Manitoba Geocaching Association

[dani_carriere]

For the last year, I have been responsible for identifying the Cacher of the Month (CotM), gathering information for their page, and putting it up on the web site.

Some of you may wonder how we determine who will be our Cacher of the Month. For the first few years, we relied on nominations from other cachers, but they were sometimes hard to come by. I decided that we needed to add some metrix to the process and we now have a "scientific" (not really) method of determining who our next honouree will be. I thought it would be a good idea to let you know the process I go through.

First, all MBGA Cachers of the Month:
* MUST be an MBGA Member (membership is free!)
* MUST reside in the province of Manitoba (Spirited Energy abounds!)

Does this describe you so far? Great. Those are the two basic rules to start with. Now you have to get on my "Radar". How do you do that?

* If you have more than 500 Cache finds, - OR -
* If you have hidden more than 10 geocaches, - OR -
* Have been nominated by another geocacher, - OR -
* Have served, or are serving on the MBGA Board of Directors,

and have not already been selected as an MBGA Cacher of the Month, then, *you* are on my radar! Currently, there are 75 members on my list.

Next, I rank people by giving them "points" on various factors:

* longevity: Veteran cachers get more points than newbie cachers
* finder: More finds gets you a higher rank
* hider: Hidden caches? You ranking goes up.
* activity: If you are active on the Geocaching.com site (ie. have logged into your account), you would rank higher than someone who hasn't signed in for a few months. This is used primarily as a tie-breaker as we would prefer people who are actively caching to receive the honour.
* participation: If you have served or are currently serving on the MBGA Board of Directors you get extra points
* nominations: For each nomination you receive, you also get more points.

Once I have narrowed the list down to one name, I then contact the cacher to see if they are willing to participate. Participation is not required. You may opt out. If you do, then I just selected the next person on my list. So far, in the last 5 years of CotM, only 2 cachers have opted to not participate.

Wow! That's a lot of information to decipher. Let's just say, we're examining many factors to ensure that everyone has a fair chance of being selected as Cacher of the Month.

Do you know someone who should be nominated to be Cacher of the Month? Make sure they're on my radar by using our handy nomination link. (Make sure you add a subject saying that you're making a CotM nomination). Also, check out the Cacher of the Month page on our website to see who our past recipients are. There are many interesting stories there.

Any questions? Let me know.

[brainradio]

Bribes? I read this twice and didn't see bribes. Hmmmm, guess i better increase my finds!

[dani_carriere]

[dani_carriere]

Hi all! We have had some nominations come in for Cacher of the Month! Thank you!

If there is someone you think deserves to be Cacher of the Month, make sure you nominate them. The more nominations they receive the better!

Make sure they're on my radar by using our handy nomination link. (Make sure you add a subject saying that you're making a CotM nomination).

Before you nominate them, just double check to ensure that they haven't already been selected. Check out the Cacher of the Month page on our website for the list.

[dani_carriere]

FYI, I am now tracking 125 MBGA members for Cacher of the Month. If you want to nominate someone, click here and make sure you mention that you're making a Cacher of the Month Nomination in the subject.

Check out this link to read up on previous Cachers of the Month.

[AngelFreak]

[AngelFreak]

Can we nominate someone more than once?

[dani_carriere]

Can you nominate a person more than once ... No.

Can that person be nominated by other people other than yourself, Yes.

Each nomination for a person (from distinct people) will up their "Club Z" points.

Can you nominate any number of people ... yes. You can nominate whoever you want, but you cannot nominate them more than once. I keep track of all nominations made and by whom.

[AngelFreak]

Thanks for clarifying.

[dani_carriere]

As of Jan 1st, 2013, I am now tracking 165 teams for Cacher of the Month.