Mapcodes: launching my new website

What do you think about mapcodes after visiting overhere.co.za?

  • I'm already using mapcodes

  • I'm interested, I'm going to start using mapcodes immediately

  • I'm not sure, still making up my mind about it

  • I'd rather use what3words

  • I'd rather use Google Plus Codes

  • I'd rather use a different short-code system (please share)

  • I'm still confused about what mapcodes are

Results are only viewable after voting.
Have you tried to convince the IEC that Mapcodes is the answer to their address problems for the voter's role?
I have been sold on the idea for a long time. But then I have spent plenty of time out there is the wild, trying to explain to persons where my camp is based on local landmarks. And then GPS came along and it was better, but mapcodes are really easy to use for this type of application.
 
Geoff.D said:
Have you tried to convince the IEC that Mapcodes is the answer to their address problems for the voter's role?
I have been sold on the idea for a long time. But then I have spent plenty of time out there is the wild, trying to explain to persons where my camp is based on local landmarks. And then GPS came along and it was better, but mapcodes are really easy to use for this type of application.
Click to expand...

I don't have any contacts at the IEC, but anybody who does is welcome to put us in touch. For now I've been content to pursue some lower-hanging fruit and keep improving the core site functionality and ease-of-use.

Funnily enough with the last voter registration drive I sent out a press release about the benefits of my site for those looking to find polling stations, and that was actually run in some media ... I believe change comes faster from a bottom-up than top-down approach, so that's what I'll keep working at.

It's not just IEC stations in the middle of nowhere either: far more of South Africa doesn't have a proper physical address than does, so it's only a question of time.
 
It is quite strange that there is so much resistance. Defence forces have used "map references" since forever. So, mapcodes is just a very old idea in a new form for general use.

An aside: Years ago, large portions of SA and SWA did not have 1:50 000 maps available to the public, because of the maps available having the SANDF grid printed on them. But we needed the maps for microwave route planning.
So we had a choice. We either went to SANDF HQ to do the planning, or, find another source. So we approached our equipment supplier in Germany, who then sourced the maps for us ----- From Russia :D.
Took some explaining when the SANDF discovered we had our own set of maps! :laugh:
 
Lol Geoff, that's a hilarious story, thanks for sharing!

I don't think there's resistance as much as inertia. It's a irony of modern life that we've become ultra-conservative as a way to deal with the flood of new information we're always exposed to ... my theory is that people are adopting the old "sheep mentality" to stay safe and sane, so all new systems just need to spark the initial uptake in practical ways.

Would you believe that last night I registered on a big 4x4 online forum, created a thread to share my website with th community and ask for their input, and the forum owner deleted my thread and sent me a message warning me that advertising was prohibited? I asked him what I was advertising because everything on my website is free ... maybe I was guilty of advertising new knowledge, and he's the thought police.
 
Foxhound5366 said:
Lol Geoff, that's a hilarious story, thanks for sharing!

I don't think there's resistance as much as inertia. It's a irony of modern life that we've become ultra-conservative as a way to deal with the flood of new information we're always exposed to ... my theory is that people are adopting the old "sheep mentality" to stay safe and sane, so all new systems just need to spark the initial uptake in practical ways.

Would you believe that last night I registered on a big 4x4 online forum, created a thread to share my website with th community and ask for their input, and the forum owner deleted my thread and sent me a message warning me that advertising was prohibited? I asked him what I was advertising because everything on my website is free ... maybe I was guilty of advertising new knowledge, and he's the thought police.
Click to expand...
That 4 x 4 website is ultra conservative. And rather brutal towards new comers as well as very protective of their own systems they push.
 
Geoff.D said:
That 4 x 4 website is ultra conservative. And rather brutal towards new comers as well as very protective of their own systems they push.
Click to expand...
Well I reached out to the admin to try again to convince him that I'm neither an axe murderer nor somebody out to make a quick buck (a free open source platform would be a terrible way of making a quick buck). I have no problem with people being conservative, even Coca-Cola had to struggle with door-to-door sales in the early days lol
 
@Geoff.D @RedViking @UrBaN963 @Thor @saor
Hi gents, can I please trouble you for one last look for some comments at www.overhere.co.za

Since you gave your original feedback on this thread I've done a lot of work on simplifying stuff ... including a new tutorial guide, easier navigation, quicker sharing, a 'one-page' sharing URL (with everything in one place for third-party users - you'd see that by actually sharing a link to whatsapp or e-mail or whatever) ... hopefully all intuitive. What do you think?
 
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