Should we form a Geocaching Maine Organization?

In answer to your question Vic I see the need is coming very soon. As you well know Geocaching is growing by leaps and bounds each and every day. There are approximately around 1400 caches in the state now and more and more are being added everyday.

Unfortunately not all geocachers follow all the rules and regulations put forth by GC.com. I feel that we will begin to see restrictions placed on us that will in the future forbid us to place caches. In that regards I think we need to establish some guidelines of our own and be able to help the non-geocacher make wise choices as to the how ,where, and why they want to place caches. I think an organization,not necessarily a dues paying or having officers per se, is needed so we can be here to answer questions and be stewards of this great state of ours.

Already in a few states restrictions are being forced upon geocachers and we need to be able to discuss with landowners, land managers,forestry representatives throughout the state that we are responsible stewards of the land.

As an organization I think we will have a better ability to deal with situations that almost assuredly will occur and we will have a strong backbone with which to deal with these situations. We have an opportunity at this time to make a big difference in how the general public looks upon us and to really make Maine Geocaching "The Way caching should Be"

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Originally Posted by kayakerinme

I'm curious how large a group we might be able to get. Consider the following:

I've pulled an arbitrary number of at least 6 posts as someone whom I would consider "active". I think it's a fairly low number and arguments can be made to move this number up or down. Using this as a base, however, ...

Only 95 members with 6 or more posts have posted in the last 6 months. In fact, only 115 members have more than 6 posts period. 62 of those 95 have posted at least one message in July. I think of these as the "active" folks.

Of the 682 members as of this post, 397 have visited the site since the beginning of the year; 309 have visited since April 1. What I can't see are which are based in Maine and which are "from away" so to speak. I have sent a request to Groundspeak asking how many cachers have identified themselves as hailing from Maine, but I haven't heard anything yet.

So... going back to the 95 "active" folks, 44% have answered the survey in one way or another. 42 of 49 folks that have posted since the survey was introduced five days ago have voted one way or the other.

It seems to me that about the highest number one might achieve with this survey is about 100 folks, and IMHO, this seems like it'd be pushing it.

What does a "larger percentage" mean to you? What would make it a satisfactory survey?

Thanks!

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Thanks a million for doing this!! I lovvvvvvvvvve the numbers - so revealing and helpful. Hmmm - maybe that is why I enjoy QA and research!!! Though more responses is always better, it is important to remember that getting a high percentage of responses is very unlikely. In fact, 44% is in line with the typical response rate. Some might even say it is a bit better than par. It seems a good representation to me. The question remains perhaps whether or not people would have indicated a different response had the discussion taken place before the poll or perhaps if the question was worded differently. It is hard to know without putting out another poll.

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Originally Posted by Dave1976

I was thinking kinda the same thing but didnt want to do the math to figure it out. Nicely done. I think that their is a huge percentage of folks that signed on to keep up with the new coin but other than that the others have just come and gone. I think we have enough numbers to represent the group. Remember that the folks that are truely the regulars are somewhat of a small group.

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I agree. It isn't that I don't think the opinion of everyone who is a member is not important, but that those who have an interest in the ongoings of the group are likely to be active and therefore represented in the poll.

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Originally Posted by haffy

Unfortunately not all geocachers follow all the rules and regulations put forth by GC.com. I feel that we will begin to see restrictions placed on us that will in the future forbid us to place caches. In that regards I think we need to establish some guidelines of our own and be able to help the non-geocacher make wise choices as to the how ,where, and why they want to place caches. I think an organization,not necessarily a dues paying or having officers per se, is needed so we can be here to answer questions and be stewards of this great state of ours.

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I don't believe that establishing our own guidelines will help to achieve everyone following the already written expectations. If people are not following them now, they will likely not follow them after we write them. I'm not saying don't write them, as much as we need to have realistic expectations.

This approach is where we are likely to have the most success. Aren't we already doing this?

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Originally Posted by attroll

Here's an idea:

- Our goal is provide a free Internet community for the sharing of information related to the Geocaching.


Note: One person does not own Geocaching Maine. Everyone on this site shares a piece of it. Lets work together and help our Maine community of Geocaching Enthusiasts grow.

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This should be it. Sorry Rick, but the rest of it sounds like my mother lecturing me.

Thanks, Rick ................ Geocaching in Maine, the way it should be.

By the way we voted NO!! and this doesn't sound to " organized " to me.

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Originally Posted by kayakerinme

What does a "larger percentage" mean to you? What would make it a satisfactory survey?

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What I would like to see is all members, or at least all members who desire to be contacted (perhaps via their profile or an entry when they join up), get an email whenever a vote or discussion like this comes up describing what is being discussed. Just like political voting, many will not bother. But at least the people who only come to this web site once a month or even once a year will be notified. of course, there is still a percentage of Maine cachers who don't belong to the site, we all should be doing to see what we can do to fix that!

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Originally Posted by dave1976

. . . Remember that the folks that are truely the regulars are somewhat of a small group.

