Is this site for real or is it a joke

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srladybug
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Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by srladybug » Wed Apr 24, 2013 5:15 pm

I registered to use opencaching a few years ago but the web site was impossible to use. I had forgotten about that until today when I tried to log in again. What a joke. If they want to keep people away they are successful. I'm never coming back so don't bother to answer.

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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by Mr.Yuck » Wed Apr 24, 2013 7:21 pm

Well, at least someone saw the main page, and wanted to talk about this website in particular! :? It would be nice to know what specific problems there are, and how it's impossible to use!!
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DudleyGrunt
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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by DudleyGrunt » Thu Apr 25, 2013 9:28 am

Apparently, they were able use the forums. I checked and "srladybug" is an actual user at Groundspeak.

I sent her the following e-mail...
As one of the volunteer team members for OpenCaching North America (opencaching.us), I'm sorry to see that you've had difficulty with our website.

Unlike Groundspeak or even Garmin's Opencaching.com, we do not have the resources of a large (or small) corporation behind us. We are just a few volunteers attempting to offer an all free alternative cache listing service to the community.

Any specific feedback you have on your experience would help us try to make the site better for others.

Thanks and Happy Trails!

Dave / DudleyGrunt
OpenCaching North America
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For the smiles, not the smilies.
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TermiteHunter
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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by TermiteHunter » Thu Apr 25, 2013 6:42 pm

The biggest problem is...That it is different than GC.
Take into consideration that GC is what they learned first and they are used to it. OCus requires a learning curve to become familiar with.

I have heard similar complaints. It is just not as intuitive to operate.
A search has to be done to pull up nearby caches which confuses most.
Why can't it just be a one click operation? (have a zip code centered list or user coordinate centered list like the basic vs pm version on GC)
Looking at the map of caches is not the clearest. I actually liked the older map icons. Now I can't tell what is what until I zoom in. It just looks cluttered. Even just a found / unfound one would be easier to see. As it is now the various cache types, colors, icons and checks make it hard to determine what is available at a glance.
There are plenty of options for searching and downloading caches but they can also be confusing to those used to GC. Maybe a simple interface option along side the more advanced options would make it more user friendly.

I too still have difficulty just logging in. I have come to accept it. I log in, get an error, click back and am logged in. Check a few items (latest logs, new caches), click map and have to log in again. Some will not tolerate that. I have had issues in the past with notifications. Changed the e-mail address and it works now.


All that said OCus really isn't all that bad. Easier than Terracaching, less user friendly than GC but far more complicated than OC com.
Ease of use for the newcomer is the key here.

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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by Mr.Yuck » Thu Apr 25, 2013 9:46 pm

TermiteHunter wrote:The biggest problem is...That it is different than GC.
Take into consideration that GC is what they learned first and they are used to it. OCus requires a learning curve to become familiar with.

I have heard similar complaints. It is just not as intuitive to operate.
A search has to be done to pull up nearby caches which confuses most.
Why can't it just be a one click operation? (have a zip code centered list or user coordinate centered list like the basic vs pm version on GC)
Looking at the map of caches is not the clearest. I actually liked the older map icons. Now I can't tell what is what until I zoom in. It just looks cluttered. Even just a found / unfound one would be easier to see. As it is now the various cache types, colors, icons and checks make it hard to determine what is available at a glance.
There are plenty of options for searching and downloading caches but they can also be confusing to those used to GC. Maybe a simple interface option along side the more advanced options would make it more user friendly.

I too still have difficulty just logging in. I have come to accept it. I log in, get an error, click back and am logged in. Check a few items (latest logs, new caches), click map and have to log in again. Some will not tolerate that. I have had issues in the past with notifications. Changed the e-mail address and it works now.


All that said OCus really isn't all that bad. Easier than Terracaching, less user friendly than GC but far more complicated than OC com.
Ease of use for the newcomer is the key here.
Oh goodness, I can see where you're coming from. All the Opencaching sites are pretty much exactly the same with the interface. And if you visit some of the other ones, you can convert most of them to English by clicking on the British flag on the top of their particular site. I'm not just totally blowing you off or anything, but that's really the kind of stuff the European Developers would have to address, way, way, way beyond my skills.

I have never once had any log-in problems, and I always stay logged in. There is a setting under "my account" "No auto logout after 15 minutes of inactivity", is that what yours says?
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TermiteHunter
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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by TermiteHunter » Thu Apr 25, 2013 10:53 pm

I really don't expect the changes but they would make it easier for the GC initiated to make the transition.
Aside from the general opposition to an alternative site to the Big Frog is the difficulty new users have with working in the site.
We (our local geo club) have had contests that involved OCus but few take advantage of it and many that do fail to log on the site or complain simply because of their inability to figure it out quickly.
They learned GC first and expect it to operate in the same way, unwilling to devote time to learning a new way of doing things if it is not obvious.

Just as an example: I placed a cache near the work place of an active / willing OCus user. Kept telling him to just walk outside and get that new cache I placed for him. It took him several weeks to even click the map function and then zoom in to notice that the cache was at the next building over from his office. He was frequently on the site and didn't notice the cache listing even with the "latest caches" section. It was his unfamiliarity with the interface even for some one that used the site.

For me, I like to use the map to locate caches I have yet to find. Most of the icons on the map for my area are mine but now with the newer icons I can't tell which ones aren't mine and/or yet to be found. I now rely on the notification e-mail or the new cache section on the main page to catch them as they come in. After that they are lost in the clutter since I rarely use the search function except to download the GPX file.

As for the log-in issue... No it is not logging out.
I really think it is just my browser. I use an unconventional web browser, Maxthon, An IE shell that every other site recognizes as IE.
It fails to accept my first login giving me an error message but then does when I hit "back" or login a second time on the error page but then drops it on certain portions of the site.
Oddly if I go to the site from an e-mail notification or posted link it accepts it the first time and sticks.
I only have this problem on the OCus site.

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TermiteHunter
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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by TermiteHunter » Thu Apr 25, 2013 11:02 pm

srladybug does not appear as a registered user on OCus.

Not actually completing the registration may be part of their problem with limited access on the site making it even harder to figure out.

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DudleyGrunt
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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by DudleyGrunt » Fri Apr 26, 2013 8:16 am

I actually show her registered since 10/16/2010.
Dave, OCNA Team Member
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Mr.Yuck
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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by Mr.Yuck » Fri Apr 26, 2013 8:32 am

DudleyGrunt wrote:I actually show her registered since 10/16/2010.
Yeah, I can "search user" and find her. Very last side button on the bottom, on top of OC servers. Well, there's more buttons after that for me and DG, but the last one for most people. :mrgreen: I also see nothing unusual in her entry in the user table in the database.

Anyways, excellent post by TermiteHunter, I will respond later. Just checking in before work. Not that I haven't been known to check in during work. 8-)
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DudleyGrunt
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Re: Is this site for real or is it a joke

Post by DudleyGrunt » Fri Apr 26, 2013 9:04 am

So far, I've not heard anything back from her.
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