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Hello,
I apologize to those who nominated me and the many cachers who supported me, but I have decided to withdraw my candidacy for a BOD position.
My decision to run was perhaps a little hasty in my enthusiasm for volunteering and helping the WGA to succeed in its endeavors. But if I were to be elected to the board, I firmly believe in following through with a responsibility that important, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to fulfill the required time commitments for the position given my weird work hours.
When I agreed, I wasn’t aware of the date of the Feb 28th BOD meeting (which I cannot find written in the Bylaws) until it was mentioned as a Candidate’s Corner Topic. I attempted to take off work, but my request was denied, so I wouldn’t be able to attend. My inability to attend is not fair to the other candidates who do have every weekend free.
I also conveniently forgot about a little thing called wedding planning which might take more of my personal time in the next year than I’d like to think about.
But to the remaining candidates and current BOD, I’d like you to know I’m still willing to volunteer at events and help out with some of the ideas mentioned in these forums, such as a welcoming and retention committee, or a committee to update the cache hiding guidelines. I’d like to think of myself as a fairly good writer, and I’d be willing to write articles for newspapers. Also, as a parting suggestion, I’d really like to see a separate “Volunteer Opportunities” Topic in the forum index so that it is a more visible and prioritized topic.
Thanks for listening, and let me know if I can be of assistance in ways other than serving on the BOD this year.
Sincerely and regretfully,
Anne (ThePharmGirl)@Team Black-Cat wrote:
#4 Do you believe that a WGA regional event(camp-out/picnic) should be held at least once a year north of highway 64?
No.
I think that WGA regional events should be held wherever there is someone interested enough to host one. I don’t think it should be dictated by geography.Hmm, I see your point. I should have amended mine to say “a 5th segment, provided there is an interested host and volunteers.”
1) I would like to see a “prettier”, more visually appealing and user-friendly webpage, especially the main page. However, I have no knowledge about how to do this, the time commitment it would take, or what limitations we have regarding our web hosting or whatever (This is not my area of expertise at all).
2) I would like to see the WGA use our resources to lend more support to local events to help educate the public and recruit more volunteering members.
3) I’d like to see a more complete and accessible list of cache hiding regulations and other useful resources that would make our website a more “must-visit” site for Wisconsin cachers.
4) I’d hope that newsletters and board actions are reported to the general membership in a timely fashion.
5) I think the photo on our front page was a nice addition because it made the page more personal and inviting. Perhaps this could be expanded to a “caching photo of the week” type of thing if members were interested in submitting their caching photos, sort of like how some TV station weathermen display cool weather photos each day.
Yes. I agree. The WGA should commit to a CITO Event twice a year for our Adopt-a-Highway segment. Nothing fancy needed. Provide the garbage bags and maybe lemonade and that’s it. At the end of the day, you get a cool CITO icon and a warm fuzzy feeling knowing you helped give back to the sport. Perhaps cachers would like to meet at a restaurant or something afterward. Or maybe they’ll just cache their way home. 😀
#1- Would you attend this event?
Yes, if it was a weekend I didn’t work.#2a- How would you help promote this event and educate local cachers and/or non-geocachers of the WGA?
Inform cachers via the event cache page. Include a link and list the ways the WGA will be present at the event. For example, providing downloads, providing the pancake equipment, providing a 101 class on geocaching and the members to volunteer with these things. Using WGA resources to print nametags is a great little idea because people have something to go home with that reminds them of the WGA, and they can wear and subtly advertise the WGA at other events as well.#2b- The idea of placing a few small news paper ads in a few of the local papers was brought up to help promote this event. Should the WGA help pay for the ads?
Sure, especially if it will pay off with increased membership and awareness in that area.#3 Should WGA equipment (such as grills and such) be made available for this event?
Yes#4 Do you believe that a WGA regional event(camp-out/picnic) should be held at least once a year north of highway 64?
I think it should be brought into the rotation as a 5th segment (maybe a pentagon instead of a quad system) of current WGA events which have been only twice (and now thrice) a year.I work that weekend, but if elected, I’ll do my very best to trade or take off for the meeting.
Carry on. It all looks good to me. Hopefully we can continue to expand the reach of the WGA and our positive impact on geocaching in Wisconsin.
@labrat_wr wrote:
…. If “we” would strive to submit some informative articles relaying some of the adventures to be had geocaching to our local newspapers, getting the sport some exposure might be a way to let people know that not every person lurking in a park or every box tucked in a hollow tree, is not dangerous but maybe something of value. There are some great log writers out there, maybe there is a journalist out there too.
I agree.
Sure.
@hogrod wrote:
…This is just a social website nothing more, when people make and account and down return its because they have no reason to(nothing of value here) or don’t see the need for the social side of things.
