This topic contains 14 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by 
rawevil 8 years, 8 months ago.
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While it’s no secret that I’m a proponent of this website, I’m afraid there are maybe only a dozen of us who try to use it anymore. Since it seems like other (currently fragmented) social media seems to be the new place to go, has the idea of just dropping this website altogether ever been considered? I know there’s a cost associated with it. If almost no one takes advantage of all it can offer…why spend that money?
Just a thought.
Perhaps it appears as a cost for very few who use it. However, there are many WGA Activities run through this, including membership. And there and many Board of Director’s functions which occur “behind-the-scenes” that make this a very valuable tool. Being a new BOD member with less than one year experience, I really don’t know any other media that would be able to take it’s place without technical research by those with higher tech skills than myself.
I’d Rather Be Lost Geocaching, Than Found At Home!
I was gone for quite a while, but I’m back and plan on using this website. But that’s just me….
People are definitely into immediate access of information and social media on mobile devices is definitely the go to trend. However, I do feel that being able to go on the website to gather information, research history, and participate in the WGA exclusive games and activities, for me, is more of a website than mobile device activity. Some of the WGA Geoart puzzles were even designed to bring traffic to the site.
Also, through Thread Stealers and other forums on the site, I have been able to put together faces with names when I go to events and meet members I have never met before. I have also learned a lot about other members through these posts like who is/was a teacher, where they get their caching names from, when they celebrate their birthdays, and the geocaching (or other goals) they are working towards or have recently accomplished. I think that social media is just a headline for the real news story to be had on the site.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
-Henry David Thoreau
I like the immediacy of social media as it soothes my ADD tendencies but it is impossible to search out anything. With almost 15 years of history, I’d hate to see this go away. There is often more value in something other than the $$ associated with it.
T&B, thanks for being a regular. Decrepit, nice to see your return and with a new avatar too.
Looking over the website usage stats one would be surprised at all the lurkers that come through or just head to specific area such as Events or the LCG.
Following the signals from space.
Two thoughts here on the WGA website. First, this WGA website has all of the posts stored here from its beginnings in 2002. I know I’ve found them valuable when researching the history of both the WGA and geocaching in general. You should check out some of the messages from 2002 & 2003, fascinating stuff.
Second, I have a suggestion. It’s regarding a Facebook page vs. a Facebook group. Create a WGA Facebook GROUP. The WGA already has a Facebook PAGE, which only moderators/admins can post to. Facebook pages are more for one-way communication, such as a business or an organization communicating information to its members. Any messages posted by regular members on such pages are only shown on a sidebar if one looks for them; they cannot start a new topic. Not very exciting. A Facebook GROUP, however, allows all participants to post pictures, videos, and messages that all participants can see. The Wild Bunch Facebook group for SE Wisconsin for example has really taken off, I believe because of perhaps the lack of comparable opportunity anywhere else. If the WGA had a FB group where people could contribute their thoughts and adventures instantly, it would go a long, long way toward having greater participation, two-way communication, more active membership, and “relevance.” Think of this scenario: you find a really great cache on a 1 mile hike through the woods, and you want to tell others about it. You can post it on the WGA website, and about 15 people, possibly more, will see it. That’s it. If you try to post it to the WGA Facebook PAGE, it will not appear in the main newsfeed. Buzzkill. You could post it on your own Facebook page, and your geocaching Facebook friends will see it. Your non-geocaching Facebook friends will hopefully tolerate it. Those are your main social media options. Unless you consider a Facebook GROUP; there’s numerous geocaching-related ones out there for Wisconsin, and if you post to one of those groups the details of your great adventure, all members will see it as you convey your enthusiasm.
There are definitely advantages to having a WGA Facebook page, which we currently have. All info is accurate and relevant info officially handed down from the WGA to its members. But perhaps we are missing out by not having a WGA Facebook group as well to facilitate communication between members. The WGA website is a valuable tool, but it’s not going to replace the Book of Faces for communication between members. A new topic for the next Board of Director’s meeting?
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the WGA site is the BOD communication/action activities.
Without this site, actual Board meetings would need to be physically held (instead of virtually). The BOD motions would need to be printed and stored in an actual physical Archive. Per diems would need to be paid.
One of the main purposes of this site is to keep the members informed. It is the constant responsibility of each Director/Officer to keep the members updated on Events, expenditures, milestones, etc. If only 3 or 4 Directors are posting, the members will wonder what the other Directors are doing to be relevant. This falls under a transparency issue. We don’t pay dues, but the members need to know on a continuous basis of what the WGA is doing with the groups money.
