[sandlanders]

No, I didn’t miss that post. Sale or presale is not the point. For that, I just meant sell online before selling at any event. Mailing out the coins to people instead of having them attend an event to get their coins or having someone pick up their coins for them is.

[sandlanders]

@-cheeto- wrote:

I guess what I’m saying is its a nice offering to sell online but there are many things involved in a decision. Cost and labor are also at play. As well as the non profit status of the group.

Having chosen not to run for the BOD, I am not aware of exactly how cost, labor, and non-profit status affect the price and method of dispersal of the geocoins. I would think that the WGA, as with anyone selling a product, would like to get their product out to as many people as possible.

There are many instances where I could drive to a brick and mortar store to pick up something, but since we live many miles from most of these, I find that online ordering and having my purchases shipped to me is much preferable to that. Even if someone was going in that direction and could pick up something for me, there are still the logistics of making connections for the payment and transfer of goods. The time involved in this would be longer, too.

If time and cost are too much for me to purchase something, I don’t purchase it. That is why most businesses (and I realize that the WGA is not a business, but some parallels can be seen in this example) are now offering online sales of their goods.

Those who know us know that we travel all over the state to attend events. We go to see the area, we go to have fun, and we go mostly to visit with other cachers. We choose the events that we go to based on our schedule, the time we have for the traveling, the weather, and who we might be seeing at the events. We have not, nor will we ever, go to a WGA event just to purchase a geocoin.

@-cheeto- wrote:

I think a more important argument for an online sale is that’s it’s been awhile since one has been done and it helps advertise the group.

This is not the case. We joined the WGA four years ago. In late 2008 we purchased two of the cow geocoins online and had them sent to us (we had paid postage). Everyone was talking in the forums about when their coins came in the mail and how cool it was, etc.

There was not a coin in 2009.

In 2010 we purchased two of the sate-shaped geocoins online (again we paid postage), and those arrived in time for WGA BOD members to bring them to the fall picnic. We were given ours because we were known to those charged with distribution. Others who were not recognized were told that their coins would be mailed to them. We did not receive any refund of the postage that we had paid for, nor did we ask for that. I do not remember if any coins were sold on site at the picnic.

In 2011, the round copper coin was offered online, but there was no postage charged, nor was mailing out the coins an option. All coins needed to be picked up at the fall picnic in person or by a representative for personal delivery. I am aware of very few people who ordered coins who did not plan to be at the picnic. I do not know about those who made arrangements ahead of time for any friends/family to pick up their coins.

Perhaps I am nitpicking about what exactly constitutes an online sale. What I am thinking of is this: show the final coin design here, take orders here based on that, charge postage, send out all of those orders when the coins are ready (this is where I have offered my services), and sell extras at all future WGA events until they run out.

And adding to the nitpicking… Having the coins ready in time for the West Bend Cash Bash implies that those attending that event will have the first opportunity to buy the 2012 coins. The Cash Bash is not a WGA event. The pancake breakfast, yes, but not the Cash Bash itself.

I will order this year’s geocoin no matter what, but I will not be able to go to West Bend to pick up my order. If coins will not be mailed to those who order them, I will arrange to have someone pick up my coin(s) at West Bend. I will not wait to purchase any geocoins in person when I am able to attend a later event in case they are all sold out at West Bend. Just because the coins have never sold out at an event does not mean that they will never sell out at an event.

I understand everyone’s concerns, and I respect the knowledge and experience of the BOD members who deal with such things. All I am asking is that the concerns of the WGA members, your constituency, be considered in your decision-making on this.

[sandlanders]

@zuma wrote:

@sandlanders wrote:

I would like to see an online sale for the 2012 geocoin with an added charge for mailing. Many people missed out on the chance to get the 2011 geocoins they wanted because they weren’t able to attend a WGA event.

I am offering my services to help with any packaging and mailing that needs to be done. I would imagine that a labeling program already exists to print out mailing labels with the names and addresses of the WGA members who order coins.

Please keep this in mind. Not everyone can attend WGA events, much less an early one where they can be guaranteed getting the number of coins they want.