…. for other “anti-social” cachers out there what does the WGA really offer?
The WGA hosts the Lonely Cache Game, which through the helpful spirit of other cachers, helps maintain caches in working order for you to find. It hosts Cache Rescue for to help minimize “geo-junk” out there in the world and lessen our impact on the environment.
The WGA hosts the picnic and campout. They are often present at other events to help educate new cachers about geocaching.
The WGA works with the WI DNR and other park officials to keep geocaching an accepted and allowed practice so that you can cache in our parks.
The WGA website has useful links such as cache hiding guidelines for certain areas. It also contains bookmark lists created by the “social network” to help find caches in a certain area or by a certain type that you may be looking for.
etc etc etc
Q: Do you think the BOD should censor forum posts and to what degree? Should we adopt Forum Rules similar to Utah’s?
A: This is a tough one. I thought about your question at work all night long. And I keep changing my mind about it.
For now, I decided I don’t like censorship. I don’t like the idea that as a board member, I would have to troll the forums every 5 minutes to babysit grown adults and make sure people are behaving. It’s silly to even have to think about it. If that’s my expected role as a WGA board member, I quit the race. I’m running because I think I can contribute in many helpful ways that would benefit the WGA. But being a Forum Policewoman is just not one of them.
Yes, I get angry, annoyed, and disappointed at what I perceive to be negative and sometimes disrespectful comments in our forums. I feel like it does reflect poorly on the WGA, but even worse on the individual who wrote it. I think discussions or debates get out of hand because people are passionate about their viewpoint or, more commonly, because they misinterpret another person’s comment or intent. Some people just lack good communication or personal skills in general (and they’ll admit that). But it is, afterall, a forum. It’s a place where people can voice their opinions, concerns, and thoughts, even negative ones (despite my distaste for them). What may seem like a petty argument to some may be a very important and worthwhile discussion to others.
But these “arguments” can be very intimidating and off-putting to a new cacher (or any cacher) who visits our site and reads the forum for the first time. I know I have been too intimidated to post my opinion at times. Our forum often sounds like a bunch of angry, disgruntled cachers (maybe it is!). Why would new members want to stick around?! I wish everyone would take a moment before hitting the “Submit” button and consider whether it’s an appropriate and respectful comment.
Perhaps to keep the majority of forum topics a “positive” and helpful place for cachers to share information, there can be a separate “Pout, Moan, and Sulk” category (gee, did those initials work out that way? 😉 ) or “Debater’s Dungeon” where people can duke out their discussions away from the General and Announcement Forums. If discussions get “mean-spirited” or “negative”, they get sent to the dungeon. (I was only jesting with this idea. It’s sort of funny.)
It’s a good idea to have a General Code of Conduct for the Forums, but for now, the only censoring I am currently in favor of is deleting personal attacks, severe profanity, or spam. Otherwise, I just have to hope people will be sensible about what they’re writing.
Q: What would you do to bring back disgruntled ex-WGA members like Dean?
A: Bake you cookies? 😀
Okay, being serious now… There are a lot of reasons why members leave the WGA. For some, it was just a passing hobby for which they no longer have an interest. Fine. We can’t force people to love the hobby. But I would be especially concerned about those members who still enjoy caching who have grown so disgruntled with the WGA itself that they have felt the need to extricate themselves from the entire organization. That is a strong statement of dissent.
I would be really interested to hear what specific factors led to the breaking point. Was it preventable? Is it changeable? Was it the situation itself or was it purely how it was handled or communicated? I am asking these questions rhetorically, as an example of what the board should be asking.
When a disgrunted member vocalizes their concerns to the board, I think it’s the board’s job to communicate with that member until a suitable and reasonable solution or compromise can be achieved.
For disgrunted members (or ex-members) who are reading this forum topic, I’d like to encourage you to give the WGA another try. The past can’t be changed, but I’d hope you’d be willing to set aside some frustration to build a new relationship with the organization. Remember that’s it’s ultimately a place run by cachers for cachers, and that we all enjoy the same hobby. Voice your concerns, contribute helpful suggestions, volunteer your time and/or valuable talents, and I think you’d discover that being a member of the WGA is rewarding in its own way. I’d also like to remind you that there are five open positions on the board, and at least 4 of those 5 will be new board members.
For those who are NOT reading this forum, perhaps the welcoming committee can also be in charge of the “we miss you” committee to bring them back.
Regarding Sweetlife’s mandatory newsletter idea, I’ll have to respectfully disagree. Every business/organization that sends out emails has an option at the bottom to unsubscribe, and I think that’s every person’s right. Some people like to keep caching private and personal. And that’s okay. Perhaps they only joined so that they could check out hiding guidelines or other sources of information. I don’t see a problem with that. I don’t think the WGA should discriminate against those cachers by shoving our RAH RAH RAH down their throats if they don’t want it.
