Other caching avenues

[rogheff]

My last question prompts me to ask this one:

The WGA is here to support caching in the state of Wisconsin. Geocaching is a generic term and does not apply to one specific website. In the WIKI http://wi-geocaching.com/modules.php?name=Wiki&pagename=About%20Us, geocaching.com is mentioned, but not in the WGA bylaws.

I see little support for the other geocaching websites from the WGA. How will you promote Terracaching, navicaching, letterboxing and waymarking?

Do you even see a need to and why?

[Lostby7]

I see little support for the other geocaching websites from the WGA. How will you promote Terracaching, navicaching, letterboxing and waymarking?
Do you even see a need to and why?

Seems to me I recall that you have several non-geocaching.com caches. I think it’s nice that there are alternatives out there as I’d hate to see GC take total control of the sport. I think the reason why the WGA does not devote time and energy into these other areas is that the organization does not wish to cast too wide a net.

Unless there is a shift in membership as to which game they prefer, I do not see a need to change our focus. If this shift in interest occurs I’m sure it will be addressed accordingly within the organization.

[K0rpl]

I feel the same as Gary does. I do feel that if we get spread to thin, that it will do more harm than it does good. I think that it would be properly discussed, and acted upon if/when a shift in the sport were to happen.

[greyhounder]

The WGA was established to promote geocaching in the state of Wisconsin. Even though the other activities are fun too (I’ve done waymarking and letterboxing) they are different activities with slightly different rules. Beyond, on a personal basis, just telling people that these activities also exist and how to learn about them, I don’t see that is as something the WGA needs to be involved in.

Bec

[Team Deejay]

I think that the alternative geocaching sites (Navicache, Terracaching, etc.) are pretty much dead. Anyone with caches listed on those site would probably agree with me (right, Roger?). For this reason, I don’t think these currently merit any attention from the WGA.

On the other hand, I think there is some merit to providing some “coverage” of waymarking and letterboxing. Note that this would be an expansion beyond what we have defined as our charter, but this might also expand the number of people interested in being part of our organization. To be honest, I have never heard of anyone doing waymarking who is not a geocacher, but there are a lot of letterboxers out there who don’t geocache, and those people might enjoy being part of our group.

[Jeremy]

I believe that the WGA should support geocaching and “GPS search games” (where you use a GPS to find something) in general. Terracaching, navicaching, and to some extent waymarking would fall into this general category. While letterboxing does have some similarities to geocaching, it is different enough that the WGA should not attempt to promote or support it. (Though getting letterboxers hooked on geocaching too could be a good thing…)

Right now, geocaching.com is the de facto standard when it comes to listing “GPS search games” and it appears that it will hold this position for the foreseeable future. But there was a time during the early years of geocaching that the longevity/permanence of geocaching.com was not so certain. In fact, one of the reasons for creating the WGA website was so that we had a place to list geocaches in the event that Jeremy Irish pulled the plug. We even considered “stockpiling” cache listing and cache log data just in case such a calamity occurred.

If in the future geocaching.com folds or a better site appears that our members migrate to, the organization should shift to embrace the change.

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