burtonsinak
Bronze Cacher
Posts: 60
GeocacheAlaska! Membership Level: Sourdough
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Post by burtonsinak on Dec 21, 2012 22:41:44 GMT -9
As I said it may have been tryed or talked about before, Im sorry. It was asked for suggestions and since I hadn't heard any of this before I suggested.
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burtonsinak
Bronze Cacher
Posts: 60
GeocacheAlaska! Membership Level: Sourdough
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Post by burtonsinak on Dec 21, 2012 23:01:18 GMT -9
I do agree SSO JOAT that we need more member involvement. Look at the numbers for flash mobs and events and the eduevents which may have the least number of member attending. That is still more, 20-30 then log on here. Even the voting of our board had only a % of the members vote. Our group is no differant then much of the rest of the USA and AK when it comes to voting as its not the high majority.
We have the same thing happing in my mens group at church, out of 400-500 only 40-50 show up even with a free breakfast.
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Post by ladybugkids on Dec 21, 2012 23:07:32 GMT -9
People still talk about the facebookies and the twits and such, but we've tried the social media with no positive results. We have a page on Facebook and made a valiant effort to promote it. Very few showed up and the FB format leaves a lot of be desired in the way they handle group pages. The Membership Survey that people were sent in November 2012 had a question that asked for the preferred method of being receiving GeocacheAlaska! information. The results were: Direct e-mail: 92.5% Newsletter: 37.5% Website: 22.5% Facebook: 12.5% Forums: 10% (Adds up to more than 100% because people could select more than one choice). Each place requires someone to post the information. As one who tried to do it all (except Facebook), I can tell you it's both time consuming and discouraging to post the same information in so many places and get so few results. As a result, I've pulled back to putting my energies into those media that people respond to. I have served as the Returning Officer (impartial election chair) for the Geocaching Association of Great Britain (GAGB) for each of the three years. Communicating the election process and ballot timing to the United Kingdom cachers is a nightmare...direct e-mail, gc.com forums, GAGB forums, over a dozen regional Facebook groups/accounts, twitter, and additional regional forums. The GAGB Committee had four people canvassing all the social media sites to get the word out and still some people where unhappy they weren't reached. In my opinion, a single unified location is the way to go. It's too hard to keep all information current and accurate in multiple locations across many media. We need to get people accustomed to coming here for information beyond the newsletter. These forums used to be used a lot more, but people drifted away when folks started getting snarky with each other and Facebook gained in popularity. These forums are a great place for historical, searchable information can be saved. Facebook, twitter, and other social media are terrible for that. Once something falls of the "wall," it's essentially gone as far as I understand it. Actually, a banker helped set it up, so no offense taken. When I was webmaster, I too heard, "clean up the forums." When I asked for guidance, I didn't get any. I wasn't about to get into rock management (e.g. spend a bunch of time reorganizing only to get told that's not what was wanted), nor was I going to spend a lot of time working on something that so few people used. |
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Post by ladybugkids on Dec 21, 2012 23:11:52 GMT -9
As I said it may have been tryed or talked about before, Im sorry. It was asked for suggestions and since I hadn't heard any of this before I suggested. No need to apologize. You weren't around when I was asked to present to a local outdoor group. I thought, "Cool, a chance to reach out and draw more people to geocaching." Instead, I was sent packing with my tail between my legs because geocachers leave things in the field (this was when EarthCaching was in its infancy) and summarily had my online membership to the group revoked. I made my comment only because people need to be aware of other groups' missions and agendas before thinking about recruiting them. Meetup might be just fine...give it a try if you think it could have a positive outcome. In the meantime, whardier has a post in here looking for a geocaching to speak to his group. Who's interested in doing that? |
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burtonsinak
Bronze Cacher
Posts: 60
GeocacheAlaska! Membership Level: Sourdough
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Post by burtonsinak on Dec 21, 2012 23:25:01 GMT -9
Thank you Mike for all you have tried and done here and GeocacheAK. I know its time cosuming and can feel like your beating your head against a wall.