However, there are many new cachers who would benefit from our RAH RAH RAH! 😀 And welcome committee emails and cache page logos are good places to start.
As for Forum Monitoring, I am torn. On one hand, there is freedom of speech. On the other, I have been extremely disappointed, and at times, outraged, with the tone and content of certain threads. (I know it may be hard for some of you to picture an outraged PharmGirl, but I get especially upset when I perceive hurtful personal comments towards new cachers. Two or three times, I have contacted cachers who I felt were unfairly treated in the forums. I wanted to make sure they didn’t take comments personally and to encourage them to remain with us.)
Q: How can the WGA do a better job of including kids in geocaching activities?
A: I bet there are a lot of families out there who began geocaching specifically so that they could spend time together as a family and get the kids active outdoors. So there is definitely a niche for family-friendly geocaching activities.
I’m actually the person who thought up and wrote “The Case of the Stolen Candy Cache” at the Friday Meet and Greet for last year’s Cache Ba$h. I wanted to provide a family-friendly activity, and I think it went over pretty well (while it was light out). Kids of all ages enjoyed the candy. I figured we’re all sort of detectives when we’re out seeking caches, so a fun little mystery seemed like a good fit.
I like Cheeto’s idea of outdoor games during the WGA events, like Ladder Golf or Bean Bag Toss, for those kids who get sick of geocaching for the day.
What about an educational game or display that explains satellites and stuff like that (“stuff’ is a very technical term..haha).
What about a “Hide and Seek” type caching game … Each KID is each allowed to hide a cache (with the help of their parents) at the start of the day, marked with a name/number. They would learn how to mark a waypoint and record coordinates and be active in deciding what makes a good hiding location. Perhaps it would have to be within a certain radius, so they’d have to learn how to mark the “home” waypoint too. The event organizers would have containers from which they can choose (big and small). Then, at a specified time, they get a list of all those coordinates, and everyone tries to find each others’ caches. The kid whose cache is brought back to home base last (their cache lasted the longest) wins.
As for non-event ideas to get kids involved and more excited about geocaching…
I know there are educational cards about wildlife and invasive plant species. What about encouraging kids to match up those pictures with real-life examples that they spot while caching? As a kid, have you ever played car bingo? It would be like that, only with natural/environmental squares. This could be done within an event or just within one’s family. Perhaps different Bingo cards could be available to print online.
I don’t have kids, so I’m not the best expert here… but why not ask the kids what THEY’D like to be doing or what they’d like to learn about or ways to make events more fun? Post a topic in the forum about it… parents can ask their kids and report back to us. Kid answers only. I bet we’d get a lot of fun answers and ideas!
@sweetlife wrote:
Ive seen on other state association websites, where they have had individual county regulations posted, only problem with this is the new cacher that is not yet a part of the origination, but a email from the reviewer, with a link to the info, could get new members to join the WGA
Right, that’s what I was thinking. 😀
Q: What do you feel the role of the WGA should be outside the association’s own events?
A: 1) To have a helpful and useful presence and utilize the resources we have to offer (our experience, time, and a large community of people who love to cache) to nurture new cachers, educate non-cachers, and give back to the nature we enjoy by volunteering our time in environmentally-healthy activities (like CITO, weed pulling, etc).
2) To promote the WGA and encourage growth of membership. I have been to many non-WGA events or general community classes in which WGA members have volunteered as educators and/or WGA resources have been utilized (like the downloading equipment), and there was no visible signage that promoted the WGA. EVERY time WGA resources are used, the organization should be visibily taking credit in some way and making sure non-members are fully aware of our existence.
Q: What can the WGA do to become more active in non-WGA events than it already is?
A: Actually, I really like some of the responses already given and would be happy to help see them put into effect:
Labrat_WR’s idea for 100% WGA promotion on WGA member cache pages is great (I have to make sure all of mine have the logo!). We need to make sure we make it easy for people to find and implement the logo (not everyone is familiar with html code!).
Cheeto mentioned that we should organize a forum thread specifically for those seeking help with local community events/projects. Agreed!
Sweetlife suggested that we could write articles about the sport of geocaching in local newspapers at no cost. I think that’s a great way to both educate and recruit people at the same time. I’m sure we have members with great writing skills who would be ideal for this task.
Team Black Cat suggested a Resources link with presentation files and downloadable brochures and articles or tutorials on how to present geocaching information to different types of audiences. I was going to suggest the same thing!! And.. “a list of WGA members that are willing to do local presentations might be an idea worth pursuing.” Yes, definitely!
I’m sure there are many more great suggestions. I’d like to see the WGA’s Community Education/Outreach committee really take some of these on. As of today, I show that the last forum post by this committee was March 18, 2009.
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