I participated in the article with others who do post some or all of
their clues to the LbNA site. Some of my letterboxes are parts of
series, clues written by others, that are posted there. As I
mentioned in my post, the game "...runs along a continuum from
complete stealth and anonymity to others who are much more open." I
choose to be closer to end of the continuum where folks play with
more stealth.
I also stated in my previous post that the "Time" article "was truly
a double edged sword" for me in terms of publicity for letterboxing,
unwanted or otherwise. Incidentally, I have been approached in the
past by various media representatives and I have always turned down
this type of exposure for letterboxing.
My decision to pass certain of my letterbox clues via Word of Mouth
(WOM)was made long before the "Time" article. Some of my personal
reasons for doing this are:
(1)To avoid the creation of social trails in areas where I have
boxes to avoid what I have seen at many boxes in other places. These
become,in a micro sense, a form of unwanted publicity and may invite
unwanted visitors where I would prefer limited access only for those
who are searching for the box.
(2)To provide a more artistic and creative approach that internet
posting does not allow.
For those who don't know what Word of Mouth (WOM) means, in general
terms, these are clues that are not posted to the LbNA site. Rather,
they are made available by a variety of other means. They may be on a
private website, require some internet research and are found
elsewhere on the internet, passed between letterboxers, sent via
snail mail or email only. In particular, this latter means of getting
clues might be available for the asking or they may find their way to
your mailbox or even found in another letterbox. WOM has been a
Dartmoor tradition for years and, even in the early days of
letterboxing here in the US, many clues were passed along this way.
I hope I've cleared this up for you.
Alafair
--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, Hikers_n_ Hounds
> "It's also just one reason why so many of us are not publishing our
> clues any longer and making them WOM."
>
> Alafair,
>
> Perhaps I am misunderstanding this. You participated in the article
and directed people to the website but then don't post your own clues
on the website for fear of repercussions from publicity? It doesn't
seem to make sense to me....
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]