Cache Mania

Chances are you post pictures to flickr because you want other people to see them.   In some cases you only want friends or family to see them, in other cases you want to reach a larger audience.  Here are five things you should be doing to maximize or minimize the number of people that see your pictures:

1. Set the permissions on every picture.   There are four levels of permission available on your pictures – everyone, friends, family and just you.  If you set the picture to everyone then anyone that finds your profile will be able to see those pictures.  Friends and family are allow people that you have assigned to one of those groups to see your photos.  This is something you have to to do in advance and it requires that those people have a flickr account.  An lastly you can keep your pictures private.  There is one CAVEAT to these permissions.  Adding pictures to a group or sharing the private URL bypasses the permission settings you have created.
2. Set the licensing for your photos.  Photos that have a creative commons license will be viewed more often and may even be used on other websites.
3. Add meaningful titles, descriptions and tags to your photos.  At this time the only way to find a photos is to use a text based search.  In order for a text based search to work there must be some text to search.   You can make it easier for people to find photos from a particular cache if you include the GC number as a tag or in the title.  Keep in mind that people can search for a GC number to find the cache so if you photo includes spoilers you might want to leave the GC number off.  Alternatively you can tag the photo as a spoiler that way people can avoid those photos.  I sometimes add “spoiler” to the title of the image.  In this way people know to avoid the picture if they don’t want to spoil the surprise.   There is even a little script that will add links from the cache page directly to any flickr images that include the GC number.  Here is a link for more information – geocache2flickr
4. Add your pictures to relevant geocaching groups.  You have to join the group before you add your pictures to that group.   Keep in mind that you group permissions will override the permissions you have set for an image. Even if you have an image set to friends or family other members of the group will see it if you chose to share that image.  This is almost like a fifth permission level.
   Here are some groups I belong to:
   • Creative Cache Containers
   • Geocaching in Ontario
   • Geocaching
   • Geocoins
5. Add links to your flickr photostream from your other website profiles such as Facebook or your blog.  There are even widgets that will show some of your pictures on other websites if you chose to set one of  those up.    I actually have my Facebook account hooked up to one of my Flickr accounts so that pictures I post on flickr are automatically posted on my Facebook wall.

The steps I mention above will help you introduce your photos to more people.  Keep that in mind.  In some cases you won’t want to distribute your photos to a large audience .  Remember to “reverse” the steps outlined above if you want to keep an image private.

For the curious here is a link to my flickr photostream – cachemania.

This post covers posting pictures to flickr but the concepts apply  equally to other photo hosting services such as picasa.

Tags: descriptions, flickr, GC codes, photos, picasa, posting, tagging
Posted in help | No Comments »

I met yesterday with the managers of Ruthven Park to discuss placing a cache on their property.  The meeting went really well.  I think it went well because I was prepared for the meeting.

Here’s how I prepared for the meeting:

1. I brought along the cache I was going to place so they could see the cache and the contents.  They weren’t sure what would be found inside but seeing it helped them understand that better.
2. I thoroughly read their website to learn what their mission was and how geocaching could help them with that.
3. I had an idea of where I wanted to put the cache and why.
4. I had examples of cache listing pages with me.

I first contacted the park via email and I could tell from the reply that they were open to the idea.  I found out during my visit that they had contacted other facilities that have geocaches on their property to find out if it was a problem.  They had their own concerns and asked me to address them.  Their concerns were as follows:

1. Can we tell people where to park?  Yes, I’ll add a child waypoint for that.
2. Are we responsible for the cache?  No, all you are doing is giving me permission to place it, I’m responsible for it.
3. What will people leave in the cache?  I showed them examples.

This was the first time I’ve met with a property owner directly.  I hope all meetings go as well as yesterday.  I’ve submitted the listing for review.  I need to wait to see if it is approved.  I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.

Tags: Cayuga, geocache, Grand River, Lower Grand Land Trust, meeting, placing, property, Ruthven
Posted in Geocaches, Rants | 1 Comment »

DeLorme-GPS-Satellite-Communicator

Well it’s not exactly two-way GPS tracking but you can send text messages and update your position via the soon to be released DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator. The SPOT beacon has been around for a while. It is a personal emergency beacon that sends a message via satellite to give rescuers your location. In that is doesn’t rely on cell technology there is a better chance your message will get out regardless of where you are.

The new SPOT Satellite Communicator, designed exclusively for the new PN-60w, merges SPOT satellite message functionality and DeLorme state-of-the-art GPS mapping via wireless. Together, this product pairing offers broader messaging capabilities. Users can send freeform text messages using the PN-60w’s keyboard to select individuals or groups from the field even from remote areas world-wide.

So next time some geocachers go to Maple Mountain we’ll have to see if someone brings one of these along!

Tags: Beacon, DeLorme, GPS Hardware
Posted in GPS Hardware | 1 Comment »

The following list was compiled by Gregory Pleau (NorthernPenguin).

How to Spot a Geocacher

1. They’re the one constantly picking pine needles and cedar bits out of their coat pockets.
2. They’re the one walking in circles around the spruce tree, while the dog waits on the trail.
3. They are the one standing beside that lamp post, trying to not look suspicious as you walk past.
4. They are the one that knows what a used ammo can, a rubbermaid container and a film canister have in common.
5. They are the one carrying a plastic grocery bag around inside a film canister with the word CITO on it.
6. They are the one muttering something about it only being a 1.5 / 2
7. They have an insect shaped barcode on the back window of their car
8. They’re heading outside with a GPS in weather that would keep the postman home
9. They’re the one that can’t walk 100′ on a trail without saying “That would be a good spot for a cache”
10. They are the ones standing under the bridge instead of walking across it
11. They keep repeating the phrase “Why have you brought me here?”
12. They have an XBox360, PS3 or a Wii, and it has an inch of dust on top.
13. They hang film canisters in their Christmas tree.

Greg has other talents. He is also the person behind the Ontario Trails Project. Crowdsourced trail data for Ontario.

Update:  A couple more were submitted by res2100 as comments but moved here for easier reading.

14. When at the store signing a credit card receipt, you accidentally sign your geocaching handle instead of your real name.
15. You buy items in the grocery store that comes in containers that would make excellent geocaches.

Tags: geocacher, Geocaching, humour, northernpenguin
Posted in Rants | 2 Comments »