opencaching.com

GeoGerard · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 75

If got a sad message.
I've got a ban on the geocaching.nl forum.

Reason: (1) I like the principle of opencaching and they do not like that. (2) I uploaded my new avatar and that is associated with opencaching and they do not approve that either.

Can you understand that I am somewhat angry ?
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@ FREECACHING.NL

Scout · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 235

What is the business relationship between geocaching.nl and geocaching.com ? Maybe there is your answer.
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Scout http://GPSgames.org

GeoGerard · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 75

There is an intimate relationship between GC.com and GC.nl .

As a protest I removed all my posts at the forum. Exclamation

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@ FREECACHING.NL

Scout · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 235

Next, turn your frustration into something productive by helping other sites grow. Good luck.
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Scout http://GPSgames.org

Renegade Knight · Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 151

Geocahing NL was contacted when this effort was first started. Among other things I've learned while developing the organization is that any organization needs to represent all sites. Not just the one that's number one.

That means Geocaching.com, Navicache.com, Opencaching.com, and any other site. There are good sides and bad to that in that some orgs may not want a local group "representing them" but the agencies who do have some authority when it comes to our hobby probably won't give a shit about those nuances.

GeoGerard · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 75

Team BMW-Biker · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Posts: 209

hmarq · Site Admin Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 351

It's unfortunate that as a community we can't all get along, yet at the same time each site will do things their own way I suppose.

Once upon a time in a land far away (or not Smile

) there was a single fishing site in the Chicago area ... predictiably, just like gc.com the ownership tightend the reigns too much and discontent helped spawn alternatives. I helped start one of those ... initially since our membership was small, I 'scraped' headlines off of the big one and off of two of the others that sprouted .... each and every one of them sent me a nasty gram to stop showing their content even though I was doing nothing but *sending them traffic* ..... they were all under the misguided thought that if they just pretended we didn't exist, we wouldn't exist. .... oh yeah, I had my paying membership benefits yanked from the big site.

Am I surpised by your experience, no .... but yes I will continue to be disappointed by it.

On the flipside, you'll note the new gc.com pirate site of the week is posting here .... that's fine. I personally don't like the pirate thing, but I recognize that it's part of the natural evolution/de-evolution of the game ... folks will embrace what's needed and reject what isn't .... Darwin works in cyberspace just as well as meatspace; I don't pretend to be right, but I'll take my chances and others can do the same.

Scout · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 235

Renegade Knight · Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 151

Hmarq is right. It's part of evolution. If geocaching.nl rejects opencaching and navicaching and any other site other than geocaching, how long will they have a monopoly on NL? It won't take long for another group to spring up that does a less exclusive job.

All they are doing is shooting themselves in the foot.

Scout · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 235

Renegade Knight · Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 151

Think of it as a battle for market share. Navicache is making inroads in Europe. Opencaching has a following and will take some more market share. This is a fact. Not speculation. The only variable is how much share these sites will take as time goes on.

If a non cache listing organization chooses to be "GC.com Only" then a group that comes along and says hey, we are all cachers we will work with all the groups. They now have the Navicachers, the Opencachers, and any other that come along as well as some GC.com users. The GC.com only group has lost potential members and loses clout in working with both geocachers and agencies who have a say in geocaching.

The model works well if they can preserve their monopoly on cache listings/members. But every time they shove someone to the other side who didn't need to go they erode their advantage.

GeoGerard · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 75

There is a second Dutch site http://www.geocaching.nu/ that offers the same service as http://www.geocaching.nl/ , so there is no concurrence in the service. The most popular is http://www.geocaching.nl/ .
Both sites are not very innovative and don't want an own database.
Just following GC.com...

I think a new geocaching server needs to offer extra services, to obtain market share.

Idea: I think the opencaching server should become an outdoor portal too and not just offer goodies (stickers, keyrings, eg) but perhaps outdoor equipment. It's just a brainwave. Wink

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@ FREECACHING.NL

Woodbutcher68 · Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 8 Location: Hammond, IN

I'm a moderator on the fishing site hmarq set up. Everything he said happened and we are still getting people from the other two big Chicago area sites. The rules for that site are simple: share your fishing knowledge and don't attack other members of the site. We also monitor posts that attack the other sites as well. Why give them more to hate us for. Break the rules and get banned.
When our site plans a fishing event, we also invite the members of the other sites to participate. Most of us don't hold grudges.
What it comes down to is people with the same interests, whether it's fishing or geocaching, getting together on the web or in person to pursue and improve their interests.

As long as there is diversity there will be conflict, until we agree to disagree and begin to move forward.
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When I came to the fork in the road,
I put the Jeep in 4-wheel low and went straight!

Arun Mahalingam · Joined: 22 Oct 2003 Posts: 8