What kind of ideas to you have?

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:55 pm

I recently held an event in Hayward and had some new geocachers attend.
I talked to them and asked then a few questions. One of them has been caching for about a year. This person did not know about the WGA or that there was going to be a WGA shindig this spring at St. Croix Falls.

If elected, what NEW ideas or plans do you have to help educate new and veteran geocachers that do not know about the WGA?

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:19 pm

Communication is key for promoting the WGA. At events such as the West Bend Cache Bash WGA members working the table or board members should be talking with as many people as possible. Spreading word of the WGA and our events taking place. Reaching out to those who don't attend events regularly for those of us placing caches we should be placing the WGA page link under the cache information section. Making it more accessible for every day geocachers to come across the WGA website.

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:33 pm

cheezehead, it is networking with members like yourself, you are holding events, in other parts of the state .. it's getting brochures into your hands .. it's encouraging using the WGA logo on your cache pages .. each one reach one sort of deal ..

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:39 pm

KEY WORDS - NEW IDEAS

Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:31 pm

I guess you are looking to reinvent the wheel, but with the WGA facebook page, twitter, and our website there is not really much more that can be done to get the word out.

Last year, Val and I attended many events in different parts of the state, and try to promote the WGA. Besides traveling to more events and meeting more people face to face what else could we do.

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 7:44 am

An idea that I've had in the back of my mind for some time would be to write an article for that FTF Geocacher magazine bragging about what great caches we have around here. I also would talk about the WGA and what a supportive organization it was. Of course, this isn't exactly bringing in new people to geocaching, just telling more people about the WGA.

When I taught my geocaching camp last summer with the YMCA I talked about the WGA. I tried to tell them about how there were more aspects of the game than simply making the find. I talked about the social aspect of it, about how the WGA was a group of people who all enjoyed the same hobby even if the people enjoyed it in slightly different ways.

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:27 pm

I’ve been kicking an idea around about trying to highlight sections/areas/counties for the special caches found there. Working with that I thought we/I would search out those areas for cachers that look pretty active and ask them for their favorites. Getting them involved with us would let them know there is a WGA and while separated from the bigger populations in the state, there’d be a way to connect with cachers all over the state + and maybe those other cachers in their area they hadn’t me.

Getting them to the WGA FB page or the website will go a long way to uniting the members. The new Member map is awesome.

Hitting up those cachers that live in the areas you talked about and encouraging them to host their own events would grow their numbers. There are lots of us that will drive all over the state for events.

More local events= higher profile notice=more people= bigger WGA name recognition.

This would have to be a grassroots effort for those that want to see it grow, while the BOD does what they can to support and encourage it.

Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 2:00 pm

Cheesehead,

Personally, even though this is not new, I feel that the best approach is word of mouth. It takes good, respected cachers like yourself, to talk to newer cachers and older cachers who do not know of WGA to best promote WGA.