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It is an exciting time in the sport of Geocaching. At the time of this writing there are over 500,000 active caches worldwide and more than 40,000 account holders at Geocaching.com, the central hub of the sport. These are impressive numbers, but what is more impressive is the rate of growth. Before 2000, there were no geocaches.
We discovered geocaching while we were building Trailmix.Net and have grown to love the sport. Last week I noticed a comment that appeared on one of our blog posts from Michael Jacobus. I was delighted for two reasons: a) somebody was reading this blog and b) I recognized the name of the person that left the comment as somebody who is doing something important in the world of Geocaching.
For those of you who don’t know, Michael Jacobus is the publisher of Geocacher Magazine a brand new magazine dedicated to geocaching and the geocaching community. We corresponded by e-mail, and he was kind enough to answer some questions that I had about the magazine, his personal background, and his vision of the future.
I know you are a Geocacher, but what other life experiences compelled you to launch Geocacher Magazine?
I've been in sales and marketing my whole life, so I'm always coming up with ideas, some good, some great, some not-so ... As a father with 2 boys in scouting (I'm one of the scout leaders) I really took notice of how much they enjoyed receiving their individual copies of Boy's Life magazine each month. Since discovering geocaching in 2005, I enjoyed the time outside with my kids and their friends so much, I kept thinking to myself; "How could I find a way to do this every day?" That and the scouting magazine observation (and my meetings with Groundspeak to learn that a printed magazine was NOT part of their future plans) ... and Geocacher Magazine was born
As you weighed the pros and cons of launching the magazine, what factor was the tipping point that caused you to make the decision to commit?
I guess more than anything, my ongoing conversations with a friend and fellow geocacher who had been in the magazine publishing business for over 20 years. He is now the Dean of Journalism at a big university, but he has been down many of the roads I am now traveling and has offered invaluable insight and suggestions. Knowing I had that sort of "Ace in the Hole" and the confidence I have in my own marketing abilities, I would call the "tipping point".
What is your vision of the magazine five years from now?
Wow! I don't spend too much time planning more than a year ahead but I suppose it all depends on how the sport grows and the interest level from advertisers and subscribers. Increasing the size of the magazine (bigger than the current 68 pages) and the frequency (monthly rather than the current bi-monthly schedule) are both possibilities, but we'll really have to wait and see.
We noticed that Geocacher Magazine is a sponsor of Geowoodstock VI. What sort of presence will Geocacher Magazine have at the event?
We are producing the program for the event and will have at the very least a booth space or other "presence" at GWVI but as for specific promotions ... I can't divulge anything more than to say we are sponsoring two very specific things that are going to cause TONS of "buzz" and be lots of fun!
Our family recently subscribed to Geocacher Magazine, when can we expect the first issue?
Should be in the mail this week! As with most publication start-ups (so I'm told) we missed a few deadlines and had a few delays but it’ll be well worth the wait! Thanks for subscribing!
If you would like to learn more about Geocacher Magazine, you can take a peek inside here. Good luck Mike, we wish you the best!
About Mike Barlow
The Trailmix.Net Blog is the work of Mike Barlow who blogs about Family Outdoor Recreation, Outdoor Education, and the exploration of National Parks, trails, and other wild places with his children.
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