Posted by Peptic Ulcer With that being said, I started this "project" with the intent of people being able to come together and begin sharing locations again. Granted it's not secure (once a map is out, I have no control over what is done with it) however my intent is to only share these locations with active full members who contribute regularly and have demonstrated the ethos most of us live by. People are free to contribute or not, its entirely up to the individual. So far almost all of the locations I have received were already known or were easily found on the web so it isnt like we have the secret entrance to the SSC here.
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But this is exactly the problem. Here's a little song to explain.
I know Local Joe
Local Joe asked me for the info
But I said "no"
Because Local Joe is the guy literally stealing copper and LITERALLY tagging his fucking name and the date all over local utility infrastructure...o
And now we can't access that manhole no mo'
But you don't know Local Joe
So when Local Joe stopped by to trade the info
You said, "Straight up, bro,
Here you go!"
And now Joe has a ton more info
That he can use to fuck up even more shit... yo.
[There's a whole dance routine that goes along with that. Oh yes, there is.]
A globalized map that anyone can access is a bad idea. There will be no controlling it. It will get out. It will create havoc.
And worst of all, it was utterly unnecessary in the first place, because UER is already the PERFECT resource to manage that.
UER isn't a location database, it isn't a treasure map, it isn't the keys to every city on earth.
UER is social media and networking.
If you're not yet part of a local network and you want to be, you use it to discretely raise a few flags and get noticed by your local community. You find a few people, get to hang out and explore with them and, provided you're not a fuck-tard like our friend Local Joe, now you're part of the local scene. This is literally how I became a part of the MSP exploring community after years of exploring without running into anyone, and as such I have done my best to go out of my way to respond when I see a local flag raise, a tentative hand seeking a community of like-minded friends.
When you're part of a local community, you find like-minded members and friends who you can exchange information with - in a controlled manner that isn't spewing information to anyone who can hammer on a keyboard.
The best thing about UER, though, is you can create a world-wide network of friends and explorers. I don't need to have a map of every abandoned shit-hole in the country because if I'm planning a trip out of state I can hit up the locals and say "Hey, guys, I'm gonna be in town for a couple days. I'd like to get out, is anyone free?" People do it all the time, it's great. It's perfect, actually.
If I already have friends there, they'll hook me up with something AND they'll let me know any pertinent information about recent activity/security/patrols/local issues that you just cannot provide via global map. No global map needed. If I don't have friends there, the mutual friends I have will vouch for me and, again, someone will hook me up and let me know that the cops have been busting people at Theater X, lately, but Brewery Z has recently been re-opened and has some cool stuff to see. No global maps escaped or were harmed to let me have a couple great nights seeing new things. The locals will be able to give me information to tailor my trip, too. If they know I'm bringing my fancy camera and want to spend some time getting re-acquainted with my tripod doing fancy arty-farty shots, they'll say "Here's some good places for that." If they know I just want to spend a couple hours drunk in a cave hanging out and talking, they'll tell me the good caves for that and let the locals know that we're having a gathering.
And if I can't be trusted, people will know that too, and they'll keep me from getting access to information and locations that should not be loosed into the wild. They'll feed me to the derps that are easy that no one cares about and I'll STILL have a good time without jeopardizing anything.
Local Joe can still tag up the telecommunications tunnels under the city and he can still smash all the windows on that great complex that's sat quietly just outside of town or years, he can even instagram the ever-loving shit out of that sweet, old church, but there's no good reason to make it easy for him to do that.
Like, there's LITERALLY no reason to tell the entire internet where everything is when we have this great resource for urban exploration right here.
People need to get past the database. Whatever the initial intention was, that's just not the best use of this site, and others like it.
It's about connecting with the locals, and that's why I keep coming back.