Thanks for the kind offer. We are considering an online sale this year, in addition to making the coins available at events. No final decision has been made as of yet, but having an offer to help with the process does tip the scales to seeing it thru.

z

An online sale is the best way to make the coins available to all WGA members and WGA friends around the state and elsewhere. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to purchase these, and if some can be sold at events also, that’s a convenience for those who forgot to buy any, those who didn’t realize there was a coin sale, and for those who may want to purchase more coins.

I encourage all members of the BOD to support an online coin presale.

[sandlanders]

@Team Black-Cat wrote:

@sandlanders wrote:

Guess everyone just likes to see a bunch of numbers.

17
128
34
4
9856
2010
547
18
and my favorite…
938847

Hmmmm… I’m thinking that my favorite number might just be 1256465.

[sandlanders]

@JimandLinda wrote:

I think zuma was sharing a feature of the WGA site…that’s all. How a member chooses to use, or NOT use it, is their own choice.

I based my observations on the word “popular” in the heading.

[sandlanders]

I inferred that it was implied: more logs = worth checkng the cache out. Guess everyone just likes to see a bunch of numbers.

[sandlanders]

@Walkingadventure wrote:

I am still rather naive I guess. Silly me, the rules say “do this” and I follow them. I didn’t know there was an option to do otherwise

:like:

[sandlanders]

WA, our illustrious webmaster has given us a shorter way to say that here: colon, like (small letters), colon

… as in :like:

[sandlanders]

I would like to see an online sale for the 2012 geocoin with an added charge for mailing. Many people missed out on the chance to get the 2011 geocoins they wanted because they weren’t able to attend a WGA event.

I am offering my services to help with any packaging and mailing that needs to be done. I would imagine that a labeling program already exists to print out mailing labels with the names and addresses of the WGA members who order coins.

Please keep this in mind. Not everyone can attend WGA events, much less an early one where they can be guaranteed getting the number of coins they want.

[sandlanders]

I have checked “Active Caches” before, but the list is meaningless. All it does is represent which caches had how many logs posted on it recently. That not only includes finds, but also DNFs, attended/will attends, enabled/disabled, needs maintenance and performed maintenance, coords changed, and all sorts of notes, such as those for TB drops/visits, banter back and forth, FTP “party” arrangements, comments on the caches, etc., etc., etc.

Right now I could go to any cache page (including those of my own) and write 50 logs on it, and that cache would be #1 on this list. The top of that list page even says: “The table below shows the 50 Wisconsin geocaches that have been most active (most number of logs) over the past week.” It has nothing to do with how good a cache is or how many people find it (numbers will usually be higher for caches in populated areas and near recent events) or how much people liked a cache. Stop looking at stats, and take the time to read cache pages and cache logs to find out if the cache is one that you would like to attempt.

Same thing goes for the Active Cachers page. It has nothing to do with who finds the most caches or even who has found a lot of caches recently. The note there says this: “The table below shows the 50 geocachers (geocaching.com users) who have most recently made a Wisconsin related log entry.” It’s based on one recent log entry, not even a “found it” log. Even if you find 100 caches in one day, it will only record the most recent time you wrote a log. I could go write one note for a log on a cache right now, and I would show up as an “active cacher”. I would also be at the top of the list until the next log was harvested.

Both are interesting lists to look at, and I look at them and use them in my own way, but just remember what is really represented in those lists.

[sandlanders]

Don’t forget to add this design that I submitted by email earlier this evening:

[sandlanders]

It’s only double LCG points if no one gets it between now and your visit… 😈

[sandlanders]

Super job, Todd! Looks like a great cache to find for your #1000… or anytime. Glad the planets aligned to make this a memorable cache for you. Congrats!!!

[sandlanders]

More than two years newer than you to caching, G*Force, but even in late 2007, I recall more emphasis on the swag than today. You would see lots of logs that said what they took and what they left. Peanut butter jars didn’t hold much then, and they still don’t now. (PB jars have gotten smaller over time, too.)

When we log a cache online, we try to go back to see what others wrote about it. This is really fun to do when the cache is an oldie, even though it takes quite a while. A lot of the names are ones I don’t recognize, and those cachers have relatively few finds. Click on their profiles, and a lot of them haven’t been to visit the GC site in years. But then it’s fun to see some familiar names that were the “early” finders of the caches, and they’re still going strong!

[sandlanders]

Nice one, bartrod! Congrats!

[Author]

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