http://virtualletterboxes.wordpress.com/

Bookmarked!

I always enjoy your virtuals.

~MC

http://virtualletterboxes.wordpress.com/

Bookmarked!

I always enjoy your virtuals.

~MC

Thank you Mama Cache. <blush> I plan on revitalizing my retired virtuals too. It's going to take awhile - I have 66 virtuals. But hopefully I'll get them all transferred before 2015.

ok, i went to look at my logbook to see all of my victuals and i don't see any listed but my own plants, not finds and i did tons of them the first winter i got into boxing ........living in a snow area without very many boxes. am i looking in the wrong area?

I've started posting mine on a blog (it's a work in progress so not much there right now): http://virtualletterboxes.wordpress.com/

Is part of the work in progress the links for the passkeys for
• Corresponding in Code
• Geocaching Hide n Go Seek

The passkey links don't seem to exist.

Enjoyed strolling through the site.
Peace
CTEE

I plan on revitalizing my retired virtuals too. It's going to take awhile - I have 66 virtuals.

I'm hoping that Ryan will keep this board even after AQ no longer hosts the virtuals, themselves. It would be a great spot for those who would like to post the existence/addition of their offsite creations.

And, one day, I want to learn how to make an image map virtual letterbox -- those are so very cool.

Thanks so much for preserving your work!

~MC

I'm hoping that Ryan will keep this board even after AQ no longer hosts the virtuals, themselves.

I can do that. Adding or removing a board doesn't really cause any code bloat since the code for message boards needs to work anyhow. It does take up a marginal amount of space in the database, I suppose, but that pretty much amounts to a rounding error. And anyhow, even if I deleted this board, there's no reason someone can't just create another virtuals board to discuss such matters since members here are allowed to create their own boards.

In any case, long story short, there's not really any compelling reason for me to get rid of the board. =)

-- Ryan

i went to look at my logbook to see all of my victuals and i don't see any listed but my own plants, not finds and i did tons of them the first winter i got into boxing ........living in a snow area without very many boxes. am i looking in the wrong area?

It looks like you found a bug in the code! Congrats! =) The drop-down list letting you choose between plants and finds doesn't seem to be showing in the logbook like it's supposed to. However, you can still access the correct links from the Virtuals home page by clicking on your plants, finds or finds on unlisted virtuals links.

Normally, I'd just fix bugs, but in this case, since I plan to get rid of virtuals, it seems like a waste of time to fix something that's going away soon anyhow. So just follow the link from the virtuals home page. It's a kludge, but it does work!

-- Ryan

I loved doing virtuals. I hate change (and the old way of doing virtuals has been gone a long time). But 'if not for change there wouldn't be butterflies'.

I've started posting mine on a blog (it's a work in progress so not much there right now): http://virtualletterboxes.wordpress.com/

---

Is part of the work in progress the links for the passkeys for
• Corresponding in Code
• Geocaching Hide n Go Seek

The passkey links don't seem to exist.

Enjoyed strolling through the site.
Peace
CTEE

Yes...a work in progress. Have a look now. The link should work.

I plan on revitalizing my retired virtuals too. It's going to take awhile - I have 66 virtuals.

---

I'm hoping that Ryan will keep this board even after AQ no longer hosts the virtuals, themselves. It would be a great spot for those who would like to post the existence/addition of their offsite creations.

And, one day, I want to learn how to make an image map virtual letterbox -- those are so very cool.

Thanks so much for preserving your work!

~MC

It would be fantastic if Ryan might consider something where we could list our off-site virtuals and perhaps record them here. A premium perk perhaps, similar to listing box finds that are not on AQ.

The image map virtuals will be sad to lose. I want to move my Gems over to my Virtuals blog but that site isn't suitable.

It would be fantastic if Ryan might consider something where we could list our off-site virtuals and perhaps record them here.

That's kind of what there is already--but nobody uses it anymore!

The image map virtuals will be sad to lose.

I'm a little sad about that too because I really liked the idea, but nobody has been doing them either. My idea to pull the plug on virtuals wasn't because there wasn't room for them here--it was just because nobody is doing them anymore. I was a little curious if I pulled the plug without saying anything how long it would take before anyone even noticed. (I knew that eventually someone would notice--but I suspect it might have been awhile!)

And even then, I kind of forgot about virtuals until I started changing some core code and realized that I had to update the code for virtuals so it wouldn't break and it left me wondering why I was updating code on stuff that almost nobody ever uses anymore. It was wasting time that could be better spent on features more people would use.

I wouldn't have felt like I was wasting my time updating the code if people were actually using it regularly....

-- Ryan

My idea to pull the plug on virtuals wasn't because there wasn't room for them here--it was just because nobody is doing them anymore.

I think the big reason so few people are doing them is because they are so hard to find.

I also think they could work with some hard rules. Especially with regards to the reward. Only hand-carved stamp reward allowed. We could include store ought stamps but then things get out of control again. Plus a check box, when submitting, that said "I certify that the hand carved stamp image was carved by me, the creator of this virtual letterbox". I think it would discourage people from posting images of handcarved stamps that they didn't carve but snagged from the web.

That would knock down the exponential growth of them and, the one question VLBs or give-away VLBs. I expect that people who invest time in carving a stamp image will more likely create a more robust VLB.

Only hand-carved stamp reward allowed.

That leaves a pretty big question mark--what about all of the virtuals that were already listed that didn't have hand-carved stamps? It doesn't really seem fair to have most virtuals that use images stolen off the web while at the same time prohibiting new people from doing the same.

