What defines "open caching"?

You want to get involved in the Opencaching Network?
Antworten
DudleyGrunt

Not just this community.  I'm interested in knowing what those here feel define a caching site as being "open".  I assume it is more than just being free.  Though, I'm "sold out" for OpenCaching US, in particular, I'm new to the community.

The following is from the wiki at OCUS and I guess is similar to what is on some / most of the other sites.  I've bolded what seems to be the central points of defining "open caching" and inserted on question.
Opencaching is a term for geocaching that refers specifically to websites and services that offer a free and open portal for all of those who are interested in the activity, or sport, of geocaching. The goal is to provide a higher quality cache listing service in a user friendly format with features that members of the geocaching community have requested.

Geocaching is an outdoor sport or activity in which cachers use a GPS receiver to find a "treasure" hidden by other participants. Opencaching has several websites that are specific to different countries, plus a site that indexes and provides links to these various country website locations.

Countries with opencaching websites include the United States, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Norway, Japan and the United Kingdom. There are competing sites that list other geocaches as well, but there are often fees and/or usage restrictions associated with those sites. As the hobby continues to grow, it is likely that Opencaching sites will be available in more countries.

The main difference between opencaching and traditional listing sites is that all services are open to the users at no cost. Generally, most geocaching services or websites offer some basic information for free, but users may have to pay for premium information or advanced searching capabilities. This is not the case with opencaching; every geocache is listed and accessible to everyone for free.

Additionally, Opencaching sites allow users to rate and report on existing geocaches. This allows users to see what other cachers think of the cache and it encourages participants to place higher quality caches. The rating system also greatly reduces the problem of abandoned or unsatisfactory caches still being listed after repeated negative comments or posts in the cache logs.  [Q: Is this meant as a qualifier for being an open caching site or just an aspect of the OpenCaching community of sites @ OC EU?]

Anyone can register and use the various Opencaching sites for free and there are benefits of registering. One of the main benefits is that registrants can post geocaches of their own and advertise their locations to others. Those who have placed geocaches are responsible for maintaining them and taking care of any issues that may arise. Another benefit to registering is that users are able to log all their finds in one specific location.

Despite the advantages of the opencaching system, participants will still need to invest at least some amount of money in the hobby. The websites may provide coordinates to geocache locations, but can do very little to actually help you find it without a handheld GPS system (see The Geostore). Basic systems are relatively inexpensive, but additional features will raise the price. Some cell phones also work as GPS devices.
General thoughts or specifics on other sites such as GPSgames, Navicache, TerraCaching, Geocaching Australia and even Garmin, are appreciated.  For instance, Garmin is obviously free, but what about them might make you consider them to not truly be an open caching site?
Zuletzt geändert von DudleyGrunt am 21.12.2010, 21:13, insgesamt 1-mal geändert.
Antworten