I know your going to say ok, you can do it... Im not sure how much/long with out getting so tecnical but having an eduevent about the form and using it? A call in the news letter to come use the forum and even a simple story/instruction on using the forum?
Geocachers like to go to the hide and seek page to find a cache, the only way I can think of to get them from there to see the forum is to make multi or puzzle cache that you need to go to the forum to get info or cords to find the cache either by date or topic ect... maybe a way to get more cachers onto and interested and using the forum??
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Post by SSO JOAT on Dec 21, 2012 23:27:20 GMT -9
Please don't take my "rant" the wrong way! It wasn't directed at you, but simply "up into the air" as we have had what I feel are a number of divisions of the group, rather than a coming together. Realizing that this discussion is taking place out in the open (public section of this forum), I won't go into any specifics.
After a lot of consideration over the last couple years, it is my feeling that the Chapter concept is too divisive for such a small group of people. If we had a roster of 400-500, then it might be worthy, but with member roles of less than 150, there are simply not enough people to justify division into smaller regional groups.
Outreach is good, but it should lead toward centralization of our gathering and communication. Such as bringing everyone in to these forum for the sharing of ideas and social conversation. How do we accomplish that goal?
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burtonsinak
Bronze Cacher
Posts: 60
GeocacheAlaska! Membership Level: Sourdough
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Post by burtonsinak on Dec 21, 2012 23:49:11 GMT -9
Accepted, I don't have the answers and is why we all are thoughing ideas and thoughts out about how... YES how. At every event can we say "Hey all you cachers we like to see you try the forum. Give it a few trys. We need you there!"
I know i didnt know about it untill i heard some one talking about it, then it still took a while to try it.
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Post by SSO JOAT on Dec 22, 2012 2:48:01 GMT -9
There are at least 2 "virtual" puzzle caches that use these forums. They are still hidden in here and findable. One of them also uses a hidden key on the GeAK website, which is still sitting there. IIRC, there have been about 4 or 5 people who have worked them out. I think there may be a third puzzle that uses something in the forums, but I'm not recalling the details for certain.
The forums and website have been mentioned at the end of every single EduVent presentation. We have stood up and pleaded with the attendees to come online and join the conversation. Links are posted on every GeAK event page. There are several of us cache hiders who prominantly display linked GeAK site banners on all of our cache listings. Every newsletter points to our website and forum. We have a Facebook page with links to the site and forum, plus postings about upcoming events and other news.
In other words, I feel like we have done just about everything that you have suggested, and still no one shows up. You say that you didn't know about the forum until "word of mouth", yet the forum has been prominantly advertised on our website, cache listings, newsletter, etc for over 4 years now. It's here, but people still don't "see" it. So, how do we get them to "see" it in this high speed world of advertising overload?
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Post by NorthWes on Dec 22, 2012 8:32:01 GMT -9
Is there a way we can use Meetups.com? have it link to geocachealaska or something like that to maybe get some of those out doors people interested. Just an idea. There has been a thing or 2 on TV and newspaper about geocaching if i remember right. Do we have things on UTUBe for geocaching in AK as i know there is lots on/with other places. I dont know much about face book but i know the Hawii cachers us that to communicate instead of the forum and they seem to have more involved with it. I know more then one idea/thought and they probably been said before. Tony, events seem to draw the unconnected out of the woodwork - then all you have to do is shamelessly sell membership benefits. Robert - I'd like you to join the Advocacy committee. I think meetups.com might be a good place to build a presence, and that committee seems to be where that work should come out of. A YouTube about GeocacheAlaska!.org is a good project idea too - I hadn't even thought of that!! We use Facebook a bit, but it doesn't have the depth of conversational 'forum' thought we get out of this forum. It's one method for outreach, but membership surveys strongly indicate email blasts, the newsletter, and this forum are preferred for substantive communication. Facebook is great for messaging fun stuff though! Wes |
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Post by SSO JOAT on Dec 22, 2012 8:58:24 GMT -9
OK, so I went and looked at this meetup.com site (which I had never heard of before) and upon running a search of the Anchorage area, I've found that ya'll boast numerous batches of pagans, Wiccans, Buddhists, atheists, beer drinkers, vegans, polygamists, and doomsday preppers (ha! I know the knucklehead who is heading up that group) all looking to have "meet ups" with their fellow whatevers. To say the least, I'm not overly impressed with the clientele using this site. A geocaching search had to be expanded down to America to get any hits and even in big population centers, the number of users of this site for geocaching purposes is pretty small.
