Virtuals are set to return to geocaching.com

This article was originally published on Cache Up NB. It has been mirrored here for archive purposes only.

Just recently, I had changed the poll here to get some feedback on the whole “revive” virtuals debate. For those out of the loop, here’s a quick history lesson.

At one time, you used to be able to list a “virtual” cache on geocaching.com. The idea was that there was a location you wanted to bring people to (many times a location of historical significance) but there was no suitable spot for a physical container. These spawned the “virtual” cache where a person could go to the location and use some other method to verify they had been there (usually photos). However, virtuals degraded to the point where there were many useless virtuals (parking lots, coffee shops, etc) and in many cases, if a regular cache went missing, it would get converted to a virtual. This lead to Groundspeak disabling the ability to create new virtuals, and spawned Waymarking.com.

Since then, there has been a widespread debate about whether or not virtuals should be brought back. Many insist that they still have a place in geocaching but should have tighter controls on them (somewhat like how Earthcaches are controlled). Of all the topics in geocaching, the “Bring back virtuals” is one of the hottest topics.

Back in May, I posted a story about how a user on Groundspeak had claimed Jeremy Irish (CEO of Groundspeak) had told him they were looking at having virtuals return. Today it seems that this may in fact actually be true.

On Groundspeak’s latest “feedback” forum, there is now an official response from Jeremy indicating that the return of virtuals is now “planned” and that “We have been discussing this in-house and plan to work on a solution that should support those interested in virtuals and not upset those who don’t want them back.”.

It would seem they are destined to return. What are your thoughts on the subject?