Groundspeak Portal

Since I don't have a blog, I'll torture you with my waymarking thoughts here.  I was planning on posting this on my 1-Year Waymarking Anniversary next month, but I'll be on a waymarking binge at the time without constant internet access. 

In other words, I'll be on vacation.  So lookout Team Sieni, Meirion, Windsockers, and Brentorboxer!  I'll be covering your patch for a while.  Just ask Blue Quasar after I ran through his territory last year.  It hasn't been the same since.  It was the War of 1812 all over again.

I knew about Waymarking, but I avoided it because I was upset that new Virtual Caches were retired.  Then, I went for a long weekend with my wife and toured some wineries.  These were out-of-the-way places that could use all the help they could, so I decided to waymark them.  But it didn't really fulfill me with Waymarking-Goodness.

During that weekend, we stumbled across the 4th Street Funicular in Dubuque, Iowa.  It was an unexpected because this area is so flat with the exception where we were in the Driftless Area of IA, WI and IL.  Since it was such an oddity, it must get waymarked, too.  When I returned home I realized there wasn't a category for such a contraption, so I guess it was up to me.

I recruited everyone who used the term funicular in a previous waymark and a couple of railroad groups and got the Funicular and Incline Railway category approved.  NOW, I was hooked.

Since then, my pattern for waymarking has been either waymark it because it needs to be waymarked, or for collecting an icon.  Yes, I am attempting waymarking bingo, too.  After 11 months of waymarking I have posted in 225 different categories with only 388 waymarks - and I have 4 waymarks with 4 new icons waiting in the approval queue.

I have also championed the cause of waymarking.  I was invited to conduct a presentation for the Will County, IL Historic Preservation Commission - the official governmental body that holds public hearings to establish historical landmarks in Will County where there isn't a municipal Historic Preservation Commission.  And I wasn't alone.  I invited notthebeanieguy, SpecialEd&FallenFaery, CarleenP, and Stunod to participate as well (THANKS GUYS!).  The HPC was impressed with the information we provided and waymarking has been a consideration since.

My disappointments with waymarking have mostly been with "defunct" categories.  Yellow Arrow is pretty much gone and you can't do much more with Toynbee Tiles.  The Kissmobile is no more, so there is an icon I won't find.  And as mentioned on these boards, category leadership that disappears for months on end.  I would like a waymark approved, but nobody is home.

My last disappointment was when Groundspeak turned off the counters.  I enjoyed seeing what other people were peeking at that I had posted.  What interested them?  Was it the photo, was it the location, or was my waymark the first entry in a google search from a non-waymarker?  Yes, I know I can add in my own HTML counter or something, but it isn't the same.

All in all, it has been a fun 11 months.  Here at Waymarking.com, I get to go great places and learn about neat things in the real world and virtually.  Thanks to everyone who helps makes it great.

cldisme:

In other words, I'll be on vacation.  So lookout Team Sieni, Meirion, Windsockers, and Brentorboxer!  I'll be covering your patch for a while.  Just ask Blue Quasar after I ran through his territory last year.  It hasn't been the same since.  It was the War of 1812 all over again.

What about the French and Indian War?  There are gaping swaths of unwaymarked territory below that place of splendid isolation.

cldisme:

I recruited everyone who used the term funicular in a previous waymark and a couple of railroad groups and got the Funicular and Incline Railway category approved.  NOW, I was hooked.

Category creation and ownership is truly one of the joys of Waymarking.

cldisme:

Yes, I am attempting waymarking bingo, too. 

Yes, I am getting into this too.  BTW, I think the bingo board is getting a bit out out of shape.  I think the horizontal dimension should be extended.

cldisme:

My disappointments with waymarking have mostly been with "defunct" categories.  Yellow Arrow is pretty much gone and you can't do much more with Toynbee Tiles.  The Kissmobile is no more, so there is an icon I won't find.  And as mentioned on these boards, category leadership that disappears for months on end.  I would like a waymark approved, but nobody is home.

I agree that these are issues that need to be addressed.  There should be some rules established about how long a category should lay dormant before being archived which should somehow reflect the communities interest level.  Maybe individuals could call for a new peer review on those suspected of being really deadbeat categories.  Also a procedure for ousting deadbeat leadership would be welcomed.

cldisme:

My last disappointment was when Groundspeak turned off the counters.  I enjoyed seeing what other people were peeking at that I had posted.  What interested them?  Was it the photo, was it the location, or was my waymark the first entry in a google search from a non-waymarker?  Yes, I know I can add in my own HTML counter or something, but it isn't the same.

Yup, it definately is about the numbers (at least in some measure).  I understand the counters were disengaged to keep the performance level high which I think was the correct short term solution.  Now we need to get them back and still maintain a good performance level.

Thanks a bunch for sharing your thoughts.

Man I am impressed that you have filled so many boxes with less than 500 total waymarks posted.  That's really amazing.  You are a true gridder at heart.  

Glad we were able to entice one of the moldy tupperware hunters over to the enlightened side.

Great to see/hear your thoughts on your first year cldisme. Our styles seem to be similar. I have 244 boxes in the grid with only 359 waymarks. I am a bit slower than you though since my first waymark was back at the  inception of waymarking in 2005. I looked at the date on my first waymark and I am at my 33 month anniversary in 2 days so it appears I am 2/3's slower than you in posting waymarks.

Another difference for me was that I was eagerly waiting for waymarking. It was what finally promted me to get a premium membership. The beta was only open to premium members at first and I wanted to get in at the start. I loved Locationless Caches and was very interested in seeing the new option for them. It has been a fun, interesting, and sometimes frustrating journey. My first category was prior to group management and I was skeptical about how that would work, but overall I am pleased with it. Imagine the confusion/frustration if we had absentee owners of waymark category's without the backup of additional officers. What we see in just a few categories I can imagine would be multiplied across the grid.  I am in two different categories where the other officers are AWOL and my hands are tied by only having the privilege of approving waymarks. I agree that there are issues to address but overall am happpy with the management aspect.

I am one of the folks you recruited for the funicular category when you proposed it and have enjoyed being part of the group you put together for that cat. Thanks for allowing me to tag along for a portion of your ride.

Great job on "Championing" the cause. I have tried in my own corner of the world but usually get glassy stares and cold shoulders. Waymarking is still the ugly half-brother in this neck of the woods.

Wow, what a great post, cldisme!

You have neither waymarked nor visited a Military Surplus Store.

Just sayin'.

Drats!!  The surplus store I was going to waymark is now out of business.

That is going to be more challenging than I thought.

cldisme:

Drats!!  The surplus store I was going to waymark is now out of business.

That is going to be more challenging than I thought.

That begs a question.  When other stores go out of business, the stuff ends up at a clearance/surplus store.

What happens to the merchandise when a surplus store goes out of business?