the categories and start thinking of all the places I know, wondering whether there's something I've seen every day for years without giving a second thought to.

To me the Experience of the Waymark.

The thrill of the Hunt.

The Awesome feeling you get when you experience something new.

I just got back from a learning Waymarking journey and found out that Christopher Columbus did not discover America.

My research on the subject of an upcoming category if approved is the Viking Runestones and have found that in many other countries there are some things we were never taught and some really neat archeological sites that are yet to be discovered.

GOOGLE EARTH + is one of the neatest things to use before exploring new places we have discovered a number of new Waymarks this way.

When I first started out though I had a problem with placing geocaches in many places I knew of already. Several States away it was hard to maintain and still have several with local geocachers helping me to maintain them. I did several virtuals and this still was not quite the right venue either.Then came Waymarking.This made it all possible to Waymark your Travels and Adventures for other to see.

So you see...this is it for me.And I still Geocache and Benchmark along the way too.

OH I bet I have some Waymarks I bet you can't find without a GPS!

 

 

For the benefit of the non-waymarkers who I end bringing to the site to look at the waymarks I've post of their community, I wrote up the following pretentious "mission statement"-like piece:

Waymarking is an organized method of documenting and distributing information about important and interesting sites throughout the world. Historical points of interest that may be learned about and experienced by individuals who live nearby these locations, or by chance are visiting these locations for different reasons, can now have global exposure to a limitless audience. Unique places gain notoriety, interest and value as more waymarkers share in the experience of visiting, photographing and sharing stories with others. This global recognition underscores a need for quality Waymarking. Doing the research and learning more about the location provides self-fulfillment and enriches the experience for posting, provides waymarkers with a reason to visit, and provides members of the community a feeling of respectful representation that they are worthy of having.

I waymark because I was already doing everything that was required for Waymarking, sans the GPS coordinates. I was already photographing everything around me, researching sites, gathering information, learning history, and meeting people. It took little effort to bring my handheld GPS unit with me to grab the coordinates while I was there.

I do not often post waymarks to places that have no historical value or unique interest that can easily be found using the yellow pages.

The HauntHunters team is a geocaching team. I am the sole waymarker on the HauntHunters team.

Elle Weems, photographer (Mrs. HH of HauntHunters)

That last part is because I'm getting tired of people assuming my husband does all the work and I'm just "the wife". I never thought of Geocaching and Waymarking as default-male but that seems to be the assumption! LOL

the blue quasar:

It's fun and I get to learn and see interesting stuff.

I can't improve on that. 

Living in London there are plenty of blue plaques, and each one that I have waymarked has taught me something new.  Some more than others, but none boring.

I do feel, however, that the inordinate amount of satisfaction that I have got from seeing milestones from around the world in my "milestones" category must mark me out as some kind of wierdo.

Mind you, geocaching has never, for me, been about competition at all.  Geocaching is "it's fun and it adds a bit more interest to my walk".  (Nothing wrong with it being "about the numbers", though - just as there's nothing wrong with WMing being "about the icons").

I don't compare the two (GC vs WM) now.  I enjoy both, and they are very different.

haunthunters:

For the benefit of the non-waymarkers who I end bringing to the site to look at the waymarks I've post of their community, I wrote up the following pretentious "mission statement"-like piece:

Waymarking is an organized method of documenting and distributing information about important and interesting sites throughout the world. Historical points of interest that may be learned about and experienced by individuals who live nearby these locations, or by chance are visiting these locations for different reasons, can now have global exposure to a limitless audience. Unique places gain notoriety, interest and value as more waymarkers share in the experience of visiting, photographing and sharing stories with others. This global recognition underscores a need for quality Waymarking. Doing the research and learning more about the location provides self-fulfillment and enriches the experience for posting, provides waymarkers with a reason to visit, and provides members of the community a feeling of respectful representation that they are worthy of having.

I waymark because I was already doing everything that was required for Waymarking, sans the GPS coordinates. I was already photographing everything around me, researching sites, gathering information, learning history, and meeting people. It took little effort to bring my handheld GPS unit with me to grab the coordinates while I was there.

I do not often post waymarks to places that have no historical value or unique interest that can easily be found using the yellow pages.

The HauntHunters team is a geocaching team. I am the sole waymarker on the HauntHunters team.

Elle Weems, photographer (Mrs. HH of HauntHunters)

That last part is because I'm getting tired of people assuming my husband does all the work and I'm just "the wife". I never thought of Geocaching and Waymarking as default-male but that seems to be the assumption! LOL

I personally like what you wrote, and maybe the Scottish upbringing but I didn't read it as pretentious at all.  And being equally pretentious, I've made some changes to be more global in scope:

Waymarking is an organized method of documenting and distributing information about entertaining, useful, educational or interesting sites throughout the world. Local points of interest that may be helpful, learned about and experienced by individuals who live nearby these locations, or by chance are visiting these locations for different reasons, can now have global exposure to a limitless audience. Unique places gain notoriety, interest and value as more waymarkers share in the experience of visiting, photographing and sharing stories with others. This global recognition underscores a need for quality Waymarking. Doing the research and learning more about the location provides self-fulfillment and enriches the experience for posting, provides waymarkers with a reason to visit, and provides members of the community a feeling of respectful representation that they are worthy of having available.

BQ