Groundspeak Portal

Having been caught unaware in the past, I thought that maybe it would be helpful to compile a list of things that should be remembered when collecting data for a potential new waymark. This list is certainly not exhaustive and I'd sure appreciate anyone adding items that I missed.

Items to record:

• GPS recorded coordinates


• Photo of the item - close up


• Photo of the general area


• Photo of yourself at the item


• Street address of the item


• Hours of access

I'm looking more for a list of universal items that might reduce some frustration that happens when we get back home only to find we forgot to get/weren't aware that a key variable is required. I'm not talking about category-specific things like "Length of the bridge".

Anyone have any others that occur in many categories?

BQ

I would add:
   Photo of signs or plaques associated with the item
  

These are general enough:

-Photograph any sign showing the name of the location waymarked (ex. parks, stores, hospitals)

-Photograph any sign/plaque/flier/reference to a web site or take literature that describes the location.

Let us not forget that there are still a couple of crusty old categories which insist that you prove you own a GPSr by taking a picture of it.

FiVermont:

Let us not forget that there are still a couple of crusty old categories which insist that you prove you own a GPSr by taking a picture of it.

No, let's DO forget them!

I have encountered a couple where the GPSr photo is still a requirement, but based on looking at recent waymarks, it appears to have become optional. There is one, though, in which the leader hangs on to it like a terrier. There is disagreement in the officer corps, but they apparently can't  do anything about it. No pulling punches here: Minor League Baseball Stadiums.

What this and other such cats fail to recognize is that unless the coords are clearly readable on the GPSr, it doesn't prove I actually took the reading, only that I possess the capacity to do so. I could just as easily hold a non-working receiver out there, then come home and use Google or Bing Maps to get the numbers. My basic view is that I resent having to prove I own a GPSr, and supposedly that I took the coordinates as I stood there. I feel like I am being treated with suspicion, like an untrustworthy child.

Yes, I am just as stubborn in my position, because I absolutely refuse to take a such a picture. In the end both I and the category lose out. In my case, there is only one such stadium in Vermont, the only one I might possibly post, even if it ended up grandfathered. This may be a permanent loss, as the team may be leaving. By next season, Centennial Field may no longer be a Minor League Stadium.

The question becomes "Who needs to blink?" Do I need to swallow my principles, or does the category need to recognize the change in the community and join the mainstream? Given the number of cats which expressly forbid the GPSr photo, I have to say I think it is the latter.

Can anything be done? Probably not much. We have enough difficulty dealing with abandoned cats, much less force the active ones into line. Other than to let those leaders know how the community feels, it is probably a lost cause. You're probably right, SilverQuill. Let's forget them.

On second thought, no, let's not just forget them. Boycott them, but let them know we're doing it.

Note that my complaint does not include those game cats in which a clear photo of a GPSr is absolutely necessary (e.g. Confluence Spots, Coordinate Palindromes).

I would  blink and post it in this case as you outline it. There are other categories where I will not blink however but that is for a different thread.