Wanted: Viewer Suggestions for GeoSnippits Geocaching Videos

UPDATE - And The Winners Are....


Mike Guirdy - Cajunseeker (twitter)
Steven Sick 
Dave Clark
Tim Massaro
Collin French - Ukgcpodcast (twitter)


Thanks to everyone who sent in suggestions it was greatly appreciated. 


Congrats to our contest winners.





As you may already know that over 90% of all GeoSnippits geocaching videos are from viewer suggestions. We just finished a really popular one called GeoSnippits - Dealing with Geocaching Muggles. Now it's time to move on to our next tutorial and we would like your suggestions on what it should be.

So we are putting out a little contest. 

Please go to our GeoSnippits website and check out the videos we have already and then send in to us your best suggestion. We will go over all the ones submitted and the top five will win a GeoSnippits pathtag.

Send all submissions to headhardhat@gmail.com with the subject of GeoSnippits Suggestion.

Winners will be announced once chosen.

Good luck to all.

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Twitter me at
@headhardhat

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at
http://www.geosnippits.com

What is a Pathtag and What is a Geocoin?

There are two different types of "coins" that can be found in the geocaching world.

Note, I am not including personally made, wooden or other signature coins in this discussion.

These coins are very popular and work slightly different from each other. They are Pathtags and Geocoins.

Pathtags

Pathtags are about the size of a dime and have a hole in them. The front is a very customizable enamel face which can hold a lot of detail and colors. On the back is an ID number that can be logged at the Pathtags website http://www.pathtags.com.

Pathtags are affordable trade items that are meant to be kept in a geocachers personal collection. In other words you can keep them. Unlike geocoins that are the property of individuals and move from one geocache to the next.

To design your own pathtag you go to the pathtag website and for about $99.00US get one of their starter kits. When complete you receive 50 pathtags to start trading. That's about $2.00US a pathtag. After that you may refill your pathtags for about $1.00US each. They are not as expensive because they already have your design on file.

Once you start trading there is a complete trading manager that takes over for you where people can ask if you want to trade pathtags and who sent what to whom. A world map is also available so you can see roughly where your pathtags are in other collectors possession.

Geocoins

Geocoins to me are the "shiny objects" that first put the word treasure in geocaching "treasure hunts". They range in size from about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. The first time I found a geocoin my eyes got wide and the feel of a well made geocoin made me drool just holding it. Then when I found out that you could track it on geocaching.com and actually see all the places it has been I was hooked.

Now the big difference between pathtags and geocoins is that geocoins is someone else's property. They are not meant to be kept but instead move from one geocache to the next. As heartbreaking as it is to find some you would really like to keep for yourself they are to roam free on the geocaching game-board.

Geocoin Personal Collections

Now can you have a personal geocoin collection? Sure you can but you have to either buy them from one of the many geocoin stores on the internet or trade them with other goecachers. I usually do that when attending geocaching events. The cost of a geocoin can range from about $8.00USD and up. There are a couple in my collection I paid $30.00USD at an auction. It's all about how much a geocoin is worth to you.

So can you make your own geocoins to sell and or trade? Sure, there are several companies out there that will make a geocoin that you designed but don't get sticker shock when you see the final price. Depending on the quality and weight of the geocoin itself and the minimal amount that needs to be made for an order you can be looking at some big time financial commitment $$$

To sum things up I have found that pathtags have become the best bang for the buck when it comes to personal trading items for geocachers. They are less expensive to create and fit many a geocacher's budget. Geocoins on the otherhand are the wandering nomads and the kings of the geocaching coin. They are prized when shown in collections and bring that amazing "wow" factor when found and released.

The choice of what works best with these treasures is of course entirely up to you. My advice is to take your time designing them to exactly what you want because you will be investing some of your hard earned cash in their making.

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Twitter me at @headhardhat

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at http://www.geosnippits.com

Send in a Suggestion and Win a GeoSnippits Pathtag!!!

Did you know that over 90% of the GeoSnippits videos we produce are based off of our viewer suggestions? That's right which means you are the ones in a sense controlling the show. So keep those ideas coming.

Just to help get those creative juices flowing we are going to add an incentive. If you send in a GeoSnippits video suggestion that we end up using on the show you will win an official GeoSnippits Pathtag.

So if you think you have a winning geocaching idea email it to headhardhat@gmail.com with the subject of GeoSnippits Video Idea. Not only will you get a free pathtag but will be mentioned in the GeoSnippits video you suggested.

Get them in now and don't hesitate we are planning Season Two right now.

Please don't forget to visit our GeoSnippits Geocaching Tutorial Videos Website at http://www.geosnippits.com

Pathtags - An Alternative to Geocoins?

It is no secret that I love geocoins. They push my pirate button when I go geocaching. Not the plunder and pillaging part, but more of the "Oooo shiny objects" part. To me a really good geocoin has a weighted feel to it when you have it in your hand. It feels like it could be made of gold or silver even though we know it is more likely brass. It needs to have some significance to me. Something like an event I attended or a defined theme that is of interest.

The average geocoin is about two inches in diameter and costs anywhere from $8.00US and up with an average around $15.00. I feel for the most part you get what you pay for. Some geocoins I have purchased for less than $8.00 look and feel like an $8.00 coin. the weight is less and the appearance is more grade "B" rather than grade "A". Truly, it is in your best interest in doing some research on the coin making companies before you buy. You will be so much happier with your choices.

A few years ago an alternative to geocoins became available and they are called pathtags. Now I do not believe they are a replacement to geocoins but rather a cool way of making personal coins affordable for trade. So what are pathtags? Pathtags are made similar to geocoins with a brass or other heavy metal base. Depending on the company you purchase them from they can be made with dozens of colors and in a very high detail. With an average diameter of 0.9 inches the cost of a pathtag is about $2.00US which makes it appealing to many.

There are some subtle differences when it comes to tracking. Currently on most geocoins they can be tracked on sites like geocaching.com which shows it's history of movement from one cache to another. Pathtags instead can be shown on a map where the holder of the pathtag lives and where they found or traded the tag itself. If you are interested in making your own pathtag for trade you can start by checking out pathtags.com.