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I post often here, but I would never consider myself "regular." ;) :D

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Originally Posted by kayakerinme

I'm curious how large a group we might be able to get. Consider the following:

I've pulled an arbitrary number of at least 6 posts as someone whom I would consider "active". I think it's a fairly low number and arguments can be made to move this number up or down. Using this as a base, however, ...

Only 95 members with 6 or more posts have posted in the last 6 months. In fact, only 115 members have more than 6 posts period. 62 of those 95 have posted at least one message in July. I think of these as the "active" folks.

Of the 682 members as of this post, 397 have visited the site since the beginning of the year; 309 have visited since April 1. What I can't see are which are based in Maine and which are "from away" so to speak. I have sent a request to Groundspeak asking how many cachers have identified themselves as hailing from Maine, but I haven't heard anything yet.

So... going back to the 95 "active" folks, 44% have answered the survey in one way or another. 42 of 49 folks that have posted since the survey was introduced five days ago have voted one way or the other.

It seems to me that about the highest number one might achieve with this survey is about 100 folks, and IMHO, this seems like it'd be pushing it.

What does a "larger percentage" mean to you? What would make it a satisfactory survey?

Thanks!

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Thank goodness there is someone here that has a head for figures . . . because that person certainly wouldn't be me since I barely squeaked by algebra, advanced algebra, geometry and every other math class I've had to take since kindergarten. If the computing involves more than the number of fingers and toes I have (19 for the record -- darn hay baler accident :D ) I'm usually lost.

One commonality I have seen here from those who are apparently in opposition to organizing is that they don't want things to "change." The ironic thing is that to prevent "change" we have to fight to prevent it. If we sit back and do nothing, geocaching will change. In my short tenure as a geocacher I have seen micros become very prevalent; that has occurred in just over 1 year. When I started there were on 800 geocaches, that number has almost doubled in 1 year. The number of geocachers has increased dramatically and so will the impact on the environment and the perception that the non-geocaching community has of us.

It seems that folks are really concerned that organizing will change our sport when in fact I see it as a way to protect it as it is now. What mechanisms do we have in place to protect it as it currently is? Obviously if someone asked me I would say, "none." We are pointing out number and percentages of participants to these forums and using those statistics as argument for organizing. I think that if we had an organization with a mission statement and a charter that people would have a reason to participate. This site is great to get questions answered and make new friends and chat about geocaching and everything but there are no goals to achieve, nothing to promote geocaching outside of our ranks, nothing in place to protect our sport.

This Statement seems to be a re-occuring theme here.

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I don't believe that establishing our own guidelines will help to achieve everyone following the already written expectations. If people are not following them now, they will likely not follow them after we write them. I'm not saying don't write them, as much as we need to have realistic expectations.

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I agree with it wholeheartedly but I will add that if we organize around a mission statement and a charter, we can effectively say to the general public that our group does not endorse or condone activity that is detrimental to the environment or caching in general. Whereas, right now, we have no way to say that this is what we are, this is what we do and this is what we expect. I don't think we need rules to regulate members here but we could say in a mission statement, " WE, AS AN OFFICIAL GROUP AND SUBSEQUENTLY ALL MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP WILL AND DO STRIVE TO ABIDE BY THE GUIDELINES OUTLINED IN THE `GEOCACHERS CREED'." Then when somebody does not abide by it we can essentially distance ourselves from that individual ultimately protecting the integrety of our group and of our sport.

This is what organizing means to me, not more rules but simply to abide by the existing ones.

Geocaching is changing no matter what we think, some of those that have been geocaching when there were only a couple of geocaches in the whole state have seen major change. I've heard those same cachers complain about the "evolution" of this sport but that is all I have heard; some complaining. Some folks have acted on their complaints and have "splintered off" to do what they think is right. We should follow their example and do the same.

We as a group will not always agree but we don't need to keep dividing our ranks. While there are many philosophies surrounding geocaching, (and I can live with all of them), we still live in one state and should unite under that idea "Maine, caching the way it Should be."


Cache On!!!!

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Originally Posted by attroll

Here's an idea:

- Our goal is provide a free Internet community for the sharing of information related to the Geocaching.

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i agree with team2hunt that this brief statement (with changing the word "goal" to "mission") would work. mission statements should be as brief and concise as possible. (maybe i would change the statement to say a free geocaching community - we are WAY more than an internet community).

i agree with everyone that things are changing and we should be organized - as informally as possible. just my 2 cents

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Originally Posted by firefighterjake

I post often here, but I would never consider myself "regular." ;) :D

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Another point that I brought up with a "Veteran" cacher. We are tolerated but will never be accepted....;)

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Originally Posted by Trezurs*-R-*Fun

One commonality I have seen here from those who are apparently in opposition to organizing is that they don't want things to "change." The ironic thing is that to prevent "change" we have to fight to prevent it. If we sit back and do nothing, geocaching will change.

It seems that folks are really concerned that organizing will change our sport when in fact I see it as a way to protect it as it is now. What mechanisms do we have in place to protect it as it currently is?

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For me, it is quite the opposite. I don't have a problem with the idea that it IS changing. It sounds like organizing to protect it as it is, is an effort to prevent change rather than seeing things evolve.

Either way, I will still enjoy geocaching and take from it what I am interested in and give to it what I would like to.