Cross-Posted Items

About the Opencaching Site
User avatar
glorkar
Posts:422
Joined:Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:34 am
Location:Oshkosh/Berlin, Wisconsin
Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by glorkar » Fri Oct 29, 2010 2:40 pm

Playing devil's advocate here. Cross posting has one very important draw: traffic. OCUS is still fairly new and there are not a lot of users yet. Half the fun of hiding a cache is having somebody find it. I have an OCUS only cache that I hid on 8/28 that still has no finders. Makes me a little sad. On GC, most new caches won't last a day without being found.
Opencaching.us Global Moderator
"In a world gone mad, only a lunatic is truly insane"

Image

User avatar
Sabrefan7
Posts:258
Joined:Sun Sep 12, 2010 8:26 pm

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by Sabrefan7 » Fri Oct 29, 2010 2:53 pm

I dont think traffic is a big deal. Spreading the words is.. I personally don't think its a good idea just my opinion . I think you can nudge people in the OCUS direction by putting a reference to it in a log book. Nothing to overt just some thing to make people to hmmm whats that? There is nothing sad about a lonely cache if its in a good place it makes it unique :)

BlueStone
Posts:24
Joined:Thu Oct 07, 2010 3:51 pm

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by BlueStone » Sat Oct 30, 2010 12:32 pm

Cross posting caches is a double-edged sword..a two-sided coin.

Yes cross-posting gets the word out there about OCUS, and your cross posted cache will get tons of traffic. But more than likely, right now, 98% of that will be from GC.

I'll give you my opinion on this, and everyone can take it for what its worth (which isnt much :) ). I'm just trying to throw ideas out for people to discuss and think about. I dont want to dictate policy or guidelines, or rules.

Anyway, IMHO, for OCUS to succeed, and give GC a run for its money, it HAS to offer something that GC does not.
If the majority, or even a large percentage of OCUS caches are cross-posted on GC, then OCUS will NOT be providing something you cant get with GC.
Everyone will just continue to find the caches via GC, and use GC instead of OCUS.

Granted, cross-posting can have its benefits. As hiders I think the majority of those benefits, are in favor of the hiders.
As hiders, we want people to find our caches. Cross-posting greatly improves the traffic we get on our cache hides.

But as finders, what is the benefit of cross posting?... We need to ask ourselves as finders, why would we use OCUS instead of GC to find caches. Unfortunately, I cant think of much right now, other than a feeling of supporting the underdog. But would the majority of finders (cachers) feel this way? Probably not...or there wouldnt BE an underdog.

I think if you REALLY want to help OCUS get off the ground, a cache or two cross-posted by each of us as hiders would be good. But, thats it. If you really want to get behind OCUS, cross post 1 cache, and put 10 caches out OCUS-only.

There are other ways of getting the word out about OCUS other than cross posting. Make more of an effort pursuing other means than cross posting.
Word of mouth, forum discussions (though I dont think you'll get far with that on the GS forums :? ), OCUS only events, OCUS branded swag, posting on blogs, facebook, whatever....

I'm just sayin, crossposting should be used very sparingly.
I think all I ever hear about Navicache from people is, "Why would I use NC, when everything is cross-posted on GC?".
I think that is one of the major reasons why NC has pretty much dropped by the wayside.
The other thing with NC, is that its a clunky, antiquated, ugly website, without the bells and whistles that GC has.
Well, yeah, I agree. But I think a lot more people would have stuck with doing NC-only caches, and would have put up with the clunkier site if it had the majority of its caches NOT cross posted.

Anyway, just some things to think about if you are considering using OCUS to list caches on. Do OCUS, and the whole geocaching community a favor, and give up some of your hider's-ego, and really try to post on OCUS only.

"If you hide them...They will come......
...or not...."
Only time will tell.

Shilo
Posts:19
Joined:Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:12 pm
Location:Hiram, GA

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by Shilo » Sat Oct 30, 2010 1:13 pm

BlueStone wrote:
There are other ways of getting the word out about OCUS other than cross posting. Make more of an effort pursuing other means than cross posting.
Word of mouth, forum discussions (though I dont think you'll get far with that on the GS forums :? ), OCUS only events, OCUS branded swag, posting on blogs, facebook, whatever....
Excellent post. I wanted to add to this part though.

