Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

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The Spindoctors
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Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by The Spindoctors » 05 December 12 10:59 am

Original post: http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index. ... pic=304869
In our effort to inspire outdoor play through Geocaching, we are often faced with decisions about what to focus on next, and what to focus on less. It is through these decisions that we explore opportunities to grow the global game of geocaching.

Occasionally, during this process, we are faced with the reality that certain ideas don’t catch on as we had hoped. In these situations we owe it to ourselves and to you to make tough decisions about the future of every project and the resources to be applied to each. Sometimes, as a result, cool features must become casualties.

In this spirit, we have decided to retire Geocaching Challenges.

This means that, effective today, we have disabled the ability to create new Challenges. We have also removed the Challenges application from all mobile application stores. In approximately 7 days, we will be removing all traces of the Challenges functionality and related content from Geocaching.com.

On an office wall here at HQ is a sign that reads, “Let’s make better mistakes tomorrow.” By accepting that we will sometimes get it wrong, we can allow ourselves to learn from and imagine new opportunities in the world of Geocaching. Our hope is we can take the lessons from Challenges and create better tools to guide you on your next adventure.
Don't think too many people will shed a tear.


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pjmpjm
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by pjmpjm » 05 December 12 2:38 pm

The Spindoctors wrote:Original post: http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index. ... pic=304869
In our effort to inspire outdoor play through Geocaching, we are often faced with decisions about what to focus on next, and what to focus on less. It is through these decisions that we explore opportunities to grow the global game of geocaching.

Occasionally, during this process, we are faced with the reality that certain ideas don’t catch on as we had hoped. In these situations we owe it to ourselves and to you to make tough decisions about the future of every project and the resources to be applied to each. Sometimes, as a result, cool features must become casualties.

In this spirit, we have decided to retire Geocaching Challenges.

This means that, effective today, we have disabled the ability to create new Challenges. We have also removed the Challenges application from all mobile application stores. In approximately 7 days, we will be removing all traces of the Challenges functionality and related content from Geocaching.com.

On an office wall here at HQ is a sign that reads, “Let’s make better mistakes tomorrow.” By accepting that we will sometimes get it wrong, we can allow ourselves to learn from and imagine new opportunities in the world of Geocaching. Our hope is we can take the lessons from Challenges and create better tools to guide you on your next adventure.
Don't think too many people will shed a tear.
No, I agree. Guess (from Groundspeak's point of view) it was worth a try, in an attempt to expand the geocaching hobby . . . and their own income. But it was always a weird addition.

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Yurt
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by Yurt » 05 December 12 4:09 pm

Maybe they'll embrace (their own version of) Munzees next! :mrgreen:

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The Spindoctors
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by The Spindoctors » 05 December 12 4:11 pm

Yurt wrote:Maybe they'll embrace (their own version of) Munzees next! :mrgreen:
Oh I hope not. Better they fix what they have.

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calumphing_four
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by calumphing_four » 05 December 12 4:51 pm

The Spindoctors wrote:
Yurt wrote:Maybe they'll embrace (their own version of) Munzees next! :mrgreen:
Oh I hope not. Better they fix what they have.

Ditto that =D>
They could finally get their Beta version of Wherigo to a production version and they could provide "geocaching maps" and better downloads for Waymarks for starters.
Surely Munzees would simply be a new icon, rather than a whole new off-shoot.
Cheers 8)
.... and I was just about to go and take a picture of my boots ](*,) :-"

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Richary
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by Richary » 05 December 12 9:42 pm

The only people who will be disappointed are those who have bothered to create a challenge cache, I assume they will just be changed to regulars?

As for a geocaching equivalent of Munzees, if they do that they had sure as hell better make them easy to filter out of my PQs or I will be very annoyed. And of course, they will face the same problem as anyone else that a program like GSAK won't recognise the "size" unless they are just listed as Other.

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Big Matt and Shell
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by Big Matt and Shell » 05 December 12 11:37 pm

To be clear, this is not challenge caches but the Geocaching challenges like take a photo at a "big something" like the big banana.

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Yurt
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by Yurt » 06 December 12 9:16 am

Challenge caches are just listed as mystery/unknown caches aren't they? Just so they can have the ALR to claim them?

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mtrax
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by mtrax » 06 December 12 4:01 pm

Yurt wrote:Challenge caches are just listed as mystery/unknown caches aren't they? Just so they can have the ALR to claim them?
no these are a separate beast like waymarks

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The Spindoctors
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by The Spindoctors » 06 December 12 4:23 pm

These are Geocaching Challenges - http://www.geocaching.com/challenges/

This a Challenge geocache - http://support.groundspeak.com/index.ph ... age&id=206

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MtnLioness
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by MtnLioness » 07 December 12 6:15 pm

The Spindoctors wrote: This a Challenge geocache - http://support.groundspeak.com/index.ph ... age&id=206
Thanx for that! :-k

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McAdies
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by McAdies » 08 December 12 9:56 am

Interesting that they are deleting all information about them ever having existed from the website (just like that feedback thing they had). I guess one way to hide your mistakes is to deny they ever happened in the first place!
Maybe now they will listen to the customers before creating a new "thing" for the site :shock:

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SeabreezeOZ
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Re: Goodbye Geocaching Challenges

Post by SeabreezeOZ » 26 December 12 2:28 pm

The Spindoctors wrote:
Yurt wrote:Maybe they'll embrace (their own version of) Munzees next! :mrgreen:
Oh I hope not. Better they fix what they have.

Hear Hear! I totaly agree, i wish they would make the waymarking more user friendly.
Atm, if i want to download a waymark to my gps, i have to save the gpx file in the garmin MapSource then upload it to the gps. What a massive P.I.T.A. It would be so much better to be able to send directly to the gps straight from the waymark page. ](*,)

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