More explicit rules earlier might have prevented virtuals from being moved into their own category, but that boat kind of already sailed. And when I suggested adding such rules and removing the multitudes of listings that weren't following them.... that didn't go over too well either.

Be that as it may, however, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to someday re-visting the virtuals concept. I added them to AQ because I thought it was an interesting idea that I genuinely liked. It's the mess that they turned into that didn't work out well. I still like the original concept for them, and washing it all away and starting with a clean slate isn't totally out of the question.

But I'm not seeing any advantage to keeping around what's already here, and based on how much use it gets, neither does anyone else.

-- Ryan

I'm totally cool with starting with a clean slate. I have no issues with moving them off-site then moving them back on site if you do decide to re-vamp them.

The VLBs have been so low-key for so long I bet that the dissent will be low-key as well. Wiping out the current database in early 2015 hasn't met with much angst.

Maybe a new and improved VLB database based on lessons learned from the old site, might work. You may need to keep the handful of reviewers to help make sure it doesn't go off track.

Anyway, glad to hear that you still like the original concept and starting over isn't totally out of the question. :)

Wiping out the current database in early 2015 hasn't met with much angst.

I have to admit, I'm a little surprised about that. I was a little nervous about suggesting the idea....

You may need to keep the handful of reviewers to help make sure it doesn't go off track.

Yes, I'd definitely need some sort of system to monitor things. But I'm not going to worry much about that until the day comes when I start seriously thinking about reintroducing virtuals.

-- Ryan

I have deleted all of my plants. Feel free to delete all of my finds. I don't have the time to delete these one at a time, so if you can mass wipe mine out feel free.

If you are going to start over with a "clean slate" and require hand carved images at least call it something different and have a strict rule to enforce. I guess that was the intent of the virtual monitors that were previously appointed.

If you are going to start over with a "clean slate" and require hand carved images at least call it something different

What would you suggest?

-- Ryan

If you are going to start over with a "clean slate" and require hand carved images at least call it something different and have a strict rule to enforce. I guess that was the intent of the virtual monitors that were previously appointed.

Virtual monitors mostly made sure the icons were properly used and images worked. Things were getting too sloppy. So many people were posting virtuals with no images. Virtuals with broken images. Virtuals with handcarved icons that didn't have handcarved images. Virtuals with handcarved images that were just web grabs - not handcarved images they themselves carved. I reported a lot of VLBs that posted handcarved images snagged from Etsy and virtuals that had no reward image.

If you are going to start over with a "clean slate" and require hand carved images at least call it something different

---

What would you suggest?

-- Ryan

Interesting question. What could the new name be?

Off the top of my head,

• Virtual Letterbox Scavenger Game
• Internet Letterbox Scavenger Game
• Internet Letterbox Stamp Hunt
• Internet Handcarved Stamp Hunt

Virtuals are somewhat like a Personal Traveler. You have to answer questions in order to get someone's special traveler. So maybe incorporate that concept.

• Virtual Personal Traveler

I have MS. The kind I have is called relapsing remitting MS. This means that sometimes I appear normal with no complications and at other times it is difficult to walk. I am fairly new to letterboxing and appreciate the opportunity to still letterbox virtually when I am stuck in bed and feeling useless. It is a way to give me hope. However, I also can understand your problem of the virtuals taking up a lot of the server storage. If you eliminate the virtuals you would have more storage for traditional letterboxes being posted for healthy people to do. I do get out and do the traditional letterboxes as well and I thank God for everyday I am able to walk and be active. I just wish there was an alternative that would work for those less mobile that did not take up so much of your serve storage.

I'm still planning to take out virtuals at the end of the year. I'll start making the necessary changes in the code this week and the Next Big Update, virtuals will be going away. If there's anything you want to save or preserve, better do it sooner than later! For any of you want to save your virtual logbooks, your browser should have an option to "save page as...." or something to that effect.

This message board will stick around, though. It's only the code specifically related to virtuals that I'll be removing--not any message board code!

-- Ryan

I "get" the virtuals which are solved online, and have a digital image for the "stamp". But what about virtual "events" and trackers, where the idea is organized virtually, but there are actual boxes planted (ie. Horse of a Different Carver and Oldest Bar in ______)??? No change to these (hopefully)???

I understand your reason for doing this, but I am glad they were there, if it wasn't for virtuals(and my being so dense and needing hits all the time) I never would have "met" the wonderful 2freetimers who I actually got to really meet two summers ago!! RIP virtuals, you had a good run.- storm rider

But what about virtual "events" and trackers, where the idea is organized virtually, but there are actual boxes planted

Those won't be affected.... virtual events will still be an option. There has never been virtual trackers, but the trackers that are there won't be affected either. It's just the virtual boxes.

-- Ryan

Just a plug for my virtuals....I moved mine to a blog: https://virtualletterboxes.wordpress.com/

Thank you for the information. However, virtuals are just a distant memory of wasted youth.

Yeah that's kind of what I thought was going to happen...

Now that the roads have unexpected black ice and most boxes aren't snow friendly, in this coming Covid winter:
Are there any virtual boxes still available to be sussed out?

I know AQ no longer supports virtual boxing, but can it be found anywhere?

Is this run by an AQ boxer?
https://scrapskc.org/events/virtual-letterboxing-workshop/2020-09-19/
I'm usually a bit reticent to join this type of group.

I think it was girl scout workshop. Or for Brownies. Nothing about anything else letterboxing that I can see.

that's what I saw too.
I need something to do if my winter plans fall through.
(yes, that plan is falling apart)