If you are part of geocaching groups with forums post their. I posted in the GGA(Georgia Geocachers Association) forums and got about a dozen sign-ups and a few questions asked. Only 3 posted caches on OCUS. And they were all crosslisted-( unfortunately.

After discussing OCUS at a meet and greet, a steering committee member asked me to write an article for the GGA newsletter. Which I did with some help of DudleyGrunt :D . Hopefully it will get published in next month's newsletter.

If you have geocaching friends on facebook, post the URL of your cache or one near you in your News Feed. That generated a lot of questions about OCUS.

BlueStone
Posts:24
Joined:Thu Oct 07, 2010 3:51 pm

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by BlueStone » Sat Oct 30, 2010 1:28 pm

Excellent!
Exactly the stuff I was thinking of.
Thanx!

User avatar
TermiteHunter
Site Admin
Posts:1125
Joined:Sun Aug 29, 2010 7:12 pm

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by TermiteHunter » Sat Oct 30, 2010 11:57 pm

Rather than cross posting, I created a series of 4 GC caches with clues to a final that was listed on OCUS. It created a good number of registered users on OC.
I also quickly placed several OCUS only caches in the area so that when they looked at the map there were a few caches available to find. I now have 13 OCUS only caches of various types in the area. One other hider placed 1 and plans more. Another eventually cross listed an existing cache. Every opportunity to discuss OC in our local forum is taken.

Even with the 15 caches around very few have taken the opportunity to find them. Very few have found more than 1 or 2. Most have nothing negative to say about OC but there are just so many GC caches around that they just don't bother to look for the OC caches because it is another step they must take out of their regular caching procedures. I just can't get others to even give it a try. I plan to stick with it, listing more on OC, encouraging others to find them. I was hoping that my own reputation for style of cache craftsmanship as well as the help of another of similar reputation and the variety of cache styles would entice more to follow. It has drawn a few but not enough yet. I don't think the cross listed cache has a single find on OC yet but then it has been found by many previously on GC. I have created a personal "found it card" that has a reference to OC to place in caches. I usually glance at such cards so maybe others will notice and at least investigate. A more collectible wooden nickle may be a better option later.

Yes time will tell but the waiting is painful. Just don't wait silently.

User avatar
Sabrefan7
Posts:258
Joined:Sun Sep 12, 2010 8:26 pm

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by Sabrefan7 » Sun Oct 31, 2010 8:13 am

Very good ideas. I hope they pan out!

User avatar
RVRoadTrip
Site Admin
Posts:533
Joined:Tue Aug 03, 2010 3:04 pm
Contact:

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by RVRoadTrip » Mon Nov 01, 2010 10:23 pm

Here is a comparison of the geocaching listing sites created by "Schrottie" from OCDE. You can replace the opencaching.de column with opencaching.us (OCUS has newer code and more features than OCDE). And let's not forget that opencaching sites are 1005 free! :)

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... e.pl&twu=1

"Additional waypoints in the Listing" and "Memo in the cache listing" features exist in the OCPL and OCUS code. "Cache Rating System" exists in OCPL and OCUS code. See http://wiki.opencaching.us/index.php/Cache_rating

That link should translate to English, if not... oops. :P

User avatar
DudleyGrunt
Site Admin
Posts:2038
Joined:Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:27 pm
Location:Jessup, MD
Contact:

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by DudleyGrunt » Mon Nov 01, 2010 11:41 pm

Definitlely some good discussion over the last few days! I've shared the comparison site on Facebook with notes of the differences between OCDE and OCUS.
Dave, OCNA Team Member
For the smiles, not the smilies.
Maryland Geocaching Society

Image Image

User avatar
glorkar
Posts:422
Joined:Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:34 am
Location:Oshkosh/Berlin, Wisconsin

Re: Cross-Posted Items

Post by glorkar » Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:48 am

"Memo in the cache listing"
From what I gather, they now have this feature over on GC
Opencaching.us Global Moderator
"In a world gone mad, only a lunatic is truly insane"

Image

Post Reply