This topic contains 9 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by 
jodibee 4 years, 9 months ago.
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What are your thoughts on using Facebook to promote and get feedback for WGA elections/ games/ general member questions and thread stealers?
I feel like this website, while functional, is not well attended by the casual or even die hard membership. It’s not the first place I look for WGA news.
Id really like to see the WGA membership Facebook page to be less of a fan page which requires admin approval to post something and turn it into more of a discussion page. From reading past minutes, it appears the WGA tried to add Geocachers in Wisconsin to be the official membership page but there was push back from the admins of that group. What I don’t know is why was there push back and is it something we could readdress?
Facebook is something I check nearly daily and I can see in my newsfeed WGA related activities. I think it would be an improvement in promoting the WGA.
Please note: my comments are mine alone and may not necessarily reflect an official stance of the WGA Board of Directors.
I would agree with your statement that this website, while functional, tends not to be well utilitzed by the WGA membership. Having launched the Lonely Cache Game – WGA Facebook group a year ago – I feel this has been a fairly successful platform. It allows for easy posting of geocaching chit chat, photos and an easy method for commenting. This has helped the cause of the LCG immensely – making it a fun place where cachers enjoy posting and also a place where newer cachers, unfamiliar with the LCG, have been able to reach out and ask questions. I think having Facebook Groups such as the LCG group for other aspects of the WGA would be very beneficial (such as Cache of the Month, Photo of the Month, etc.). Key to this is having a member of the WGA, passionate about the topic, actively involved and promotiing it, keeping the content fresh. I would be interested in hearing feedback from other members of the WGA.
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.
Kelly, it’s a good question.
Maybe promoting it on other social media. I think updates, like the board minutes have been good to bring us to the page.
As a pie in the sky idea, maybe there a way to create an app for the WGA? If anyone would know, I’d think our IT specialists on the board would know.
Please note: my comments are mine alone and may not necessarily reflect an official stance of the WGA Board of Directors.
Kelly’s question seems to have disappeared
She wrote:
While many more members do use Facebook over the Forums, the Forums create a historical record of ideas, comments and general discussion. Facebook’s algorithm for what is going to be seen and when does not necessarily create a historical document. What do you think that you and the WGA can do to draw member’s back to the website?
Please note: my comments are mine alone and may not necessarily reflect an official stance of the WGA Board of Directors.
This is a good question Kelly. The WGA website needs to become more user friendly I think to draw more cachers back to it. I have made it a point to promote the Lonely Cache Game and the Cache Rescue Mission that are on the WGA site. Those are both set up very well on the WGA site. I have enjoyed that the WGA Board minutes have been posted on the WGA site and always in a very timely manner. Kudos to the current Board.
When it comes to the banter/dialogue that is so healthy between geocachers, the WGA forums are what are not the most user friendly. Facebook has done a great job of making conversation/messaging happen with ease, regardless of whether you are sitting at your laptop/PC/MacBook or you are on your iPad/tablet or you are on the road using a smartphone.
Are there things that could be done to improve this aspect of the WGA site? My skillset does not include anything IT related at all. Mark/chevyole’s suggestion of a possible app sounds intriguing!
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.
Personally, I am someone who uses Facebook and Instagram to consume most of my content. I feel like I am able to interact with other cachers on those platforms and it is something I check daily. I am a member of the Lonely Cache Game page and see updates from members regularly.
Social media is so ubiquitous and I think the WGA can appeal to a wider and younger audience if a strong presence there was maintained. Facebook is very user friendly whatever technological device you have in front of you. I think Instagram is an untapped resource that the WGA could harness to promote the fun of the game!
The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors
I think that Facebook is already the dominant choice of many to promote what is happening in the WGA. I also think that promotion of WGA happenings should continue on the social media platform. I also feel that there is a place for the WGA website. It is used as a tool for the administration of the games and such that the WGA offers the membership. It acts as a place to store and refer to WGA meetings and decisions from the past.
In my opinion, both have there needed place in the organization for now. But, it would be nice to see a WGA app created for quick mobile access by the members for anything WGA. I believe this would be a big step forward in member participation within a WGA owned platform and to not have to rely so heavily on something like Facebook.
While Facebook is a good tool, we also have to keep in mind that not everyone has access to the fast enough internet speeds to accommodate. As someone who lives in the north, I know there are still several geocachers and people in general who still frequent the site over Facebook. The BOD currently has a few IT savvy folks that have been working on various ideas to keep promoting geocaching as we can.
Answering some of these questions is tough because I know behind the scenes, the current BOD discussions. For me, I do think we need to use multiple channels to communicate.
Yes, a WGA App had been looked at but would be costly to build and maintain – I am not saying impossible, just knowing if WGA went down that road what the added expense would be. I do not have good answer for a good method but do think our website holds a wealth of history and information that would be lost if we moved everything to an outside platform like FaceBook.
As someone who just dips into Facebook periodically, I like it as a place for the games aspect of Caching, allowing people to chit chat and post pictures, and as an “on-ramp” to bring people to the WGA website. With younger cachers, I do think that it can be a good way to get them information about the WGA. But I tend to prefer the structure of the website. I agree that an App might be the best blend of both, but I know that can be pricey.
jodibee
Views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA Board of Directors.
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