The past leads to the future

On the 13th June 2014, I ceased to be a Groundspeak Volunteer Reviewer, after a irreparable breakdown between Groundspeak and myself.

My method of working from the heart, and always putting the Community first, put me into conflict with Groundspeak, on numerous occasions.

Not helped by the fact that Groundspeak;s own policy of no longer, tasking local Volunteers to deal with Landowner issues, means a US Based Employee deals directly with the issue. This means that people who have no local knowledge, take action. When there might have been the possibility of turning the situation around, with a discussion. 

It also means that their policy of always applying "all" reasonable requests by a Landowner, can lead to them requiring a Cache Owner to make a illegal action in regards to UK Access Laws. And stand by that despite being told, that the Requirement is illegal under UK Access Laws, by parroting the phrase "Groundspeak always complies with all reasonable Landowner Requests".

I got that reply twice, when I pointed that the requirement, was illegal under UK Access Laws, so I had to send a very strong and bolshie email, to get the Requirement withdrawn.

Yet despite stopping attempting to first explain twice, I got told, that I had done the equivalent of shouting in the 3rd email. No comment about the first two attempts. Just that I was in the wrong.

The final thing that saw my removal, and lets be clear, I was given the choice to either Resign of be Removed as a Volunteer Reviewer. All because I'd supposedly made a Rude Post on FB, I made a post to stop 2 members of a very small local community, from not only tearing into each other, but dragging others in the community, into their war against each other. So tearing the local community apart.

I got a email informing me that my Post had been Rude, despite those on both sides, to whom the post was aimed. Separately and independently contacted me, to thank me. As it made them sit down, and resolve their issues. I was required to Read the Groundspeak Reviewer Expectations Document and confirm I had done so. The document is a multi page one, which controls what a Volunteer Reviewer may and may not do. If I had followed it, the Local community, would now be in tatters.

I was also told I should have spoken to the other UK Reviewers, before making my post. We again I know what the reply would have been, "we as Volunteers, do not get involved in disputes within the community".

Sorry but I've never been a Groundspeak Employee, but a Volunteer, who gave up my time, to Benefit the Community, first and foremost. The needs of the community have and always will come first.

Sadly that does not fit in with a Corporate Groundspeak any more. I knew the writing was on the wall for me remaining a Reviewer, well over 18 months ago. When Groundspeak changed it Employee recruitment policy, from within the Geocaching Community, to one of Recruit people with specific defined skills, and "require" them to become Geocachers. Meaning the core understanding of the Geocaching Community, the differences world  wide, and the understanding of what the hobby means to people. Is not present, when the person joins Groundspeak, so they bring in Corporate ethos first and foremost. So I became a Dinosaur.

So no sooner than I had announced my resignation, than I got grabbed by the scruff of the neck, and dragged screaming and kicking, into becoming a North Wales 2016 Mega Committee minion, given that it will be my local Mega Event, not something I could refuse.

So the North Wales 2016 Mega Event, will take place on August 6th at The Royal International Pavilion' Llangollen. 

And on top of that, I got nominated for Election to the Geocaching Association of Great Britain Committee. To which I amazingly got Elected, so now from having nothing to do to help the community, I am involved in 2 separate projects