FAQ
Main »» South Jersey Geocaching Membership| What is SJG? |
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| The South Jersey Geocaching Organization exists to promote the sport of geocaching within Southern New Jersey. We are a group of active geocachers who use the resources of the South Jersey Geocaching Organization to socialize with other members, work cooperatively with land managers on our members' behalf and to promote responsible geocaching in our area. We invite all interested in geocachers living or actively caching in Southern New Jersey to join us (Membership is free!) This website provides a structured setting for members to interact with one another. We have forums, polls, and an event calendar to help keep our members abreast of what's happening in So. Jersey.<br> This website is a community effort - the administration of this site is a shared responsibility. Admin rights for this site have been assigned to several Coordinators so that running this site does not depend on any one individual. <br> The idea is to have fun... here on this site, at events and out in the field when we are looking for caches. Feel free to share your ideas, stories, suggestions and comments! We are interested in being responsive to the needs of the South Jersey geocaching community. Enjoy! |
| Who can become a Full Member or Friend of SJG? |
| We actively seek Full Members who either live or regularly cache in the following counties: Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem County. We welcome cachers from Central and Northern NJ, PA, & DE to join as Full Members if they are interested in caching in So. Jersey. We encourage them to cache or attend events in So. NJ to help familiarize themselves with the unique terrain, hiding styles and other members of our club. Geocachers outside of the Delware Valley are also welcome to apply for a Friend membership if they are interested in geocaching in the southern NJ area. |
| What is the difference between a Registered User, a Full Member or a Friend of SJG? |
| Registered Users: RUs have limited access to the SJG website. RUs can read the General Forums (General, Cache Outings, Events and 911 Cache Repair) but cannot participate by posting. Registration gives you a "sneak peek" of who SJG is and what we are about. Full Members: You gain a VOICE in SJG! Posting in all of the forums: General and Members-Only Forums (Members-Only Forums can only be seen and replied to by other Full Members.) You can create and participate in polls. You can add pics to the photo albums. You gain full access to the calendar of events - so that you are "in the know" regarding events in So. Jersey. You gain access to online chat & online games. You can add to the web links or downloads sections of the site. You can submit articles for the front page of the site. Friends: Friends of SJG are cachers who have an interest in our area but do not live in the Delaware Valley. Friends gain access to the majority of the website, including forum posting privileges in the General Forums, the photo album, games, chat, links, downloads and the calendar. Friends are required to fill in the Membership Application Form and go through the same approval process as local cachers. Each application is reviewed on a case by case basis. |
| What do I have to do to become a Full Member or Friend? |
| First, you must register to use the site. After logging into the site, you will see a link entitled "Membership Request" on the left hand side under the Main Menu that takes you to our online Membership Request Form. Click on the link and fill out the form for membership in the South Jersey Geocaching group. The information on the online form is emailed directly to the site Admin and your membership is processed. Your personal information will not be stored on the server nor will it be available to anyone online. There are no membership dues. We strongly believe that membership is more than just joining a website, it is about becoming part of our community and creating an official geocaching group in the local area. |
| Why do you require personal information in your membership application? |
| The answer to that question is multi-faceted. First, we are a club – no different than the local Rotary, Lions, FOE, YMCA, etc. We do not view ourselves as "just a website." We are an active organization in the local community. If you think about it, you will realize that you cannot become a member of most organizations without giving some basic information. Second, most websites without personal information requirements suffer trolling, spamming and many sock puppet accounts. We try to avoid that headache as much as we can by asking folks to be honestly accountable. Viewing your gc.com profile may help us to verify that you do cache in the area and helps everyone associate who you are here with who you are there in the event you decide to choose a different or separate username for this website (for example, Mother Hen has her own account here, but caches with her family under the Evil Chicken account at gc.com). Finally, many members have invested a lot of time, money, energy, faith, heart and soul into making this organization successful. Every Coordinator, Full Member or Friend has gone through the application process. In return we asking new members to invest a little of themselves in it as well. We understand that people want their privacy. No one wants to have their personal information abused or mis-managed. No one appreciates someone prank calling them at 3 AM, giving their info to telemarkers, or camping on their lawn. Home is a place you go to get away from the terrorism of the outside world, not to be bombarded by it. Your personal information will not be stored in a database on the website – therefore, a hacker will not gain access to it through this site. Your information will never be given to an outside third party without your express consent. We are not a commercial site and are not affiliated with any sponsors, advertisers, etc. If you wish to host an event at your home or take part in the Emergency Contact list, that is your choice and totally voluntary. We don't want to disappoint anyone, but, just because you are a well-known cacher or know a Coordinator personally does not mean you will be able to bypass filling in the membership application. We refuse to pick and choose whom we require information from - that would be showing favoritism, profiling, etc, and that is patently unfair and wrong. As mentioned above, all Coordinators and Full Members have filled in an application and provided this information. We understand that your privacy is important to you. If you have any additional comments or questions, please feel free to drop an email to sjgeocaching@comcast.net. |
| What responsibilities do SJG cachers have? |
| We believe that along with the fun (and frustrations!) of geocaching come with responsibilities. For example, we would encourage cachers to become stashers (placing, or hiding, a cache and properly maintaining it). Everyone should feel free and comfortable to report damaged, wet, or trashed caches to the owners. Occasionally, cachers may be willing to help out a cache owner by replacing a zip baggie or a logbook or adding a pencil to a cache. While this is not required, lending a helping hand shows good sportsmanship. Furthermore, we believe cachers should be civic-minded. One way we do this is by picking up litter when we are out caching. This not only keeps our playground safe, but helps preserve the natural beauty of our outdoor resources. In addition to individuals helping out, often a group will organize an event where cachers can work together for an afternoon or a day. Besides picking up trash, these groups may work with local rangers and assist in the maintenance of parks and trail systems. These events are a positive way to increase public awareness of geocaching and to create good relationships with park managers. In fact, there is an organized program sponsored by Groundspeak called Cache In Trash Out or CITO. To learn more about CITO, click on the link. Another way cachers may choose to become involved in the geocaching community and in South Jersey is through activism. This may include writing articles, circulating petitions, or taking part in the voicing of possible legislative policies. If we don't speak up on public policies that affect our sport, no one will! Another outreach could be holding a seminar at a local park, or with a Boy Scout troop, etc. to share our love of this sport with others and teach them about geocaching. The possibilities are endless! We feel that all cachers have a duty/responsibility to promote this sport and make a positive impact on it for other cachers as well as the community. Whether it's reporting a trashed out cache, picking up an empty soda can or organizing a CITO event, each is important and further enhances our sport. The woods, parks, and sometimes even city streets are our playground - let's all pitch it to keep them clean and safe! We realize that no one person can do it all. Work schedules, physical impairments, life, etc. all have a way of intruding on the best-laid plans. However, we would encourage each of you to consider what you can do to positively promote this sport in these important areas. |
| Where is the link to the membership application? |
| Unfortunately, when the site went down and reorganized, the link got buried. Rather than go through a lengthy explanation of where to find it, just click here instead! |
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