I'll look at the specific site requirements and user agreements as well as what they can actually do for us before deciding if I can find any value in adding this to our online tool box.
<EDIT> UGG! They have a monthly fee to form a group. Forget it.
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Post by firemanak on Dec 23, 2012 0:26:26 GMT -9
do you guys put the meetings and events in the local paper under what is happening this week? one of our locals suggested that?
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Post by SSO JOAT on Dec 23, 2012 0:28:38 GMT -9
There are at least 2 "virtual" puzzle caches that use these forums. They are still hidden in here and findable. One of them also uses a hidden key on the GeAK website, which is still sitting there. IIRC, there have been about 4 or 5 people who have worked them out. In reference to the questions about these... you can find these two puzzles on www.geocachealaska.org/education.htm by looking for the first two puzzle solving presentations. Go to the end of the full size PDF downloads to find the puzzle introduction pages. |
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Post by ladybugkids on Dec 23, 2012 7:22:20 GMT -9
do you guys put the meetings and events in the local paper under what is happening this week? one of our locals suggested that? Anchorage has not listed events in the paper except when the Muni Parks and Recreation Department did it for Beginning Geocacher Events we ran for them. Cordova, Valdez, and perhaps other communities have on some occasions (e.g. Banacle9 has a good relationship with the Cordova paper and Valdez for the Cache for Cash Events). Kenai Peninsula papers have given the Kenai Picnic Events a fair amount of ink. My experience with the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner is that the sportsdesk people are more than happy to receive fodder for the local calendar. |
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Post by firemanak on Dec 23, 2012 7:43:29 GMT -9
I was also going to find out how to get info up to the UAF paper too...there has got to be young adults who cache away from home, that would like to at least come to the winter events.
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Post by SSO JOAT on Dec 23, 2012 7:54:31 GMT -9
Down my way, the Redoubt Reporter was very supportive last summer. The Peninsula Clarion was rather nonchalant, but they do have a community calendar online as well as in their print editions. I'll have to look at that. I've dealt with media quite a bit over the years and as a general rule, all you have to do is ask and they'll often show up. I've invited reporters to our last couple Kenai River picnics and they've come out to cover it and write a story. My next challenge is a TV News van from one of the big 3.  |
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Post by ladybugkids on Dec 23, 2012 8:22:25 GMT -9
My next challenge is a TV News van from one of the big 3. Careful about that...I still have a hard time living down the first time a TV news crew showed up to feature caching. Fuzzy belly and flightriskak had a "better" outcome fairly recently the next time around. |
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Post by firemanak on Dec 23, 2012 9:03:38 GMT -9
we had a news crew say oh yes, we love geocaching we will be there (in Aug of last year) when they didn't show up, called and they were like we forgot
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Post by tomanoble on Dec 25, 2012 11:23:20 GMT -9
If that is the video with Eagle 618 and (I think) New Yorker, the video still lives on You Tube!
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mtboy
Silver Cacher
Posts: 139
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Post by mtboy on Dec 26, 2012 10:25:40 GMT -9
the meetup.com site can be used without costing geocache alaska any money. It would simply require joining one of the already functional groups such as the outdoor meetup group. Setting up a special geocaching one wouldn't necessarily do any more than the infrastructure already set up. However, if you posted a geocaching meetup on the outdoor adventurer page you might drum up some interest and keep more people in the loop.
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Post by SSO JOAT on Dec 26, 2012 10:53:22 GMT -9
Interesting bit of info. I'll have to go take a look at that angle. Thanks!
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sorry, Mike), however my requests to the masses for ideas or suggestions have consistently fallen silent. There's a whole board dedicated to website and forum requests. It is largely vacant. 
