New Benchmark cache type

[Mr.Yuck]

Well guys, we are all aware that the unexpected has happened, and now it appears as if the new BM cache type will not be anytime soon.
I was really trying to move away from virtuals, but a BM cache is just a virtual cache with a different name. I don't want to risk losing any drafts I have been working on for the new cache type.

Hopefully if one of the admins gets a chance they can accept some of them and I can publish them to the site as virtuals. Maybe it will give others some ideas for Benchmarking.

Sorry, knower of Opie. Both on the response to this, and the looong time for anything being done on the new type. Although he didn't respond here, it appears TH has done this.

[KnowsOpie]

Well, even if things did not go as planned, I came up with a few new ideas. We can just call them virtuals for now. No problems.

It would be nice to hear some input on my newest listings.... the BM Virtual thingies. Maybe someone viewed them?

[Bon Echo]

Well, even if things did not go as planned, I came up with a few new ideas. We can just call them virtuals for now. No problems.

It would be nice to hear some input on my newest listings.... the BM Virtual thingies. Maybe someone viewed them?

I think they look great - interesting locations, nice photos, nice descriptions.
I don't think I looked at all of them and I am mixing up what I did look at, so bear with me but...It seemed strange to that one BM is at the highpoint (or very close to is) to VA, but I don't think you pointed that out.
I prefer to see two photos - one being a close up and the second being a more wide view to show the setting. ans most of yours have two photos expect. I admit that I don't have that for each BM I plan to list. and for some like the lighthouse and radar dome there is no close up.
I like that you sometimes added more info that just the Station report (ie wikipeida info on the lighthouse)
Thanks

[KnowsOpie]

Yes, I've been benchmarking in Kentucky's highest point there along the Virginia border. There is still one BM that has not been recovered yet, but I know where to look the next time I visit.

I believe some added content about the area and how to locate the BM would be helpful. They all started out as drafts for the new cache type, and looks as if those are still in the works, I'm not sure what they were supposed to look like here.

[Bon Echo]

I decided to try a listing of my own. This one is an USGS mark but not listed in the NGS database. http://www.opencaching.us/viewcache.php?cacheid=2651
I'm experimenting with a table to display the info, it's designed around NGS and couple be adopted for other marks (i.e. Canadian) or there could be different tables - one for NGS listed, one for NGS unlisted, one for Canadian, etc.
My goal is a standardized format that is easy for the user.

also, I came across this blog. Reading the comments from others was informative of some of the frustration that geocachers have with the GS system. I know it's 7 years old (the blog) but not much has changed since then. Some points worth considering.
http://www.madcacher.com/other-hobbies/ ... chmarking/

[KnowsOpie]

I'm experimenting with a table to display the info, it's designed around NGS and couple be adopted for other marks (i.e. Canadian) or there could be different tables - one for NGS listed, one for NGS unlisted, one for Canadian, etc.
My goal is a standardized format that is easy for the user.
http://www.madcacher.com/other-hobbies/ ... chmarking/

It looks good, more like I had imagined and less like copy/paste from a data sheet. I think it's all about the photos.

Benchmarking forums? Let's just say that I have looked at a few, and these avid Benchmarkers just come off as too formal for me. I can take coordinates and pictures and do a little internet research. When I was Waymarking BM's I kinda got used to having a form to fill out.

Right now, I'm happy with my BM Virtuals, and not stressing on a new cache type.

[Bon Echo]

I think it's all about the photos.

YES! Two or three good photos (one or two for structures like lighthouses or domes) and good coordinates should be all that is needed. Although the other details are nice
https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/marks/descriptors.shtml#photos
CLOSE-UP: highlight stamping with chalk or crayon, use macro mode to reduce blur, oblique angle reveals mark condition, avoid shadows
EYE-LEVEL: remove dirt & debris to show extents of monument, open the logo cap, add a placard to identify mark and demonstrate scale
HORIZON: include witnesses &/or visibility obstructions to aid in recovering mark & identifying within aerial imagery, show equipment used to document your work & clarify mark location

[TermiteHunter]

They are all looking good in the Virtual catagory and should carry over to the eventual BM format.

I have to say these from BE have a nice clean appearance. The photos provided in those submitted by both BE and Opie are excellent and will likely be a required element. The format style shown in BE's versions are along the lines of what we seem to be seeking (in the Admin forum) for the visual uniformity in the catagory. Yes. the photos are key but the rest of the layout adds a great deal to the visual appeal of the listing.

Are there any suggestions on additional info that might be desired or how it should be displayed?

I appreciate the preamble for the most recent listings and I added additional encouragement in the approval OC Comment Log

[Bon Echo]

Ahhh, I've got benchmarks on the brain...
case in point: I'm on the website walking4fun.com entering my "mileage" from a few short hikes this past weekend. That website allows you to "hike virtually" through a number of trails such as the Appalachian and the Pacific rim. I'm "hiking" the C&O Canal / Great Allegheny Passage trail from Washington DC to Pittsburgh (which I fully intent to do some day by bike, this gives me a chance to scope out the trail).
ANYway, my point is this: there's a picture of a streamgage station and I can't help but notice the benchmark in the corner of the photo:

There's out there...

[KnowsOpie]

Thought I spotted a Munzee there too.