For the 2 years I spent on the WGA BODs, this website was the most efficient site I had ever used for staying active and “in touch” with the members. I would hate to see that aspect lost!
It’s good to know there’s some inherent value remaining with this site. It’s too bad it doesn’t get the visible activity it once did, but that is the way of the world. Hack’s suggestion regarding a group page is probably a good one. For myself, I really prefer something like the website for a “hang out,” as the other site tends to suck one in to spend far too much time, but that’s my own little idiosyncracy and not probably the rule of thumb for most. I haven’t joined any “add on” fb geocaching groups for that very reason, it’s hard enough for me to stay on the straight and narrow there as it is. Thanks for all the discussion and clarification!
I’d agree with that. I have spent many hours combing through old forums when trying to plan something new so I wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel. 😉
Not all who wander are lost. -J.R.R. Tolkien
I never use this website, especially not the Thread Stealers forum 😉
All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.
John, I agree with the FB group vs page..BUT…
Is it better to migrate everything to the social media because that is where everyone is thereby cutting out the website or keep trying to get people to the website?
It is difficult to follow posts on the FB groups as it is lineal. On a busy group try to find what was discussed yesterday. Groups are good for stream of consciousness discussions. There may be search functions on some groups but it is tough.
Not sure what the best plan is. Go to where the people are but when you join in a discussion it is like walking into the middle of someone else’s conversation that has been playing out for awhile or have a static spot that is easier searched/viewed.
Man, wish it was easy. Until Mark. Z gives us this fix, not sure of the answer. An app/plug in to post directly from the website forum to the WGA FB group? That is way over my head, we do know post from our front page to the FB page. I investigated a chat pop out for the FB page but didn’t get far on that. All I found there was similar to when you visit a website and “Need to Talk”. Granted, it has been a year or so since I did that search, too.
Following the signals from space.
Also, I want to admit I have done a less than stellar job in pointing people back to the Forums lately. Maybe until the”fix” is found to link website to FB we post hyperlinks to website forums from FB groups. Open to all ideas!
Following the signals from space.
I belong to the Middle Tennessee Geocacher’s Club whose only media is Facebook. It is the oldest geocaching organization is the US. Some days they have no new posts so FB only is not the answer. Some days the Wildbunch also has no new posts. I think that interested cachers expand their friends network through multiple medias and groups. This way they are more guaranteed to get all of the information they are interested in.
Maybe in a month or two when my free time opens up ( 🙂 ) I can investigate more.
Following the signals from space.
Two thoughts here on the WGA website. First, this WGA website has all of the posts stored here from its beginnings in 2002. I know I’ve found them valuable when researching the history of both the WGA and geocaching in general. You should check out some of the messages from 2002 & 2003, fascinating stuff. Second, I have a suggestion. It’s regarding a Facebook page vs. a Facebook group. Create a WGA Facebook GROUP. The WGA already has a Facebook PAGE, which only moderators/admins can post to. Facebook pages are more for one-way communication, such as a business or an organization communicating information to its members. Any messages posted by regular members on such pages are only shown on a sidebar if one looks for them; they cannot start a new topic. Not very exciting. A Facebook GROUP, however, allows all participants to post pictures, videos, and messages that all participants can see. The Wild Bunch Facebook group for SE Wisconsin for example has really taken off, I believe because of perhaps the lack of comparable opportunity anywhere else. If the WGA had a FB group where people could contribute their thoughts and adventures instantly, it would go a long, long way toward having greater participation, two-way communication, more active membership, and “relevance.” Think of this scenario: you find a really great cache on a 1 mile hike through the woods, and you want to tell others about it. You can post it on the WGA website, and about 15 people, possibly more, will see it. That’s it. If you try to post it to the WGA Facebook PAGE, it will not appear in the main newsfeed. Buzzkill. You could post it on your own Facebook page, and your geocaching Facebook friends will see it. Your non-geocaching Facebook friends will hopefully tolerate it. Those are your main social media options. Unless you consider a Facebook GROUP; there’s numerous geocaching-related ones out there for Wisconsin, and if you post to one of those groups the details of your great adventure, all members will see it as you convey your enthusiasm. There are definitely advantages to having a WGA Facebook page, which we currently have. All info is accurate and relevant info officially handed down from the WGA to its members. But perhaps we are missing out by not having a WGA Facebook group as well to facilitate communication between members. The WGA website is a valuable tool, but it’s not going to replace the Book of Faces for communication between members. A new topic for the next Board of Director’s meeting?
This was as an agenda item during last year’s BOD Meeting. I am in favor of keeping it again as an agenda item again until we can find a plausible solution that works for everyone.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
-Henry David Thoreau
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